2 Corinthians 3:12

My Notes

What Does 2 Corinthians 3:12 Mean?

"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." Paul connects hope to boldness: because we have this hope (the glory of the new covenant, v. 7-11), we speak with great plainness (parrhēsia — openness, boldness, freedom of speech). The hope produces the boldness. Not the other way around. The content of what you hope for determines the confidence with which you speak. If the hope is uncertain, the speech is guarded. If the hope is certain, the speech is plain.

The contrast is with Moses (v. 13), who put a veil over his face to hide the fading glory of the old covenant. Paul has no veil because the new covenant's glory doesn't fade. The plainness of speech comes from the permanence of the glory.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How bold is your speech about the gospel — and does the boldness match the quality of your hope?
• 2.Where are you veiling (hiding, hedging, softening) truth that should be spoken plainly?
• 3.What's the connection between the permanence of what you hope for and the confidence of how you speak?
• 4.Where has uncertain hope produced guarded speech — and what would strengthened hope change?

Devotional

We have such hope. So we speak plainly. The connection is direct: the quality of the hope determines the boldness of the speech. Because what we're hoping for — the permanent, unfading glory of the new covenant — gives us nothing to hide and nothing to hedge.

Great plainness of speech. Parrhēsia — the word means open speech, bold speech, the kind of communication that doesn't edit for comfort or soften for palatability. Plain speech says what it means. Doesn't veil. Doesn't code. Doesn't wrap the truth in so many qualifications that the truth disappears.

The contrast is Moses: after Sinai, Moses veiled his face to hide the glory that was fading (v. 13). The old covenant's glory was temporary — it dimmed over time. And the veil covered the fading. But the new covenant's glory doesn't fade (v. 11: it exceeds and remains). So the veil is unnecessary. There's nothing to hide. The glory stays. And the speech that comes from unfading glory has no reason to be anything other than plain.

The hope produces the boldness. Not training. Not personality. Hope. The person who is certain of the destination speaks with a confidence that the uncertain person can't manufacture. Paul's plainness isn't rhetorical skill. It's the natural product of knowing where he's headed. The speech is plain because the hope is real.

If your speech about the gospel is guarded, hedged, or veiled — if you find yourself softening the message, qualifying the claims, editing for cultural comfort — the problem might not be your courage. It might be your hope. The speech follows the hope. Strengthen the hope and the plainness follows.

Moses veiled because the glory faded. Paul speaks plainly because the glory stays. The difference between your veiled faith and your bold witness might be the difference between a fading covenant and an unfading one.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture