SOME NEW THINGS OF CHRISTIANITY

People of all ages enjoy getting new things. In religion, some are always seeking something new or different. Things that originate with men (religions, movements, ideas or doctrines are vain, Matt. 15:9). The only true and valid new things are those that began on Pentecost some 2000 years ago. They are still in effect, and will remain new until the end of the world. These “new things” should thrill our souls to serve God.

First, there is a NEW COVENANT. A new covenant was foretold in the old covenant (Jer. 31:31). The old covenant was broken by Israel (Jer. 31:32). God brought the old covenant to an official end at the cross when Jesus died (Col. 2:14). The new covenant went into effect after Christ's death—providing a new way to God (Heb. 9:15-17; 10:9f, 15-20).

Second, there is a NEW CHURCH. The old church consisted of the Israelites in the wilderness during the Mosaical age (Acts 7:38, KJV). The old church was governed by the old covenant. Moses was its mediator and lawgiver (Gal. 3:19; John 1:17). The new church consists of all the saved in the world (Matt.16:`18; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38,40,41,17). The new church is governed by the new covenant. Christ is its mediator and lawgiver (John 1:17; 1 Tim. 2:5).

Third, there is a NEW BIRTH. The old church was entered by a fleshly birth (Heb. 8:10,11). The Israelites were born into a covenant relationship with God. They had to be taught to “know” their God, after they were already in the family of Israel. The new church is entered by the spiritual birth (John 3:1-7). In the new birth, one learns of God before becoming a child of God (John 6:45). The word of truth produces the new birth (1 Pet. 1:22,23).

Fourth, there is a NEW LIFE. The old life before conversion is sinful (Eph. 2:1; Col. 3:9,10). The new life begins at the new birth when one enters the new church by obeying the new covenant (Rom. 6:3-6; 8:10-14; 2 Cor. 5:17). The new man has new thoughts and motives (Matt. 5:8; Phil.4:8). The new man has new ways, new habits and new friends.

Fifth, there is a NEW NAME. Under the old covenant, God was honored in the name “Israel”, with the el at the end referring to God. Now, we have a “new name”, that gives honor to Christ our Savior, in the name “Christian”, which includes the name “Christ” (Isa. 62:2; Acts 11:18,26; 1 Pet. 4:16). Sadly, most religious people in world that “claim” Jesus is their savior, prefer to wear another (denominational) name above and before the name “Christian”. This does not honor Christ (John 17:20,21; 1 Cor. 1:10).

Sixth, there is a NEW RESIDENCE. The Jews of old dwelt in the physical land of Canaan, with Jerusalem as its center. Christians are but pilgrims here, with real citizenship in heaven, with spiritual Jerusalem as its eternal city (Heb. 11:13,14; 1 Pet. 2:11; Phil. 3:20 (cf ASV); Rev. 21:1,1).

Conclusion. These “new things” are NOT something WE have made new, but are those things GOD has made new, that began in the first century, and will always be new for the gospel age. God wants everyone to be a part of it and to enjoy His blessings. These new things are truly exciting for honest hearts.

Don Tarbet

THE LORD IS GOOD

“Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isaiah 38:17).

King Hezekiah, upon his recovery from sickness and the point of death, wrote the above words. He stated that God had cast his sins behind His back. Setting forth the truth of God’s Word, that when God forgives, He forgets—that is He sees them no more. Jeremiah, prophesying of the new covenant God would make with His people, stated: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That 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 bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Notice, that this is the new covenant; God would remember their sin “no more.” The writer of Hebrews used this same passage in Hebrews 8:8-13. One difference between the Old and New covenants had to do with this very point—God forgiving and forgetting. To see this difference more clearly, we look at another passage in Hebrews. The writer wrote: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year” (Hebrews 10:1-3).

Once “our” sins are cast behind the back of God, He remembers them no more. What a great blessing for us today. Beloved, if there is sin in your life—take care of it now. And, if you can, once taken care of, let it go yourself. Do not carry the guilt of it, because as far as God is concerned—it never happened.

Jimmie Gribble

Jesus' Testament

By means of a “last will and testament,” men indicate the desired disposition of their property at death. The title page of the latter section of our Bibles reads, “The New Testament of Jesus Christ.” While uninspired publishers supplied this title page, the inspired text refers to itself as the will or testament of the Lord:

For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it. For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth (Hebrews 9:16–17, ASV).

The immediate context (vv. 11–15) makes it clear that the will/testament of the Christ is in view in the quoted verses.

