In meditation 35 we saw why our identification with Christ’s crucifixion is so important for God and for us. As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Yet, Paul continues to develop ‘a pattern of identification’ with Jesus Christ [the Messiah]. Not only does he speak of our rebellious hearts being crucified with Christ when we accept him as our Saviour, the apostle goes on to explain that our ‘sinful selves’ die with Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Colossae (modern Turkey): “You died when Christ died...” (Colossians 3:3).
As dying causes a complete break with one’s former way of life and all that it embraced, Paul shows that ‘dying with Christ’ has liberating consequences:
a) Having died with Christ = having died to our old rebellious and sinful life style:
Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
To the Christians in Rome the apostle states: “When we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:7).
Earlier in the same letter, Paul underlines: “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1).
The apostle Peter also speaks in his first letter about our identification with Christ’s death: “[Jesus] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness...” (1 Peter 2:24).
b) Having died with Christ = having died to the Mosaic Law:
The letter to the Hebrews speaks of God’s inauguration of a new Messianic Covenant [New Testament] with all those who believe in the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ.
This new and eternal Covenant led to the termination of the first, temporary covenant [Sinai Covenant] God made with Israel after delivering them from their bondage in Egypt:
“When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside” (Hebrews 8:13).
(For more on God’s covenants with Abraham, Israel and the Gentiles/non-Jews see meditation 33)
Especially to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey), the apostle Paul explained that the expiration of the Sinai Covenant led automatically to the invalidation of the original function of the Mosaic Law:
“Why was the [Mosaic] Law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are.
But this system of Law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made [Jesus the Messiah].....
Well then, is there a conflict between God's Law and God's promises?
Absolutely not! If the [Mosaic] Law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it.
But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the [Mosaic] Law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.
Let me put it another way. The [Mosaic] Law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came.
So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the [Mosaic] Law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:19-25).
It is especially because of this annulment of the ‘guardian function’ of the Mosaic Law that Paul writes to the (Jewish) followers of Jesus in Rome: “So this is the point: The [Mosaic] Law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. ...
When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the [Mosaic] Law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death.
But now we have been released from the [Mosaic] Law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power.”
(Romans 7:4a and 6a)
To the followers of Jesus in Galatia the apostle Paul testifies: “When I tried to keep the [Mosaic] Law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died [with Christ] to the Law...” (Galatians 2:19)
c) Having died with Christ = having died to the basic teachings of human philosophies and religious traditions:
The (non-Jewish) Christians in Colossae had grown up in a Hellenistic culture of syncretism in religion and philosophy. They were familiar with all kinds of human ways of salvation and ascetic practices.
The apostle Paul warned them not to hold on to those teachings:
“Why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, “Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch.”
Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them.
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline.
But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires” (Colossians 2:20b-23).
Earlier in the same letter Paul exposes the origin of those so called ‘pathways to life’:
“Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.”
(Colossians 2:8)
The apostle reminds the Christians in Colossae: “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world” (Colossians 2:20).
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome of the meaning of their baptism:
“Have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.....
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:3-4a and 6).
The Bible makes it clear that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we die with him to our sinful selves, to the control of the [Mosaic] Law and to the deception of human philosophies and religious traditions.
This liberating fact necessarily raises the following question: how then should I live as a follower of Jesus?
The Bible verse of 1 Peter 2:24 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the New Living Translation.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
35. I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
Today we start our journey of discovery into the distinctiveness of Christlike maturity.
In doing so, we need to be mindful of the fact that (according to the Bible) the entire life of Jesus’ followers is characterised by Jesus’ cross, death and resurrection. That applies to the process of their inner transformation [renewal] as well as to the development of their relationships with others.
Moreover, we must identify in what way God’s Spirit and the individual believer himself play in this lifelong growing into Christlike maturity.
In the following meditations we want to focus on each of these characteristics.
The first question is: why is Christ’s cross, death and resurrection so central to God’s way of transforming our lives?
