With the veil lifted, we are transformed.

 

Sermon for Transfiguration, January 25, 2026

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18  ⁷If the ministry that brought death (which was engraved in letters on stone) came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look directly at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (though it was fading), ⁸how will the ministry of the spirit not be much more glorious?  ⁹For if the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, the ministry that brought righteousness has even more glory.  ¹⁰In fact, in this case, what was glorious is no longer very glorious, because of the greater glory of that which surpasses it.  ¹¹Indeed, if what is fading away was glorious, how much more glorious is that which is permanent!  ¹²Therefore, since we have this kind of hope, we act with great boldness.  ¹³We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away.  ¹⁴In spite of this, their minds were hardened.  Yes, up to the present day, the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read.  It has not been removed because it is taken away only in Christ.  ¹⁵Instead, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts.  ¹⁶But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  ¹⁸But all of us who reflect the Lord’s glory with an unveiled face are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another.  This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (EHV)

With the veil lifted, we are transformed.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            In the cacophony of social media concerning political unrest, law enforcement, and craziness in our troubled society, there have been many opinions thrown around of what a Christian really is.  Even many faithful believers can get caught up in the debates of what makes us good Christians.  Some contend that real Christians never sin, but I have also heard people say we have to preach more law in our churches.  Some, however, don’t want any law.   Others pretend that certain laws must take precedence over other statements in Scripture.  Still others imagine the ability to judge rightly the minds and hearts of their fellow citizens and to condemn those who maybe don’t align exactly with their own particular persuasions.

The new Christians at Corinth were being troubled by roaming teachers trying to impose a return to the old Mosaic laws as a basis for “real” Christianity.  Paul’s explanation, here, matches what Scripture teaches throughout.  We rightly teach that the Bible contains two chief doctrines, the Law and the Gospel.  Each serves its purpose.  Each is a gift of God.  Yet, the Law alone only condemns, and those stuck on the law are blinded to the Gospel.  On the other hand, trusting fully in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, we say, With the veil lifted, we are transformed.

In the first part of our text, Paul testifies concerning the glory of the law.  When God gave the law to Moses on the stone tablets, that meeting with God left Moses’ face shining with reflected glory.  The law also has glory because it comes directly from God to be a blessing to His people.  Yet, that law brings condemnation because none of us is able to obey it completely.  Because of the sin that infects our nature, we always fall short of the law’s demand for perfect, unquestioned obedience.  Even that idea of unquestioned obedience stirs up a negative reaction in the natural flesh.  Especially, when many now assume that laws were made by men, not questioning authority seems foolish.

However, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul recognizes that the Law has glory because it is God’s will, and God being perfectly holy will always be glorious.  The problem with God’s Law is not that it is frail, corrupt, or imperfect, but that we are.  God set those parameters to protect people from each other and from the sinner within.  In addition, God gave Israel civil and ceremonial laws to keep that people separate from the pagan nations that surrounded them.  God wanted to keep them as His own holy people.

Again, however, they were not made holy to God by their perfection in obedience.  Instead, God counted them holy in the same way He counts believers holy today—through faith in Him.  The ceremonies and sacrifices all pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Through the law, God made Israel aware that He provides everything needed for body and soul.  But even in those times, the law couldn’t save.  For we read, “No one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin.” ⁽Romans 3:20) Whenever Moses had met face to face with God, he covered the glory shining in his face when he returned to Israel’s midst.  Paul tells us that he did so to prevent them from seeing the glory fade. 

As the glory shining in Moses’ face would fade, perhaps also the respect for God’s commands would fade among the people.  Still, the glory of the law remained.

In contrast, we have been blessed with the full measure of the Gospel, and the glory of the Gospel can never fade or change.  It is an accomplished fact.  No court, no devil, no rebellious force can take away the forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation Jesus has won for us all through His life, death, and resurrection.  Through this Good News, With the veil lifted, we are transformed.

Paul wrote by the power of the Spirit, “For if the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, the ministry that brought righteousness has even more glory.  In fact, in this case, what was glorious is no longer very glorious, because of the greater glory of that which surpasses it.  Indeed, if what is fading away was glorious, how much more glorious is that which is permanent!”

The original apostles were sent out to the world with the Good News of free salvation to all people through Christ Jesus.  It is God’s gift to all who believe His Word and the Promise of His Son.  But one thing to remember is that even that faith is not a work of law but rather a gift of the Holy Spirit.  And, that is a truth that many people in our times struggle to accept.  There is an element of our old nature that clings to the law, misunderstanding that obedience must come before faith.

When Paul wrote this letter, the mistake he was addressing was the false teaching that the old ceremonial laws were required for salvation.  The danger for people of our time is that the same veil still clouds their minds.  Some ways that the veil is still evident is when people decree that you must make a decision for Jesus.  Or if they say you must love like Jesus.  Or when they use Jesus mostly as someone to be imitated rather than trusted.  There are many today who use the Bible primarily as a self-help book.  Again, that is not faith in the Savior.

So, what makes the difference and what has changed us?  The difference lies in trusting that the Holy Spirit has worked saving faith in us through the power of His Holy Word.  To the Roman congregation, Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)  Again we read, “Therefore, since we have this kind of hope, we act with great boldness.  We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away.  In spite of this, their minds were hardened.  Yes, up to the present day, the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read.  It has not been removed because it is taken away only in Christ.” 

We are transformed by the Good News of Jesus living for us, dying in our place, and rising to give us life.  We are transformed not by our choice or decision, or even any effort whether before or after we believe in Jesus.  We are transformed by the grace of God given to us and worked in us by the Holy Spirit.  Again, the Spirit caused Paul to write, “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Just as he writes elsewhere, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Those who focus on the law, no matter what denomination, religion, or intention are stuck under the veil.  When the focus is law, the result is condemnation because the law cannot save.  That doesn’t take away its glory.  Nor is it without purpose or use in our day.  As believers who have been transformed by the Gospel, the law for us becomes a guide, showing us what God would have us be for our neighbors, but never as servants in chains.  Rather, “Whenever someone 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.  But all of us who reflect the Lord’s glory with an unveiled face are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another.  This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 

No one has ever turned to the Lord on his own volition; that always comes by the work of the Spirit in the Gospel.  Still, With the veil lifted, we are transformed.  No longer are we counted as rebels and sinners before God.  Nor do faithful believers in Christ want to persist in sin.  We acknowledge that we still falter and fall in our natural bodies, but our persistent plea is for the Lord to continue to grow our faith in Jesus and to teach us to live according to His will.  These aren’t personal decisions we make but the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in us that transforms our hearts and minds to live for God in service to our fellow man and in full trust in God’s love and mercy for each of us.

As we continue our review of the catechism, it is important that we understand the difference between law and Gospel.  The law tells us what God commands us to believe, think, and do, and what we should not believe, think, or do.  Still, we all “fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

On the other hand, through the Gospel, the Good News of all the Triune God has done and continues to do for us, we believers in Jesus “are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another.  This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  Consequently, in Jesus’ love for us, we can say with full confidence that since the Spirit has lifted the veil, we are transformed in the righteousness of Christ.  Amen.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.