THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS
Few
understand the significance of the Bible covenants, commonly called the
Old and New, yet they reveal God's nature and His plan for humanity.
What do the covenants really mean for Christians today?
What is a Covenant?
It is important that the word 'covenant' be clearly defined. In the
Chambers English Dictionary, the word 'covenant' is described as: "A
mutual agreement: the writing containing the agreement: an engagement
entered into between God and a person or a people - a dispensation,
testament - v.i. to enter into an agreement - v.t. to agree to: to
stipulate." A covenant is a sealed contract between two parties in
which both promise to abide by mutually-accepted terms. It is important
to notice that the covenant is the actual agreement and that the terms
are an entirely separate issue.
The Old Covenant
The nation of Israel entered into an agreement with God. The conditions
of this agreement are stated in Exodus 19 - 24. God led the Israelites
out of Egypt and then instructed Moses to speak to the Israelites at
Mount Sinai. (This was probably at Pentecost). "if you will indeed obey
My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to
Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me
a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex 19:5,6).
God promised the nation of Israel physical blessings only, on the
condition that they keep their agreement with Him. There were no
promises of eternal life or of the gift of the Holy Spirit. All the
promises made under the old covenant were material blessings. The
nation of Israel would be a great nation, and the Israelites would be
God's special people and He would be their God, only on the condition
that they would obey the covenant, whose terms included the Ten
Commandments, which had been in force from Creation.
A Marriage Agreement
The old covenant was a kind of marriage agreement between God and the
nation of Israel. In The Interlinear Bible published by Hendrickson, on
page 646, Ezek 16:8 is translated as: "And I passed by you, and I
looked on you, and, behold, your time was the time of love. And I
spread My skirt over you, and covered your nakedness. And I swore to
you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord Jehovah.
And you became Mine." The phrase "spread your skirt" is a sign of
marriage. (See the book of Ruth 3:9 which, in The Interlinear Bible,
reads: "And she said, I am your handmaid Ruth, and you shall spread
your skirt over your handmaid"). The relationship is clearly shown in
Jer 31:32 which reads: "though I was a husband to them, says the Lord."
In the marriage agreement, the nation of Israel promised not to commit
spiritual adultery or fornication by worshipping the gods of other
nations. Ex 34:12,14: "Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant
with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a
snare in your midst ... (for you shall worship no other god, for the
Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)." "Then all the people
answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do."
So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord." (Ex 19:8).
The Conditions and Terms of the Covenant
The nation of Israel agreed to be obedient to God in return for His
protection and blessings. God came down to the Israelites and
instructed them on the terms and conditions of the covenant (Ex
19:11,15,18). God required the nation to obey the Ten Commandments (Ex
20:1-17). "He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of
stone, written with the finger of God." (Ex 31:18). "These words the
Lord spoke to all your assembly ... And He wrote them on two tablets of
stone and gave them to me." (Deut 5:22). The Ten Commandments were a
part of the old covenant which were written on slabs of stone referred
to as the 'tablets of the covenant' (Deut 9:9,11). These were the ten
basic principles for everyday living which show us the mind of God. The
Israelites were also instructed to observe the civil law (including the
statutes and judgements) which would govern their nation.
The Statutes
The statutes are civil enactment's prescribed by God (Ex 18:16). The
New Bible Dictionary, (second edition used), edited by JD Douglas, N
Hillyer, FF Bruce, D Guthrie, AR Millard, JI Packer and DJ Wiseman, on
page 244 states, concerning the statutes: "Many of the statutes of
Exodus 22:18-23:33 are concerned with what we should call religious
practice, e.g. the offering of firstfruits (22:29f.; 23:19a),
sabbatical years and days (23:10-12), the three pilgrimage festivals
(23:14-17) ... But the statutes also include ethical and humanitarian
injunctions, protecting those who have no natural protector (22:21-24),
forbidding excessive severity to debtors (22:25-27), insisting on
judicial impartiality, especially where one of the litigants is an
alien who might feel himself at a disadvantage (23:6-9)."
