Category Archives: New Covenant

Angels, Atonement of Christ, New Covenant, Uncategorized

The Angel Gabriel introduces the Good News

Let’s look how the angel Gabriel, promised the Birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah  (Luke 1:4–25)

Luke started at “the beginning” (Luke 1:3). But for Jesus’ life, the beginning was not his birth, but instead the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist—the person who would prepare the way for Jesus. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Elizabeth descended directly from Aaron, brother of Moses and Israel’s first high priest (Exodus 28:1).

Zechariah and Elizabeth both were righteous in God’s eyes. This does not mean that they were sinless, but that they loved God and obeyed him. Luke adds the detail that they were both quite old. (Luke 1:6–7) .1 This gives each of us, as it does myself, encouragement: God can reveal a ministry to begin at any juncture in our lives. As long as we draw breath, we can serve the Lord.

I am focusing on the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:19) who delivered the unique message of the Good News about Jesus to Zechariah who is now forever known in the Gospels as the father of John the Baptist. His theophany 2 was not a dream or a vision; the angel was a royal herald of God who had brought divine insights to another nobleman of God during the exile to Babylon – Daniel. The angel appeared in visible form and spoke audible words to the Zechariah, the priest as he had done to Daniel in bygone days. (Luke 1:11)

The angel appeared as Zechariah placed the incense on the altar. At this great moment, God begins to work in a fresh way to redeem humankind by revealing his sending of the forerunner – John the Baptist – to present the One who would take sin away from the world. How appropriate to pick a moment of worship and a time when people recognised their need for cleansing from sin! 3

“Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son.” (Luke 1:12–13) The angel even told Zechariah what to name the baby: John means “the LORD is gracious.” Through the birth of this son, God was gracious to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and ultimately to all people, for this son would prepare people’s hearts for the Messiah.

Luke refers to the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Trinity – more than any other Gospel writer does; it was a primary focus for him (see Luke 1:35, 41).4  That John would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth, indicates a unique choice of this child. What this signalled was the restoration of the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit that had not been present in Israel for over four hundred years (since the days of the prophet Malachi). (Luke 1:14–15)

Gabriel told Zechariah that John would go before God with the Spirit and power of Elijah – a great prophet who was known for not mincing words and for standing up to evil rulers (Luke 1:16–17 1 Kings 17–19; 2 Kings 2:9, 15; see also Matthew 11:14; 17:10–13).

John’s mission would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. This phrase comes directly from the prophecy of the Messiah’s forerunner found in Malachi 4:5–6. Though the meaning of the phrase is not immediately apparent, it may mean that John’s messages of repentance would unify broken family relationships – help fathers in their parental responsibilities, or change the lives of disobedient children so that their fathers would approve of them. (see Luke 15:20)

As the story goes, John’s ministerial call to repentance would change the disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom by bringing many of his contemporaries back to a former or a new relationship to God.

When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, he stated: “I am Gabriel, I stand in the very presence of God.” Gabriel had come with a critical message—Gabriel himself described it as good news. The old priest ought not to have doubted anything the angel said as Zechariah would recall that Gabriel was the angel who had appeared long ago to Daniel, immediately responding to his prayer in Babylon. (Luke 1:19; Daniel 9:21)

Though Zechariah and Elizabeth had been childless for many years, God was waiting for the right time to encourage them and take away their disgrace. Elizabeth realised that in this impossible pregnancy, God had performed a miracle. She praised God for taking away her shame of having no children (Luke 1:7, 25).

One of the keys to the narrative, as I noted above, is to recognise that a story’s characters represent certain types of people. In Zechariah and Elizabeth, we see not just historical figures but representative personalities, and we can identify with their attitudes. We can sympathise with Elizabeth’s plight of childlessness. But she also is an example of how she responds. Despite her disappointment, she faithfully serves God. Even when her situation reversed, she does not forget God but rejoices in what he has done to renew her.

From righteous Zechariah, we also learn something about walking with God. This Gospel is full of such exemplary characters.

Life Application Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are at the heart of the bridge between the past and the present. Our pain may not be the absence of a child, but many things can bring disappointment in life. Zechariah nor Elizabeth succumbed to bitterness, even though Elizabeth felt “disgrace.”

Maybe that is one reason God called them upright and blameless. But good people need to learn to rely even more on God. Sometimes the answer to their disappointment is not clear. Whether it be a severe illness, the loss of a child to premature death, a financial collapse, dealing with a child who falls away from Christ, or into calamity or a grave sin, or an unfortunate accident, the hard times are not always self-explanatory.

God never guarantees that life will be a bed of roses as the cliche goes, never comes without pain and disappointment sometime in our lives. The issue is how we handle it. Bitterness yields the fruit of anger and frustration, sapping our immediate joy from life. Conversely, by adhering to our faith, trust and dependence will cause us to find fulfilment in ways we would not even have considered otherwise.

God’s plan is a basic echo throughout the entire Gospel. Are we prepared for God and do we respond to his love through the ones he uses to lead us to him? As John pointed the way, we need to respect those who have led us in our journey – for me, it was my mother Ruth who read the old Bible stories to me as a young boy; Miss Phillips who came into Lord Elgin school and taught the good news on her felt board; the principal, Miss Couch, who had the entire school annually sing carols together in the hall; and Gordon Pfeifer, the evangelist who preached Christ crucified, and other exceptional elders such as Len Leatherdale, Pastor Mark Johnson, and more.

I’ve learned that we must sense God’s leading and act right then and there recognising our need for Him and respond to Jesus, the One who offers forgiveness to us! I have asked myself more than once: have I humbly walked before the Lord – taking the path he called me to, or have I too often opted to go my own way? If you draw breath, it is not too late to give your life to Jesus Christ as Lord of heaven and the earth, and your soul. Turn to Him, and He will turn to you.

Filled with the Spirit from birth, John testified to Jesus by kicking in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:44 when His mother Mary spoke to her cousin Elizabeth. A powerful testimony often accompanies the presence of the Holy Spirit in Luke. Those who are directed by God in the Spirit do not render testimony to God in the privacy of their own home, as the many Spirit-filled characters in the book of Acts also show. If we have the Spirit, God will be manifest in both our words and deeds.

