Introduction
Our Father gave Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior. Through Jesus’ sacrifice we can have a deep relationship with Him and the Father. Through Jesus, God created and sustains all things. We are dedicated to being more like God in our daily lives through Bible study, prayer and fellowship.
Jesus Christ reveals God the father. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection make your eternal life possible. He came to reveal the father. God is a personal being of supreme love who wants you to be part of his family for all of eternity!
How then can you reject Jesus as the true son of God when you believe the Old Testament and its prophets? God made the old covenant with the fore fathers of the Israelites’ and the Jews by the time he assisted them to break away from slavery in Egypt in the leadership of Moses. The covenant that they broke and God promised a new covenant to come: (Jeremiah 31:31-33) Check here the promise of the New Covenant given by God through prophet Jeremiah more than 500 years before Jesus Christ was born: “ Behold the days are coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
But, this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.
Now, I know you are troubling yourself trying to work out the mathematics here to get the answer on how non Jews are included here when the verse clearly declared that the promise was directed to Israel and Judah.
The New Covenant was not exclusively directed at the gentles but would start with God’s chosen and then to the gentile converts through Jesus Christ, are reckoned as the children of Abraham.
It was only Abraham who received special messianic promise, that in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3). As Galatians 3:29 explains, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” It is from here were we got the Grace of being called God’s children.
The problem of the old covenant
This promise was quoted several times in the New Testament. The promise was not about abolishing the old laws but it was about where the existing laws of justice or righteousness will be written – in the heart of God’s people.
THE OLD COVENANT — CHRIST’S FIRST MARRIAGE
NEARLY everyone has been taught that the Old Covenant was the ten commandment law, and that the New Covenant contains only grace and promises — but certainly no law!
Hence, runs the argument, since the Old Covenant has been abolished, God’s law has also been abolished.
This teaching would lead you to believe that the law of God was harsh, cruel, and enslaving — that the FAULT of the Old Covenant was with the law. And since GOD gave the law, the FAULT must have been His!
Later, according to this common teaching, Jesus came with a new covenant which had no law — only promises and LIBERTY TO DO WHATEVER YOU PLEASE.
Certainly there is something terribly WRONG with this concept!
Why Misunderstood
“OLD TESTAMENT,” “NEW TESTAMENT” — DO these words MEAN anything to you?
You have probably heard these two terms often during your lifetime. But as far as YOUR life is concerned, they haven’t meant very much to you, have they?
Yet the Bible, the very revelation of God to man, is composed of two great parts which uninspired editors have labeled the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament.” And under these two headings ALL the books of the Bible are contained. Almost everyone knows that.
But few understand that these two divisions have great significance! God has permitted them to be the two GREAT DIVISIONS of His book, the Bible! The very Book which reveals His will to man.
The ministers of this world do not understand the REAL meaning God intends these two parts to convey. This is the reason you probably have not understood them. These “ministers” cannot tell you what they themselves do not know!
But God’s Book, the Bible, DOES reveal the true meaning and importance of these two divisions to YOU. They are not difficult to understand. And there is NOTHING more important in your life than that you do understand them FULLY. Your salvation is closely linked with how well you understand them.
THE “OLD TESTAMENT” and THE “NEW TESTAMENT” represent the very essence of the plan whereby God is fashioning in man His supreme creation — very Sons of God to be BORN into His own Family!
Man Created Incomplete
God created man in the clay image of Himself, from the DUST of the ground.
But God DID NOT, at the time of Adam, FINISH HIS CREATION of man! God only created Adam PHYSICALLY COMPLETE at that time. He did NOT, at that time, carry out the second step in His creation of man.
God did NOT complete man SPIRITUALLY!
Man will be God’s supreme SPIRITUAL creation only AFTER He has FINISHED creating him spiritually into the very CHARACTER “IMAGE” of God.
Exactly what was lacking in Adam? What is needed to COMPLETE man spiritually?
Let’s understand!
God did NOT place within man the loving SPIRITUAL attitude that He has — the ATTITUDE characteristic of His HOLY SPIRIT. God’s Holy Spirit imparts the SPIRITUAL love and power man needs to develop God’s character and fulfill His royal, SPIRITUAL law of love — the Ten Commandments.