The Judgements
The judgements were additions to make a decision based on God's Law -
the Ten Commandments; they gave certain punishments for breaking God's
Law. The New Bible Dictionary, on page 244 states concerning the
judgements: "There follows a series of case-laws (Exodus 21:1-22:17).
These cover such civil and criminal cases as treatment of Hebrew slaves
(21:2-6), the sale of one's daughter into slavery (21:7-11), murder and
manslaughter (21:12-14), injury to parents (21:15,17), kidnapping
(21:16), assault and battery (21:18-27, incorporating the lex talionis,
21:23-25), a goring ox (21:28-32), accidents to animals (21:33f.),
killing of one ox by another (21:35f.), theft (22:1-4), damage to crops
(22:5f.), deposits and loans (22:7-15), seduction (22:16f.)."
These statutes and judgements (Ex 21,22,23), which made up the civil
law, amplify God's Law - the Ten Commandments. The civil law can be
found in Exodus 21-23, which was written in a book by Moses: "Then he
took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people.
And they said, "All that the Lord has said we will do, and be
obedient."" (Ex 24:7). Both the Book of the Covenant (civil law) and
the Tablets of the Covenant (Ten Commandments) were included in the Old
Covenant, which the nation of Israel had to obey. Once the people had
promised to obey God's laws, the agreement was sealed with blood. "And
Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold,
the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to
all these words."" (Ex 24:8). The civil laws, which were written by
Moses, contained the ministration of death, which meant the passing of
the death sentence on anyone who broke certain of the laws, e.g. Ex
21:12: "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to
death."
Was God's Law Instituted at Mount Sinai?
There is a belief that God's spiritual Law - the Ten Commandments - was
instituted by God at Mount Sinai. But is this so? Gen 26:5 reads:
"because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments,
My statutes, and My laws." Abraham, who lived several hundred years
before the time of Moses, obeyed God. For further proof, read Ex 16:28:
"How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?" Ex 18:16
reads: "and I [Moses] make known the statutes of God and His laws." The
Bible clearly shows that God's laws, including the statutes and
judgements, were in existence prior to the events at Sinai.
The God of the Old Testament
The old covenant was a marriage agreement between God and the nation of
Israel. The Bible clearly shows that God spoke to Moses at Sinai. It
might be thought that the God of the Old Testament who dealt with the
nation of Israel was God the Father. John 5:37: "And the Father
Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His
voice at any time, nor seen His form." It was the Jews, to whom the
Lord spoke, who personally had not seen nor heard the Father. Some
mistakenly assume from this that the Father's voice has never been
heard at any time. Yet Matthew 3:17 states: "And suddenly a voice came
from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased."" (Compare also Mat 17:5; Jn 12:28; 2 Pet 1:17. These plain
statements would be lies if the Father had never been heard.)
Who was the One dealing with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament?
John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." Two divine personages are mentioned in this
verse - the Word and God. The Word, or Spokesman for the God Family,
later became known as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Only two
personalities are mentioned in this verse. John 1:18 clearly states
that no-one has ever seen the Father. This means that it was the Word
who appeared and spoke to the Israelites and entered into the marriage
covenant with them.
The Disobedience of the Israelites and the Broken Covenant
The Israelites could not keep God's Law, even in the letter. They lost
sight of their agreement with God and thus lost the blessings of
obedience (Lev 26:4-13). The results of disobedience had been explained
to the nation of Israel in Lev 26:14-39. Yet the Israelites were unable
to obey God's laws. For about 700 years, God pleaded with the nation:
"Return, O backsliding children," says the Lord; "for I am married to
you." (Jer 3:14).
"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My
covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them." (Jer
31:31,32). This meant that the nation of Israel had been unfaithful to
the marriage agreement. Eventually, because of the continued
disobedience and 'adultery' of the nations of Israel and Judah, God
'divorced' them and they went into captivity, from which only Judah
returned. The nation of Israel went into Assyrian captivity in the
years 721-718 BC (Ezek. 20:23,24). The nation of Judah was captured by
the Babylonians from 604-585 BC (2 Kings 23:27). The fault with this
covenant was the weakness of the people, not the terms of the
agreement. (Heb 8:7,8). Nevertheless, Jesus, the Son of Man, had to die
in order to be able to re-marry spiritual Israel at a later time.
