> General Discussions
New Covenant Question
ericsteven:
Hello all,
I was wondering if I might be able to get some input from some of you on how you might answer the following question if it was asked to you:
"What exactly is the New Covenant and with whom was it made?"
Thanks in advance.
Eric
Kat:
Hi Eric,
Here are a couple places where Ray discusses the new covenant.
http://bible-truths.com/email8.htm -----------------------------------
You are not distinguishing between things that differ as the Scriptures admonish us.
It seems hardly anyone knows that "fulfill means." Jesus said that he "fulfilled" the LAW, yet it is taught today in the Church that it YET needs to be fulfilled BY US. What is that? I have never heard a minister yet put the parts of Christ declaration together:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law OR THE PROPHETS: I am not come to destroy, [the law AND THE PROPHETS], but to fulfill [the law AND THE PROPHETS]" (Matt. 5:17).
Now then, did Jesus Christ "fulfill" all of the prophecies concerning Him? Well if He did, then does there REMAIN any that He DID NOT FULFILL? Then why doesn't anyone, it seems, believe that He also and in the very same way fulfilled "the law?"
We are now under a NEW COVENANT [and Hebrews 8 tells us that this NEW covenant is NOT IN ACCORD with the OLD covenant.
The Pharisees kept the old testament law of Moses with its ten commandments. But Jesus said that WE, Believers, must FAR EXCEED the righteousness of the Pharisees. Jesus gave us NEW COMMANDMENTS that are far superior to the old law. Christ's laws are SPIRITUAL laws. The Old Covenant which really IS "the ten commandments" (See Deut. 4:13) was an administration of DEATH. The laws were of the letter (death) not of the spirit (life). See II Cor. 3.
Under the Old Covenant you were to HATE YOUR ENEMIES. Under the New we are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES. Love your enemies is not a slight modification of hating your enemies. Not lusting after a woman is not a slight modification of not committing physical intercourse with a married woman. NOT SWEARING is not a slight modification of swearing! Etc. Can you see this? Under the old covenant one was to love his neighbor as himself. Under the new we are to esteem our neighbor HIGHER than ourselves. Do you see the difference?
Things that were "holy" and have run their course, are NO LONGER Holy. All Israel was Holy. Physical Israel is no longer holy. Sacrifices were HOLY unto the Lord; they no longer are. Tithing was just as specific a law as sacrificing. Tithes were of farm products NOT MONEY. It was paid to the Levites. There are no Levites today. It was kept in storehouses. There are no storehouses today.
http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D3.htm -----------------------------------------
This whole Sermon on the Mount is Christ's teaching on how to live an exceedingly higher level of morality and righteousness than was taught before, and the accompanying Judgments if one does not live up to these standards.
Paul taught:
"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:24-25).
The law was like elementary school, whereas living by faith in Christ is more like high school or college.
Is not elementary school necessary before high school? Most elementary students cannot do high school or college work. Do high school and college teachers contradict the math, grammar, and science that was learned in elementary school. No, of course not, and so neither does Jesus CONTRADICT the lessons of the Law of Moses which brought us to Him. We never contradict 2 + 2 = 4 when we get to high school, but we do move onto higher math and do not continue re-laying the foundation of these subjects already established back in elementary school.
We will now turn to the Sermon on the Mount and see if we are able to learn a little "new [spiritual] math."
Lets be clear on one thing before we enter this study. You will find the phrase, New Covenant, New Testament, and New Commandment in the Greek Scriptures, But you will not find the phrase "New LAW" anywhere. There are "new commandments" regarding that law, the but law is the same, as it is "spiritual" and therefore is not "temporal" (II Cor. 4:18).
And let me make this perfectly clear. In the Old Covenant Law, we read this:
"...you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18 & Matt. 5:43, 19:19, 22:39, etc.)
The apostle John informs us that this commandment is not new:
"And now I beseech you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto you, but that which we had from the beginning, that we should love one another" (II John 1:5).
But John also knew that Jesus did add something to this commandment:
"And this is HIS commandment, that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, AS He gave us commandment" (I John 3:23).
