Back in my youth, I had a passion for fast cars. I remember the thrill of leaving my competitors in the dust, their vehicles seemingly motionless in comparison. It was a feeling of exhilaration and superiority that I can still recall vividly.

In other words, I was going so fast that whatever motion they were making seemed like nothing.

This kind of concept is communicated in the Scriptures, just not with cars and speed.  Instead, it is communicated in terms of covenants and glory.

2Corinthians 3:4  And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

Did you catch it?  The Old Covenant, even though it had some glory, is like it had none at all when compared with the glory of the New Covenant!

Paul identifies himself and his coworkers in the gospel as being ministers of the New Covenant.  They were not ministers of the letter but rather of the Spirit.  Why? Because the letter kills!

Now, let’s, for the sake of understanding, get a little practical here.  There are things today that we no longer use because we learned they are harmful to us.  Generations before us used them regularly, but we know things now that weren’t known then, and therefore, we avoid them.

Paul spoke of a ministry of death written and engraved on stones.  What do you suppose he is referring to?  You see, the law is the ministry of death.  It is meant to make people aware of just how dead they already are, and if they think themselves to be alive spiritually without Jesus, it is meant to make sure they are dead.  But sadly, too many ministers today are still using law among the saints as opposed to teaching the New Covenant.  Too many still think the law can bring them the glory of God based on their performance and devotion.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Why should I settle for a lesser covenant when I have received and been brought into a much greater and more glorious covenant in Christ?  The real glory is experienced in New Covenant life and practice where faith in Jesus is the foundation and new life in Him is the means of experiencing the glory!  Being in Christ and indwelled and overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit is no small thing.  The greatest miracle Jesus has ever done is to make new creations whose sins have forever been removed, and condemnation and shame are buried in the past!  This is a glorious covenant too good to be allowed to have a rival in anyone’s heart and mind.