The Sacrificial Laws
Moses wrote down in a book the civil laws which became known as the Law
of Moses or the Book of the Covenant, which contained the statutes and
judgements (Ex 21-23). This is not to be confused with the Ten
Commandments which were written on tablets of stone which became known
as the 'tablets of the covenant' (Ex 20:1-17; 31:18; Deut 5:22;
9:9,11). The Israelites agreed to obey the terms and the conditions of
the covenant; that is, they promised to obey God's law. These civil
laws were also written on large, whitewashed stones set up on Mount
Ebal, after crossing of the River Jordan into the Promised Land (Deut
27:1-8). [It should be stressed at this point that God's Law and the
Law of Moses have nothing whatsoever to do with the traditions of the
elders nor with pharisaical Judaism.] The sacrificial laws are not
mentioned in the terms and conditions of the old covenant (Ex 19-23).
The Israelites, when they made the covenant with God at Sinai, were not
required to offer any form of sacrifice. Jer 7:22: "For I did not speak
to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of
the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices." The
sacrificial law was added after Sinai (Ex 40:2,17).
The old covenant, as already seen, was ratified by blood. The Levitical
priesthood was later established, followed by the introduction of the
ritualistic laws. The sacrifices were added to remind Israel of its
constant failure to keep to its side of the bargain (Jer 7; Hos 2). The
Israelites failed miserably to keep God's law in the letter, so it was
well beyond them to apply them law spiritually. All of the promises
under the old covenant were to do with material blessings and
prosperity. Without the addition of the Holy Spirit, the Israelites
were destined to fail. Deut 5:29: "Oh, that they had such a heart in
them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that
it might be well with them and with their children for ever!"
The Solution: The New Covenant
God had already decided on a solution: there was to be a "New"
Covenant, which was to include the spiritual element (Jer 31:31-40;
32:37-42; Ezek 11:19,20). These were Israelitish covenants, of course,
but the gentiles were eventually to be included, because they were
going to be spiritual Israelites, the Israel of God (Rom 2:29;
11:11-25; Gal 3:27-29; 6:16; Eph 2:11-22). "Then God has also granted
to the gentiles repentance to life." (Acts 11:18). Due to the sinful
nation of mankind, there was a need for a new covenant. "Behold, the
days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Jer 31:31). The new
covenant was to be very different from the old covenant. Jer 31:32:
"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them."
Heb 8:7: "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place
would have been sought for a second." What was this fault? Verse 8
explains: "Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days
are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah."" The fault of the old
covenant was with "them", that is, the Israelites. How did God solve
this difficulty? Continue in Jer 31:33: "But this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord,
I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people." The spiritual law
which was written on the two tablets of stone (the Ten Commandments),
and the civil laws, were written down so that the Israelites could be
constantly reminded of them. They could not obey the laws physically
because of their carnal natures. Romans 8:7: "Because the carnal mind
is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be." Under the old covenant, God's laws were written down on
tablets of stone, but, under the new covenant, God's laws will be
written on the heart. God's laws were not done away; they were to be
written in fleshly hearts. Did Jeremiah ever suggest that the law was
to be done away? A different law is not referred to in Hebrews 8:8-12
(this passage of scripture being quoted from Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Jeremiah knew only of God's law - the Ten Commandments. If God's law
had ended under the old covenant, there would be no references from
Jeremiah referring to it.
Acts Chapter 15
The Jews were widely known on account of three main practices:
circumcision, clean and unclean food laws, and their 'different' Holy
Days. The New Testament contains information on the abolition of only
ONE of these. A special conference (Acts 15) was summoned to discuss
circumcision, and the decision was that it was no longer necessary.
