Taken from the Lake of Fire - Part XI
http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html"Therefore if any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW" (II Cor. 5:17)!
How many Christians believe that "IN Christ" we are a NEW creation and that ALL the old things have passed away and that ALL things are become NEW? How many pastors teach the NEW Covenant?
Christians sing: "Give me that OLD TIME religion—it’s good enough for me."
There was an OLD covenant, and now there is a NEW covenant. Do you know what the NEW COVENANT is? Theologians teach that the New covenant is keeping the OLD covenant, BETTER! That is unscriptural nonsense! They teach that we are to keep the law of Moses, BETTER, and we will fulfill the NEW testament.
Is the New Covenant patterned according to the Old Covenant? Let’s read it:
"For finding fault with them, He says, Behold, the days come says the Lord, when I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah [he is a JEW who is circumcised in his heart and spirit, Rom. 2:29]: NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT that I made with their fathers…" (Heb. 8:8-9).
So then, is the NEW covenant "according" or "NOT according" to the Old covenant?
Then why does the Church continue making the Old Covenant binding on Christians?
Christendom is attempting to believe in the New Covenant, while at the same time trying to live in the Old Covenant. This can’t be done. In fact, Jesus sternly warned against attempting to do such a contradictory and damaging endeavor:
"And He [Jesus] spoke also a parable unto them [the Pharisees]: No man puts a piece of new garment upon an old: if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent [tear], and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old [‘NOT according with the covenant which I made with their fathers (the OLD Covenant, Heb. 8:9)]. And no man puts new wine into old bottles [wineskins]; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish [be RUINED]. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desires new; for he says, The OLD is better" (Luke 5:36-39).
This is a parable! Jesus is speaking of the Old and New Covenants. We cannot, we dare not, try to put the old with the new. BOTH WILL BE RUINED! Why don’t we believe Jesus? We can’t put the Old and the New together. And true to Jesus’ words, when people come into a knowledge of the New Covenant, they PREFER THE OLD BETTER!
Did you also notice that when we put these two covenants in their proper places (the Old is for babes to bring them to Christ, while the new is for those maturing into Sonship), that they are BOTH PRESERVED? Yes, both are preserved, but only if we don’t MIX THEM. Could anything be clearer.
The "Chosen" live by the New Covenant: The "Called" try to live by the New and the Old Covenants. They have never learned this simple lesson: "No servant can serve TWO masters…" (Luke 16:13). The two covenants are not even in "according" with one another—they are not to be "unequally yoked together," seeing that they are not equal. If you want to be a New Testament Christian, then you need to learn and know what the New Testament is all about.------------------------------------
Yesterday we studied this section here in our home and each time we go through the Lake of Fire it takes us longer to get through the whole thing... and I share this with you all because I have been blessed by not just reading... but by studying these papers and looking up for myself each and everyone of the Holy Scriptures in my various Bible translations. There is a chart that follows the above quoted section that compares and contrasts the Old and the New Covenant. If you are not in the habit of looking up the scriptures mentioned yourself that Ray uses in his papers this is a perfect time and place to start.
There is much in the Bible regarding this contrast between the covenants... and more that is revealed to us as we meditate and study on these scriptures. There are many verses here and certain ones may touch you more at certain times... that is why it is good to read all of the scriptures over and over.
Just one of the contrasts that really stood out to me yesterday is this one:
The Old Covenant was "Not of Faith" - Galatians 3:2
Gal 3:2 Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it?
The New Covenant is a "Law of Faith" = Romans 3:27
Rom 3:27 What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe. I have been thinking lately on the pride that I was wrapped up in under that old system... when I thought I was "somebody" in the church of man. That I somehow was earning my way into God's favor
"by doing". By following laws, traditions, rituals, and involved in every type of service work or ministry possible.
I served in the cafe,
I cleaned the church,
I did the landscaping,
I worked with the projector and audio,
I assisted the pastor with errands,
I moved chairs, etc, etc.... do you see all of the "I" in that? But what can we boast about? Nothing! We can neither boast out loud
or within in our own minds.
The foolishness of man's attempt to please God! Is is it not rather man's attempt to please himself or other men? I believe we are given warning to stay away from the ways of the Old Covenant because it is man's sinful nature to make his way back into them.
Jas 1:25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice---you will be blessed by God in what you do. Bobby