Verses 1-3
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Paul did not need anyone to formally recommend his ministry because the people he ministered to—and their transformed lives—were living proof of the effectiveness of his work.
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Hearts that are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit are living epistles. A person's own life becomes a message about God that people can read.
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Knowing that your life is meant to communicate truth about God to the world around you, make your life an accurate message! Be Christ-like and people will learn about Christ from you!
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The Spirit's desire is to take the Book and make it into your life! It wants to take the words off the pages of the Bible and write them on your heart, so that you live them out (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
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Verses 4-5
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Remember that you don't have the ability in yourself to serve God. God empowers you to do His works (1 Corinthians 15:10). As such, don't take credit for anything.
Verses 6-18
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Verses 6-7. “The letter” refers to the Old Testament law. This law brought death to us—it condemned us. Whereas, the Holy Spirit gives us life through our faith in Jesus.
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Verses 7-17. Yes, Moses' face shined with glory after he received the Old Testament law from God, but this “glory” was passing away because the Old law was going to be replaced by the greater New Testament law in Christ (Hebrews 7:18-19, 8:13, Galatians 3:23).
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Even under the Old law, the Israelites could not understand it because their minds were blinded. This is why Moses had to cover his face—to hide what they would not understand. He couldn't be bold in this sense.
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But now that we have the New Testament and the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we can be very bold because the message of Christ brings understanding.
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Notice Paul says that “the Lord is the Spirit”. Jesus Christ, the Lord, is the Spirit. Use this verse to support the doctrine of the Triune God.
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Verse 18. Even today, because of Christ and the Spirit, we ourselves are being transformed into people who look more and more like Jesus.
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Right now, we see and know Christ like we're looking at Him in a dim mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12), through what the Word tells us. And seeing Christ in the Word, we are being transformed as our minds are renewed through knowledge of Him (Romans 12:2).
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Focus on the Word, and your growing understanding will make you more like Christ!
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And when Christ returns, our perfect sight of Him will make us perfectly like Him (1 John 3:2). He lives in us, and when He appears our true, perfected selves will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). So we see Him in ourselves, like looking in a mirror.
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See Christ in yourself! Remember that you were made to live like Him and for Him to live through you (Galatians 2:20).
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Even so, be bold about the gospel! Be bold about showing off Christ to the world! You have no reason to hide Christ because He alone—with His gospel—brings freedom from death and enslavement to sin, and brings understanding of God to all people, so that they can be saved!