Neither of the other two topics were mentioned at all. Paul preached on
the Sabbath (Acts 13:14,42; 18:4,11). If the Sabbath were done away,
that was a wrong example! He would have offended the gentiles as well
as the Church of God! There would have been a tremendous uproar if
either Holy Days or food laws had been abrogated. Certainly, it would
have been well reported.
The Marriage Agreement
The new covenant is a marriage agreement between Jesus and spiritual
Israel - the church. Under the new covenant, Christ will marry the
Church. This is made plain in Ephesians 5:23: "For the husband is head
of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the
Saviour of the body." In Ephesians 5, the context is marriage between a
husband and a wife. In verse 32: "This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and the church." For additional proof: "For I am
jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Cor
11:2). In this passage, Christ is referred to as a husband and the
church as a virgin bride. In the new covenant, the bride (the church)
will marry the Husband, Jesus Christ, at His second coming. The new
covenant marriage will not fail!
Not Yet in the New Covenant
Many claim to be living under the new covenant. Few seem to understand
that the new covenant is not yet! The old covenant is "becoming
obsolete and growing old ... ready to vanish away" (Heb 8:13), but the
new covenant marriage has not yet been made. The new covenant will come
into existence and force at the return to the marriage of Jesus Christ.
Christians are now living under the terms and the conditions of the new
covenant. Rev 19:7: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for
the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) has come, and His wife (the Church)
has made herself ready." Jer 31:33 speaks of "The covenant that I will
make". It is still in the future. Jer 31:33 is quoted in Heb 8:8-12,
and this was after the death of Christ and the establishment of the
Church of God in 30 AD. The new covenant is to be established at the
return of Christ; it was NOT established by the blood of Christ on the
cross, as many have assumed. What about now? The new covenant has not
yet been made, but the terms and conditions have been revealed to
Christians through Christ. Christians live under those terms and
conditions in the new covenant. The old covenant ended when the
Israelites were divorced by God. Jesus came to explain the terms and
conditions with their new spiritual application. Christians have the
opportunity to understand them before the new covenant is made. In this
way, the church, composed of spiritually converted Christians, may
prepare for its marriage to Christ. Ephesians 5:26: "that He might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He
might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle...but that it should be holy and without blemish."
The Messenger of the covenant
The messenger of the new covenant is Jesus Christ. "Behold, I send My
messenger...And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His
temple, even the Messenger of the covenant" (Mal 3:1). Heb 8:6: "But
now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also
Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better
promises." Christ's ministry was cut short as He became the sacrificial
lamb for mankind (Heb 9:23-28). Christ confirmed the terms and
conditions of the new covenant in His ministry, which lasted for three
and a half years. Isaiah had prophesied (8:16): "seal the law among My
disciples" and (42:21): "The Lord ... will magnify the law and make it
honourable."
The sacrificial laws were added to the old covenant because of the sins
of the Israelites. Galatians 3:19: "What purpose then does the law
[ceremonial] serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the
Seed [Christ] should come to whom the promise was made; and it was
appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator." The sacrifice of
Christ replaced the need for the sacrificial system, which pointed
people to Him.
The sacrificial system ended when Christ was crucified. Hebrews 10:10
states: "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all." His death ended the need for
rituals and animal sacrifices, NOT the need for God's law. The only
text in the Bible which reveals what was terminated can be found in
Hebrews 9:10, which reads: "concerned only with foods and drinks,
various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of the
reformation." These were the regulations of rituals and ceremonial
cleanliness. Christ's part of the new covenant was sealed with His own
blood. "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood
He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption." (Heb 9:12). ..."how much more shall the blood of Christ
...purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And
for this reason, He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first
covenant." (vv 14,15).
The New Testament
Jesus confirmed the beginning of a new covenant which will be
established at His return. He also left behind a testament which began
after His death. A testament is a will in which the possessions of the
testator are passed on after his or her death. Hebrews 9:16,17,22: "For
where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death
of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since
it has no power at all while the testator lives... without the shedding
of blood there is no remission." Christ left a 'will' after His death,
which enabled His followers to have an opportunity to be co-heirs or
beneficiaries, of His possessions. Romans 8:17: "and if children, then
heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer
with Him, that we may also be glorified together."
