Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

God's New Agreement

3 Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters telling about them. ² But you are our letter, and you are in our^[a] hearts for everyone to read and understand. ^3 (A) You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

⁴ We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. ⁵ We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all we do. ^6 (B) He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.

^7 (C) The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even though it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was a fading glory. ⁸ So won't the agreement the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? ⁹ If something that brings the death sentence is glorious, won't something that makes us acceptable to God be even more glorious? ¹⁰ In fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all. ¹¹ The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.

¹² This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely. ^13 (D) We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away. ¹⁴ The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.

¹⁵ When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over ^16 (E) with a covering that is removed only for those who turn to the Lord. ¹⁷ The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free. ^18 (F) So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.

Treasure in Clay Jars

4 God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. This is why we never give up. ² We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure we can be trusted. ³ If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

⁴ The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. ⁵ We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. ^6 (G) The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

⁷ We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. ⁸ We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. ⁹ In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. ^10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so his life can also be seen in us. ¹² This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.

¹³ In the Scriptures it says, “I spoke because I had faith.” We have this same kind of faith. So we speak ¹⁴ because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you. ¹⁵ All of this has been done for you, so more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honor him.

Faith in the Lord

¹⁶ We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. ¹⁷ These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. ¹⁸ Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.