Yet different ways for doing this exist (see Luke 7:24–35). John’s greatness is not found in his choice of lifestyle, but in the fact that in understanding his calling, he pursues it wholeheartedly and carries out God’s will faithfully.

God does not lead all people to minister in the same way. That diversity allows different types of Spirit-led ministry to impact different kinds of people. We should not make everyone minister, in the same way, similarly advocate our particular doctrines, nor with the same style. The test of ministry is not its external appearances; instead, it is found in much less obvious ways. As a servant of God, John became a preacher who encouraged others to live before God in a way that honoured the Creator. Not everyone responded to John, so we can ascertain that numbers needn’t measure ministerial or elder success. John’s mission was to be a source of stimulating others to find God – something we all can emulate.

The turning of the fathers and sons to each other and God (Luke 1: 17) shows how vital reconciliation within the family is. Colossians 3:21 states clearly how the father’s approach to his child can help form or deform a child’s self-image. Yet what is needed is not merely a reconciled relationship between father and child, but a spiritual connection among the family kindred secured by a robustly strong divine bond mutually uniting them to Christ.

In this way, all family members turn to serve the Lord, so that “the disobedient [are turned] to the wisdom of the righteous” (Luke 1: 17). God’s desire to unite us in a relationship to Himself has resounded over the ages since Moses taught Israel how to restore weakening divine relationship. (see Deuteronomy 4:30; Jeremiah 24:7; Isaiah 10:21; 31:6, 55:7; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; James 4:8; Acts 16:31 NLT).

One need only needs to read all the wise words of the father to his son in Proverbs to sense how crucial a three-way relationship between parent, child, and God is. 5

1 Barton, B., Comfort, P., Osborne, G., Taylor, L. K., & Veerman, D. (2001). Life Application New Testament Commentary (p. 241). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.

2 Meaning of Theophany: Manifestation of God that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period often, but not always, in human form. Some would also include in this term Christophanies (pre-incarnate appearances of Christ; and post-ascension visions of Christ, such as the bright light experienced by Paul on the Road to Damascus, and my own experience) and angelophanies (appearances of angels).

3 Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 48–49). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

4 Barton, B., Comfort, P., Osborne, G., Taylor, L. K., & Veerman, D. (2001). Life Application New Testament Commentary (p. 241). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.

5 Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 48–49). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

New Covenant

The Church is a Royal Priesthood

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

The apostle Peter emphasized how the church is the antitype of Israel’s priesthood, through Jesus in 1 Peter 2:4–10, called to proclaim His grace, and His mercy for saving us from sin and the world.

As I ponder the New Covenant (NC), I see a distinctly different agreement with God, radically new in contrast to what He had with old Israel who failed to glorify God and proclaim His glory to the world. This covenant relationship now passes to the Christian church. The NC extrapolates –transitions from being gifted to old Israel to being gifted to the church as the heirs in Christ.

The identity of the church presents as the new Israel through Christ. Jesus, the resurrected Messiah, is the “living stone” and the cornerstone laid in Zion (Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16). Those conjoined to Him are “living stones” and are being built up as God’s true (antitypical) temple, serving as priests and offering spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet 2:5; cf. Eph 2:20–22).

All believers have their identity in Christ 

The church is the fulfillment of Israel only in Christ. It defines itself as the true/antitypical Israel (1 Cor 12:12–13; Gal 3:26–29). All the promises and the inheritance is theirs through him (Rom 4:12–17; 2 Cor 6:16–7:1; Eph 1:11–23; Heb 9:15), as God’s adopted sons (Rom 8:15–17; Gal 4:4–7). In Christ, the connection to Abraham, His ancestor, and the promises given to the patriarch about the many nations now transpose to the Christian (Gal 3:29).

Jesus is the antitype of OT Israel. His disciples are the true (antitypical) circumcision – hearts being inwardly right with God —  true Jews (Phil 3:3; Col 2:11, Rom 2:28–29), and Abraham’s true seed (Rom 4:16–18; Gal 3:7–9). It is evident that true Jewish Christians cannot be recipients of the conditional Old Covenant/Testament (OC) nationalistic promises apart from Gentile Christians in a future millennial stage. Dispensationalism erroneously believes Israel and the church are at arms-length — separate, implying that there are two peoples of God, both separately given two distinct plans — one more physically and geographically rooted for Israel and another metaphorically as antitype for the church further separated with time-gaps.

The logic of the NC in Paul’s and John’s writing, and Peter’s epistles (he recognized Paul’s epistles as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:15,16) unpack the NC as offered conditional on believing in Jesus Christ. When we see Paul and Peter teaching that the NC transitions us out of this dispensationalist dichotomy1 of two plans, we are free to see the church as under one Headship, Jesus Christ in the new creation with all things made new — restricting Israel’s OC mind-view in Christ.

As well we cannot collapse the church into Israel dependent upon how one puts the covenants together and interprets the many titles and designations of Israel. These are shadow-types now directly applied to the church in the NC metaphorically in Christ, blowing apart and unbinding the shadow-types of the OC versus the NC’s new way — the antitypes presenting in reality, albeit metaphorically in the NC.

The Temple in Jerusalem is no longer the center of God’s purposes within old Israel. In the NC, it is the church of Jesus Christ, composed of believers who now together with Him constitute the temple of God.

Now unified with Christ, God’s believers, as the new temple of God, take on Israel’s identity made up of God’s priests who communicate God’s glory to the nations mediating God’s blessings in the world.

Peter clearly depicts the church as God’s chosen race, a royal priesthood, holy nation, special possession, and constituted people accomplished through His amazing mercy (1 Pet 2:9–10,5). Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:3-6 NLT also makes this clear that the NC plan was a secret (or mystery in the NASB) now revealed in Christ extending Israel’s inheritance from and now to the entire world (Gentiles).

Transitioning from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant

Israel’s constitutional texts are extrapolated into a new language for the church by the apostles from Israel’s old language noted in Exodus 19:6 NASB; Isaiah 43:20–21 NASB; Hosea 2:23 NASB; 1:9-11.

Israel was established as God’s people following the exodus exhibiting the divine goal of that OC relationship which was conditional on obeying God’s covenant. Only then would it be known as God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. History reveals that Israel did not obey in many ways over the ancient centuries, and killed their prophets and eventually their own Messiah.