But our loving and gracious God has promised that He will begin to SHARE His very own divine nature with us. He has PROMISED to do this by BEGETTING US with His Holy Spirit — PROVIDED that we will TRULY REPENT of disobeying His laws, completely SURRENDER OUR OWN WILLS to the will of God, have FAITH in the cleansing blood of Christ and are baptized. Then God will place His Holy Spirit of LOVE and POWER within us, thus making it possible for us to BEGIN living by the eternal, royal law of love and BEGIN DEVELOPING the very CHARACTER of God!
“God IS Love” — that is, His very NATURE IS LOVING! (I John 4:8.)
We are actually to PARTAKE FULLY of His divine NATURE at the resurrection — “whereby are given unto us exceeding GREAT and PRECIOUS promises: that by these ye might BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE” (II Peter 1:4). THINK OF THAT!!
How marvellous!
We may now be begotten of the Spirit of the Father. And when we are later “BORN AGAIN,” then we will be COMPLETELY composed of spirit — the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. We will then be Gods — members of the God Kingdom — COMPOSED of God’s SPIRITUAL substance and nature by a new (our second) birth.
Yes, “GOD IS LOVE” (I John 4:8). At the resurrection WE ALSO WILL BE LOVE. We will then be the very PERSONIFICATION of love. We will then LIVE love — live by the royal law of love perfectly forever! (I John 3:9.) Then all our heartaches, sorrows and tears will be over.
God is now fashioning His spirit-begotten children unto “good works” in preparation for that glorious event (Eph. 2:10).
But fashioning us unto good works is NOT EASY!
Our Nature Must Be Changed
Two thousand years after the time of Adam, God made this statement concerning His people Israel, and all mankind: “O that there were such an heart [such a NATURE] in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them” (Deut. 5:29).
Notice that God says carnal man, of himself, does not have the ability — the character — to obey Him. WHY?
“The carnal mind [the mind with which we are born] is ENMITY against God [it HATES God’s law] for it is not subject to the law of God … ” (Rom. 8:7).
The carnal mind with which we are born REFUSES to keep God’s LAW. This is the REASON why man does not keep the royal law of love. His HUMAN nature REBELS against it. But the Scripture goes even further!! Notice the words “NEITHER INDEED CAN BE” at the end of this same verse.
It is utterly IMPOSSIBLE for the CARNAL mind of man, of itself, to be subject to God’s Supreme SPIRITUAL law of love!
Do you understand?
It is only by the MIRACLE OF SPIRITUAL BEGETTAL that one can BEGIN to keep God’s law! But even then we still have to FIGHT against the evil pulls of our carnal natures.
The apostle Paul, who was begotten by God’s Holy Spirit, recognized the continual evil pulls of his carnal nature. He said, “We know that the law is SPIRITUAL: but I am CARNAL … for that which I DO I allow not: for what I would, THAT DO I NOT; but WHAT I HATE, that DO I” (Rom. 7:14, 15)
Finally, Paul cried out, “O WRETCHED man that I am! who shall DELIVER me from the body of this death?” (Verse 24.) Paul knew that it would take a MIRACLE — direct FROM GOD HIMSELF — to COMPLETELY CHANGE his human NATURE so he could keep the law of God PERFECTLY! Paul knew that he was “WRETCHED” in his present carnal state. And then Paul, in exultation, ANSWERED his OWN question, “Who shall DELIVER ME?” with the words, “I thank God THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord” (verse 25).
Paul knew that the MIRACLE of COMPLETELY CHANGING his carnal human nature so he could keep the spiritual law perfectly would be accomplished BY the Father’s Spirit THROUGH CHRIST, our Savior, at the resurrection.
But many argue that God did away with His law, so that man could NATURALLY — by his PRESENT CARNAL NATURE — do “good.” But God did no such thing!
We know from our previous lesson that God gave man His supreme spiritual law from the beginning. It has existed from Adam. God personally instructed the first man and woman in His law. And it was His desire that man live in accordance with it from the beginning.
