What is new about the New Covenant?

Covenants and testaments are based on promises and agreements between two or more parties.
Our Creator God is a God of infinite, unfailing, unwavering, uncompromising love. It always has been and always will be that He would have His erring sinful proud and unbelieving creatures to know this love, and therefore, to know Him.It has always been His heartfelt yearning that God and man should be on the most if intimate of terms and that both may know the joy and peace that would come from a loving relationship with one another. The entire Government of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the laws by which it is governed, is based on this love. And everything God purposes to do, promises, accomplishes, says and does, has as its motivating principle God’s perfect love. (Deut. 7:7,8; Isa. 63:7-9; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-4)

That is why, when Adam sinned, God still sought him out. (Gen. 3:9) Love was the motivating factor behind God’s promise (Genesis 3:15; Nahum 1:9) that the damage to the relationship caused by sin would ultimately be undone (Isa 59:2); that the power of Satan over our lives would be reversed (John 8:34; Romans 6:16,20; 2 Peter 2:19) and the power of death would be overcome (Ezek. 18:4,20; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23). How was God to accomplish all this while at the same time honouring justice, love and mercy? Through Jesus Christ.

Sabbath Rest?

I am bemused by a common argument used against the observance of Sabbath; that is that ” Jesus is now my Sabbath rest” because this or that one has ceased from his own works. The insinuation is that those who do observe the Sabbath as a day of rest according to the commandment, have not ceased from their own works.
My question is this, though it seems obvious to me: how can anyone observe the day as a Sabbath, without ceasing from his/her own works?

The Ten Commandments: too tough?

Inherent in the Ten Commandments is the gospel. The first commandment has been edited by most but if we read the entire passage of scripture, we can readily see that God is not commanding us to do the impossible. The Ten Commandments begin:
Exodus 20:2 ” I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.You shall have no other gods before Me.”

In this small portion of the scripture is found the key to understanding our relationship to God’s laws, and how to find the power to obey them. Here is the gospel.
You may be thinking, “Hey, that first part isn’t a part of the law, because it doesn’t tell us something we must do or not do! Instead, it tells us of something God has done!!!”
Yes, exactly! And that’s the point. The entire Ten Commandments start with something God has done, and not with something we must do.

The Curse of the Law and the Gospel.

In Galatians 3:24 we are told that the law is a schoolmaster bringing us to Christ. Both the moral law of ten commandments and the ceremonial law do this. The ceremonial law revealed to Israel the provision made by God for their redemption, and the means by which Israel might avail themselves of that provision.
The moral law is a transcript of God’s perfect character,revealing how far we have fallen,and is the image of Christ as reflected in Adam and Eve before the fall (Gen. 1:26,27). It is God’s purpose to recreate that image in us (Rom. 8:29), but He had to deal with the effects of sin first.
One, the curse of the law. We are under the curse because of transgression. The curse is the penalty for sin. The scriptures say that Christ became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13); His death took away the penalty and the curse which was upon us because of sin, which is transgression of that law. Christ’s death enables God to impute to us His righteousness. God looks upon us now as if we had never sinned. We are now as acceptable to the Father just as Jesus Himself is. This is ‘at-one-ment’.
Two, this atonement continues by His resurrected life which enables us to receive the power necessary to keep the law in future. This is possible however only as we abide in Him, as the branch to the vine. Separated, we can by no means accomplish anything for Him and we invariably fall, “for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Eternal life is guaranteed only as we maintain our connection to Christ through faith, for the “just shall live by faith”. The moral law is still holy just and good, (Rom.7:12) it has not been done away with in any particular (Matt. 5:17,18) but rather it has been written upon our hearts and minds (Heb. 8:10): In other words  God’s very own righteousness or character of love is developed in us by His Spirit, (for love is the fulfilling of the law) and we are recreated in Christ’s image as Adam and Eve were before the fall.
It is God’s part to accomplish this (grace) but it is our part to desire it. God will not do anything without our cooperation and agreement,for “they that hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled” (Matt. 5:6). This takes a lifetime of warfare against the old nature, but as we continue to faithfully trust God to accomplish all He has promised, and submit wholly to Him, He will mould us and shape us like the Master Potter with the clay, and our characters may be perfected.

Three Spiritual Laws that Govern Life

3 Spiritual laws that govern life.

“For I delight in

Law One: ……….The law of God.

after the inward man”…..(Romans 7:22)

Paul has nothing but love and respect for God’s law. He considers it ‘holy, just and good’. It is Paul’s earnest and deepest desire to honour that law, and to keep all the commandments,

” but I see another law in my members, warring against the law (of God) of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to….” (v23cont.)

Law Two:………..“The law of sin…

“…which is in my members.

Paul delights in obedience, but finds that in the carnal nature resides a law which makes it impossible, the law of sin. Paul confesses his wretchedness and guilt. “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” he cries.

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin.” (vs 25)

But if Paul is bound by the law of sin, despite his best intentions to obey the law of God, how then can he overcome? The answer is just 2 verses later. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For…

Law Three:……….the law of the Spirit of life…

in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1,2.

Three laws. The law of God which is holy, just, and good.
The law of sin which binds the carnal man making it impossible to obey the law of God.
The law of the Spirit of life which through the grace and power of God makes it possible for the reborn child of God to obey the law of God, if he relies on and walks after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

The law of sin has no power over them who are completely surrendered to Christ. That is why elsewhere Paul can assert that to those who walk in the Spirit they are transformed by the renewing of their minds, and are recreated into the image of the character of Christ. A character that is obedient and a mind (like Christ’s) which delights in the law of God and rejoices that by faith in the power and grace of God he may be obedient to all the commandments.

Grace, law, faith, obedience.

Grace, Obedience, Law, Faith.

Of all the problems in doctrine that plague the modern church, the relationship between the above four principles is the most hotly debated, and yet the most essential to be understood.

And being so hotly debated reveals the paucity of perception, and the lack of understanding among Christians today. So allow me if I may to shed what I hope is a little light on the subject, with the prayer that we may come to some understanding and avoid the many pitfalls and dangers that can arise from taking to unnecessary and possibly dangerous extremes on the issue.

So let me start at the beginning.

2 Co 5:17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

When we consider the above text, we may not perfectly understand how such a thing can happen, yet in faith we accept the testimony of God’s word to be true, and despite the mystery of the process, the result of being a new creature (being ‘born again John 3:3) can be clearly seen in its effects upon the human heart. A change will be seen, in some cases seemingly overnight, in others maybe a more gradual process, but a change nevertheless. This change will be seen in the character. The contrast will be clear and distinct. From darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge, unbelief to understanding, indifference and even hostility to faith and love. The change will be seen in the habits, not in the occasional misdeeds or good deeds, but rather in the growing habitual tendencies of words and practice.

Anyone is capable of a generous donation to charity, an act of unselfish kindness, even those who are, in their innermost being, quite selfish. Self-esteem may produce the appearance of a well ordered and well mannered life. Athletes with a passion for success can be extremely disciplined and focused. A love for reputation and a desire for honor may inspire one to separate oneself from the very appearance of evil. So how are we to know whose side we are on? How are we to know to whom we belong? With whom are our thoughts? Who do we love to talk about? Who has our deepest affections and is the recipient of our warmest praises?