Old Covenant >>> New Covenant (20) Conclusion

Well ... fianlé really.

The end of a series, but by no means the end of the matter.

Indeed, it could be the beginning of a whole new approach to life.

I used the arrows in the post titles as a way of never losing sight of the fact that what I am on about here is a movement; a transition; moving from old covenant to new covenant.

From the very outset of this blog, new covenant and its implications and applications have been my priority and my motivation.  As for the human race, God no longer operates to the conditions of the old covenant.  That ended with the resurrection of Jesus.  We can continue to attempt to relate to God that way, but it will inevitably prove futile.  Even if God reaches out to us in that place and condition, He will draw us towards and then into His new covenant - unless we resist.  He does not overpower our will.

We may "kick against the pricks" as Saul/Paul did (see the account of his Damascus enlightenment in Acts 26:14); we may "resist arrest" and go off kicking and screaming; we may do as Stephen (who was later stoned to death for his efforts) accused the Jewish High Priest and others assembled of doing when he said, "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.  Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?  They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it...(see Acts chapter 7)

But at the end of the day, we should know that we are not going to change God's mind: THE NEW COVENANT IS THE  NEW COVENANT - AND THE OLD COVENANT WILL NO LONGER WORK.

There's been an upgrade; and what we need to do is trust the upgraded model and not go demanding a patch for the old system.  After all, Jesus himself said that you don't put a new patch on an old garment; and you don't put new wine into old wineskins. (Mark 2:21-22)

If you read John 6, you will eventually come to the part where Jesus says to a bunch of grumbling recalcitrant Jews, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

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So, as I usually do, I come full circle and return to the beginning.

Blogger Bill Britton (promiseed.com) calls the new testament letter to the Hebrews “The Book of Better Things” as this is the chief argument of the letter.  In summary, the ‘new’ is better than the ‘old’, as witnessed in these ways:

 ·         Sonship is better than the angels

 ·         A better gospel spells better dominion

 ·         A better house with a better builder

 ·         A better Sabbath (day of rest)

 ·         A better high priest in a better priesthood

 ·         A better tabernacle (tent/meeting place)

 ·         A better covenant

 ·         A better blood from a better sacrifice

 ·         A better holy place

 ·         A better day

 ·         A better way through a better veil

 ·         A better faith with a better promise

 ·         A better relationship (sonship)

 ·         A better kingdom with a better city

 ·         A better altar with a better sacrifice

From promiseed.com by Bill Britton:

Thirty years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus we still find the Jewish Christians following the law of Moses and the ceremonial ritualism of temple worship. Thirty years after the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost, thousands of Spirit-filled priests and Jewish Christians were still engaged in the offering up of the Passover lamb and other blood sacrifices. The writer of Hebrews is trying to show them the glory of the reality in Christ Jesus, and the "better things". (emphasis added)

After 50 years of my own journey as a disciple of Jesus and exploring the history of "the church" since Jesus and the first apostles, it remains a gobsmacking conundrum to me that so many people choose bondage over freedom.  Perhaps it's because all the prevailing human systems are pre-programmed to default to "keeping the rabble in line" rather than the wisdom of Jesus - and conservatism suits us better than transformation:

If the Son [a reference to Jesus] sets you free, then you are truly free indeed.

 ۞

Just a day after I wrote this, my wife forwarded me a link to a Facebook post that I find particularly interesting.  It goes along nicely with my dismay at how so many people choose bondage over freedom.  K A Graaf “Living in freedom everyday” talks about ‘jumping out of thefishbowl’ and being pleased to have done so.  Check it out – so pertinent I think.