To the fence sitters, here are seven reasons to get off the fence and boldly declare that you are a New Covenant believer.
Paul stated the reasons plainly in his letter to the Corinthians. The passage is 2 Corinthians 3. Read through it. I think you will find the seven reasons to be compelling.
- Life — As Paul wrote, “the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The end of the law is death. That is the wages of sin. In the New Covenant, you receive life, Christ’s life.
- Righteousness — The law is a ministry of condemnation. No way to feel close to God or even know that He truly loves you when you keep failing to live up to His commands. In the New, God makes you righteous in Jesus. You are accepted.
- Eternal Security — The Old Covenant was temporary. It had a limited purpose – to show us our need for Christ. The New is eternal. Jesus’ promises and provisions last forever, which means that you are saved completely and eternally.
- Hope — The weight of the law squeezes out all measure of hope. As the writer of Hebrews stated, apart from Christ, you live in the fearful expectation of God’s punishment. In this New Covenant, your sins have been taken away once and for all. You are forgiven. You have Jesus and He is your hope of glory.
- Freedom — Under the law, you were in bondage to sin and death. Sin was your master, as Paul wrote. But in this New Covenant, the Spirit of Life sets you free from the law of sin and death. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- Transformation — Self-effort keeps you stuck in the Romans 7 trap: the things I want to do, I don’t, and the things I don’t want to do, I do. But in the New Covenant you are transformed into the likeness of Christ, from glory to glory.
- Jesus — Under law, it is all about you and your ability to live up to the standards. In the New, Jesus lives His life through you. He was the One who was revealed when the curtain in the temple was torn. He is God’s gift to you.
It is time to get off the fence. Make the declaration: “I am a New Covenant believer!”
What a powerful summary of grace & truth!! Tear down the fence! Thanx Bob. Ted Brooke
What a concise short way to bring it home awesome
Also, People to People founder, Bob George, just published a new book about the new covenant and the believer, “Jesus Changes Everything.” I think it is among his best books. Thank the Lord for People to People and Bob George.
Hello all,
The Law of Moses was given (only to) the Israelites—and to those Gentiles who suffered themselves to be proselyted (by circumcision) to it (Deuteronomy 4:1-8; 5:1-21; Acts 2:10; 13:43; 2 Corinthians 3:1-11).
But the Gentiles also WERE under some kind of law, for the apostle Paul stated, “where there is no law, neither is there transgression” (Romans 4:15). For the Gentiles to have been guilty of sin (which we know they were—Romans 3:10,23), they must have transgressed some law.
It was not the Law of Moses, because they were not amenable to that law. It was not the Law of Christ, because it did not come into effect until the first century A.D. Then under what law (prior to the events recorded in Acts 10—the conversion of the first Gentiles) did the Gentiles live? They lived under the only law to which they were amenable—commonly known as “the Patriarchal Law.”
Patriarchal Law is simply the name given to the law that governed all men from the time of Adam to the time of Moses and for all until the Christian disbursement began.
In Christ,
Jim
Interesting Jim, but today we are raised in and under Law taught that if we do good we will not be blessed and so on and so forth. Programmed by flesh before one ever comes to Christ and need to see just as the Jews were freed from Law even though at that time they did not accept the Gospel. then it came over to the Gentile, praise God but not in arrogance I am grafted in and do not desire to be grafted out with an unbelieving heart and if I am grafted out it means that I never beleived in the first place and was never grafted in. for no one can santch me out of his Hand God is Faithful and we learn to be by trust, not figuring it out and categorizing this or that. I have not found anywhere in the word where God says for us to figure it out, I have found a zillion times where God says to just trust God. You know why God says this? Because God has already got it all figured out so in trust you can rest medicine this is GOD-QUILL not Ny-QUILL. So if anyone is not at rest then work hard to enter that rest that is at the Cross. And we are under the Law of liberty freedom to LOVE God’s way 1 cor 13 receive this and you can rest in God by the new life has already been given this to you the new you by belief for flesh cannot recieve this only the new Spirit the new you can
James, I have searched the bible and can find no mention of “Patriarchal Law”. Of course gentiles are guilty of sin, just as the word of God states in Romans 3:23
“for ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
As for what law the Gentiles were under, Jesus tells us as recorded in the Gospel of John 16:7-11 when He says that the Holy Spirit will prove the world wrong in regard to sin… that people do not believe in him.
The wages of sin is death, sin is not believing in Jesus.
If you do not believe in Jesus, you are guilty of sin and remain condemned because you do not believe.
When you repent, or change your mind, about Jesus you are saved because you no longer are guilty of sin.
when He says that the Holy Spirit will prove the world wrong in regard to sin… that people do not believe in him.
