Jeremiah 31:31-32
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
The scriptures said that God was going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel, not like the old one from Mt. Sinai. Did you catch that? Not like the old one. I am afraid that most sermons in Churches today are teaching a mixed message, a lot of the old and very little of the new. In fact, most messages I hear today could have been preached before the cross. Obey the commandments, stop sinning, love God with all your heart, tithe, memorize the scriptures, etc. No mention of truth now revealed in Christ, that was once hidden. Missing are teachings about how you have been made a new creation. Nothing taught like you have been given God’s righteousness as a free gift, or you are now free from the curse of the law (which includes the 10 commandments), or that now you are loved by God unconditionally, etc.
The Holy Spirit testifies, yes, the Holy Spirit Himself testifies to the following:
Hebrews 10:15-17
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,
AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”
He then says,
“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS
I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”
In the new, God does not remember sins. Is that what you hear taught in most churches? No. I hear it taught that God forgives someone of their past sins when they first believe, but all new sins have to be forgiven daily. In other words, they are forgiven for all their sins, unless they sin again. This is just like the old covenant where the blood of bulls and goats had to be offered over and over. Blood offerings had to be repeated, and those sacrifices served as a reminder that their forgiveness was temporary, not complete.
Now in this new covenant, there is a change in priesthood. Jesus is our new high priest. Since there is a change in priesthood, out of necessity, there must be a change in law also. New laws for the new, not the same laws of the old one. Remember, there are new laws given in this new covenant, which according to scripture, is not supposed to be like the old. So the laws of the new covenant that are written on the believer’s heart are not the laws of Moses. That is the old covenant. It is not the Ten Commandments written on the new heart, because the big ten are a part of the 613 commandments of the old Mosaic Law. I am sure you have heard teachers admit that in the new covenant, we don’t live by the Mosaic ceremonial laws anymore, just the Mosaic moral laws, or the 10 commandments. Sorry, the law of Moses is a total package. You can’t pick and choose which laws to obey. If you are under law and disobey one, then you are guilty of all and under a curse.
The greatest commandment under the law of Moses was to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Additionally, to love your neighbor as yourself. That was under the old. The greatest commandment under the new is to believe that God loves you with all His heart, His mind and His soul. As you begin to understand God’s love for you, then you begin to love others as Christ loves you. That is what is written on the heart of a new covenant believer.
The truth of the Gospel is that God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to die for sin, all sins past, present and future. Now, all who believe this are forgiven once for all time. And since Jesus overcame death by His resurrection, you too who believe are also resurrected to new Life. You are given God’s own righteousness as a free gift, a one time forgiveness. You are born from above as a new creation, no longer enslaved to sin, but with a new obedience heart. No longer is the believer’s heart wicked. Now, in Christ, you are forgiven forever, in no need of further forgiveness. The Holy Spirit says God no longer remembers sins in this new covenant. To say a believer needs daily forgiveness of sin to stay in God’s favor, is to teach another Gospel.
When you rest in the truth of the Gospel, that you are totally forgiven and have been made new by the finished work of Christ, your mind starts to be renewed to heavenly things, and the fruit of the Spirit begins to manifest in your mortal body.
Keep in mind that it is the grace of God that teaches you to deny ungodliness, not a misguided adherence to rules and commandments from an old obsolete covenant that has passed away.
Jesus said “Behold, I make all things new”.
Jim
“It is Finished” 