Certain conditions must be fulfilled before the Christian may inherit
Christ's promises through His will. The individual must be Christ's:
"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise." (Gal 3:29). Christ explained in the New
Testament, or His 'will', about the new covenant and its better
promises. The individual must "put on Christ". (verse 27). This is
achieved by belief in the gospel (Mark 1:15) and repentance and baptism
(Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; Gal 3:27). After baptism, a
newly-converted Christian receives, by the laying on of hands, a token
of the Holy Spirit to help practise a Christian way of life. The Holy
Spirit helps the newly-begotten Christian to become more like Christ,
preparing him or her for the spiritual marriage to come. At this
marriage, God's laws will be written on the Christian's heart and the
covenant will not be able to be broken.
The individual must have faith in God and His promises. This faith must
be active and living faith from God, not a dead human faith. James
wrote: "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead
... faith without works is dead" (2: 17,20). Paul wrote: "Do we then
make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we
establish the law." (Romans 3:31). Works together with faith establish
God's law. Christ left us His will which came into force after His
death. This will is contained in the New Testament, which tells of
eternal salvation. Christians have to fulfil the terms and conditions
before eternal life can be imparted.
Christ came to fulfill the law
The Israelites did not have access to God's Holy Spirit and they did
not have a perfect sacrifice to atone for the nation's sins. After the
ratification of the old covenant, God instituted temporary substitute
animal sacrifices. The old covenant was to prove that, without access
to God's Holy Spirit, humanity was destined to fail. However, the new
covenant makes it possible to obey God because of the indwelling Holy
Spirit.
There are some who claim that the Ten Commandments have been done away
under the terms of the new covenant, but the Bible clearly shows that
God's laws, the Ten Commandments, were in existence prior to Sinai.
Some insist that the laws of God were made obsolete through the
sacrifice of Christ. The old covenant is the agreement (between the
Israelites and the Lord) which ended. But the old covenant was not
God's law!! Did Jesus come to nail God's law to the cross?
Matthew 19:16-19: "Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher,
what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" ..."if you
want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which
ones?" Jesus said, "You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit
adultery,' 'You shall not steal' 'You shall not bear false witness,'
'Honour your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your
neighbour as yourself.'"" Eternal life is one of the promises under the
new covenant.. How does one inherit eternal life? Christ's response
was: "Keep the commandments." This would be a wrong example for Christ
to set, if the law - the Ten Commandments - were to be done away
following His death. After all, "I am the Lord, I do not change."
(Mal.3:6). and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and for
ever." (Heb 13:8).
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven
and earth pass away, on jot or one tittle will by no means pass from
the law till all is fulfilled." (Mat 5:17,18). This did not mean to say
that Jesus was doing away with the law; He was expressing it in its
fullest significance and thereby setting an example to be followed.
"...till all is fulfilled." This "fulfilled" is a different Greek word.
It means 'until everyone is keeping the law.' The Law was no longer
there to be obeyed in the letter - it was now to be obeyed in the
spirit, a very different (and much more difficult!) matter. How can
law-keeping be regarded as 'bondage' when those laws reveal the very
mind and character of God? Only antagonism towards God rejects law. A
realisation of God's goodness leads to a glad and joyful acceptance of
those things which He has said are for our benefit. "Great peace have
those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble." (Ps
119:165).
The New Covenant laws of love and faith are the spiritual EXPANSION of
Old Testament laws. Mercy may indeed triumph over judgement (James
2:13) but judgement falls on law-breakers! God's laws are eternal
(Psalm 111:8). Jesus did NOT abolish what was holy. His death was
pointless if His laws are not in force today. The law (the
schoolmaster) reveals the need for a Saviour - and the need for the
power of the Holy Spirit to obey!
