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2 Corinthians 3:12-18
In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 the Apostle Paul explains the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament; that difference is Jesus – for the purpose in which He came as stated in John 3:16-17 (NKJV) states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” As Paul speaks of the relevance of the veil between the Old Testament and the New Testament, this is represented by the veil in the temple that separated the “Holy Place” from the outside – it was a large curtain that hung from the ceiling to the floor, and no one was allowed to go inside the veil except for the High Priest. This is explained more in Leviticus 16 in relation to the Day of Atonement. This same veil was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died on the cross as stated in Matthew 27:50-51a, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;”.
This is the promise of the veil of sin being lifted and the door to salvation being opened.
But, we might ask, “What connection does this have with the Old Testament and the worship in the temple?” The answer to that question is in the relevance of the death of the sinless Savior. The veil in the Old Testament represented a barrier between God and man that prevented (physically) sinful man from coming into the presence of a perfect, sinless God. When Jesus died on the cross as a sinless physical man, He died sinless, which is the price for sin – a sinless death that is required of death because death is the penalty for sin – it took a sinless sacrifice to pay for the invasion of sin in the physical world. Jesus paid that price, and in doing so, the barrier between God and man was removed – the veil was torn because it was no longer needed – Christ Jesus’ sinless death opened the door from man to God. In John 10 as is recorded the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus states in John 10:7, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” He continues in John 10:9a, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,”. Jesus is the door that removed the veil that separates sinful man from sinless God because He paid the price in His death that frees us from sin. What we need to know on our part is that God did this because He loves us; love is an action that requires a response – to accept that love or to deny it. In accepting love, love is given back to the originator of the offer of it; in denying love is to refuse to believe in it; the choice is ours to make. God offers His love to us all; it is our choice to accept it or not. I encourage you to accept God’s love for you today and put your faith in Jesus as your Savior as He died to pay the price for your sins so that you may be free from them – forever. Take that step today and believe – believe in Jesus, He will set you free from sin and give you a new life with heartfelt joy in being forgiven – in Christ!
Dear LORD,
Please let this lesson become reality for all those who have not understood the relevance of the veil being torn at the death of Jesus. Please let this lesson be a prelude to the resurrection of Jesus that conquered death through life everlasting and His offering of it to all who will believe in Him. In Jesus name I pray, amen.