Category: The New Covenant

Eyes to See

I have been doing business with Fed Ex for several decades.  Like most of you, I would recognize their logo immediately.  The blue and orange letters are striking.  But in just the past year, a friend showed me something in the logo that I had never seen.  This may be old news to you, but it was brand new to me.

Between the orange capital E and the orange small x is a white arrow.  Do you see it?  It looks so clear to me now, but I had never noticed it.  And the strangest part of this revelation to me is that now that I know it is there, I can’t unsee it.  Every time I see the Fed Ex logo on a truck or store or package, ALL I SEE is the white arrow.  Literally.  I don’t see the letters.  I don’t see the colors.  I don’t see anything except the white arrow.  It is all I see.  The rest of the logo fades to dim.

I was thinking as I passed a Fed Ex truck on the freeway yesterday, that this logo revelation is the same way I see our freedom in Christ in the Scriptures.  Now that I have been captured by the complete gospel – Christ died for our sins, we are fully forgiven, Christ is living His resurrected life through us, His new covenant has given us a new heart, a new nature, a new identity, a new power, and a bunch of other new stuff – I can’t unsee it.  When I read the New Testament, this complete gospel of grace leaps off the pages to me.  I see it everywhere.

There was a time in my past when I was reading the Bible as if I was studying the blue and orange Fed Ex letters.  I saw the words.  But the words were contradictory, mysterious, confusing, a complicated list of commandments.  Shame, grace, condemnation, mercy, law, love, punishment; a confusing mix.

Then the light of grace shown through.  The promise and provision of the new covenant became clear.  So much of the New Testament now fits the overarching message of grace that Jesus came to initiate and the apostles sought to explain.  Now the Scriptures are a giant white arrow pointing to our freedom in Christ that was won at the cross.

The world of shame, condemnation, penance, and punishment have been put in their place; in the rear-view mirror once we have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  And we are now walking in the world of love, forgiveness, acceptance, grace, and freedom that Christ brought to us.  Can I encourage you?  Follow the white arrow that points to Jesus; the embodiment of grace, the mediator of grace, the giver of grace.  His death and resurrection delivered to us a new life; a new life of freedom in Christ.

You Have a Story to Share

To the one who thinks they are unqualified; to the one who thinks they have nothing of value to share; to the one who feels untrained and not expert enough in the Bible to have a voice…THIS IS FOR YOU !

In the world of church organizations, celebrity pastors, and seminary degrees, it can be easy to think that you are unqualified for ministry.  But don’t believe it!  You are eminently qualified!

You are completely qualified to share, proclaim, teach, and explain the message of the gospel; the message of grace.  “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to human standards, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (I Corinthians 1:26-27).

These verses used to puzzle me.  I say it humbly, but as a geophysicist, I was considered pretty smart by “human standards”.  I made straight A’s in school.  I can do algebra in my head.  Does this ability disqualify me in God’s view?  What does Paul mean by “foolish things”?

I now believe that these verses have nothing to do with innate intelligence.  I think they are related to what I would call religious expertise and status.  And I think Paul’s point is that religious expertise and status as the world sees it is not required to proclaim the good news.  And I see a very practical side to this understanding as we see these verses come to life right before our eyes.

We are witnessing, in our day, an incredible grace revolution pouring out around the world.  And the part that is crazy and inspiring at the same time is that God is using the “foolish” in terms of religious status to proclaim it.  For the most part, you and I are not “the professionals” so to speak.

The grace message of the finished work of Christ to secure our salvation is being spread across the globe by realtors, school teachers, eye doctors, soccer players, homemakers, furniture restorers, rocket scientists, college students, mechanics, investment bankers, counselors, IT professionals, salesmen, pastors, blackjack dealers, craftsmen, business owners, hospital technicians, musicians, and even a lowly geophysicist.

If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, Christ Himself is living His life through you.  The Holy Spirit is teaching you.  Christ is guiding you.  The Father is empowering you.  You are qualified to proclaim grace to those God brings into your circle.  (And thanks to the internet, that circle is getting bigger and bigger.)  Never be ashamed of what training or expertise you lack.  You are fully qualified to announce the good news!

As I was writing the last paragraph, I recalled a gospel story of someone like us.  In Luke chapter 8, Jesus healed a demoniac in the region of the Gerasenes.  The cured fellow sought to follow Jesus across the sea of Galilee.  “But Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.’  And he departed, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:38-39).

Did the cured demoniac go to seminary?  Did he go through a training regimen?  Did he enroll in a discipleship program?  He simply shared his grace story of healing.  You and I all have our own grace story of the great things Jesus has done for us.  And your story is a story that you are fully qualified to share.

The New Covenant

“And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’ “ (Luke 22:20).  Jesus’ death launched the new covenant into action.  And we who believe are the beneficiaries of that covenant.

As we have seen in this series, the new covenant is actually a continuation of the covenant promises that God made with our spiritual forefather Abraham.  “Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith; just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?  Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:5-7).

We are sons of Abraham because we enter the promise of the new covenant just as Abraham entered into his covenant arrangement with God; BY FAITH!

