Tag: New Covenant

The New has Come.

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Essay by Dan

It has been my experience, while trying to wrap my mind around the old and new covenant of God, we need a global view of scripture to gain a proper understanding of both covenants. God defined the New Covenant in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Later, in the New Testament, we find Jeremiah’s definition used in the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 8:7–12). In fact, this is the longest quote from the Old Testament presented in the New Testament. Using the Hebrews passage as a template, we find three pillars for the new covenant: Reconciliation, Revelation, and Forgiveness.

Reconciliation. God says — I will put my laws in your mind and write them on your heart (Hebrews 8:7). He inserted the law into our heart to help us resist Lucifer’s influence. He removed the barrier between us and himself. Ezekiel said – God will put His Spirit within you so that you walk in His statutes, see His ordinances, and you are able to keep them (Ezekiel 36:26-27, paraphrased). Paul wrote – For anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus and gave us the ministry of informing the world of this reconciliation through Jesus, thereby not counting people’s sins against them anymore (2 Corinthians 5:17–21 paraphrased).

Revelation. God says — I will be your God, and you will be my people. No longer will you teach your neighbor or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because you will all know Me, from the least of you to the greatest (Hebrews 8:10-11 paraphrased). Later, Jesus specifically included the gentiles when He said – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). It is this simple – God revealing himself to us.

Forgiveness. God says — I forgive your wickedness and remember your sins no more. God promises to forgive our sins and justify us — we stand before God as though we had never sinned (implied in Hebrews 8:12). Paul defines the impact of reconciliation and revelation when he writes – If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10). We ask, he grants, we are recipients of his grace – we are forgiven.

These three pillars (reconciliation, revelation, and forgiveness) define the covenant path to the Kingdom. They are the principal elements of the new covenant (the Gospel). From my perspective, the new covenant is built on absolutes, hardcore assurances, a promise to us that we will be with Him forever. The mediator (Jesus) intercedes for us, averting God’s wrath for our extensive list of sins.

We stand “shaking like a leaf”, helpless before the formidable righteousness of God. The only thing that redeems us is inclusion in the new covenant by the mediator. We have not earned a seat at the table; we were granted a seat at the table. Not by what we did, but by his forgiveness and grace. We have nothing of value to offer in exchange for our life – Jesus alone offered something valuable to redeem us.

We are blessed by the Father, reconciled through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are blessed by the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus (just as the Hebrew children were redeemed by blood from the Passover lamb eons ago). Finally, we are blessed by revelation from the Holy Spirit, freely extending His insight (teaching) to us about the things of God. Just as the Hebrews saw the power of God through the daily allocation of manna, we obtain our daily bread (teaching) in scripture. We have nothing to offer, we are unworthy to receive this grace. We are granted grace as an expression of unconditional love. Selah.

I choose Jesus.

Figuring out the Things of Life

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Essay by Dan

It was my observation while reading Matthew chapter 5, Jesus shares a series of life guidelines with us. When he saw the huge crowds, he climbed up on a hillside to gain respite. Once he found a suitable place for a rest, he sat down and instructed his friends. He provided them with a roadmap, a path forward on how to live life to its fullest — honoring the things of God, walking with God, worshiping God. This is what I gleaned from the quiet affirmations of Jesus.

When you find yourself at the end of your rope, be content, God is in control. With less of you forcing solutions into play, there is more space for God and his influence over your daily actions. If you feel you have lost something, remember you are giving space for God’s influence. Spend time thinking about who you are, reach the point where you are at peace rather than striving for position. Life is easier when you are content with yourself — no more, no less — just acceptance. (Implied in Matthew 5:3-5)

Look hard in scripture for the truth, lean into the word, develop a strong appetite for the things of God. Accept the bread of Life, reach out to others, allow God to develop a caring attitude within you, give yourself to others. But start this journey by getting your inside world—your mind and heart—in the right place. To figure out life, look for God. Avoid being part of the problem, you become part of the solution when you can show people how to cooperate instead of competing or fighting. That is when you discover God’s purpose, you find your place in God’s family. Find God’s peace. It is close by. Find your place of rest. It is close by… (implied in Matthew 5:6-8)

In the life of every peacemaker who is committed to God comes trouble and persecution. Let this adversity drive you deep into rather than away from God’s kingdom — the truth is too close for their comfort, and they are uncomfortable. Love the truth. Your friends will always encounter speed bumps (persecution), do not despair, step over the speed bump, help others do the same, these things will pass. At this juncture in your life, it should be clear why we are here on earth. We are alive in this moment to be the salt that points to God’s message. Stay the course. (implied in Matthew 5:9-12)

Most young children have heard the lyric – This little light of mine, I’m gonna to let it shine. Jesus tells us You are here to be light; this light will bring out God’s brilliant Kodachrome message for all the world to hear. This is not a private conversation or message to hide on our bookshelves. The message is to be delivered in every nook and cranny – your life should be the city on a hill, the City of God. This message is Truth. If we hide the message in a building, the oxygen quickly disappears and the message fades. Get the message out of the building, give the message oxygen. Give the message a chance to grow. Be generous with your life, be accessible, be approachable, take the first step. When we open up to others, we show people how to open up with God. God’s Word is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Word will be alive helping people to figure out life. (implied in Matthew 5: 13-16)

The deeper truth – If you trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Word, you will only have trivialized yourself. Take the message seriously, walk with God, love the people around you, then you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do better than the Pharisees when yielding to God, you will not know the first thing about living life to the fullest (implied in Matthew 5:17-20).