Peter applies these designations to the church conditional on believing in Christ for covenant relationship. The church embodies the people of the new exodus coming out of the world and its unbelief. Further, he emphasizes the priestly role of the use of blood, now seen in the NC as the redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ (compare 1 Pet 1:2 NASB; Exod 24:6–8 NASB)

Regardless of ethnic background, we can see the church as redeemed from the world of disobedience to Yahweh (God the Father) — due to His unmet conditions spelled out in the OC. The church is now the true (antitypical) race that God redeemed through the Passover lamb of the greater exodus (1 Pet 1:19 NASB; Isa 53:7 NASB; 1 Pet 1:2 NASB; Exod 24:6–8 NASB).

Peter transpositions from the privileges belonging to Israel as now belonging to Christ’s church – not to replace Israel, but to fulfill the promises made to Israel – conjoined to include all Jews and Gentiles who belong to Christ as now part of the new people of God. He identifies the church as a singular holy nation (1 Pet 2:9). The church evolved progressively from the OC nation of Israel pointing forward to a singular, multi-ethnic nation of the redeemed—the church—overcoming the world by obedience to Christ—unified from every nation on earth as seen in Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 21; 22-26.

The ‘nations’ and their kings who enter the gates of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21: 24–26 quoted above, are identified by John in Rev 22:14 with those ‘who wash their robes’ and thereby are rewarded the rights of obedience, ‘the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.’ Conversely, it is a very serious and solemn fact that the church is contrasted with the faithless that are designated for eternal destruction (Rev 21:8; 20:15).

Continuing to be faithful to our original commitment to Jesus Christ and his saving work, consummates in the view of Revelation 21–22 depicting the city of God wherein the people with Jesus and God are unified as One (see John 17).

1 I am indebted to Dr. Stephen J. Wellum, whom I met in a convention on the NC in Pennsylvania a few years back. He is the editor of a new book, Progressive Covenantalism: Charting a Course between Dispensational and Covenantal. B&H Publishing Group. He has helped me see Dispensationalism in the NC Light.

Love & Grace, New Covenant

Loving your Muslim neighbour

There has been a lot of hatred and fear expressed toward Muslims since the Paris attacks reminding the world all too clearly of the twin towers on 9/11. The rhetoric goes something like this: “I’d bomb the hell out of them and take their oil.” Donald Trump

For a minute, at least, I confess that I too thought as I am sure many did, “yeah, that makes total sense Donald”. Then I was convicted by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus with these words, “love your enemies” (see the beatitudes in Matthew ch. 5). I still complained, “How could this be Lord? They are killing Christians, beheading them. What will this world be like for my grandchildren?”

I woke the following morning with a totally revised viewpoint. I realized I must blog this and clear out my mind, allow Jesus to entirely renew my viewpoint. My cousin John, a teacher who taught and speaks often of a wonderful Muslim girl now a young woman. He always took the Lord’s own viewpoint, as did his father regarding racism and the love of God for all. 1

I need to discipline myself to love others, and not base my viewpoint on fear. Rather I need to reach out to share the good news of Jesus, as we see in this video posted on Facebook by my Christian friends. This Muslim woman accepted Jesus on the premise of his view on loving all men. It added the much-needed dimension as I write now. Wow, I hope you can see the truth that fear destroys peace, and just creates confusion in our lives. Love is the answer. 2

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

 1 John, my much-loved cousin who always visited my mother over the years, though he may not profess Jesus, advocates for loving all men by quoting the scriptures of Jesus to me. Thanks, John. I am grateful.

2 See also; The Manifesto of God’s Love 

Atonement of Christ, Love & Grace, New Covenant, Salvation

Grace: The Motivation for Accepting Jesus

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.” (Rom. 3:25 NIV)

In God’s great exchange, God charged our sin to Christ and credited Christ’s righteousness to us. This swap is referred to as Justification – meaning that in our standing before God by faith in Christ, we are righteous in His sight – the opposite state of being condemned for our sin.

To begin to understand the love that God has for sinners, Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son. The boy went from home and lived a wasted life full of sin. The father, when he saw his son heading towards home ran and fell on his neck and kissed him, and further demanded a feast be prepared for his lost son now returned. This represented the love that the father in heaven has for each person who has gone their own way of the world.

We are no more righteous in our daily experience than Christ was sinful in His daily experience. When we trust in Jesus by faith, God regards us as entirely righteous. How can this be? God the Father credits the righteousness of Christ to us as we put our trust by faith in Jesus.

Looking at this personally: He died on the cross for you just as if you’d never sinned. Justification by faith in Christ offers us this exchange.  Here’s how it works. When God charges our sins to Christ, they are no longer ours. He has removed them from us “as far as the east is from the west” (see Psalm 103: 12) and remembers them no more (see Hebrews 8: 12).

The penalty for our sin was paid at the cross, and this is actualized by our acceptance of this gift – by our faith when we say “Father in Heaven, I believe, and I accept your gift of forgiveness of sin for me – I am grateful for what my Lord Jesus did for me on the cross”.

There is a sense of guilt for sin once we see the aim of the gospel – that it  is the good news of God’s plan our reconciliation and salvation from the curse of sin. By faith, I see that my sin is indeed covered by accepting Christ’s gift offered to me. Theologically Christ is our substitutionary ransom. Others may term his death as “propitiatory”. Propitious means bringing a favourable result by Christ’s atonement for our sin. In a nutshell, we are saved from the wrath of God towards the ungodly which will occur at the last Judgment. We are now saved by faith when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. We are now actually accounted as righteous and reconciled through Christ as a son or daughter of God.

Individually, a divine transaction occurs – I exchange my sin, for the gift of Christ’s righteousness offered to all men at the cross – men and women who accept this gift of grace. Two points are important to understand.

  1. God is infinitely holy. Grace and forgiveness are inaccessible without Christ.  Without Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, we can never approach God as our Father in heaven. God is holy and hates the sin that has become a part of mankind. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (see Rom. 3:23) Our Lord’s Prayer alludes to His holiness: “Our Father in Heaven…Hallowed be thy name.”
  2. God alone is the source of righteousness. By our accepting the gift of Christ’s lived-out righteousness by faith, God’s justice is satisfied. His penalty for sin – death – was exhausted on His Son at the cross. Christ’s death achieved reconciliation for all who call upon Him. The faith of Jesus attributes to you. This viewpoint that God takes of you, though a sinner, as righteous in Christ, is now accessible to you once you confess your sin and accept His gift of salvation.