The answer is found in the rebellion and pride we naturally harbour against God. The prophet Jeremiah (ca. 700 BC.) wrote with divine insight: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Speaking about the human heart, Jesus said: “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God” (Mark 7:20-23).
When the apostle John speaks about the dominant ‘laws’ that rule our rebellious humanity [the world] in its opposition to God, he writes: “All that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of [God] the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
In one of Paul’s descriptions of the ‘vices of the heart’, he comes up with a long list of possible wrongdoings:
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.
Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
(See also meditations 5, 19, 21, 23-27)
It is God’s intention not only to forgive us our past sins, but also to liberate us from the bondage of such rebellion. The apostle John states: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The cross, death and resurrection of Christ play a major role in God’s liberating process in eradicating the rebellion in our hearts and the vice it produces.
To the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul writes that on the cross our sin was laid on the sinless Son of God: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
In practical terms, that means that I - as a follower of Jesus - can see my rebellious and sinful life being crucified with Christ. That is why Paul explains to the Christians in Rome: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ...” (Romans 6:6).
For God and for us, the crucifixion of Jesus means the crucifixion of our own rebellious and sinful hearts. Therefore, Paul can testify to the Christians in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I have been crucified with Christ...” (Galatians 2:20)
Why is our identification with Christ’s crucifixion so important for God and for us? The apostle continues in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Since he follows Jesus, the apostle Paul’s relationship with the world of rebellion and sin is completely changed. To the Christians in Galatia he attests: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
When I come to God in remorseful repentance of my rebellious life and believe that Jesus took the punishment for all my sins, then I know that I am forgiven and saved from God’s righteous anger.
Yet, when I look at Jesus’ cross, I also know that God has nailed my obstinate heart onto that cross together with his Son. For God and for me ‘my old sinful self’ has lost its rightful existence; as a follower of Jesus, it should no longer dictate my way of life.
The Bible verses 1 John 3:8 and Galatians 2:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. Galatians 6:14 and 1 John 2:16 are quotes from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes from the ‘New Living Translation’.
In doing so, we need to be mindful of the fact that (according to the Bible) the entire life of Jesus’ followers is characterised by Jesus’ cross, death and resurrection. That applies to the process of their inner transformation [renewal] as well as to the development of their relationships with others.
Moreover, we must identify in what way God’s Spirit and the individual believer himself play in this lifelong growing into Christlike maturity.
In the following meditations we want to focus on each of these characteristics.
The first question is: why is Christ’s cross, death and resurrection so central to God’s way of transforming our lives?
The answer is found in the rebellion and pride we naturally harbour against God. The prophet Jeremiah (ca. 700 BC.) wrote with divine insight: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Speaking about the human heart, Jesus said: “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God” (Mark 7:20-23).
When the apostle John speaks about the dominant ‘laws’ that rule our rebellious humanity [the world] in its opposition to God, he writes: “All that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of [God] the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
In one of Paul’s descriptions of the ‘vices of the heart’, he comes up with a long list of possible wrongdoings:
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.
Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
(See also meditations 5, 19, 21, 23-27)
It is God’s intention not only to forgive us our past sins, but also to liberate us from the bondage of such rebellion. The apostle John states: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The cross, death and resurrection of Christ play a major role in God’s liberating process in eradicating the rebellion in our hearts and the vice it produces.
To the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul writes that on the cross our sin was laid on the sinless Son of God: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
In practical terms, that means that I - as a follower of Jesus - can see my rebellious and sinful life being crucified with Christ. That is why Paul explains to the Christians in Rome: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ...” (Romans 6:6).
For God and for us, the crucifixion of Jesus means the crucifixion of our own rebellious and sinful hearts. Therefore, Paul can testify to the Christians in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I have been crucified with Christ...” (Galatians 2:20)
Why is our identification with Christ’s crucifixion so important for God and for us? The apostle continues in Romans 6:6: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Since he follows Jesus, the apostle Paul’s relationship with the world of rebellion and sin is completely changed. To the Christians in Galatia he attests: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
When I come to God in remorseful repentance of my rebellious life and believe that Jesus took the punishment for all my sins, then I know that I am forgiven and saved from God’s righteous anger.
