Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 3:17

"Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty." — 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ASV)

This verse explains v.16. There are three possible interpretations. (1) “The Lord” (Yahweh; GK 3378) mentioned in Ex 34:34, to whom the Jew must now turn for the removal of the veil, is none other than the life-giving Spirit of the living God (cf. vv.3, 6, 8). Thus Paul is describing the Spirit here, not Christ, and he is describing his function, not his identity. (2) Another view finds a functional equivalence between Christ (identified as “the Lord”) and the Spirit: in v.14 it is Christ who removes the veil; in v.16 it is the Spirit. (3) Again, some believe Christ is being identified as “the life-giving Spirit,” as in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

Paul’s point in v.17b is that the Spirit’s presence brings liberation, not bondage (Romans 8:15). Not only does he remove the veil; he also sets a person free from bondage to sin, to death, and to the law as a means of acquiring righteousness.