I choose Jesus.

A Quiet Evening in Bethlehem

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Sometimes, it seems proper just to quote a lot of scripture, today is one of those days. The passages below from John are NIV and passages from Luke are MSG. The brackets mark subtle text changes (I replaced ‘hostel’ with ‘inn’; I guess I am a bit more traditional than I first realized). Take your time, breathe in the message… Continue reading “A Quiet Evening in Bethlehem” →

Habits And Rhythms

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There’s a comfort  humans obtain accomplishing recurring tasks. We get up at the same time each morning, we make our bed, we make ourselves a cup of coffee, we get prepared for the day, choosing the clothing we’re going to wear carefully. We go to work; we arrange our desk or arrange our toolbox and our pickup truck. We set out to do the tasks of the day. We come home that evening we plan and prepare an evening meal, check our email, text messages, check WhatsApp, and settle in to rest. We all have recurring tasks that we do to build structure to our day. Continue reading “Habits And Rhythms” →

Purpose of Scripture

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It has been my observation while browsing Hebrews, the word of God is alive and active to all who are looking for order and guidance in their life. Hebrews 4:12-13 (paraphrased) says — To be sure, we have been aggressively shaped by the Word; for it is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates deep into our soul and spirit, it seeps through our joints digging deep into our marrow; we have no place to hide, nothing can be tucked away in our thoughts or actions. We stand naked, unable to run or hide, we have been judged. The hidden thoughts and subtle attitudes of our heart have been exposed. Nothing in our life can be hidden from God’s sight (as much as we might like to skulk in the shadows for things we have done). Everything in our life is laid bare before Him so we may give account (NIV). Over the years I have developed the utmost respect for scripture. It is difficult to ignore the Word. You may get fiercely angry at God for calling you out, you may repent, but you will never be indifferent to the message.

I believe that Scripture should have a strong role in our life; we should look to the message for insight and influence, we should look for help to discern right from wrong, we should expect the Word to deliver comfort during times of trouble, define our notions of why we are here, and explain the mysteries of ‘walking with God’.  Paul wrote — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The fundamental purpose of scripture is to reveal God’s mind to us. Therefore, the Bible is very profitable for teaching. In Scripture we find comments on theism (existence of God), theos (nature, attributes, decrees and works of God), angels (the good ones and the evil ones), anthropology (nature, attributes, and works of man), soteriology (nature, attributes, decrees, and works of Jesus, plus the new covenant), Ecclesiology (community of believers), eschatology (the last days), and let us not overlook prophecy, history, poetry, wisdom, etc.  However, I want to be extremely clear – scripture is not exhaustive; it does not comment on every element of knowledge known to man. But, when scripture comments; it is absolutely, forever true.

As God reveals himself, he uses the Word for reproof of the foolish and correction of the misguided. The Greek word for reproof is elegcho, which means to convict, refute, or confute (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). As we read scripture, sometimes we are convicted by the Holy Spirit for a habit or activity that is not in alignment with the manufacture’s Handbook (scripture). If we read scripture with an open heart, the Bible becomes a set of operating principles to focus our thoughts, conduct, and behavior. The Greek word for correction, used in this verse, is epanorthosis. It means restoration to an upright or a right state; correction, and improvement (Thayer’s Greek lexicon). This is the purpose of the new covenant – restoring and adopting us into the bloodline of Abraham (the family of God) through the ransom.

We are changed because of God’s infusion of righteousness directly into our heart. Righteousness, as used by Paul in this verse, comes from the Greek term dikaiosune which can be defined as faith implanted into man producing gradual movement towards conformity with the will of God (Vine’s Greek Dictionary). We are learning to walk with God, implementing his plan. We learn about righteousness from the Word, God changes our heart, we are infused with his plan.

The bottom line – our Bible is the manufacturer’s handbook. Everything we need to know about God, Jesus, man, salvation, how we got here, and where we are going has been documented in the handbook. What do we do with this handbook? Read. Learn. Repent. Yield. Choose. Proceed. Grow. Love.

I choose Jesus.

I Am Redeemed

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It has been my observation that Paul presents a clear, unmistakable path for restoration with God in Romans. In Romans 10:9-10 he defined the restoration in simple unambiguous terms. God assures an amazing outcome for every scared timid soul who approaches the one true living God with their head hung in submission, seeking forgiveness. Our redeemer clears the path, we are forgiven. Then, in parallel, the Holy Spirit helps us to slowly assimilate the message until our heart is flooded with a brilliant light that only God can make. In this essay, I want to examine this remarkable path.

Continue reading “I Am Redeemed” →