“Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, was so glorious that the Israelites could not look intently at the face of Moses because of its glory that was going to fade, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory. Indeed, what was endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious.”
Paul contrasts his preaching of the Gospel and Christ crucified with the ministry of Moses. The Mosaic Law, which Paul calls the ‘ministry of condemnation,’ cannot lead to salvation; “I once lived outside the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive; then I died, and the commandment that was for life turned out to be death for me (Rom. 7:9-10).” The Gospel he preaches far surpasses the ministry of Moses in its splendor. If Moses who is subordinate to Christ and who died was glorious, how much more glorious is the Gospel of the risen Christ who lives forever and raises all who believe in him to eternal life with him. It is through the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Spirit, that we are restored to the right relationship with God.
Almighty God, we give you thanks always for the gift of faith and the desire you placed in our hearts to know you. Through your Son Jesus Christ, you freed us from slavery to the Law and elevated the faithful to a place above even the angels. Grant us the grace to honor you in all that we do and enter us into your glory when our work is done. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Reference:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
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