We stand before Him just as if we’d never sinned, and just as if we’d always obeyed. What Jesus was in His life, we are in our standing before God because Jesus was our representative in both His life and death. His righteousness is imputed to us – viewed by the Father as own our own righteousness. This justification was offered by the death of Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 NIV)

Apostle Paul’s view was that by faith “I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3: 8b-9 ESV) It’s very clear: “through faith in Christ” we are gifted “the righteousness from God that depends on faith”.

The idea of Christ as our representative man when incarnated, which Paul makes clear is indeed an offer to be viewed by God, no longer as a sinner, but as a righteous person in good standing with Him. Thus we can approach a holy God daily by faith. For years, the church has found the study of Righteousness by Faith an encouraging topic. Note how Paul denoted Christ as a man, a representative man. This is very important to see. Adam, our forefather was our first representative man, representing sin and unrighteousness for the human race when he disobeyed God. Adams death passed unto all men.

Comparatively, Jesus represents us as forgiven for our sins, and righteous by faith in Him, as our last representative man. The new life we find in Jesus Christ passes unto all men who are saved by faith.

“As by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5: 19 ESV)

The first many who were made sinners refers to the entire human race (except, of course, Jesus). The second many refers to all who are united to Christ by faith. Paul is not teaching a universal salvation of all humankind.

Let me illustrate. I know men who work hard at their physical jobs – they can get sweaty with grimy hands and clothes. They shower before dining with their family or play with their children or hug their wife. They don’t just put on clean clothes first! God does this to you. He washes you clean in the blood of His Son and then He clothes you in His perfect righteousness. The old hymn expresses the trust we have in Jesus. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” His love activates our love. 

Essentially love for Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin offered to us, is the primary motivation for accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called to a righteous life in Christ, and His love and the power of the Holy Spirit lead us in our quest for holiness.

Other related reading: The Manifesto of God’s Love

Atonement of Christ, Authority of the Bible, Holy Spirit, New Covenant, Sanctification: Living a Holy Life, Spirit Led Leadership Today, Temptation

The New Covenant transcends the Old Covenant

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 NIV)

There are many faith-building stories in the Old Testament (OT) – a redemptive narrative of God’s salvation, particularly for Abraham’s children, the Jews, had become the most perceptive to the Word of God speaking to them. Abraham was one of the first men in his era to begin to discern the presence of God, His principles, and His leading via prophetic insight. He was asked to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and move to an entirely new land in Canaan (see Genesis 11:31;12:1; 12:1 ESV)

Those living in that time, before Christ, were recorded by the prophets in the OT narrative. They were not entirely aware that some of their major stories and symbols were revelatory of the coming cross and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative of their life did not hold a lot of value as epistemological tools (ways of knowing) for them. They did not then know about the New Covenant (NC) truth that would be unpacked from their story after the event of the cross when the redemptive ransom would be paid by Christ for the true atonement for all man’s sin.

How they knew, what they knew, why we now know, was not as evidently true for them then, because the symbols and shadows about the future reality took time and guidance by the apostles to apprehend.

The cross of Jesus Christ brought awareness to Jews and all of mankind, as the New Testament (NT) prophets compared the old narratives beyond the limits of that historic knowledge. Apostle Paul was the man chosen by the resurrected Jesus to reveal to the world, first, the importance of the cross and secondly, a new way of comprehending the past in light of the arrival of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians he confidently wrote of his inspiration given to him from Jesus, fully aware that a new perception, not previously made known, was dawning in the kingdom of God:

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:4-5 ESV)

As we look at the Old Testament narrative, we find that many of the symbols are types of the progression towards a fuller understanding of principled thinking – as mankind was led by God to see life through the paradigm of love – the basis of a new inner motive operandi – a new process of reformation of the character of mankind motivated by love.

Prior to the New Testament, when Jesus came on the scene, there were many true events depicted as living symbols of Jesus Christ acted out in real life such as:

  • Abraham obeying God, ready to offer his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah replaced by a lamb caught in a bush;
  • The sacrificial lambs being killed morning and evening in the Jerusalem temple;
  • The day of Atonement once a year where bulls, goats, and sheep were slaughtered to appease the sins of the Israelite as guilt offerings.

These living symbols were revealed as Bible stories  – narratives, later to be revealed by the apostles as shadow-types designed to lead us to understand fully that the advent and mission of Jesus Christ was to redeem man. This plan was established even before the ancient narratives were enacted in life: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:3-4 ESV)

The plan to redeem man had begun before sin entered. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient symbols by offering His life, as the anti-typical atonement for sin: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith” and “He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Rom. 3:25 NIV; Eph. 1:9-10 NIV)

Paul made it clear that the purpose of Christ was only to be understood much later, “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment” (vs. 10) The priesthood of the temple would bring Jesus before Pilate with the intent to have him killed. What they did not understand was that the narrative of the priesthood was coming to a climactic ending in actionable reality. The “Lamb of God”, as the Apostle John referred to Jesus, was about to be slain in the place of all sinning mankind to “take away the sin of the world” and make the final at-one-ment for man – to free man from the penalty of death – to openly reconcile him to God, His Father.

Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross just as He died. The curtain to the Most Holy place in the Jerusalem temple, into which only the High Priest could enter once a year, was torn in two. This indicated the winding down of the Old Covenant period – the closing of the educative narrative for that period that had been used as a tutor – as a guide to lead us to Christ.

The New Covenant entirely replaces the Old Covenant

The New Covenant period was instituted at the cross as Jesus noted at the last supper to his disciples: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Lk. 22:20 NIV) It had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31 NIV)

Paul confirmed this: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 11:25 NIV)

  • The new covenant is superior to the old Christ was the antitypical ransom offering, High Priest and mediator for man before God the Father: “the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6 NIV)
  • The new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete: “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Heb. 8:13 NIV)

Christ died to ransom mankind from the sins of the ancient and prior generation and our current lives: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV)

The new covenant is not a mere continuation of the old covenant, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” (Heb. 8:7 NIV) It is “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant.” (Heb 8:9 ESV) It all comes down to the arrival and death of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all the symbols of the ancient children of God from Abraham on: It is now to the new covenant – the new agreement – “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (vs. 12:24)

New principles, new thoughts expressed in new action supersede historical narrative. Nobody worries that a child is ignorant of the numerous laws of physics allowing him to suspend himself vertically while happily pedaling his new bicycle.