Colossians 2:13-17 is on the scriptures most often quoted to 'prove'
that the Ten Commandments have been done away. "having forgiven you all
trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was
against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and
powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a
festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to
come, but the substance is of Christ." The "handwriting of
requirements" means a bill of debt or the death penalty. It was the
death penalty which was abolished; "nailed to the cross." Once people
sin, they have broken God's spiritual law and incurred the penalty.
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin [that which is earned] is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." "sin is
lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). Life is forfeit once sin is committed. Jesus
Christ came to pay that penalty, so allowing life to resume.
Through the death of Jesus, the death penalty was nailed to the cross
and, in that way, He triumphed over the demons (compare Ephesians
6:12). That means that the observance of food laws or holy days may
only be regulated by the body of Christ (the church). These holy days
foreshadow things to come and therefore must stand until their complete
fulfilment. As always, difficult scriptures are made easier to
understand when taken in context of the Bible as a whole. Scriptures do
not contradict one another (John 10:35). The Bible is a spiritual whole
- and God is specific in His commands. Holy days were established
before the Old Covenant. They all stand or fall together. They are an
essential part of the New Covenant and will be observed in the Kingdom
(Ezek 45:21; Zech 14:16-19). Ezek 46:3: "Likewise the people of the
land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on
the Sabbaths and the New Moons." The offering of sacrifices, the
ceremonial washings, the blowing of the shofar, the heaving of the
wavesheaf, the laying of hands on the Azazel goat are the rites and the
ceremonials which are done away. God's Holy Days remain.
The spiritual intent of the law
It is NOT possible to obey God's Law in New Testament principles only,
while disobeying the letter of the law! The Old Testament statutes and
judgements are just as valid today. The difference is that we are no
longer under the "ministration of death" which was called for according
to God's Law. 2 Cor 3:7,8: "But if the ministry of death, written and
engraved on stones [civil laws eventually written on whitewashed stones
- Deut 27:1-10], was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not
look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his
countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the
Spirit not be more glorious?" "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives
life." (2 Cor 3:6). Today, Christians have access to repentance and
forgiveness, made possible by Jesus' sacrifice. The "ministry of the
Spirit" is, indeed, "more glorious." Christians are still responsible
for restitution in cases of moral obligation - and how could that be if
the Law were done away? The obligation is to "love your neighbour as
yourself" (Lev 19:18), and leave all judicial decisions to God (Deut
32:35; Rom 12:19). How can the principles of the Ten Commandments be
kept without keeping them literally? How can laws be observed 'in
principle' and then violated in practical application?
Galatians 5:16: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not
fulfil the lust of the flesh." Christians live by the faith OF the Son
of God. This is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The holy, just, good and
spiritual laws must be obeyed in the spirit. Every word of God counts!
Of course, obedience can never EARN salvation (Romans 3:28). But - how
can one disobey, knowing of the great sacrifice made by the Lord Jesus
Christ (1 John 2:1,2) enabling Christians to be forgiven and justified?
Romans 2:13: "for not the hearers of the law are just[ifed] in the
sight of God, but the DOERS of the law will be justified." Romans 3:25:
"Whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith,
to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had
passed over the sins that were previously committed."
Forgiveness of sins is possible only on the acceptance of Jesus'
sacrifice, baptism, the receiving of the Holy Spirit and continuing
repentance. These are matters of law AND grace; matters of faith AND
works. It is not the law that is done away, but the penalty of the law
(i.e. the first death and eternal death). Jesus Christ revealed a way
of life - and Christians are to follow His example (1 Cor 11:1; 1 John
2:6). The power to be profitable servants (Luke 17:10), going above and
beyond mere legal requirements, is available through the Holy Spirit.
This is not EARNING salvation but it is pleasing to Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:23: "depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" The Law
is the minimum requirement in relationships. The terms from the Old
Covenant remain the same, but in New Testament times, are further
expanded into the spiritual realm. Only those laws which are
specifically abolished in the Bible, are abolished. Everything else
remains as part of the inspired Word of God!!
