October
9, 2012
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/3801967603195
#Old_Covenant
vs #New_Covenant
Making
biblical distinctions is very necessary to sound theology. This explains the
great importance and urgency of Apostle Paul's command to Timothy:
2Tim
2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
The
old, and new covenant denote the outward and formal manner of God's dealing with
His redeemed people.
He
redeems His people in exactly the same way for every one of His elect... by
grace through faith of Christ... [No, no, no: I didn't say, through faith in
Christ] even from Adam to the last elect to be effectually called unto eternal
salvation.
The
old covenant was mediated through Moses and was abrogated by Christ and His
works, who then established the new and better covenant.
Both
these covenants deal with HOW God's redeemed people (redeemed in exactly the
same way) are to worship Him. They DO NOT deal with HOW God saves His people.
But many people see them that way!!!
Your
thoughts, please.
========
Bill
Perhaps
the most important word as a key to understanding is the little two-letter
word, "of." Through faith OF Christ, not faith IN Christ. The action
to effect redemption is all of God and not of man. Amen, Brother Sing.
PJ
My
thoughts are that you nailed it, Bro. Sing.
Adam
This
is one area that I have thought much about recently. It does seem that many
feel that God saved His people by law in the OT and by grace in the NT... that
it is a "better" covenant because we do not have to work.
Sing
Brother
Adam Wells @ "...
many feel that God saved His people by law in the OT and by grace in the NT...
that it is a "better" covenant because we do not have to work."
=========
That
popular feeling, if biblically understood is right... but the common and
popular way it is understood becomes a damnable heresy.
Let
me explain. Since most people are unable to distinguish the eternal salvation
that is wholly by God's free grace through the redemptive work of Christ alone,
from the temporal salvation through the obedience of God's children to His
will, they get very messed up in their understanding of the old and new
covenants.
What
happens then is this: they think that sinners obtain their eternal salvation
through their work of keeping of laws of God in the old covenant (and they term
this as salvation by grace), and sinners obtain their salvation through the
work of believing in Jesus Christ (and they call this salvation by grace). This
is a VERY POPULAR and COMMON VIEW about eternal salvation! But this is a
complete lie and a repudiation of the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless,
the keeping of the ceremonial laws in the old covenant is God's ordained way
for His redeemed people to EXPERIENCE the blessings of their eternal salvation
by God's free grace. All those ceremonial laws were pointing them to the
blessed Redeemer... constantly reminding them of their Redeemer, the ground and
basis of their eternal salvation by God's free and sovereign grace. However, in
the new covenant, God's ordained way for His redeemed people to experience
their eternal salvation by God's free and sovereign grace is no longer keeping
the ceremonial laws, but simply to believe Christ... since what is foreshadowed
by their ceremonial laws have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
For
God's redeemed people to simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is INFINITELY
better than having to be burdened with all those cumbersome ceremonies and
bloody sacrifices!!! Imagine our people have to bring along those sacrifices
with them to church each time we gather for worship and to perform all those
outward ceremonies... COMPARED with the SIMPLICITY and BEAUTY of the NT
worship!!!
Observing
the ceremonial laws in the old covenant, and believing Jesus Christ in the new
covenant SERVE basically the same purpose... it is God's ordained way for His
redeemed people (by His free and sovereign grace based on the redemption work
of Jesus Christ, whether from prospectively, or retrospectively standpoint) to
experience the blessedness of their eternal redemption. This is salvation
too... but it is not eternal salvation. It is temporal salvation... salvation
relating to the well-being of God's children here in this life. This salvation
is conditioned upon the obedience of God's children to His will.
Do I make sense?
PJ
Did
not Abraham experience this blessedness?
Sing
Yes,
he most certainly did... by faith.... long before the old covenant was
established with the nation of Israel at the foot of Mt Sinai!
It
was the same with Adam (the first man, I mean)... his faith is evidenced in his
naming his wife EVE! And he experienced the blessedness in the form of the
garment of skin!
Gen
3
20
¶ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all
living.
21
¶ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and
clothed them.
Gen
15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for
righteousness."
Rom
4: 9 ¶ Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness.
Abraham
experienced the blessedness of his justified state by God's free and sovereign
grace through believing.
Apostle
Paul marshaled this FACT to demonstrate and convince God's children among the
Jews who refused to move on but insisted upon the continuation of the old
covenant ceremonies... something very contrary to Abraham's experience!
PJ
Just
had to ask! Thanks.
Sing
I
know, you wanted to plug a loophole for me <LOOOOL> Thanks
PJ
Gotta
put the cork in the bottle before it spills.
Sing
Otherwise, dogs will get drunk!!!
Adam
I
follow what you say. Would this scripture apply?
This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear... And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. - Jer 13:10-11, 14
Sing
In
terms of their eternal salvation, they are as the girdle that cleaves to the
loins of a man, the LORD CAUSED them to cleave unto Him, that they might be
unto Him for a people, and for His name, and for His praise, and for His
glory...
In
terms of their temporal salvation, they will receive their just judgment because
of their disobedience!
Ho
11:7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to
the most High, none at all would exalt him.
Ho
14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is
turned away from him.
