. . . we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18, NASB)
In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he gets into a discussion on liberty with respect to salvation. On this Independence Day weekend, it’s appropriate to remember how our founding fathers approached our Nation’s independence.
Paul begins with a comparison to Moses, and the shackles of the Mosaic Law. When Moses met with God, afterwards he would veil his face. It seems his face would glow because of the glory of God. Over time the glory of God would fade from his face, and Moses didn’t want people to see that. Paul says the boldness of his speech is not at all like Moses’ veil. He will speak the Gospel unveiled!
Paul says the Israelites’ hearts remained veiled by the old covenant, “because it is removed in Christ.” In the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, a veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the place. Only the High Priest had access, once a year, to atone for the sins of himself and the rest of the people. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two, from top to bottom, meaning the people now had direct access to God. Paul says that there is a veil over our hearts, “but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
When a person prays to invite Jesus into their heart, they become free from the tyranny of sin and death, because Jesus defeated both of them on the cross. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” At the moment of salvation, our hearts are unveiled, the Holy Spirit enters the Tabernacle of our hearts, and because of God’s love for us, we have perfect liberty!
Is your heart veiled or has it been unveiled? Only by inviting Jesus to be the Lord of your life, will God have access to your heart, and He can shape you into the person you’re meant to be. You’ll never die, and you’ll have a home in heaven for eternity. Would you come to Jesus today?
The founders of our Nation declared independence from Great Britain 246 years ago tomorrow. They were taking a huge risk separating from the British Empire, the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. They put their lives and fortunes at risk. They all had one thing in common, though, a faith in the God of Israel. They believed that the rights of man are given by God, not granted by some government. It’s providential that they all came together at the same time, in the same place. I give thanks to God that brave men and women risked the their lives to cross the ocean so they could freely worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then launch this grand experiment, these United States of America!
John 8:36 image. Found at Keith McGivern,