Yet, when I look at Jesus’ cross, I also know that God has nailed my obstinate heart onto that cross together with his Son. For God and for me ‘my old sinful self’ has lost its rightful existence; as a follower of Jesus, it should no longer dictate my way of life.
The Bible verses 1 John 3:8 and Galatians 2:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. Galatians 6:14 and 1 John 2:16 are quotes from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes from the ‘New Living Translation’.
Friday, October 8, 2010
34. IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS !
In meditation 33 we saw that God’s Holy Spirit is the hallmark of the new Messianic Covenant [the New Testament]. This is why we have already seen in meditations 29-32 the many ways in which God the Holy Spirit works in and through the individual followers of Jesus, as well as in and through the entire Body of Christ [Body of the Messiah].
It is because of this that the apostle Paul calls himself a ‘servant of a new covenant of the Spirit’: “He [God] has made us competent as ministers [servants] of a new covenant ... of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
However, in the Bible the Good News [the Gospel] is never called "the Good News of the Spirit", but always "the Good News of (Jesus) Christ" !
When Paul talks of his ministry, he points out that he has been empowered for it by God’s Spirit. Yet, the content of his message was always and only about the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah:
“I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God -- all by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum [a mountainous region on the east of the Adriatic]” (Romans 15:19).
To the Christians in Corinth, Paul says: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
(1 Corinthians 2:2)
The apostle could even write to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
From all we have seen before, it is clear that the special ministry of God the Holy Spirit, within the framework of the new covenant, is: (a) to put Jesus’ life and work in the spotlight; (b) to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
On the evening before his death, Jesus himself speaks about the fact that God’s Spirit will focus on him: “I will send you the Counselor -- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
The apostle Paul shows that the Holy Spirit wants to reproduce Jesus’ life in us: “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him [Jesus] and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
All other manifestations of God’s Spirit within the individual followers of Jesus and within the Messianic community/communities (see meditations 29-32) have only one objective: to highlight Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
In the next meditations, we will not focus so much on what the Bible says concerning the manifold manifestations of God’s Spirit within the Body of Christ, but will discover what the Bible tells us about Christlike maturity and how to get there...
The Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:6 is quoted from the ‘New International Version’. 1 Corinthians 2:2 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
It is because of this that the apostle Paul calls himself a ‘servant of a new covenant of the Spirit’: “He [God] has made us competent as ministers [servants] of a new covenant ... of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
However, in the Bible the Good News [the Gospel] is never called "the Good News of the Spirit", but always "the Good News of (Jesus) Christ" !
When Paul talks of his ministry, he points out that he has been empowered for it by God’s Spirit. Yet, the content of his message was always and only about the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah:
“I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God -- all by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum [a mountainous region on the east of the Adriatic]” (Romans 15:19).
To the Christians in Corinth, Paul says: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
(1 Corinthians 2:2)
The apostle could even write to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (modern Turkey): “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
From all we have seen before, it is clear that the special ministry of God the Holy Spirit, within the framework of the new covenant, is: (a) to put Jesus’ life and work in the spotlight; (b) to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
On the evening before his death, Jesus himself speaks about the fact that God’s Spirit will focus on him: “I will send you the Counselor -- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
The apostle Paul shows that the Holy Spirit wants to reproduce Jesus’ life in us: “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him [Jesus] and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
All other manifestations of God’s Spirit within the individual followers of Jesus and within the Messianic community/communities (see meditations 29-32) have only one objective: to highlight Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and to reproduce Jesus’ life in his followers.
In the next meditations, we will not focus so much on what the Bible says concerning the manifold manifestations of God’s Spirit within the Body of Christ, but will discover what the Bible tells us about Christlike maturity and how to get there...
The Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:6 is quoted from the ‘New International Version’. 1 Corinthians 2:2 is a quote from the New King James Version. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Friday, October 1, 2010
33. INTERRUPTION (p) - WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRY ? (conclusion)
In conclusion we want to see how the ministry of God’s Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ followers stands in the context of the entire Old Testament.
m) The Holy Spirit is the hallmark of the new, eternal Messianic Covenant [New Testament] between God and the followers of Jesus:
Over the centuries, God has made various covenants with individuals and entire peoples. In the light of our meditations,
3 covenants have our special attention:
— 1. God’s eternal Covenant with Abraham
The first book of the Bible gives us an account of God’s covenant with Abraham, the patriarch of the people Israel: “Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.’”
Genesis 17:9)
God promised Abraham that this covenant would be an eternal covenant: “God replied, ‘Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my everlasting covenant with him and his descendants” (Genesis 17:19).
Furthermore, God promised Abraham that because of his obedience to God the entire earth would be blessed through his offspring [i.e., Jesus the Messiah]:
“[God] said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore ... and through your offspring [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me’” (Genesis 22:16-18).
— 2. God reaffirms his Covenant with Abraham on Mount Sinai with the people of Israel. This covenant is called the Mosaic or Sinai Covenant
After Moses delivered God’s people Israel out of Egypt’s captivity, God made a covenant with them in the desert at Mount Sinai. The hallmark of that covenant was the gift of the Law [including the Ten Commandments].
The ratification of that covenant was carried out through animal sacrifice. In fact, this covenant was a renewal of God’s eternal covenant with Abraham: “Then Moses sprinkled the blood from the basins over the people and said, ‘This blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these Laws.’”
(Exodus 24:8)
— 3a. God fulfils his eternal Covenant with Abraham in his Messianic Covenant with Israel
Centuries later, God promises to make a new covenant [New Testament] with his people Israel, based on the eternal covenant God made with their ancestor Abraham:
“‘The day will come,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt [i.e., the Sinai Covenant]. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,’ says the LORD.
‘But this is the new covenant [Messianic Covenant] I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the LORD. ‘I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
The hallmark of this new eternal covenant between God and Israel is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my Laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Moses was the mediator between God and his people Israel when God made the Sinai covenant with them. Jesus Christ [the Messiah] is the mediator of the new Messianic Covenant between God and his people Israel:
“... Christ [the Messiah] is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant [Sinai covenant]” (Hebrews 9:15).
The Sinai covenant was a temporal renewal of God’s eternal covenant with Abraham. The new covenant would be the eternal fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham:
The Sinai covenant was ratified by animal blood, this new covenant would be ratified by the blood of God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah.
At the end of the Passover meal on the evening before Jesus died, he took the last of the four special cups of wine and said to his friends: “This cup is the new [messianic] covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:20).
— 3b. The eternal Messianic Covenant [New Testament] is not only for all the Jews who follow Jesus the Messiah, but also for all non-Jews [Gentiles] who follow him
God had promised Abraham that through his offspring [Jesus the Messiah] all the nations on earth would be blessed (see above Genesis 22:16-18). God fulfilled that promise by means of the new Messianic Covenant.
When God ratified that by the blood of his messianic Son, he invited not only Jews but also non-Jews [Gentiles] to enter into that new covenant. All covenant partners would receive forgiveness of their sins and the gift of God’s Spirit. Together they would become a new people, called the Body of the Messiah [the Body of Christ].
The apostle Paul explains all this to the Gentile [non-Jewish] followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey):
“Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.
In those days you were living apart from Christ [the Jewish Messiah]. You were excluded from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.
For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us. By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles (i.e., the Sinai Covenant).
His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near.
Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.
We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:11-22).
Have you entered into this new covenant with God?
Did you receive forgiveness of your sins through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and have you received God’s Spirit as the hallmark of this new and eternal Covenant?
With this meditation we are coming to the end of our interruptions (meditations 18-33).
Next week we will return to our original theme: how does God change our rebellious and proud hearts into a Christlike life of love towards God and our fellow man?