The life of Christ and His teachings, and His unwarranted death were instrumental, moving us radically from the historic dependence on the OT narrative of living symbols into functional realities with simpler principles for mankind’s more abundant life. This requires a new motivational drive to enable us to live freely by a new maxim of love. Love informs the New Covenant between God and mankind and leads the renewed man to care for his fellow man. The child, while riding his bike does not review the laws of aerodynamics or propulsion. He just engages in life, lives joyfully, loving his new experience, and thankful for his new gift.

A Covenant means an Agreement

It was prophesied that a new agreement was coming in the future, “not like the agreement I made with your forefathers.” At the Cross, upon His death, the curtain was torn in two, symbolizing that the old Jerusalem with its priesthood with the daily sacrificial slain lambs (symbolic of the coming death/ransom of Christ) now had been replaced by the New Jerusalem temple of the New Covenant, now a Spirit-led temple of united minds in Christ: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 ESV; 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 3:12 ESV) This took the prophetic insight of men like the apostles Peter, Paul, and John, to see the deepest unrecognized historic epistemological value.

The kingdom is predicated on united like-minds who can fathom the love maxim Christ taught in His Royal law, which had always been latent and prophesized by a few yet misunderstood in the OC era: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts [i.e. minds], and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Heb. 8:10, 16) Further: “But now that Christ has come, we don’t need those laws any longer to guard us and lead us to him.” (Gal. 3:25)

Love is the maxim of law that guides the balance of right action, justice and mercy. Jesus taught that “on these two laws”, love for God and love for man – hang all the OT moral laws – the Decalogue (10 commandments), and the OT’s forward-looking prophetic books. Jesus taught that “all scripture” (symbolically: the Rock from which poured water for the Jews in the wilderness, Lion, Lamb, Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Life, Water of Life, Spirit as the Wind, Wisdom, Messiah, Teacher, etc.) revealed insights about Him and His coming final Atonement and the New Covenant.

God put into effect a different plan

The essence of the new agreement, which I refer to as the Manifesto of God’s Love, was to help men realize that they cannot base their lives on exterior laws and check-lists and must evolve out of this fear-based bondage to written law into a love-based covenant (the Jews had 613 laws, the 10 commandments being central). Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders added many interpretations and burdens such as “you cannot carry your mat on the Sabbath”. To avoid legalism, we must understand that we are not saved by keeping the law. We will express the Spirit-led guidance that fulfills the law of God when we agree with the Spirit to engage our will to obey; and if we come short of obeying, immediately repent of any sin. Christ our Advocate is ready to hear our confession of sin, and our turning from sin: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John  2:1).

And our walk with Christ will indicate that the Spirit is achieving grace within us, acknowledging that the law is holy, just and good: “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Rom. 8:4 ESV) Any obedience to the law of God is achieved in us only if and when we submit and cooperate to obey God’s Spirit, as the Spirit does the work within – not by legalistic efforts, works or braggadocio that we keep the law. Even if you worship on the 7th-day Sabbath – the 4th commandment – give the Spirit of Jesus Christ the glory – Sabbath-keeping will not save you, only Jesus does that for you, first on the cross, and ongoingly He saves you from desiring to commit sin (if you allow Him to achieve this work within by obeying without hesitation).

“We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins” (Rom 8:3 TLB) and “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (vs. 14) The secret is to be led by God by His Spirit every moment and yield your will to obey on whatever point Jesus Christ speaks to you via your conscience.

The problem with human nature is that man wants to interpret how others should live. The Jews had prescribed additional add-on laws as to how to keep the Sabbath, for example, even though Jesus debunked these additional commandments of men, referring to Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath…made for man” (Matt. 12:8) His purpose was to create one new humanity based on love and living in peace. And this New Covenant was accomplished “by setting aside…the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity…thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15 NIV)

Jesus lived out love in the now

Jesus displayed love in action among His disciples and the people right up to the cross, precisely to show the effect of love on mankind to motivate them differently in the heart and mind and conversely, to reveal the injustice, blind sightedness, sin, scheming and gross deceit expressed in the intense hatred of those who tried to block and discount Christ’s New Covenant teachings. Why? To protect their priestly system, pontifical life, popularity, and prestige and their economic survival with large temple incomes extracted from the people.

We need to look at Jesus as a man to see His glory as our creator (Col. 1:15-19) who came as an incarnated man to this earth to express the character of the Father’s love to man plus and show His new agreement of reconciliation to man. We must look at the entire OT bible leading up to His arrival on the scene, only through NC eyes, else we see it as a gory mess, and get trapped in the old narrative.

We must transcend the tutoring narrative of the old covenant once we are led to Christ and through His life and teaching to be reconciled to God as One people united with Him via His Spirit.

New Covenant, Uncategorized

Christ achieved the unity of Man with God

Within the inner private depths of every man, there is the mysterious essence of a man’s being. Without reference to any other part of man’s complex nature – psychological categories of the subconscious mind – the ego, id, super-ego, will – whatever name has been assigned by the greatest psychologists such as Carl Jung, or Sigmund Freud, here we find the inner man – his or her significant self.

Do you know Who you are? From God’s perspective, man’s being or self-recognition is the consciousness of the man’s “I Am,” which is a gift from the great “I AM” who created him. “I AM” is the name that God told Moses to call Him when he returned to Egypt to rescue the Jewish slaves prior to the Exodus.

The sense of “I am” individually comes from God, who is underived and self-existent. The “I am” which is man is derived from God and dependent every moment upon His creative authority and sustenance for each person’s continued existence. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15 ESV)

The “I AM” – the initiator – the Creator, is above all, He dwells in unapproachable light. The other “I am John”, or “I am Sarah”, is the individual created man or woman – each a creature though privileged beyond all others – a creature, reliant on God’s provisional bounty of life.

shutterstock_61205413

Within the depth of man – the human entity – is what the Scriptures refer to as the spirit of man. “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:11) Man’s self-knowledge is by his own spirit. God’s self-knowledge lies in His eternal Spirit.