“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’  Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:2-5).

Let’s add the promise and provision of the new covenant to our covenant comparison.  (AC = Abrahamic covenant, OC = old covenant, NC = new covenant)

1. AC:  It was a covenant based on God’s promise, not Abraham’s action.
OC:  It was a covenant based on man’s obedience.
NC:  It is a covenant based on God’s promise, not our obedience.

2. AC:  It was a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.
OC:  It was only for God’s chosen people at that time; the Jews.
NC:  It is a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.

3. AC:  It was a promise fulfilled in the one who “believed”, not based on religious activity or behavior.
OC:  It was a blessing given based on one’s obedience.
NC:  It is a promise fulfilled in the one who “believes”, not based on religious activity or behavior.

4. AC:  It was a covenant that was transformational, signified by changing Abram’s name to Abraham.
OC:  It was a covenant that was purely transactional; blessing based on obedience, a curse for disobedience.
NC:  It is a covenant that is transformational, not transactional.  We were changed and became new creations by Christ’s finished work on the cross.

5. AC:  It was a covenant between God and God; Abraham was the beneficiary.
OC:  It was a covenant between God and man.
NC:  It is a covenant between God and Jesus; we who believe are the beneficiaries.

Let’s focus for a minute on the transformation part of the new covenant.  Our transformation under the new covenant is way way way more than the name change that Abraham experienced.  We have undergone a new birth and are called a new creation with a new identity and a new Spirit inside and a new heart and a new purity and a new nature and a new self and a new freedom and a new power and so much more.

Believe it, receive it, celebrate it, and thank the Lord for the NEW in you.

The Old Covenant

Five hundred years after the Abrahamic covenant, we come to a detour on the covenant train.  We find ourselves face to face with what is known as the old covenant.  Abraham’s descendants have gathered at the foot of Mt Sinai.  Here God initiated the old covenant, also known as the Law, through His prophet, Moses.

“Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:  “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.  Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.’  So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him.  All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do!’  And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD” (Exodus 19:3-8).

The rest of the Old Testament is a record of Israel’s struggle to keep their “we will do it” part of the old covenant.

Let’s compare and contrast what we know about the Abrahamic covenant and the old covenant of the Law.  Let’s start by listing the five distinctives of the Abrahamic covenant that we covered in our first post and contrast them with their old covenant counterpart.  (AC = Abrahamic covenant, OC = old covenant)

1. AC: It was a covenant based on God’s promise, not Abraham’s action.
OC: It was a covenant based on man’s obedience.

2. AC:  It was a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.
OC:  It was only for God’s chosen people at that time; the Jews.

3. AC:  It was a promise fulfilled in the one who “believed”, not based on religious activity or behavior.
OC:  It was a blessing given based on one’s obedience.

4. AC:  It was a covenant that was transformational, not transactional, signified by changing Abram’s name to Abraham.
OC:  It was a covenant that was purely transactional; blessing based on obedience, a curse for disobedience.

5. AC:  It was a covenant between God and God; Abraham was the beneficiary.
OC:  It was a covenant between God and man.

Next time, we will talk about where the new covenant fits into this picture.  But I will give you a hint while we are waiting.  The new covenant aligns with ALL of the Abrahamic provisions and NONE of the old covenant requirements.

God’s Covenant with Abraham

In Genesis chapter 12, God made a spectacular promise to Abram.  “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).

But by Genesis chapter 15, Abram is having his doubts.  He reflects on his advanced age and no heir.  So God repeats His promise, “And behold, the word of the LORD came to Abram: ‘This man [Abram’s servant] shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’  And He brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then God said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’  And he believed the LORD, and God counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:4-6).

Then God sealed His promise with a covenant in the remainder of Genesis chapter 15.  To summarize the next several verses, God asked Abram to gather a heifer, a goat, a ram, and some birds.  Abram cut the heifer, goat, and ram in halves and placed the halves opposite each other.  Then a deep sleep fell upon Abram.  He was out cold!  When evening arrived and the sun went down, God in the form of a smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed between the animal pieces.  God’s speech at this ceremony expanded on some specifics of His promise to Abram.

God confirmed His promise to Abram by making a covenant, sealed by passing between the animal parts, between Himself and … Himself.  The covenant ceremony was between God and God.  Abram was asleep!  Abram had no part in the ceremony.  Abram had nothing to contribute to the covenant.  But he was clearly the beneficiary of the covenant between God and God.  Sound familiar?

When God initiated the new covenant through the spilled blood of Jesus Christ, you and I were much more than asleep.  We weren’t even born.  And when we did arrive on the scene, we were worse than asleep, we were dead in our sins and trespasses.  But we – while making absolutely no contribution to it – became the beneficiaries of the new covenant brought by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  How?  By believing.

The same way Abram became the beneficiary of God’s Genesis 15 covenant (“And he believed the LORD, and God counted it to him as righteousness” vs 6) is exactly how we receive all the promise and provision of the new covenant.  “Then they said to Him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’  Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’ (John 6:28-29).  Simply believe!