The NT Law
What Is It?
When we look at the OT law and all that it was purposed for and all that it was meant to accomplish, we really begin to see the NT law in a new light. This idea and concept of the OT law is what all of last week and our most recent post was about as well. However, with everything that the OT law has revealed to us about God’s character and our fallenness, the subject at hand we must now address is how we view the NT law. With everything we now know and understand about God’s righteousness and His covenant He made with His people that requires absolute perfection, how should we now view the new covenant in the NT? With the old covenant no longer in play, changes in our relationship with the Lord are inevitable. This is why the author of Hebrews in chapter 7 verse 12 states, “11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.” There’s no denying that with a new head priest (Jesus) to lead us to the Lord, there must be a new law that we are to follow. Keith Mathison says it best when he mentions, “The focal point where the old and new covenants meet is found in Jesus Christ. The old covenant, as a guardian, prepares the way for Him and prepares His people for Him.” This essentially is what we will be diving into today. In light of all that the OT law has taught us, how should we now approach the new covenant? Let’s dive in.
No Christ, No Covenant
First off, I would be in the wrong if I brought up the new covenant without any mention of our faith in Christ. If we are unwilling to repent and follow Christ as our Lord and Savior, then the new covenant should mean nothing to us. As stated earlier in Hebrews, Jesus is our new high priest who is now responsible for leading to salvation with the Father. If we don’t believe that Jesus can do that, there’s essentially no point to stop following the OT law. In other words, to assume that one can be in right standing with God without the sacrifice of Christ is sheer foolishness. And yet, there are religions and groups out there that believe just that. God has made a new covenant that allows His people to rely on the perfection of Jesus rather than the imperfections of themselves, and remorsefully, there are still those who want another way. There are few people I pity more than those who claim to believe in the God of heaven, and yet make their own path to accomplish righteousness because they claim God’s isn’t good enough.
There’s a reason why Jesus makes this claim when passing the bread and wine during the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:19-20 tells us, “19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Make no mistake about it folks, if we want to live under this new covenant, our faith must be in the finished work of Christ. Now what about those who still don’t believe in Christ and are willing to submit themselves under the old covenant and strive to accomplish perfect righteousness through the 613 laws? As difficult as this is, is it still a possible route to salvation? Allow me to dispute this one quote from Jesus Himself. John 14:6 “6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Friends, Jesus isn’t just the more simple route to God, He’s the only route to God. When the new covenant came, the old covenant was put to rest. May we pray for those whose faith is not yet in Christ and rely on a dead covenant!
Love Others
Furthermore, the new covenat as discussed in our last post, still shows the heart of God in the same light as the old. As mentioned earlier this week, God’s ‘moral standard’ has never shifted between the old and the new. This is why Galatians 5:14 is such a crucial passage for us. It states, “14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Our love for others is what will testify that we are found in Christ and under a new covenant. The two go hand in hand. One cannot claim that they are under the new covenant from Christ and yet not love others. These two concepts are not separate from one another but rather are one and the same. If we are under the new covenant of Christ, it is evident by the way we love others, and if we love others in the ways of God, it is evident that we are under the new covenant of Christ. Again, Keith Mathison puts it beautifully when he states, “The moral law, however, — that which sets forth the universal and eternal standards of righteousness — is unchanged. Although it is now written on the hearts of God’s people rather than on tablets of stone, this law remains the same.”
If we have Christ, we love. End of story. Now we must also make sure, however, that our love is a biblical type of love as explained in 1 Corinthians 13, and not a worldly, cheap, type of love that is all around us today. Anyone can love someone on their own terms and regulations, but loving someone how Christ has called us to love them is what really shows the world who we belong to. I pray this week that as you read God’s Word and observe His new law, you be overwhelmed by His grace that you get to be under this new covenant found in Christ. May our Lord also burden our hearts for our lost friends and family so that we may pray for them and show the love of Christ to them as well. May they soon join us under this new covenant with Jesus, where His burden is easy, and His burden is light.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] The New Covenant by Keith Mathison. (n.d.). Ligonier Ministries. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/new-covenant
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