The New Covenant Christians Follow
The concepts in this blog have been brewing for months. It started when I realized I could only give a short answer to a question about why Christians do, or do not do, what we do. This short answer was not adequate for the situation. Often short answers do not address the question sufficiently enough to make the case for Christ or is not satisfactory for the hearer. I pray both are accomplished here. (there will be several parts; I'll try to make it short; I typed 9 pages)
A Side Note: What do you do when you hear or see something that you feel is not quite right? Do you search it out in Scripture or let the still small Voice fade? I’m not advocating to write a blog, start a protest or demean others to make them think the same way you do, just be ready to give an answer for what you believe. Others may not agree…that is fine…be confident anyway.
Explanation of New
New means more recent than something old. You buy a new pair of shoes when the old ones have fulfilled their purpose and are coming apart at the seams. You probably won’t use the old ones again. You buy a new crockpot when the old one breaks and cannot fulfill the function it was created for.
In scripture, a new covenant took the place of the old one. Jesus was the new source of eternal salvation and gave freedom from the law that was the source of the Mosaic covenant. (Hebrews 5:9) Jesus fulfilled a redemptive mission that the Mosaic law could not do because it was impossible for people to follow all 613 laws. Jesus redeems and it is a free gift. Mosaic law was powerless unless a person followed it completely and like stated before, that was impossible. Jesus even said in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you the truth that unless your righteousness surpassed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
“For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4)
Even Jeremiah prophesied that a new covenant would come in the days to come:
“…I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I led them by the hand out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant…This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel: I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts…I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)
Where Are Laws Written?
The people broke the Mosaic law that was written on the stones. The two stones were an outward representation that expressed God’s covenant with the people. The Mosaic covenant was based on man’s effort to keep those laws. The new covenant was established by Jesus. People choose to have laws written on their hearts and minds via the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ blood supplies righteousness, holiness and redemption for people. We realize we cannot be these things on our own. (1 Corinthians 1:30) No matter how good a person is and tries to be following written laws on stone, they can never do enough to gain righteousness. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) We have to accept Jesus’ righteousness in place of our unrighteousness because it is free! There is not enough deeds we can do that can measure up to the free gift of grace. (don't get ahead of me; this is not a license to do whatever you want)
Did Jesus Follow the Mosaic Laws?
The Mosaic covenant was put into effect by the blood of animals. The new covenant was put into effect by the blood of Jesus. I’ve heard people say, “Jesus followed all the Mosaic rules and that proves we are supposed to also.” But, if you think about it, the new covenant was not established until Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross, died and took his blood behind the curtain in the heavenly temple and rose on the third day. I think Jesus followed the Mosaic rules; he had not given his blood yet to establish the new covenant yet. However, Jesus’ whole ministry was about laying a foundation for the new covenant. Several times Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until he was raised from the dead. He also said that they would remember his words after he was gone, thus remembering how to transition into the new Way.
The Bible is about the transition from the Law no one could possible follow (except Jesus) to the grace freely given to us. Have you transitioned? Do you pick and choose some old laws to follow? Next week, I'll discuss more about transitioning into a new, better covenant and if it is okay to follow some of those old testament rules. Thoughts??
Blessings!!
No comments:
Post a Comment