Sunday, October 26, 2008
New Covenant Part A
The new covenant that became clear with Jesus was prophecied in Jeremiah 31. Here the LORD tells the people that this new covenant will "not be like the covenant I made with your forefathers."
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." (31:33)
The new covenant will be internally written. God's laws will become inner principles that enable his people to delight in doing his will. The old covenant was written on tablets or scrolls.
"And he [the LORD] gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. " (Ex. 31:18)
And after they were written on stone, God asked the people to internalize it--"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." (Deut. 6:6)
However, God will write the new covenant on our hearts from the start. For "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set [you] free from the law of sin and death. ... You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." (Romans 8:2, 9)
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." (31:33)
The new covenant will be internally written. God's laws will become inner principles that enable his people to delight in doing his will. The old covenant was written on tablets or scrolls.
"And he [the LORD] gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. " (Ex. 31:18)
And after they were written on stone, God asked the people to internalize it--"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." (Deut. 6:6)
However, God will write the new covenant on our hearts from the start. For "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set [you] free from the law of sin and death. ... You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." (Romans 8:2, 9)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Something Much Bigger Happened
In any good monster movie, the director has to take the audience on a 30 minute journey on how strong the good guys' weapons, cages, and technology are. The whole purpose of this buildup is to really stress how strong or powerful the monster truly is once the weapons no longer hurt him, the cages no longer contain him, and the technology cannot overcome him. Jurasic Park is a perfect example of this strategy.
To understand the power of Jesus Christ, we have to first understand the overwhelming strength and power of sin. This power was covered in the last post: Something Big Happened. This something is what C.S. Lewis titles one of his chapters in his famous book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time. But the MUCH BIGGER event is what he calls the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time.
"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17 NIV)
"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified 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 ESV)
Something MUCH BIGGER happened when Jesus cried out, "It is finished." Things were finally changing. The new covenant was being revealed.
To understand the power of Jesus Christ, we have to first understand the overwhelming strength and power of sin. This power was covered in the last post: Something Big Happened. This something is what C.S. Lewis titles one of his chapters in his famous book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time. But the MUCH BIGGER event is what he calls the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time.
"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17 NIV)
"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified 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 ESV)
Something MUCH BIGGER happened when Jesus cried out, "It is finished." Things were finally changing. The new covenant was being revealed.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Something Big Happened
“… she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” (Gen. 3:6-7 ESV)
If only Adam and Eve could have seen what large impact they would have on this world by doing something as small as eat a forbidden fruit. Something BIG truly did happen. Out of this one small event came the blame game, birth pains, division between husband and wife, endless turmoil, cursed soil, and second-rate food. Furthermore, the impact was not constrained by time, for Paul wrote: “… the trespass of one led to condemnation for all men.” (Rom. 5:18)
The largest impact of this event is death. “For as in Adam all die,” (1 Cor. 15:22) and, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12)
The strength of this one event was so strong that several thousand years later King David acknowledges the power of sin by writing: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5) Time cannot dilute that event that took place so long ago.
This event would throw disorder and confusion into an orderly and clear universe. And worse, the relationship between the created man with his Creator would separate so far that no created procedure or created being could mend the gap.
That moment was BIG!
If only Adam and Eve could have seen what large impact they would have on this world by doing something as small as eat a forbidden fruit. Something BIG truly did happen. Out of this one small event came the blame game, birth pains, division between husband and wife, endless turmoil, cursed soil, and second-rate food. Furthermore, the impact was not constrained by time, for Paul wrote: “… the trespass of one led to condemnation for all men.” (Rom. 5:18)
The largest impact of this event is death. “For as in Adam all die,” (1 Cor. 15:22) and, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12)
The strength of this one event was so strong that several thousand years later King David acknowledges the power of sin by writing: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5) Time cannot dilute that event that took place so long ago.
This event would throw disorder and confusion into an orderly and clear universe. And worse, the relationship between the created man with his Creator would separate so far that no created procedure or created being could mend the gap.
That moment was BIG!