If we are to understand the knowledge of God, and fully comprehend who we personally  it must be by the direct impression of the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man. It is important to grasp this difference: Man is NOT a bodily creature having a spirit. Rather he is a spirit having a body. That which makes him a human being is not his body but his spirit.

Jesus gives man clarity to see that each individual is an important son or daughter of God. The image of God originally was created present within man at creation. How do we get back to this state or at least nearer to this state we had at creation? The goal of Jesus was to bring us back to our state of mind that allows us to open our viewpoint to this paradigm: “he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father”, with the result that we are “no longer strangers and aliens, but…fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” and we are “being joined together…into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:18-22 ESV)

Why is the New Covenant that important The New Testament presents a New Covenant teaching of Jesus Christ, which He taught was to begin after His death and resurrection and ascension to His Father. In fact, while sharing the wine at the last supper He said, “this is my blood of the covenant” – to use a metaphor for His blood that he would soon shed on behalf of man to achieve this new relationship agreement we can now have with God (see Matt.26:28). The cross would sift out the true followers of God, who would respond to recognize Christ’s work of redemption when He sacrificed His life for our sin to ransom us from death. They would listen to the call of the gospel to come into His kingdom to enjoy a renewed relationship with the Father via His Spirit uniting with their spirits.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him… God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23, 24 ESV)

The very nature of worship is indicated to be wholly spiritual. True religion is removed from the former legalistic methods of the Jewish race given by Moses as shadow-types – metaphors of the true union of man with God. These old rituals were tutorials meant to teach men about restoring the union with God that Jesus would come to achieve through changing the point of view and the method of the old covenant’s diet and days, garments and ceremonies, holy and most holy places, placing it where it always belonged – in the reality of the union of the spirit of man with the Spirit of God.

From man’s standpoint, the most tragic loss suffered in his falling away from God after creation (through disobedience of God’s command), was the vacating of this inner sanctum by the Spirit of God which then was in union with the spirit of man.

At the epicentre of man’s being, within his mind, is to be the dwelling place of the Triune God – the Most Holy place of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therein is the place where God planned to dwell – to rest in unity with man from the beginning of creation – within the temple of man’s body, within its citadel – in man’s mind, in his thoughts, within the perception of his conscientious attention, feelings and intention. God desires that man seek Him as his loving Father, inquire of, and be guided in life by Him.

The New Covenant teaches that after the cross, and after the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which occurred after Christ’s ascension (see Acts 2), the temple of the Holy Spirit resides within the mind of man, within the fellowship of believers in allegiance to the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19 ESV)

Teaching about the Holy Spirit is central to the New Covenant Jesus taught His disciples, prior to His ascension, the following importance of the reunification of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man as the essential determinate of a true Christian within the New Covenant. The plan of the cross was to teach man about his utter rebellion and departure from the original union God had at creation with man. This rebellion would be proven by mankind’s actual crucifixion of his own creator. The text quoted above was about the supremacy of Jesus Christ from the beginning of time: “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth” (see Colossians ch. 1). As the Son of God, in union with the Father, He assured the disciples the following:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you… In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:16-17a; 20 ESV)

Note how instrumental Jesus is in this reunification of God the Father reaching out in the plan of redemption to offer the provision of His interactive, communicative Spirit as a gift of reunion with mankind. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things” (John 14:26 ESV) Again we see that Jesus is sending the Spirit, though the Spirit proceeds from the Father: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26 ESV)

Here we see that the Spirit relates what Jesus has as creator to communicate with the creature: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you…he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14 ESV) Looking at John ch. 15, in context, this communicative guidance of words – or Scripture in our perspective – is coming from Jesus via the Spirit in close relationship to the disciple abiding with Jesus, which is indicated here: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you…when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:7,26 ESV)

Jesus prayed this prayer for his disciples and for all who would believe the Gospel message to mankind about the impartation of the Holy Spirit reuniting man’s spirit to God’s Spirit again as one family relating together as one unit: “…that they may be one, even as we are one…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.” (John 17:11, 20-23 ESV)

God wants to accomplish complete unity among His children on earth who accept His New Covenant arrangement. He desires to dwell with man’s spirit united individually and collectively in the church with His Spirit as one fellowship. The Christian church is the goal of the Spirit of the Father in Jesus Christ imparted also to His covenant believers who unite intelligently, allegiant to Him: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:23 NIV)

The mind of man as the temple of God is so intimately private – a place that no creature can intrude; no one can enter, but Christ’s Spirit; and He will enter only by the invitation of faith. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Rev. 3:20). By the mysterious operation of the Spirit in the new birth, that which is called by Peter “the divine nature” enters the conscious core of the believer’s heart and establishes residence there. “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” for “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:9, 16 NASB). Such a one is a true Christian, and only such.

Your new identity As a child of God we are directed by the Lord to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24 ESV) Our spirits, united to and regenerated by the Spirit of God, to live holy lives, now takes on a new identity. We are now sons and daughters of God.

Replacing tradition with a relationship to Jesus Christ Baptism, confirmation, the receiving of the sacraments, church membership – these mean nothing unless the supreme act of God in regeneration also takes place – via the indwelling of the Spirit of God. Religious externals such as keeping one day per week holy may have a meaning for the God-inhabited soul; for many others they are not only useless but may actually become snares, deceiving them into a false and perilous sense of security. Therefore, it is important to understand the importance of this study, to “keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23 ESV)

 

New Covenant

The New Covenant: Claiming God’s promises

glen001-sm by Glen R. Jackman

In the book of Hebrews, we see that Jesus Christ is our mediator before the Father  — our go-to representative. It is important that we see that when He died on the cross He instituted the New Covenant as the Word of God makes it clear. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24)

Further, we see the connection in the book of Hebrews:

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NIV).

Here we see that the New Covenant instituted on the cross by Christ is superior to the previous Old Covenant given to the Jews which they understood as “salvation by works”. The New Covenant is based on Christ’s dying for our sins on the cross in our place – dying the death which was ours to bear – which offers forgiveness of our sins for all who accept His sacrifice.

