In your covenant relationship with the Lord, are you living under the covenant of Law, the Old Covenant, or are you living under the New Covenant? The blood of Christ redeemed those who were under the law to atone for sin under the law. But I was born under Grace. I was born under the New Covenant. I was not born under the Law.
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
What sacrifice does the new covenant demand of you?
Okay. Now we're out of the hypothetical realm.
I'm living under the New Covenant, EZ. As I'm sure you are. This post could become very long.
The O.C. was establised by Moses and the 10 Commandments.
The N.C. was established by Jesus and the writing of the commandments on the heart.
The commandments are not abolished Mathew 5:17-19 -- they are only removed from cold stone to the heart Jeremiah 31:31-33
In fact Jeremiah 32:37-39 says that God will give His people one heart and one way (Jesus' sacrifice) that they may fear Him for their own good and for the good of their children. We know that fear means a healthy respect and not a "being afraid of."
The O.C. could not be kept. The Law was able to reveal transgression but it could not change behavior.
God does want a change of behavior. We are to be transformed into a new man Romans 12:2, we are to transform our very mind.
And how do we do this? How is it possible to keep the N.C. if it was not possible to keep the O.C.?
The remedy is Jesus. He cuts all 613 laws into 2. If we follow those two laws, all the others will also be followed
Mathew 22:37-40
And the power to do the above comes from our love for Jesus who went to the cross for us and whom we desire to follow and become into the likeness of Him - even if it takes our entire life and even if the goal is never accomplished - that is to be the desire of our heart.
So, as Jesus commanded us to call God "Father" as was never done in the O.T., we surely have become sons and brothers of Christ. Jesus has paid our debt and we are now free to go with God in heaven (I spoke about this in my previous post to which you're responding).
He paid our debt - He didn't say we're not to keep the commandments. We're under the New Covenant because Jesus has furnished the way for us to keep the commandments - not because they are abolished. We now WANT to keep the commandments whereas before we felt OBLIGATED to keep them. This is the big difference.
Romans 6:1-2
Are we to continue in sin? May it never be!
And what sacrifice does the N.C. demand of me? Many. If I'm to follow Jesus.
Mathew16:24
Yes. That cross must be picked up daily - but I don't mind doing it! Again, the difference. Between doing as a slave under the O.C. and doing as a friend under the N.C.
Are you a follower of Jesus if you go see the movie instead of staying home with your sick dad?
Is that not picking up a cross?
Are you allowed to do whatever you want to under the N.C.?
You mean, just because God is nice and has a lot of grace
I could do whatever I want to??
I hope I've misunderstood you...
W