The Bible verses Genesis 17:9, Genesis 22:16-18, Hebrews 9:15 and Luke 22:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
m) The Holy Spirit is the hallmark of the new, eternal Messianic Covenant [New Testament] between God and the followers of Jesus:
Over the centuries, God has made various covenants with individuals and entire peoples. In the light of our meditations,
3 covenants have our special attention:
— 1. God’s eternal Covenant with Abraham
The first book of the Bible gives us an account of God’s covenant with Abraham, the patriarch of the people Israel: “Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.’”
Genesis 17:9)
God promised Abraham that this covenant would be an eternal covenant: “God replied, ‘Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my everlasting covenant with him and his descendants” (Genesis 17:19).
Furthermore, God promised Abraham that because of his obedience to God the entire earth would be blessed through his offspring [i.e., Jesus the Messiah]:
“[God] said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore ... and through your offspring [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me’” (Genesis 22:16-18).
— 2. God reaffirms his Covenant with Abraham on Mount Sinai with the people of Israel. This covenant is called the Mosaic or Sinai Covenant
After Moses delivered God’s people Israel out of Egypt’s captivity, God made a covenant with them in the desert at Mount Sinai. The hallmark of that covenant was the gift of the Law [including the Ten Commandments].
The ratification of that covenant was carried out through animal sacrifice. In fact, this covenant was a renewal of God’s eternal covenant with Abraham: “Then Moses sprinkled the blood from the basins over the people and said, ‘This blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these Laws.’”
(Exodus 24:8)
— 3a. God fulfils his eternal Covenant with Abraham in his Messianic Covenant with Israel
Centuries later, God promises to make a new covenant [New Testament] with his people Israel, based on the eternal covenant God made with their ancestor Abraham:
“‘The day will come,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt [i.e., the Sinai Covenant]. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,’ says the LORD.
‘But this is the new covenant [Messianic Covenant] I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the LORD. ‘I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
The hallmark of this new eternal covenant between God and Israel is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my Laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Moses was the mediator between God and his people Israel when God made the Sinai covenant with them. Jesus Christ [the Messiah] is the mediator of the new Messianic Covenant between God and his people Israel:
“... Christ [the Messiah] is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant [Sinai covenant]” (Hebrews 9:15).
The Sinai covenant was a temporal renewal of God’s eternal covenant with Abraham. The new covenant would be the eternal fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham:
The Sinai covenant was ratified by animal blood, this new covenant would be ratified by the blood of God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah.
At the end of the Passover meal on the evening before Jesus died, he took the last of the four special cups of wine and said to his friends: “This cup is the new [messianic] covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:20).
— 3b. The eternal Messianic Covenant [New Testament] is not only for all the Jews who follow Jesus the Messiah, but also for all non-Jews [Gentiles] who follow him
God had promised Abraham that through his offspring [Jesus the Messiah] all the nations on earth would be blessed (see above Genesis 22:16-18). God fulfilled that promise by means of the new Messianic Covenant.
When God ratified that by the blood of his messianic Son, he invited not only Jews but also non-Jews [Gentiles] to enter into that new covenant. All covenant partners would receive forgiveness of their sins and the gift of God’s Spirit. Together they would become a new people, called the Body of the Messiah [the Body of Christ].
The apostle Paul explains all this to the Gentile [non-Jewish] followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey):
“Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.
In those days you were living apart from Christ [the Jewish Messiah]. You were excluded from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.
For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us. By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles (i.e., the Sinai Covenant).
His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near.
Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.
We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:11-22).
Have you entered into this new covenant with God?
Did you receive forgiveness of your sins through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and have you received God’s Spirit as the hallmark of this new and eternal Covenant?
With this meditation we are coming to the end of our interruptions (meditations 18-33).
Next week we will return to our original theme: how does God change our rebellious and proud hearts into a Christlike life of love towards God and our fellow man?
The Bible verses Genesis 17:9, Genesis 22:16-18, Hebrews 9:15 and Luke 22:20 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
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