Some might say, “Hmm, I’m not that bad. Buddy is worse than me. I do good things. God isn’t going to judge anyone!” Yet the Bibles states that “death has passed unto all men” (Romans 5:12 NIV) and makes it clear that “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV)

By putting our faith in Him and claiming the promises of God such as “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21 NIV), we are forgiven. The Jews thought they could be and do everything the law required of them, on their own steam, yet failed because they did not have a new heart. They were not born again of the Holy Spirit.

Looking at the establishment of these “better promises” we can locate the promised blessedness of the New Covenant that is offered to us. The new covenant was mentioned in Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:25-27 ESV)

Our Father in Heaven is a father over His kingdom of all who follow Him by accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord. He desires that we live in harmony within His family, and respect each other based on love and justice – right living. Such principles lead to a happy and fulfilled life.

shutterstock_15990961

The apostle Paul wrote similar recognition of the importance of the New Covenant work of the Holy Spirit within our minds: “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4 ESV) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14 ESV) Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5 ESV)

The Lord’s work is accomplished by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The New Covenant promised a cleansing of our impure way of living, which is accomplished by receiving a new heart and mind that appreciates God’s laws which are based on love. The promise is offered and God always accomplishes His promises. Yet he makes it clear that we must collaborate with him and claim the promises as our own as we ask him to achieve them. He said “I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it” and “This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them” (verse 36-37) In this context, God also made promises to restore Israel in their land and bless them in many physical ways, not just spiritually. In keeping with this, Jesus taught that we need not worry about our physical needs such as food or clothing or shelter if we seek God first: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33) And the Bible teaches that seeking God, means praying to Him: “I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night” (Psalm 77:2)

The fulfillment of the great promises of the New Covenant depends on prayer. In answer to the prayer of Jeremiah, God had said: “I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me…” (Jeremiah 32:40). And to Ezekiel He had spoken: “I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:27).

Often in our unbelief we do not expect these promises to be truly fulfilled. We do not have the faith in the mighty power of God that He is waiting to make His promise true in our individual experience. God has said that without such faith our experience will only be partial and limited. However, He has graciously showed us the way in which such faith can be found. It is as we call out to him in prayer!

“Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here” (Jeremiah 33:3).

When individual men and women prayerfully turn to God with their whole hearts the Lord is pleased to fulfill His promises to renew the heart and mind by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that the power of the Holy Spirit may be deeply known and that our faith may be strengthened to claim and to expect His power to overcome sin in our lives.

New Covenant

New Covenant: Mindfulness led by the the Holy Spirit

By  glen001-sm Glen Jackman

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules”. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV)

The above passage in Ezekiel is often compared to Jeremiah’s “new covenant” text “…this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33 ESV)

God’s intent of the New Covenant prophesied was to magnify His glory

In context, the fundamental reason given for God’s acting on Israel’s behalf was to uphold the sanctity, greatness, and glory of His name and reputation: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name” (verse 22)

shutterstock_61205419

The next verse indicates that the outcome of giving men and women a new heart and placing His Spirit within them, was that others would recognize that we are indeed children of God the father: “And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes” (verse 23)

To vindicate the holiness of God’s great name means to “hallow his great name” as Jesus taught (see Matthew 6:9) and is contrasted to “profaning his name” which many do, simply by ignoring Him — by treating God as if He does not exist, never worshipping Him nor speaking of Him, and so treating Him as not holy.

Jesus taught that His sacrifice on the cross would usher in the New Covenant. Just prior to the the Lord facing His arrest, and movements leading up to His crucifixion, during the last Passover meal with the disciples, “He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood”. (Luke 22:2 NASB) Here we see an echo of Jeremiah’s prophecy that a new covenant was coming unlike the one given to the fathers of Israel: “the covenant that I will make…after those days” (Jeremiah 31: 33)

Our response to Christ’s death on the cross is to respectfully obey

We see that the cross has affected the hearts of millions of people in all countries for many generations. The influence of the love of Jesus was to engage the affection of our hearts with our minds, to accept His work of redemption on the cross, accept and follow Him, and allow the laws of God to be written on our hearts.

The Father, whose name (which is Yahweh as told to Moses) was to be vindicated after the new covenant would be introduced (see v 36:22). God was certainly vindicated in the death of Christ when he shows both His holiness and justice in punishing sins, and His mercy in saving the sinner (see Romans 3:23–26).

Jesus’ words in John 3:5 resonate with Ezekiel’s text, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules”. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV)

Jesus said “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. Note the mention of “I will put my Spirit within you” in verse 36:27 of Ezekiel’s prophecy referring to inward, spiritual cleansing. “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules”. The cause of our desire to obey is the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who calls the Spirit “my Spirit”, the same Spirit Jesus said you must have to be born again!

Further study indicates that inner cleansing of the heart and mind from sins is accomplished in Christ (see Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:23–28). God’s initiative moves from external in the old covenant to internal with the gift of a new heart and new spirit in the new covenant (Ezekiel 36:26–27; see 11:19; cf. 18:31). This indicated that any outer purification via the old Jewish rituals will be no use without the inner disposition to live rightly before God (36:27). Comparing the old covenant, the writer of Hebrews noted: “According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper” (Hebrews 9:9 ESV)

The connection of “water” (v. 25) and “Spirit” (v. 27) lies behind the words of Christ spoken to Nicodemus in John 3:5. “I will put my Spirit within you” predicts an effective inward work of God in the “new covenant.”

The promise of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel 36:27 was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–21) and in the giving of the Spirit to those who believe in Christ:

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9 NASB)

Jesus made a great emphasis on the inner work of the Holy Spirit as He taught His disciples. He taught them that it was to their advantage that He go away. This is because while Jesus was on earth he could be in only one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit would carry on Jesus’ ministry over the entire world at all times. In addition, in God’s sovereign plan for the unfolding of history, when introducing the New Covenant, it was only to become operative when the Holy Spirit would come in new covenant power and fullness when Jesus returned to heaven (see John 7:39; 14:16–17; 15:26).

Jesus told the disciples that the Spirit would guide them, as He discloses Himself to them. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you” (John 16:13–15 NASB)

The Spirit’s ministry of guiding Jesus’ followers into all the truth was a promise especially directed toward His 11 disciples, and was fulfilled in the subsequent work of these disciples in personally writing or overseeing the writing of the books of the New Testament. A broader application to all believers is noted as the Holy Spirit does lead and guide all believers (see Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18).

