Hello! If you are just joining me, I encourage you to start with part 1 of this particular concept. It is like a novel and you would not start a novel in the middle, would you. And there is a climax coming just like in a good story...so hang around and wait for it. I'll let ya know when I get there.
What keeps people in a fog about the gospel? I think it is so hard for people to understand that grace if freely given and there is not one thing we can DO to deserve the grace lavished on us by God...because he wants to. The world says you have to work hard, climb ladders, brown-nose a bit, cheat, steal, deserve that promotion with overachievement, sweat and toil to get to where you are going. The kingdom of God does not go by the worlds standards. God says accept this free gift of grace by belief in my Son and you will have faith through the Holy Spirit. It sounds easy right? Then why do some tell others they have to follow the old covenant rules to be saved and it they do not they are in for destruction? I believe there is a veil over their heart. I also believe if you truly believe, you will work hard, deserve that promotion, do for others, sweat, toil and allow the Holy Spirit to change your heart, all for the glory of God, not because you are checking off some rule literally written in stone.
Veil
2 Corinthians 3:7 deals with the greater glory of the New covenant and the veil on those who still live by the old one. It says that the law engraved on stone brought death (because breaking one part is like breaking the whole), but it came with glory because the Israelites could not look on Moses’ face because of its glory. Moses’ face glowed. Paul said the old law was transitory several times. Transitory means not lasting or enduring or permanent or eternal. The New covenant with the Spirit was eternal and even more glorious than the law because it brought righteousness. “The Israelites minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed [meaning they still follow it explicitly], because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But when anyone 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. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…” (2 Corinthians 3:14-18)
Moses’ glory faded but Christ’s glory in us never fades.
“The gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3)
Remember what the gospel is: the good news about Christ. To those perishing, the gospel, including the mission of Jesus Christ, is veiled to them.
Law was Not Evil
The law was not evil. The law was righteous. It was the people who were evil in their hearts. The law on stone could not purge away evil. The Holy Spirit purges evil from hearts. What was evil was the Pharisees trying to place the law around the necks of those who believed by faith.The Pharisees wanted to require men who believed to keep the law of Moses and be circumcised. This is an example of transitioning into the New covenant: Peter said, “God showed he accepted them by giving them the Holy Spirit…He purified their hearts by faith. Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestor have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:5-11)
Romans 7:12 says, “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” However, the law could neither give the ability to fulfill its demands nor provide the atonement necessary for those who violated it.
A side note: The Mosaic convent seems to be filled with the ‘don’ts’ and the New covenant is different in that it tells us what to ‘do’.
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