I am very glad to present my 30th article in this blog. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to write what he reveals to me. I still remember when God gave this interest, I created this blog some 4 years back but just put a title of my first topic "Word of God" and the John 1:1 verse alone and it has been 2 years post when the Holy Spirit empowered me and by His grace and strength I write the 30th article today. Please pray for me that God may give more articles and reveal more secrets from the scriptures so that I can present them in the form of articles and through sermons and the Lord may give me more time to write. All praise and glory to God and let the Lord alone be magnified.
In this post, we will see in detail about the old covenant and new covenant. I have written a lot about the covenants in my earlier chapter but hadn't dealt with them directly. In this post, let us examine both the covenants and compare them. Understanding the new covenant is essential to inherit the promises and blessings that had been made to Abraham. As a church, we are not Israelites (unless the reader is a Jew or Israelite by birth) but as a gentile church, we are also sons and daughters of Abraham through our faith in Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To start with, the Bible is divided in two parts, Old testament and New testament. The old testament stands for old covenant and the new testament for new covenant. The old testament deals with the account of the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob (Israel), the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. The new testament deals with the account of son of man, Jesus Christ who is God Himself. If you ever read and understood the book of Galatians, this post will make more sense as the crux of Galatians is with new covenant.
To understand this completely, we need to examine the jewish principles. In old testament, God called Abraham and told that He will make Him a great nation and as He promised, He created the nation of Israel through Jacob and His 12 sons and their generations. The nation of Israelites, as the children of Abraham, are the direct heirs of all the possessions and blessings of God. The Lord called them as His own. God told in Deuteronomy 7:6 as "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." Even Paul the Apostle, in his letter to Romans stress this point out. "Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;" Romans 9:4. The jews today have a great zeal for God, no doubt about that. Even Paul says that in Romans 10:2, but at the same time he decrees it as not according to knowledge. "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."
So, in short, any orthodox jew cannot accept a gentile being accepted by God as His own because they consider it as a birthright of Israelite or Jew. That was an abomination to them.
Jews couldn't simply accept the idea but that's where they all mistaken. They didn't understand the God's purpose and plans He had for mankind. God is so huge that if He is just a God for a nation and a group, it doesn't make justice to Him. So, God decided to save the entire world but for that He Himself has to come as a man to set things straight and that's why God took the form of flesh in the name of Jesus and born in this world through Mary. When He took the human form, He took a lower form of human, a form of suffering servant, and hence called as son of man as well as son of God instead of directly called as God. Again a fulfilment of Psalm 8:4 explained in Heb 2:6-10. What Jews missed in prophecies is the part of Isaiah where God specifically called it is not a big thing for Him to save just Israelites or Jews alone through the servant but to make Him a light to the nations unto the ends of the world. This verse stands as a testimony against those who claim that the God is only for jews. "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6. So, those who read just think about this. On the other hand, whoever believe in the name of Jesus and have faith in Him as their own Lord and Savior are considered as direct heirs and children of living God. John 1:12. Romans chapters 9 to 11 clearly explains why jews were rejected by God and how gentiles are accepted by the sacrifice of Jesus. A must read.
Remember God made a blood covenant with Abraham and His descendants through circumcision and everyone in Abraham's household was circumcised. Genesis 17:10-27. Later when God gave the Law and commandments at Mt. Sinai through Moses, God confirms this covenant with them and what that means is whomsoever a descendant of Abraham through bloodline is supposed to undergo circumcision and whoever undergoing circumcision is under the law and he is supposed to fulfill all the commandments given under the law. But, what happened later is important. Generation after generation, the Israelites gradually withdrawn themselves from the Lord and started to worship other idols and ignored the law altogether. Then, God told through prophets that He abolishes the covenant that He made with Israelites because they didn't stand in that. At the outset, it looks like Israelites were not able to fulfill the law and got what they deserved. But, if you think more and meditate more, you will realize something. The divine plan of God. Yes, it is the divine design of God to show His grace towards mankind. God gave the commandments to Israelites at Mt. Sinai but didn't give them a heart and mind to obey those commandments. That's why most of them were not able to follow that and they often failed that. Later when they transgressed more and more, God announced through prophets that He abolished the old covenant that He made with Israelites. We can read this in Jeremiah and Ezekiel that God says He will establish new covenant with Israelites. Jer 31:31,32, Ezekiel 16:59,60. Under this, God promises to give them a new heart and a spirit through which He makes us follow His laws and commandments. Jer 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26,27. This is again quoted in Hebrews 8:6-12. The author of Hebrews finishes with an emphatic statement, that by calling it a New covenant, God made the law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai an old one and the old should vanish away.
