2 Corinthians 3:17 Commentary and Bible Study

Now this brings us to the liberty of the Lord. The argument will be that the people in Old Testament times did not have this liberty. Unless they felt their need of God’s pardoning love, and saw the meaning of the promises, and trusted in the coming Messiah, they did not have it. Do not be taken back to the relative obscurity of the Old Testament, says the apostle Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit.’ He says ‘that Spirit’ because (even though the KJV uses a small ‘s’ previously) he is referring back to verse 6 – ‘Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life’, and verse 8 – ‘How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?’ and he explains those verses. If Moses is the letter, Christ, the Lord is the spirit: the letter is associated with the law of Moses, while the spirit is associated with the coming and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Lord Jesus Christ purchases salvation for his people and the Holy Spirit applies it to their hearts. But there is only one Spirit of God referred to in this passage. No need to be confused. There is still a distinction between Christ who is that Spirit, and the Holy Spirit - ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.’ They are separate persons, but both are responsible for writing gospel truth on the hearts of men and women. They are two distinct persons in the Godhead, Christ and the Holy Spirit, but they are the same being and they kind of merge in this passage. It is Christ who came, paid the price for sinners, purchased salvation, secured salvation. It is the Holy Spirit who opens the heart and applies it to us.‘And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ Liberty, mentioned elsewhere so strongly in the New Testament. Liberty characterises truly converted Christian people. What does it mean? Well it means three things – It means liberty from the bondage and the condemnation of the law. While we are under that condemnation we can have no peace with God. Martin Luther suddenly realised he was a sinner in the sight of God and so he tried to secure his acceptance with God before his conversion by his own efforts, by being scrupulous in keeping the Ten Commandments. But he found that he failed constantly, doing penance to try and purge his sin, desperately struggling under the bondage and condemnation of the law. It is a burden and a heavy weight upon him that condemned him because he had not yet seen Christ, who came and suffered and died and took away the penalty of the law. Once we are forgiven and trusting in Christ, once free from the condemnation of the law, then we delight in the law, we want to strive to keep it. It becomes the law of liberty. Secondly, it means freedom from the dominion of sin and the power of Satan because we are saved, and we have the help of God and the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we sin and fall but we have forgiveness, and we can turn again and strive against sin and receive power to put it to death.And thirdly, it means freedom from the burden of the law because it does not bring salvation. The law is the standard of God, and if we have not trusted in Christ, then (quite apart from the fact that we are already condemned) it sets before us an impossibly high standard of conduct for life. It does not speak of Christ and help and forgiveness, so it is only a partial revelation from God; it does not include grace and mercy. But when we come to Christ we are justified by faith alone, an no longer depend on a righteous that comes from the law, and the veil is off.