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Judy Beaty GREL 1003: Principals of Biblical Faith Prof. J. Gordon Eisenman
11 October 2000 Why do we need the Covenants? Could mere obedience to law bring
about forgiveness of sins and salvation? God’s whole plan of salvation is
promised and understood through the Covenants. Many denominations have different
beliefs, however, thanks to the Covenants, all believe that the only condition
for salvation that He requires is faith. These Covenants were and are still very
necessary because they convey God’s promise. An understanding of the Covenants
helps build a person’s faith and gives one a much better basis for understanding
of the Bible. The need for the Covenants was pointed out by God in Romans 3:23,
where He said, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” In the
Old Testament, the believers did not have God’s Spirit in them as a permanent
gift. The laws, of the Old Covenant, were broken by Gods people, even though,
both Covenants made clear that the way to be declared “not guilty” by Him was
not for good work or deeds, but by faith. The Old Covenant – What and Where
Whenever God makes a promise or gives man a commandment or a prohibition, He
makes a covenant with man. This type of contract usually comes about through
negotiations.
Once an agreement is reached, it is usually sealed in some formal way. Thus,
it becomes binding to everyone. The Old Covenant was essentially a contract
between God and the Israelites (His chosen people). He sent Moses to these
people to convey his message, which was “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people;
for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an
holy nation” (KJV) Exodus 19:5 – 6. The physical sign of following the Old
Covenant was circumcision. The Mosaic Law was a central part of the Old
Covenant. This law was the moral record of how God’s people were supposed to
live. The vehicle by which God taught people about their own sinfulness and
their need for a savior was the Law in the Old Testament. However, Paul, along
with the rest of the apostles, taught that salvation was impossible through
obedience to the Law, even under the Old Covenant. Paul stated this in Romans
3:20, “because of the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
He also goes on in Romans 4 to show that not even Abraham, the father of the
nation of Israel, was justified before God through faith, not by works. In
Timothy, when Paul uses the words “Scriptures” or “sacred writings”, he is
referring to the Old Testament, which of course, included the Law. Old Covenant
Followers There were several people who followed the Old Covenant, such as
Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob and Moses. One such person who was good and
followed everything God told him to do was Moses. The Bible makes it clear that
Moses is founder of the Jewish people and Judaism, the faith, but that Abraham
is the founder of the nation. As the leader of the Jews he freed them from
slavery in Egypt, as well as protected them from the wrath of God, and
negotiated with God on their behalf. Moses is said to be the author of the first
five books of the Bible, best known as the “Torah”.
He is the greatest of the Hebrew prophets, who had many “face to face”
meetings with God. God had Moses come up the mountain, where he received the
stone tablets (the 10 Commandments) to take down to His people and thus
interpret these laws to them. God trusted and believed in Moses because he
always followed His direction and never, was there any doubt of Moses’ faith.
Old and New Covenant – Similarities and Differences God put both the Old
Covenant and the New Covenant into motion and He set the terms. The ultimate
goal of both covenants is “they will truly be my people and I will be their God”
Jeremiah 31:33. Jesus was more concerned about the condition of a person’s heart
rather than their religion. The Jews clearly thought that they could obtain
salvation by keeping the law. Jesus taught that external conformity to the Law
did not bring about righteousness, however, He lived out the Law perfectly and
we are to follow his example. One of the differences in the covenants is our
motivation to obey the Law. God gave the law for us to keep and through our
failure to do so, we would realize the only way to please Him would be through
faith in His son, Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “therefore the law was our tutor to
bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” Galatians 3:24.
As we know, God wrote the Old Covenant on stone tablets and had Moses bring
them to His people, but he wrote the New Covenant “on their hearts” so that the
knowledge of Him would be inward and personal. The laws of the Old Covenant were
broken because they were conditional; yet the New Covenant wasn’t conditional at
all - through faith, all is forgiven. The Old was external and transient and
limited, with the structure and character of a legal agreement. The New, which
is internal, is written on the open hearts of “all who know Him.” The temple and
teachers, as in the Old Covenant, will not be needed, for God will dwell in
their hearts and lead and direct them. New Covenant-“The Gift” Concept The first
mention of the New Covenant in the Bible is in Jeremiah 32: 31-34. The New
Covenant was marked by a people who knew God, a people who had God’s laws
written on their hearts; and people whose sins were forgiven. So under the New
Covenant, one enters into a relationship with God through faith in Christ.
Baptism in water is the physical sign of the New Covenant.
At the last supper Christ said that the New Covenant was instituted by his
blood; his death on the cross for our sins. “And in the same way 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 22:20. The key to understanding the New Covenant is
its message concerning the heart. The New Covenant has the character of a
personal relationship. No conditions have to be met, one only needs to believe
in Jesus Christ and he will experience the knowledge of God in his heart. John
3:16 tells us that God sent his only son into the world so that anyone who
believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. He made this great
sacrifice to give us eternal life because he loved us. Jesus spoke of this
“gift” in John 4:10 where “He replied, ‘If you only knew what a wonderful gift
God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some “living” water! Whoever
accepts this gift will have life everlasting.’ ” The Romans Point of View The
“knowledge of good and evil” is a definition for or the same as the Law. Adam
moved us from under Grace and Christ came to move us back so that we might again
live under Grace.
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