THE LAW AND THE NEW COVENANT

THE LAW AND THE NEW COVENANT

2 Timothy 2:1   As for you, my child, be strong by the grace that is in the Messiah^[a] Jesus.

The Grace that Timothy is speaking of is a special favor through what Jesus did at Calvary for believers

That’s what it means when it speaks of hope in glory through Christ Jesus.

Under the Law, before the cross, if you did good, you were blessed; if you did wrong, you were cursed.

Deuteronomy 28:15   ¹⁵ “But if you don’t obey the Lord your God and faithfully carry out all his commands and statutes that I’m giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overwhelm you:

Deuteronomy 28: 1-2   “Indeed, if you diligently obey^[a] the Lord your God to carry out all his commands that I’m giving you today, then the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ² Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance,^[b] if you obey the Lord your God:

Now when you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and make him Lord of your life, it is a whole different covenant. No more curses because Jesus took our curse on himself at the cross.

For this new covenant to work in your life you need to understand when you are reading Gods word, was it written before the cross under the law or was it written after the cross and under grace.

When Jesus walked the earth, the old covenant called the Law was still in force, still valid.

The new covenant did not start in the book of Matthew. The new covenant started when Jesus shed his blood at Calvary, when He said, “it is finished”

So to understand the old covenant and the new covenant you must ask yourself, was this before the cross?

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John was written after the cross but taught about things he did before the cross.

Jesus was born a Jew, taught only to the Jews, the Law he taught was old covenant law until the cross.

Most Christians and people still live under the old Law. They want to be blessed, but don’t understand the requirements of how to receive blessings.

2 Timothy 2:15    Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision.

We must rightfully divide the word of the truth, we must correctly analyze the time the word you are reading; is it pre-cross or post cross.

In the old covenant of law, first you had to obey the commandments, then you received your blessings.

Galatians 3: 10-14   ¹⁰ Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!”^{[a] 11} Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because “The righteous will live by faith.”^{[b] 12} But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, “The person who keeps the commandments^[c] will have life in them.”^{[d] 13} The Messiah^[e] redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”^{[f] 14} This happened^[g] in order that the blessing promised to^[h] Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah^[i] Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit^[j] through faith.

This is new covenant, we are saved by grace through faith, by Christ Jesus our Lord and savior. Not by our works… Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb, that shed His blood to redeem us.

Curses are done with words. You can’t curse what God has blessed. Jesus took the curse on himself at the cross.

Obedience has its place in our lives, not a requirement to be blessed. God can bless or not bless.

Romans 5:19   ¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous.

One mans disobedience (Adam) caused all persons born before the cross to be made sinners. So, one man’s obedience (Jesus) has caused us to be made righteous by accepting Him and what he finished at the cross.

Righteousness is a gift from God. We need to respond to what has been done for us.

You became righteous by accepting the one who made you righteous under the new covenant of grace.

You can wrongly divide the Word by wrong thinking. There is so much difference between old covenant teaching and new covenant teaching.

The old covenant under the law is invalid under the covenant of grace. It is like using a credit card that has expired. If you are living under requirements in the Law; It won’t work if you are claiming salvation under the new covenant.

If what you want requires you to do something first in order to get something from God, it’s the pattern of the old covenant.

Matthew 19:16-17   ¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus.^[a] “Teacher,”^[b] he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁷ Jesus^[c] asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.^[d] If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”

Acts 16:30-31   ³⁰ he took them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved.”

Same question, one requirement under the Law of the old covenant, one under grace of the new covenant.

Before the cross you had to keep the commandments. After the cross you had to believe in Jesus. That is how you rightly divide the truth.

Under the Law, to be forgiven of sins they had to shed the blood of animals for the remission of those sins, even though the animal blood only covered the sin.

At the cross when Jesus was sacrificed by the shedding of his blood, His blood blotted out and removed all sin. Our sin is forgiven; past, present and future by accepting Jesus as Lord and savior.

Forgiveness is very important.

Mark ll:25-26   ²⁵ “Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. ²⁶ But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”^[q]

Colossians 3:13   ¹³ Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord^[a] has forgiven you, you also should forgive

This is based on the covenant of grace. The order has changed, we are empowered to forgive as an act of love through faith.

Galatians 2:16   ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires,^[a] but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus^[b] the Messiah.^[c] We, too, have believed in the Messiah^[d] Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of^[e] the Messiah^[f] and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being^[g] will be justified by doing what the Law requires.

We are declared righteous, not by the law, we are not justified by the works of the Law, only by the faith of Jesus Christ. No one, by the works of the flesh is justified.

Being justified is as if you had never sinned. Not by self-effort, saved means born again only.

Stop taking things out of context. Learn the truth about dividing the word rightfully. Most people, yes even believers, believe they are saved, but believe they have to work for everything else. Instead be a partaker of everything Jesus made available for you at the cross.

When Jesus said it is finished, He had done everything he needed to do for mankind.

Be blessed, stay in the word.

Bro Andy