2 Corinthians 3:13 Cross References - AUV

¹³ and are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at it as [its] radiance was completely fading away. [Note: The analogy continues by suggesting that the Old Agreement was fading away like the splendor on Moses’ face did].

⁴ So, Christ has brought an end to the law [as a means] of being made right with God for every person who believes [in Him].

⁷ But if the ministry [of the law] that brings [spiritual] death, being carved in letters on stones, came with [such] splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its radiance [See Ex. 34:29-35], (even though such radiance [eventually] faded away),

²³ But before faith [in Christ] became available, we [Jews] were kept in bondage under [condemnation for not obeying perfectly] the law of Moses. [This condition existed] until the faith [i.e., the Gospel message] was made known [to people]. ²⁴ So, the law of Moses became like our “transportation to school,” bringing us to [the school of] Christ where we [learn how to be] made right with God by faith [in Christ].

¹⁴ For Christ is [the source of] our peace. He made both [Jews and Gentiles] one people, and broke down the barrier wall of hostility that divided them, ¹⁵ by abolishing in His fleshly body the [entire Jewish] law of commandments contained in decrees. [This was] so that He could create in [unity with] Himself one new person [i.e., the church] out of the two peoples [i.e., Jews and Gentiles], thereby bringing about peace [between them].

¹⁷ These things are [only] a shadow of future things, but the body [i.e., the real substance of things] belongs to Christ. [Note: The idea here is that the ritual observances of the Mosaic law were like shadows pointing to the reality of life in Christ].

¹ For the law of Moses was [only] a foreshadow of the good things that [were] to come [i.e., in the Messianic age], not the exact image of those things. It can never, by the same sacrifices, continually offered year after year, make [morally] perfect those who draw near [to God in worship]. ² If it could, would not those sacrifices have stopped being offered [by now], since the worshipers would have been [ceremonially] cleansed and would not have had a sense of guilt anymore? ³ But those sacrifices were [only] a reminder of [the people’s] sins year after year, ⁴ because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said [to God], [Psa. 40:6-8 LXX], “You did not want an [animal] sacrifice and an offering, but you prepared a body for me [to sacrifice]. ⁶ You were not pleased with whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. ⁷ Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do what you want, O God, [just as] it is written in the scroll of the book [about me].’” ⁸ [After] saying the above, “You did not want, nor were you pleased, with [peace] sacrifices and [meal] offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin offerings,” [although] these are offered according to the law of Moses, ⁹ He then said, “Look, I have come to do what you want.” [So], Christ takes away the first [i.e., the animal and grain sacrifices] in order to establish the second [i.e., the sacrifice of Himself].