Today's reading is 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone. It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence before God is ours through Christ. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. And he has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness? Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures? Therefore, since we have such hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were closed. For to this day, the same veil remains at the reading of the Old Covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. And even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image, with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. This is God's word. Why is it that when people hear the gospel or read the Bible, some people believe, but others are unmoved, unchanged? How can someone study the Bible for years without coming to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died on behalf of sinners? How can a devout Jewish person read Isaiah 53 without falling to his knees to confess Christ, calling on God to save him? The answer to these questions is here in 2 Corinthians 3 verses 14-16. The NIV says, But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And that's the end of the quote. Anyone who knows how to read can read and interpret the Bible properly. But not everyone can believe what the Bible says. Here in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul tells us that this is because we are blind by nature to God's truth in Christ. Here in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul tells us that this is because we are blind by nature to God's truth in Christ. The reason why people don't see Him in the Bible and come to trust Him is that a veil covers their hearts, according to verse 15. Only the work of the Spirit of God, according to verse 17, can cause a person to welcome Jesus and believe the Bible when that person encounters His truth. Then, once we come to know Christ by faith, we can study the Bible's depiction of Christ clearly without the veil of unbelief over our eyes. That's described in verses 17 and 18. This is how we should pray for unbelievers that we're witnessing to. That God's Spirit would open their spiritual eyes to see the light of Christ in the gospel. It is also why salvation does not depend on your good presentation skills or how perfect your arguments for Christianity might be. Salvation is a spiritual act. It requires the work of God's Holy Spirit. So ask for the Spirit's help when you witness, the Spirit's illumination, conviction of sin, and regeneration in the hearts of those to whom you witness. And I hope you'll have a chance to put this into practice today by encountering someone who's not a Christian and having a conversation with that person. Remember, as you do it then, ask for God to work in that person's heart and then just share the facts of the gospel. That's all that's required. because it'll be successful if God is working. If you enjoyed this devotional but didn't find it in your email this morning, please sign up by going to dailypbj.com slash subscribe. 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