In my last blog I wrote on the false notion of having to choose between Legalism or Liberalism( or better known as “Antinomianism”). This article will not serve you best unless you have read the first article. So I recommend to you to read that one first.
Since this last blog, I received much thanks and agreement upon my conclusion on how to properly view our lives and freedom in Christ. However, I have received two very important and good questions from two different people. So, I thought it be best to respond to those questions in two more blog entries (thus, this will end up being a three part series). I will answer the questions in an order that will best make sense to the readers. In other words part two should set the stage for part three as part one did for the other two. My goal is two-fold to glorify God by revealing Him to the reader through the teaching of His word, and therefore, administer grace to the reader of this blog.
The first question I received was, “how does the law relate to the believer under the New Covenant?” This is a crucial question to the discussion. So this question must be dealt with carefully and explained clearly. I pray that I may do that here.
In the first article I explained how the purpose of the Law was to act as a pointer. The law “revealed” or “pointed” to the righteousness of God (Romans 3). In doing this it pointed to two things; the problem (us), and the solution (Jesus). When we see our wickedness and how we fall short of the glory of God and then repent of our filthiness and turn to Jesus, He offers free and full forgiveness of sins and His righteousness to those who believe. When one does this, they are in a New Covenant with God. And in this covenant God gives His people a “new heart” and “His Spirit” to cause them to obey Him (Jeremiah 31:31; Ezekiel 36:22-27).
But herein lies the question, “Since Jesus has ‘fulfilled’ the Law and abolished the Old Covenant and brought in a New Covenant, how should we then view the Law and what is our relation to the Law?”
First, it should be stated that our view of the Law should not change! You see, because the Law was never the problem! WE WERE! We were the ones that needed to be changed. The Law accomplished what it was supposed to do, that is, reveal the “righteousness of God.” We should view the Law as a means for seeing the righteousness of God
However, even though we view the Law of God the same our “relation” to the Law is no longer the same! Our relation to the Law of God changes with the changing of the Covenant (Hebrew 7:12 will explain this later!) . In other words, the Old Covenant was to act as a shadow of greater things, yes, Heavenly things! The sacrifice systems and cleansing process and etc. were all to point God’s people to the coming Messiah, who would fulfill all those things (The whole book of Hebrews shows this best, extensively). So then, those who are in the New Covenant are dead to that Law (Romans7:1-6).
That being said God’s purpose for His people has never changed. Although God has used different means in different dispensations throughout history, His purpose for His people has been the same. So, what is that purpose that God has had for His people from the beginning? This is the $1,000,000 .00 question to the topic at hand.
God’s purpose has always been to: “set apart for Himself a people, who are holy and pure by seeing Jesus as their ALL-SATISFYING TREASURE!” Now this encompasses much more that what is possibly seen at first glance. For example, for one to truly treasure Jesus, one must know who Jesus is. What makes Jesus, Jesus? What does Jesus Love? These are the questions that one must know to LOVE Jesus or to see Jesus as their “ALL-SATISFYING TREASURE!”
Let us just take one aspect of Jesus, so as to know what I mean by all of this. Jesus was fully man, but He was also fully God. That is to say, He possessed all the attributes of God, and He was like us in every way only without sin (referring to His humanity). Jesus is as righteous as God yet manifested in a man. It is on this attribute that we want to spend some time on.
As stated earlier, the Law “reveals” the righteousness of God(Romans 3). However, when Jesus teaches on righteousness He raises the standard from what the Law says. So where the Law states, “Thou shall not murder” Jesus says, “you have heard that it was said to those of old (referring to the Law) but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” ( Italics and bold added for emphasis) Jesus never lowers the standard but rather raises it! Jesus never lessened the importance of the law! He did otherwise, while increasing the standard by which to be held (Matthew 5:17).
In Romans 3:19-22a Paul states:
“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…”
Paul states that the righteousness of God (the standard by which He will judge) has been shown in two forms: revealed in the “Law and Prophets”, and “manifested apart from the law.” This two-fold revealing of the righteousness of God coincides with the Old and New Covenant of God.
But if the Law given by Moses is linked with the Old Covenant and revealing of the righteousness of God what is the new or greater revealing of the righteousness of God linked to? Paul goes on to say,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified (declared righteous in the court of God) by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” ( Romans 3:23-26, Parenthetical not scripture but brief commentary on the word justified, Italics and bold was added for emphasis)
This hardly needs any explanation! Did you see it?! Jesus is the greater revelation of the Righteousness of God! His incarnation, perfect lived life, death on the cross bearing the wrath of God for the sins of those who would have “faith” in Him, resurrection, and ascension is the greatest manifestation of the righteousness of God because it is the righteousness of God being acted out in real-time (now history but was “present time”).