But, How God can abolish the old covenant He made with Abraham? To replace the old covenant, there needs to be something superior has to be sacrificed in place of old circumcision based covenant. The superior thing is the most supreme thing one could ever think of. That is, sacrifice of God Himself on the cross and that could only happen if our Lord takes human form and that's the exact plan of God and divine design. To make His grace available to all the people, to fulfill the promise He made via Isaiah 49:6, the word of God took the form of flesh and offered the perfect sacrifice. Jesus came among Israelites, in the bloodline of Judah, in the generation of David and He is a jew by birth. He did many miracles to the jews, priests and pharisees. Did good to all the people. But, they rejected Him to be their Savior (Messiah) because they were expecting the Messiah to give them deliverance from the then Roman government and they were expecting a King and He didn't fit in to their expectations and they crucified Him finally. But, they didn't understand how the prophecies of old testament will fulfill and they didn't understand the mind of God. Even, until today and that's why they refuse Christ. In turn God rejected them fulfilling His prophecies, by accepting the gentiles. Praise and glory be to God, He made salvation available to everyone freely through the faith in Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul explained this in Romans 9 - 11 and finally wonders about the God's wisdom at the end of the chapter of Romans 11. Finally, what would happen is until a completion comes in the Church of Jesus Christ, there will be a portion of remnants in Israel and Jews who won't accept Jesus Romans 11:25 and at the end through the disobedience of gentiles, the last portion of Israelites would be accepted. Romans 11:29-31. At the end, Paul exhorts, "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all." Romans 11:32. So, this is all a divine plan of God and we need to accept that as such. Paul wonders finally by quoting Isaiah 40:13,14 - "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!, For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36.
After analyzing all this and seeing God's mind and will, knowing God knows the end before the beginning, we can say that God gave the old covenant in order to establish the New covenant through Jesus Christ in appointed time. So, until that time, old covenant ruled and law was mentioned as school master in Galatians 3:24,25. Ever thought why it was called school master? Because, a student will obey and afraid for school master only till the time he is in school. Once he is out of school, he no longer needs to fear about the school master. He is matured now and older enough to do things that he got from his school. That's what exactly it means. Law was only allowed to rule until the greater thing which is called faith comes. To understand more, read and meditate Galatians chapters 2 through 4. Let's close this portion with this understanding of Old covenant and New covenant, and let's examine about fulfilling the commandments which was the basis of old covenant against living in spirit which is the crux of the new covenant in next part and conclude the comparison of old covenant and new covenant. All praise, honor and glory to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God be glorified forever and ever. Amen.
In this post, we will see in detail about the old covenant and new covenant. I have written a lot about the covenants in my earlier chapter but hadn't dealt with them directly. In this post, let us examine both the covenants and compare them. Understanding the new covenant is essential to inherit the promises and blessings that had been made to Abraham. As a church, we are not Israelites (unless the reader is a Jew or Israelite by birth) but as a gentile church, we are also sons and daughters of Abraham through our faith in Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To start with, the Bible is divided in two parts, Old testament and New testament. The old testament stands for old covenant and the new testament for new covenant. The old testament deals with the account of the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob (Israel), the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. The new testament deals with the account of son of man, Jesus Christ who is God Himself. If you ever read and understood the book of Galatians, this post will make more sense as the crux of Galatians is with new covenant.
To understand this completely, we need to examine the jewish principles. In old testament, God called Abraham and told that He will make Him a great nation and as He promised, He created the nation of Israel through Jacob and His 12 sons and their generations. The nation of Israelites, as the children of Abraham, are the direct heirs of all the possessions and blessings of God. The Lord called them as His own. God told in Deuteronomy 7:6 as "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." Even Paul the Apostle, in his letter to Romans stress this point out. "Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;" Romans 9:4. The jews today have a great zeal for God, no doubt about that. Even Paul says that in Romans 10:2, but at the same time he decrees it as not according to knowledge. "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."
So, in short, any orthodox jew cannot accept a gentile being accepted by God as His own because they consider it as a birthright of Israelite or Jew. That was an abomination to them.
Jews couldn't simply accept the idea but that's where they all mistaken. They didn't understand the God's purpose and plans He had for mankind. God is so huge that if He is just a God for a nation and a group, it doesn't make justice to Him. So, God decided to save the entire world but for that He Himself has to come as a man to set things straight and that's why God took the form of flesh in the name of Jesus and born in this world through Mary. When He took the human form, He took a lower form of human, a form of suffering servant, and hence called as son of man as well as son of God instead of directly called as God. Again a fulfilment of Psalm 8:4 explained in Heb 2:6-10. What Jews missed in prophecies is the part of Isaiah where God specifically called it is not a big thing for Him to save just Israelites or Jews alone through the servant but to make Him a light to the nations unto the ends of the world. This verse stands as a testimony against those who claim that the God is only for jews. "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6. So, those who read just think about this. On the other hand, whoever believe in the name of Jesus and have faith in Him as their own Lord and Savior are considered as direct heirs and children of living God. John 1:12. Romans chapters 9 to 11 clearly explains why jews were rejected by God and how gentiles are accepted by the sacrifice of Jesus. A must read.