The apostles agree with Ezekiel and Jesus on the New Covenant

Referring to Ezekiel 31:32, the New testament writer of Hebrews indicates that the new covenant is not a continuation of, or side-bar add-on to the old covenant but puts an absolute end to it: “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.” (Hebrews 8:9 ESV) And those who would entwine the old and the new covenant obviously need to study this carefully. Look for these truths clearly stated, 1) Christ mediates an entirely new covenant that is better; 2) it is enacted on better promises; 3) God found fault with the first covenant given to the Jews due to their disobedience; 4) there was coming a day in the future – not during Ezekiel’s lifetime, when God promised to establish His new covenant; and 4) it will not resemble the old covenant made at Mount Sinai with Moses on behalf of the Jews after the Exodus.

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. (Hebrews 8:6-9 ESV)

As in Jeremiah, God again outlines His new covenant in Ezekiel: “And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.” In contrast with the old covenant in which there was no power to keep God’s law, the new covenant promises a divine power which enables us to keep His laws. Obeying God’s law is now possible because He has cleansed our hearts from sin and, by His Spirit, has given us new hearts.

This is exactly what Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV). It’s also what Jesus again stated through John in the book of Revelation: “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12 ESV)

And the apostle Paul wrote similar recognition of the importance of the New Covenant work of the Holy Spirit within our minds: “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:4 ESV) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:14 ESV)

Let us pray, “Heavenly Father, You have made Your great promises dependent on my faith. May Your cleansing work in my heart make it possible for me to obey Your spiritual laws by the power of your indwelling Holy Spirit, which reflect your love to mankind”.

Let’s accept the truth of the new covenant as the Word of God makes if clear.

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NIV).

New Covenant

The New covenant in Jeremiah

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,…and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31;31,33 ESV)

shutterstock_71921521

When God made the first covenant with Israel at Sinai, he said, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;” (Exodus:19:5 ESV)

But Israel did not have the power to obey. Because the entire human race had fallen in Eden, mankind’s whole nature was incapable of obeying any set of rules, let alone the 10 commandments of a holy God without the Holy Spirit empowering them to “keep” and “obey” the agreement in the Spirit. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

Only if we are led by the Spirit of God by faith in the grace that Jesus has provided for sinful man, are we are gladly motivated by two primary divine measures of law: love and justice. When these two principles are missed or side-stepped as the modus operandi of man’s relationship to God and to man – if these are unheeded, relationships suffer and we will pay the dire consequences of the written law, which is the judicial representation of love and justice brought to bear in a life when love to God and man (and thereby justice) is unheeded.

The first covenant/agreement was to keep all the laws of God prescribed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It offered no provision for the grace that could make mankind obedient. Why? Because Jesus had not yet entered the scene of earth’s history to redeem us from sin and our fallen nature.

Before Christ, the law only served to show mankind (the Jewish race first via the old covenant) their sin, a teacher or a tutor to lead them by experience, as they sought to obey on their own steam and by their own methods – it taught them to be ready to realize their need of Christ’s new Spirit-led covenant based on loving God first and your neighbour second, which fulfils the two divine metrics of love and justice in God’s universe.

Men argue about the evolution of the earth, its age, and the many scientific theories related to carbon dating matter – rocks, skeletons, dinosaurs etc.. However, man’s greatest evolution is that God’s Spirit has been teaching mankind a progressive revelation as he works to redeem us as sons and daughters – to bring fallen mankind back to Himself from our ruin, Man has become wrapped up in self importance – mentally unbalanced because the conscience is not led by the Spirit. He wants to return us relationally to an Edenic status of living in the Spirit led and motivated by love and concomitant justice.

In our text God promised to make a new covenant in which He would enable men to live a life of obedience:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant…” (Jeremiah 31:31 ESV)

The Spirit of God must lead our desires

In this new covenant, the law was to be put in their mind and written on the heart, not with the ink of inscribed letters, but with the Spirit of the living God. As Jeremiah puts it in context, “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.” (Jeremiah 32:40 NLT)

The operative of the new covenant would be the inner urging of the Spirit of God motivating values-based directives: “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left”. (Isaiah 30:21 ESV)

There were certain men who walked closely with God and evidence tells us that they understood the need to walk as Spirit-led men. King David of antiquity understood this. He said “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8 ESV) This is why God called him “a man after his own heart”. (1 Samuel 13:14 ESV) When David was anointed King over Israel God said through Samuel: “I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him” (Psalms 89:20 ESV)

Further after David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he prayed a prayer to the Lord that made it clear that his prior obedience was due to waking in accord with the indwelling Spirit. This is important because David also confessed in the same prayer, that he was part of the fallen race: “I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalms 51:5 ESV) The following verses indicate that David was a man after God’s own heart when he was walking led by the Holy Spirit prior to his great moral fall.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[a] spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” (Psalms 51:10-15 ESV)

These prophetic texts must be viewed as operative new covenant promises

These promises ensure a continual, wholehearted obedience – the mark of the true believer who takes God at His Word and fully claims what these promises secure. We need to bow in deep adoration and quiet calm before God and believe what He says. Then all of His moral law, motivated by what it is based on love and justice, will bring us delight. The moral law will take possession of our inner life with all its power within our minds and become an advanced philosophic way of living anew. This is why Jesus said when he offered the wine to His disciples during the Last Supper at Passover: “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin.” (Matthew 26:28 ESV)

The cross was to bring about a revolutionary new way of thinking about love versus legalistic living law in relation to God and man The cross of Jesus Christ was meant to display love and justice to the very end in contradistinction to bare rules. Man could realize just how far they had slipped into a critical mass – into a collective consciousness bound to disobedient hatred, and murderous selfishness both intellectually and morally. Man had collaborated to kill their own God! Yes God. The apostle Paul noted the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ as God, collaborate tri-unified in mind with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16 ESV)

shutterstock_98508599

Jesus knew that the disciples would need the Holy Spirit to help them understand the depth of the new covenant. He told them prior to his ascension, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. “All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16: 12-15 ESV)

The new covenant glorifies Christ in life’s application of the promises

“He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” He is glorified when we demonstrate our trust and obedience, by faith living out the covenant in love as we apply the promises of the God in our real life circumstances. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14 NAS)