Thus, when Jesus is in the upper room having “The Last Supper” with His disciples He tells them, “This cup that is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20b, Italic and bold added for emphasis) So just as the Old Covenant is linked to the Law given by Moses to reveal God’s righteousness so too The New Covenant brings in a new giver of the Law Jesus to reveal the righteousness of God more clearly.
The best way I can think of how to explain the difference between the Law in the Old Testament and Jesus as they relate to the righteousness of God is like this, imagine yourself looking up on a beautiful clear sunny day. And as you look up you see these glowing bright glorious rays coming out from the sun which are too bright for you to even look at. Those rays of light are similar to the Law. They reflect and come from the source which is the sun. But here lies within the difference. Where as light rays from the sun are the Law, the sun itself is Jesus. Jesus is the righteousness of God! Whereas the law is a reflection of God’s righteousness.
Jesus brings in a New Covenant which is His body, those who are in His body died to the Law with Him and were raised with Him to new life (Romans 6-7:6). Jesus is the Great High Priest with this coming in of a New Covenant. With this coming of a new age comes all new things! I cannot begin to touch on all those things, but what I will deal with is what is the new law or standard that comes with the New Covenant.
As stated earlier Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it! He came not to lower the standard so that we could get in to heaven but raised it so that all are judged. By doing this Jesus becomes the only way to salvation. Salvation can only come by the accomplished work of Christ and be received by faith in His work. In other words, our new law is to place our faith in Christ Jesus!
By finding our salvation in Jesus Christ by faith we fulfill the Law of God. This is what Paul means when he says, “the just shall live by faith.” Think with me for a moment, what was the first commandment? To have no other gods before the One true God. Here God states that He just delivered them from Egypt and that He will provide for them! So that, they would go to no other gods because He alone is their God and will provide for them. In other words, the first commandment God gives to Israel is that they are to trust (believe) and find their everything in YAHWEH!
Now if you are finding your everything (i.e. your life) in YAHWEH are you going to even covet someone else’s things? If find yourself absolutely full in all the joy, peace, and satisfaction of Christ Jesus there is no desire left to be found wanting!
Let me attempt to use an illustration though it has it weaknesses. Say you walk into a restaurant absolutely starving and you look at the counter and it is absolutely full of delicious dishes. Your mouth is going to be watering like crazy and the temptation to be found ungrateful and covet what is there will be undefeatable! Now if I walk up to you and tell you, “God says, ‘you shall not covet!’” That does not solve the problem that only reveals the sin that was already there to be sin or wrong. But if the owner comes to you while starving and says, “come follow me” and brings you into a banquet hall filled with the most exquisite and delicious dishes of the greatest variety and tells you to, “eat whatever and as much as your heart can be full of delight for as long as you wish!” Once you have eaten your full and you leave the banquet hall you stumble across the same counter that had your mouth watering and you realize that the dishes filled with delicious foods was actually the dishes that came off the used tables and the food was the defiled leftovers. Your temptation to lust for the leftovers will have been removed by finding your needs and desires met in the banquet given to you freely!
This is essentially what God was telling Israel! I command you to find me giver of every good gift and to go to no other to seek or find your wants and needs! The Old Covenant Law did reveal a great amount about who God is and how He is able to be our source of delight our “ALL-SATISFYING TREASURE.” But it did so dimly and it did not change the real problem but rather exposed it (which was it’s purpose)! So this brings about the need for a greater covenant! With the New Covenant God reveals himself fully so as to show the “ALL-SATISFYING TREASURE” clearly and removes the problem (our hearts) by changes those in the New Covenant so that the delight of their heart is to see and obey God!
In other words, our law that we are to conform to is the righteousness of God! We know what the righteousness of God is by reading the scriptures. We understand that though the Old Testament revealed the righteousness of God, that it did so dimly, and that we can see the righteousness of God most clearly in Jesus including: his life and accomplished work.
The means of how we do this is most important to the discussion! This is the second question that was asked and will be dealt with in Part 3 of this topic. I am praying and preparing for this and hope to have it done soon, hopefully no longer than a week! I apologize for the wait and want all to know that I am praying for you! God bless!
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