But it takes God’s Holy Spirit to obey His spiritual law! Paul knew that. And PAUL KNEW IT TOOK THE POWER OF GOD’S SPIRIT TO COMPLETELY CHANGE MAN’S NATURE!
God’s Holy Spirit Needed
Man must LONG for this complete change WITH ALL HIS HEART. He must come to the point of being willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING if only this change would BEGIN to take place within him. He must come to the point where, like Christ, he will say to the Father, “NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS THOU WILT” (Mat. 26:39).
MAN’S WILL MUST SURRENDER TOTALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY TO GOD’S WILL!
Man must SURRENDER himself to God so he can receive the LOVING NATURE of His Holy Spirit.
Man must be brought to the point where he can see he must VOLUNTARILY SURRENDER HIS OWN WILL SO that God can begin to COMPLETE man’s spiritual creation by placing His Holy Spirit within him. Then man will have the SPIRITUAL EQUIPMENT to be able to begin living by the royal law of God — the royal law of LOVE.
And when man is “born again” at the resurrection, it will be perfectly NATURAL for him to live by his new SPIRITUAL nature — just as it is NATURAL for unconverted people today to follow the dictates of their carnal natures.
THEN the creation of man will be COMPLETE! Man will be God’s FINISHED SPIRITUAL creation. Then he will HAVE all that he has longed for — true happiness, contentment, peace — for he will be living COMPLETELY within the law of love, and LOVE brings all these things and MORE!
But the carnal mind, with which we are born, is enmity towards God. It REBELS at the thought of allowing itself to be crushed out! Each of us has to have it PROVED that our carnal, unspiritual mind, with its human nature, cannot bring us the lasting happiness we seek.
It must be DEMONSTRATED to man that it is IMPOSSIBLE for him, OF HIMSELF, to keep the royal law of love.
But God already HAS given the people of this world PROOF of the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY of His MIRACULOUS, divine intervention within their lives so they can begin to keep His law and receive His blessings!!
THAT was the very purpose of the “Old COVENANT” God made with the children of Israel — which they did NOT keep!
God did NOT promise to give them His Holy Spirit of love and power at that time so they could keep His laws.
Never has God done away with His great SPIRITUAL law — the royal law of love. It is GOOD. The law stands fast FOREVER! It is the PEOPLE who have been WEAK, and therefore unable to keep God’s Ten Commandments!
We are now about ready for the actual lesson. But first read the following instructions.
Before You Begin
This lesson is intended to direct you to the BIBLE — to help you learn the truth of God’s Word. Here is the method of study.
Is your Bible in front of you? If not, get your Bible — or Bibles, if you have more than one translation — BEFORE YOU CONTINUE WITH THIS LESSON! Have a good dictionary, a concordance if you own one, and your notepaper all placed in front of you on a desk or table.
Remember — you are to open your Bible to EVERY passage. Never say to yourself, “Oh, I think I know what the lesson is referring to” — and then pass over the scripture. You need to “KEEP YOUR NOSE IN THE BIBLE,” so to speak. You must read and reread and think out each passage. MEDITATE on the new knowledge you will learn during your leisure time, especially within the following twenty-four hours, and in your time of prayer — so you WON’T FORGET IT! Make God’s Word a PART OF YOU! Don’t forget that this is a BIBLE study course — not just a study of the lessons we send you.
Here is how to make effective notes: Write down neatly on your paper the title of the lesson and underscore it. Next write down the lesson number. Then as you come to each question section, write down its heading. Then, underneath, number each question as you come to it. For each question write down the answer from your Bible, together with any pertinent ideas that come to your mind.
Be SURE to WRITE OUT the scripture which answers each question. Writing down every word of each Bible passage, and any comments you wish to make as you go along, will help you in REVIEWING and remembering later on.
This lesson, like all others, is extremely important to you. Have you PRAYED to God for understanding? If not, go now to a private place, kneel down, and ask Him for spiritual UNDERSTANDING and wisdom. Ask God to HELP YOU GRASP and APPLY the knowledge this lesson will reveal to you in the Bible!