"Therefore having left the beginning about Christ's teaching, to maturity we should go on, not again on a foundation laying on repentance from dead works and faith in Christ..."1
We should go on to maturity but I think we are not ready to move on, we need a better understanding of this dispensation of Grace. Paul writes the new covenant is an everlasting covenant.3 It is the gospel, by grace are you saved through faith, and it was foretold to Abraham and would be fulfilled through the Seed of Abraham, Christ, the promise "all the nations would be blessed."4 This dispensation of Grace states that Jesus has established or begun a new covenant in you.
The inheritance of the promise was through Christ and this promise was made to Abraham, through the Seed Christ, Paul writes that if the inheritance was by law, then it would no longer be a promise.5 The promise was confirmed in Christ before God, to Abraham 430 years before the Law, thus the Law can't annul the new covenant by saying it existed first and that the inheritance is of the law.5a The Law was added because of transgression, it was in addition to, until the seed would come to whom the promise was due. "Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."6 While not our teacher there is a lesson for us, hopefully the lesson from the old is that we learn not to produce dead works. In the old the people did not continue in the verbal agreement, the promise, they became a sensual people, living to no principles, it was a free for all so they were led away into captivity.
The verbal didn't work so God wrote down His requirements, in stone, to make it plain, the Ten Commandments and Book of the Covenant, this Law was a tutor to expose transgression.7 Even with written requirements they too were led away into captivity. The Persians freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and allowed them to live among them. Daniel the prophet became a wise man under Cyrus the Great, who declared the God of Daniel to be God of Persia. Prophecies, scripture written on scrolls, and the world's first charter of human rights, the Cyrus Cylinder, were great achievements during this time.8 Eventually they would be allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. But this time they turned into Law abiding citizens with their hearts far from God. We see from the time of Jesus the pendulum swing to the legalistic, in an attempt to not sin, the scribes and Pharisee added many rules and ordinances, putting heavy burdens on the people, so many that Jesus said they made void the requirements of God. Sounds much like today.
There is an incompatibility between that of the flesh and that of the Spirit, they lust against each other.13 If one is led by the Spirit, they are not under the Law, as the Law was fleshly. There is an old and a new, of Law and of Spirit, one must choose as there is no compatibility between the two. Many associate Paul's warning of "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" with sinners, but I read in the same passage where the church is devouring, tearing, and attacking each other and I associate this with legalism, those who call themselves Christians, but live by the law, prideful and judgmental. In ministry to the homeless, I have found them to be very humble people, but many are to them like the Pharisees were to the sinners, today we call them "habitual" sinners. Paul writes there is no compatibility of the old covenant of the flesh and the new covenant of the Spirit.9
Paul was given the authority to dispense, to make plain, this new covenant that was hidden in the beginning with God.5 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."6 If the new was hidden in the beginning with God and the gospel was foretold to Abraham then the new was before the other agreements, literally. The old has important lessons for us, but it is not our teacher. In the new Jesus holds the title of Teacher, "for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren."8 Jesus establishes himself as Master and holds all authority of the new covenant church. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they sat in the seat of Moses, as they would teach and act as if they had the authority of Moses; the authority to judge and dispense God's laws. Some today might think they have such authority, but we must only remember the Reformation and how it understood that such is fundamentally against new covenant authority, the authority of Christ.
The new covenant protects against abuse of authority, as we have bold access to the throne of God, we have His Spirit within us, we are taught by God.8 This was the ministry of Jesus, to establish a new covenant in us. "But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."3 The covenant is not a second covenant nor an addition to the old but a new one, not according to the verbal covenant made with Abraham nor the addition of the written established through Moses but a new one established on the blood of Jesus. Yes, there has to be a death for a testament or covenant to be valid, it is a will.4 In the Mosaic covenant there was a sealing of the book of the covenant and the people by blood mixed with water, this blood established the covenant.5 In the new Christ did such on our hearts.
We are letters of recommendation, written on hearts, to be known and read by all. The blood of the Lamb of God, was sprinkled on the new so as to establish it "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart."6 Established in us by Christ, "who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."6 We need to understand this, it is the new creation of the Spirit that gives life.