Well was there something different about this commandment from the Old Covenant Law and "AS" Jesus commanded it? Yes there was. A new Law? No. A contradictory Law? No. Well what then was different from the way Jesus taught and kept this commandment to "love your neighbor?"
Here it is, simply and profoundly: "A NEW commandment I give unto you, That you love one another [same as the Old Commandment, right? No, here is were the new "AS" part comes in...] ...That you love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, that you also love one another" (John 13:34). Now that brings a whole lot more meaning to the "old" commandment which they had from the beginning. Loving "AS" Jesus loved, is a whole new ball game, as they say.
There was and is nothing wrong with the Law of Moses. God calls it "MY law."
The problem was never with the Law, but with the people:
"O that there were such an HEART in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always..." (Deut. 5:29).
The problem was never with God's Law, but with the peoples' heart-they were carnal, and when one is carnal, he cannot keep a "spiritual" law:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:6-7).
And here is absolutely proof that there needed a change in the Covenant, not in the LAW OF THE COVENANT:
"For if that first covenant ['covenant,' not law] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For FINDING FAULT WITH THEM, He said, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a NEW COVENANT [not a New Law] with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... For this is the covenant that I will make... I will put my LAWS [same old laws-but new covenant] into their MIND, AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS..." (Heb. 8:7-9).
There it is!
The New makes alive and ends in "eternal [eonian-immortal] LIFE."
"Who also has made us able ministers of the NEW Testament; not of the letter, but of the SPIRIT: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives LIFE" (II Cor. 3:6).
This along with the blood sacrifice of Jesus IS the New Covenant; the Gospel; the Kingdom of God.
The Old letter of the law was glorious, but the newly applied Spirit of the law does "much more exceed in glory" (II Cor. 3:9). The Old Covenant law was how God's people were judged under Moses: the New Covenant law is how God's chosen Elect will be judged under Jesus.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope this is helpful.
mercy, peace and love
Kat
mharrell08:
--- Quote from: ericsteven on August 01, 2009, 01:29:16 AM ---Hello all,
I was wondering if I might be able to get some input from some of you on how you might answer the following question if it was asked to you:
"What exactly is the New Covenant and with whom was it made?"
Thanks in advance.
Eric
--- End quote ---
That's a great question Eric...I would hope the Lord would humble me to just allow His Word to speak for itself. After showing them these scriptures and possibly a few more if they came to mind, I would wait on their response.
Jer 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that 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; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Hebrews Chapter 8
v1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
v2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
v3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
v4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law [old covenant]:
v5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
v6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he [Jesus] is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
v7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
v8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
v9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
v10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
v11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
v12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
v13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Rom 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
John 4:19-24
v19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
v20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
v21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
v22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews [Spiritual Jews...Rom 2:28-29].
v23 But for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
v24 God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Phil 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Marques
cjwood:
thank You Father for causing eric to ask this question, so that You could then work through kathy and marques to bring to the forefront of our Spiritual minds the Truths that are in Your Word regarding the New Covenant to all whom You have called out of old jerusalem into the light of Your Spiritual Jerusalem. thank You Father for the better promises of Your New Covenant. and Dear Father, thank You for continuing to shine Your Light on the Truth that we must continue to seek You and continue to follow after Christ Jesus our Minister Who offered the ultimate sacrifice.
amen and amen,
claudia
ericsteven:
Thank you, Kat, Marques, and Claudia for your responses.
Another question, if you don’t mind.
Marques, you posted the following verse regarding whom the New Covenant was made with:
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
...which, of course, is a quote from Jeremiah 31.
My question, then, is this (to anyone, not just Marques):
If Israel is now a spiritual Israel, as Ray teaches, what is the spiritual purpose behind referring to Israel collectively as “the House of Israel” and “the House of Judah?”
Jeremiah 31:33, of course, refers to the singular "house of Israel," but why refer to the seperate houses just two verses before in verse 31?
More simply, I guess, who, spiritually speaking, is the “House of Israel” and who, spiritually speaking, is “the House of Judah” if it’s not speaking of the two physical houses or kingdoms that came into existence after Solomon’s reign and were then sent into exile to Assyria and Babylon?
Hope the question makes sense.
Eric
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version