I see this verse as saying because people do not believe that through Christ the sin issue has been dealt with once and for all. And if you beleive in Christ the Holy Ghost will reveal this to you the believer as you said a little differantly. I see no other way to move onto new life unless one sees first they are forgiven, no more forgiveness to be executed to them from God it is finished so that their conscience will be purged from sin asd it talks about in Hebrews. this one time sacrifice is meant to purge ones conscience from sin, so they can move onto the new life in Christ, but if one is busy trying tostay clean then they missed the Mark and are trapped in the flesh, going from flesh to Spirit and back to flesh because their mind still thinks about sin and stopping it or not is not the issue, for if one sows to the flesh the flesh is reaped no matter if one wants t do it or not the emotions know no right or wrong the emotions just predictably respond to whatever one is focused on. This is just over time what I have discovered as truth
Could the entire issue possibly be that”I want Jesus to do it for me”?1.He eats of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.2.He takes for me my final exam on knowledge of good and evil.3.I pass with flying colors and get the reward of Eternal life and His perfection.Better than a 4.0 !
Frank, I think you got something wrong. Jesus Christ to my knowledge has not ever eaten from the tree of Evil, that caused death. Jesus my brother is the tree of life revealed at the time of Christ. Here at the last supper he said take this bread it is my broken body and drink this wine, it is the Blood of my the new Covenant could have been fruit juice, but no matter both were symbols of the New Covenant and today back at the Garden of Eden we are able to eat from the tree of Live that was guarded by Cherubims that had a flaming sword to keep evil form eating from it and then have eternal Life. Being born in the inheritance of this tree, you call., it good and evil and I say there is no good in this tree that they ate from, let us say the knkowledge of Good and evil, for more like Evil that masquerades as good, I know at my previous life in the Flesh I was very good as masquerading. I learned from early on to act good and deceive the people and as long as they thought I was good I got good gifts. So in essence I was evil masquerading as good and received all kinds of rewards. And if anyone wants to obey the law and pass a test more power to that person that can overcome. But I think not for since by the law no man could obey it in its entirety, I think not anyone can, Only Jessus could and did for he was born of the Virgin Mary and no one else has been or will be. He was and is a life-giving Spirit
Next in Hebrews 10 it starts out with the LAw was the shadow of the good things to come and what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, and this is not the Law that is weak for the Law is not weak, man is weak because of the awareness of flesh.
Anyway that is why we need to be reborn and then we don’t try we do as long as one believes they are dead in the carnal natured mind here and now. But when we do not see our flesh sneaking up the back door being Jealous, envious, greedy, angered etc usually done by the tricky wiles of the Devil to deceive us causing us to not walk in the Spirit. I am so elated that I am Forgiven and especially over the fact that I have an advocate Jesus Christ the righteous one that is my intercessor continuously so I can see the Father and receive instructions and awareness of how my Flesh and the flesh of others got me ranting and raving back in the old me.If we are to do this ourselves then we strip the power of the cross of Christ Jesus, because if and when ever anyone else thinks they attain then they themselves do not need God. 2 Cor. 12 St. Paul is very clear on this point and ended up saying after understanding this point that from then on would glory in his iniquities, and I will bet that those iniquities stopped unless he ever got proud and or boastful
Hope I helped Brother. I am not saying we just sit and do nothing I am saying I am out of the way and do probably three times as much as used to but now with a joy
in love
Did Jesus grow in understanding and wisdom?If so since he taught under the old covenant, did he teach how to distinguish between good and evil so you could make the righteous decision? Is Jesus the essence of perfect knowledge and eternal life?It wasnt a tree of evil.It was a tree of knowledge that only He could use perfectly
Did Jesus grow in understanding and wisdom? yes
Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
If so since he taught under the old covenant, did he teach how to distinguish between good and evil so you could make the righteous decision?
Jesus taught under the Old Covenant, he taught to distinguish that it is impossible for man to make it to heaven
Matthew 19:16-26
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:26-27
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Luke 18:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
The righteous desciscion is to believe in his Father who sent him
John 14:10
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
It is and has been by belief from day one
John 1:7
He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Is Jesus the essence of perfect knowledge and eternal life?
Knowledge is not Faith, and puffs up, wisdom is of Faith for it is wise to believe and trust even in the midst of adversity for
John 16:33
New International Version (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
And Jesus is
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
It wasnt a tree of evil.It was a tree of knowledge that only He could use perfectly
there were
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Jesus was and is the tree of life, Adam and Eve ate from the tree of in my opinion EVil that masquerades as good, known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
But when they ate and became aware and hid from God right as they got kicked out to till the ground on their own God put an angel with a flaming sword at the gate so that
Genesis 3:21-24
New International Version (NIV)
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Jesus and the Father are one:
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.”
Today by belief we are to become one with Christ and the Father as well
John 17:11
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
John 17:21
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
1 John 2:14
I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
So Frank see what one gets by belief everything you need for life and godliness through that tree of life
John 1:1
[ The Word Became Flesh ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2
He was with God in the beginning.
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
1 John 1:1
[ The Incarnation of the Word of Life ] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
Hope this helps