Remember God made a blood covenant with Abraham and His descendants through circumcision and everyone in Abraham's household was circumcised. Genesis 17:10-27. Later when God gave the Law and commandments at Mt. Sinai through Moses, God confirms this covenant with them and what that means is whomsoever a descendant of Abraham through bloodline is supposed to undergo circumcision and whoever undergoing circumcision is under the law and he is supposed to fulfill all the commandments given under the law. But, what happened later is important. Generation after generation, the Israelites gradually withdrawn themselves from the Lord and started to worship other idols and ignored the law altogether. Then, God told through prophets that He abolishes the covenant that He made with Israelites because they didn't stand in that. At the outset, it looks like Israelites were not able to fulfill the law and got what they deserved. But, if you think more and meditate more, you will realize something. The divine plan of God. Yes, it is the divine design of God to show His grace towards mankind. God gave the commandments to Israelites at Mt. Sinai but didn't give them a heart and mind to obey those commandments. That's why most of them were not able to follow that and they often failed that. Later when they transgressed more and more, God announced through prophets that He abolished the old covenant that He made with Israelites. We can read this in Jeremiah and Ezekiel that God says He will establish new covenant with Israelites. Jer 31:31,32, Ezekiel 16:59,60. Under this, God promises to give them a new heart and a spirit through which He makes us follow His laws and commandments. Jer 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26,27. This is again quoted in Hebrews 8:6-12. The author of Hebrews finishes with an emphatic statement, that by calling it a New covenant, God made the law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai an old one and the old should vanish away.
But, How God can abolish the old covenant He made with Abraham? To replace the old covenant, there needs to be something superior has to be sacrificed in place of old circumcision based covenant. The superior thing is the most supreme thing one could ever think of. That is, sacrifice of God Himself on the cross and that could only happen if our Lord takes human form and that's the exact plan of God and divine design. To make His grace available to all the people, to fulfill the promise He made via Isaiah 49:6, the word of God took the form of flesh and offered the perfect sacrifice. Jesus came among Israelites, in the bloodline of Judah, in the generation of David and He is a jew by birth. He did many miracles to the jews, priests and pharisees. Did good to all the people. But, they rejected Him to be their Savior (Messiah) because they were expecting the Messiah to give them deliverance from the then Roman government and they were expecting a King and He didn't fit in to their expectations and they crucified Him finally. But, they didn't understand how the prophecies of old testament will fulfill and they didn't understand the mind of God. Even, until today and that's why they refuse Christ. In turn God rejected them fulfilling His prophecies, by accepting the gentiles. Praise and glory be to God, He made salvation available to everyone freely through the faith in Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul explained this in Romans 9 - 11 and finally wonders about the God's wisdom at the end of the chapter of Romans 11. Finally, what would happen is until a completion comes in the Church of Jesus Christ, there will be a portion of remnants in Israel and Jews who won't accept Jesus Romans 11:25 and at the end through the disobedience of gentiles, the last portion of Israelites would be accepted. Romans 11:29-31. At the end, Paul exhorts, "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all." Romans 11:32. So, this is all a divine plan of God and we need to accept that as such. Paul wonders finally by quoting Isaiah 40:13,14 - "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!, For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36.
After analyzing all this and seeing God's mind and will, knowing God knows the end before the beginning, we can say that God gave the old covenant in order to establish the New covenant through Jesus Christ in appointed time. So, until that time, old covenant ruled and law was mentioned as school master in Galatians 3:24,25. Ever thought why it was called school master? Because, a student will obey and afraid for school master only till the time he is in school. Once he is out of school, he no longer needs to fear about the school master. He is matured now and older enough to do things that he got from his school. That's what exactly it means. Law was only allowed to rule until the greater thing which is called faith comes. To understand more, read and meditate Galatians chapters 2 through 4. Let's close this portion with this understanding of Old covenant and New covenant, and let's examine about fulfilling the commandments which was the basis of old covenant against living in spirit which is the crux of the new covenant in next part and conclude the comparison of old covenant and new covenant. All praise, honor and glory to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God be glorified forever and ever. Amen.
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