"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."7
Born Again
We should go on to maturity but I think we are not ready to move on, we need a better understanding of this dispensation of Grace. Paul writes the new covenant is an everlasting covenant.3 It is the gospel, by grace are you saved through faith, and it was foretold to Abraham and would be fulfilled through the Seed of Abraham, Christ, the promise "all the nations would be blessed."4 This dispensation of Grace states that Jesus has established or begun a new covenant in you.The inheritance of the promise was through Christ and this promise was made to Abraham, through the Seed Christ, Paul writes that if the inheritance was by law, then it would no longer be a promise.5 The promise was confirmed in Christ before God, to Abraham 430 years before the Law, thus the Law can't annul the new covenant by saying it existed first and that the inheritance is of the law.5a The Law was added because of transgression, it was in addition to, until the seed would come to whom the promise was due. "Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."6 While not our teacher there is a lesson for us, hopefully the lesson from the old is that we learn not to produce dead works. In the old the people did not continue in the verbal agreement, the promise, they became a sensual people, living to no principles, it was a free for all so they were led away into captivity.
The verbal didn't work so God wrote down His requirements, in stone, to make it plain, the Ten Commandments and Book of the Covenant, this Law was a tutor to expose transgression.7 Even with written requirements they too were led away into captivity. The Persians freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and allowed them to live among them. Daniel the prophet became a wise man under Cyrus the Great, who declared the God of Daniel to be God of Persia. Prophecies, scripture written on scrolls, and the world's first charter of human rights, the Cyrus Cylinder, were great achievements during this time.8 Eventually they would be allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. But this time they turned into Law abiding citizens with their hearts far from God. We see from the time of Jesus the pendulum swing to the legalistic, in an attempt to not sin, the scribes and Pharisee added many rules and ordinances, putting heavy burdens on the people, so many that Jesus said they made void the requirements of God. Sounds much like today.
The people had not continued in covenant with God.10 In the new God would do something new, He would send His Son and establish this covenant within us, written on our hearts. "For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:"6 The new is established within us, as God replaces the tablet of stone with one of flesh, "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."12
There is an incompatibility between that of the flesh and that of the Spirit, they lust against each other.13 If one is led by the Spirit, they are not under the Law, as the Law was fleshly. There is an old and a new, of Law and of Spirit, one must choose as there is no compatibility between the two. Many associate Paul's warning of "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" with sinners, but I read in the same passage where the church is devouring, tearing, and attacking each other and I associate this with legalism, those who call themselves Christians, but live by the law, prideful and judgmental. In ministry to the homeless, I have found them to be very humble people, but many are to them like the Pharisees were to the sinners, today we call them "habitual" sinners. Paul writes there is no compatibility of the old covenant of the flesh and the new covenant of the Spirit.9
Paul was given the authority to dispense, to make plain, this new covenant that was hidden in the beginning with God.5 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."6 If the new was hidden in the beginning with God and the gospel was foretold to Abraham then the new was before the other agreements, literally. The old has important lessons for us, but it is not our teacher. In the new Jesus holds the title of Teacher, "for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren."8 Jesus establishes himself as Master and holds all authority of the new covenant church. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they sat in the seat of Moses, as they would teach and act as if they had the authority of Moses; the authority to judge and dispense God's laws. Some today might think they have such authority, but we must only remember the Reformation and how it understood that such is fundamentally against new covenant authority, the authority of Christ.
The new covenant protects against abuse of authority, as we have bold access to the throne of God, we have His Spirit within us, we are taught by God.8 This was the ministry of Jesus, to establish a new covenant in us. "But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."3 The covenant is not a second covenant nor an addition to the old but a new one, not according to the verbal covenant made with Abraham nor the addition of the written established through Moses but a new one established on the blood of Jesus. Yes, there has to be a death for a testament or covenant to be valid, it is a will.4 In the Mosaic covenant there was a sealing of the book of the covenant and the people by blood mixed with water, this blood established the covenant.5 In the new Christ did such on our hearts.
We are letters of recommendation, written on hearts, to be known and read by all. The blood of the Lamb of God, was sprinkled on the new so as to establish it "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart."6 Established in us by Christ, "who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."6 We need to understand this, it is the new creation of the Spirit that gives life.
"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."7