John Calvin 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)

The Lord is the Spirit. This passage has also been misinterpreted, as if Paul meant to say that Christ is of a spiritual essence, because they connect it with that statement in John 4:24, God is a Spirit.

This statement, however, has nothing to do with Christ’s essence but simply points out His office. It is connected with what precedes, where we found it stated that the doctrine of the law is literal, and not merely dead, but even an occasion of death. He now, on the other hand, calls Christ its spirit, meaning by this that it will be living and life-giving only if it is breathed into by Christ.

Let the soul be connected with the body, and then there is a living man, endowed with intelligence and perception, fit for all vital functions. Let the soul be removed from the body, and there will remain nothing but a useless carcass, totally devoid of feeling.

This passage deserves particular notice, as it teaches us how to reconcile those praises David pronounces for the law (Psalms 19:7–8)—for example, the law of the Lord converteth souls, enlighteneth the eyes, imparteth wisdom to babes—and similar passages, with those statements of Paul that at first view seem to conflict with them: namely, that the law is the ministry of sin and death, the letter that does nothing but kill (2 Corinthians 3:6–7).

For when the law is animated by Christ, those things David mentions justly apply to it. If Christ is taken away, it is exactly as Paul describes. Hence, Christ is the life of the law.

Where the Spirit of the Lord. He now describes the manner in which Christ gives life to the law—by giving us His Spirit. The term “Spirit” here has a different meaning from what it had in the preceding statement. There, it denoted the soul and was ascribed metaphorically to Christ. Here, on the other hand, it means the Holy Spirit, whom Christ Himself confers on His people.

Christ, however, by regenerating us, gives life to the law and shows Himself to be the fountain of life, just as all vital functions proceed from the human soul. Christ, then, is to all, so to speak, the universal soul—not in respect of essence, but in respect of grace. Or, if you prefer, Christ is the Spirit because He quickens us by the life-giving influence of His Spirit.

He also mentions the blessing that we obtain from that source. As he says, There is liberty. By the term liberty, I do not understand merely emancipation from the servitude of sin and of the flesh, but also that confidence which we acquire from His bearing witness to our adoption, for it is in accordance with that statement: We have not again received the spirit of bondage, to fear, etc. (Romans 8:15).

In that passage, the Apostle mentions two things: bondage, and fear. The opposites of these are liberty and confidence. Thus I acknowledge that the inference Augustine drew from this passage is correct: that we are by nature the slaves of sin and are made free by the grace of regeneration.

For where there is nothing but the bare letter of the law, there will be only the dominion of sin; but, as I have said, I take the term Liberty, in a more extensive sense. The grace of the Spirit might also be restricted more particularly to ministers, so that this statement corresponds with the beginning of the chapter, for ministers require a different grace of the Spirit and a different liberty than others have.

However, the former meaning pleases me more, though at the same time I have no objection to this being applied to everyone according to the measure of his gift. It is enough if we observe that Paul here points out the efficacy of the Spirit, which we experience for our salvation—specifically, those of us who have been regenerated by His grace.