 Several parallels exist between the making and execution of human wills and the making and execution of Jesus’ last will and testament:

• While living, one may dispose of his property as he desires. However, when he dies, if he has a will, his estate will be dispersed only to those named in the will and according to its conditions, if any. Jesus gave many blessings, including forgiveness of sins, on various conditions during His earthly life, but since He died, His written will prevails.
•  A will takes effect only when its maker dies. This fact is no less true of the Divine will of Jesus than of human wills (Heb. 9:16–17). Jesus referred to the blood He shed on Calvary as “my blood of the new testament” (Matthew 26:28, KJV), signaling that it would go into effect at His death. This fact coincides with Paul’s statement that at Jesus’ death on the cross, he took the Old Testament “out of the way, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). It will be in effect as long as the world stands (Matthew 28:18–20).
• A person must be qualified to write a will. Human testators must have attained majority, be of sound mind, and not be influenced by coercion or by a mind-altering chemical substance. Jesus was qualified in every respect, possessing Divine wisdom and knowledge (John 12:49). He was not subject to coercion (John 10:17–18). None can invalidate His will. He declared, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
• A new will voids all previous wills. While living, one may replace or revise a will several times, but at death, only the last one he made has legal standing. God gave a testament/covenant through Moses to Israel fifteen centuries before Jesus was born. However, God made a new covenant/testament for all mankind through His Son. He “took away” the first one in His death (Hebrews 10:8–9). Thus Jesus “nailed to the cross” the first testament’s authority (Colossians 2: 14). One finds true religion only in the New Testament, not in the old (Hebrews 1:1–3). Only the last will of the Lord is in force.
• One must meet the conditions of the will to be an heir. One does not inherit merely on the basis of desire, feelings, or belief that he should, but upon meeting the will’s provisions (Matthew 7:21–23). Only God’s children are heirs (Romans 8:17) of the inheritance that is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away” (I Peter 1:4). These are named in the “book of life” that will be opened at the “reading” of Jesus’ will, otherwise known as The Judgment (John 12:48; Revelation 20:11–15).

 The principal aim of each one of us should be to so submit to the will of the Christ that He will inscribe—and keep—our names in the book of life as beneficiaries of His Testament.

Dub McClish

What Then Is the Law?

Judaizing zealots had come among the Galatian churches preaching that the Gentile saints must submit to certain requirements of Moses’ law to be saved. Some of the brethren had been “quickly removed” by this error (Galatians 1:6–9), and Paul wrote his letter to them in an effort to call them back to the Truth.In the context of convincing the Galatian Christians of the inferiority of Moses’ law when compared with the Gospel, he anticipated their asking, “What then is the law?” (Galatians 3:19). He basically answered that it was God’s preparatory measure for bringing Christ into the world (Galatians 3:20). Much confusion still reigns on the relationship between not only the law of Moses and the Gospel, but between all of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The resulting confusion remains the cause of a multitude of errors in doctrine and practice.

Some see the New Testament as a mere continuation of the Old, with men responsible to both. However, while they are closely related and contain some of the same principles and prohibitions, they also contain various contradictory statutes (e.g., days and acts of worship, circumcision, offerings, tithing, priesthood, et al.). They are two separate and distinct bodies of law.

The Old Testament foretells the coming of a new covenant (Testament) (Jeremiah 31:31–34), which the Bible identifies as the “better covenant,” mediated by Christ (Hebrews 8:6–13). In several direct statements the Bible declares that the authority of the Old Testament has been replaced by that of the New (e.g., Galatians 3:23–25; 5:1–6; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 1:1–2; 10:9; et al.). Inspired writers also used various illustrations to make the same point (Romans 7:1–4; Galatians 4:22–31; Hebrews 7:12; 9:15–17). The cross is the epochal event that closed the Old and opened the New Testament age.

Some questions immediately arise:• 

“Are we no longer under the Ten Commandments?” No, we are not. However, all of them except the sabbath law are continued in the New Testament. We are obliged to obey them, not because they are in the Old Testament, but in the New.• 

“Is the Old Testament not inspired?” Yes. The passing of its authority does not imply anything concerning its inspiration or accuracy. It is God’s inspired Word, revealed by God to its various writers, just as the New Testament is.• 

“Does the Old Testament have any practical value today?” Yes. Paul said that its contents are for our “learning,” “admonition,” and example (Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:6–11).

Consider the following:•

Its prophecies and types foretell the Christ, His new covenant, and the establishment of His church, allowing us to see God’s careful, patient, persistent work in history to redeem His estranged creation.• 

It is an important historical source book, revealing the origin of all things, the creation of man and his fall into sin, and the nature of God (love, mercy, longsuffering, and justice).• 

It is the necessary frame of reference for understanding the New Testament. Much of the New Testament would be a profound mystery did we not have the Old Testament.

The Old Testament’s basic purpose was to reveal man’s sinfulness and need of a Redeemer and to point to that Redeemer in advance of His coming (Romans 7:7; Galatians 3:19, 24). All of these facts emphasize the importance of our earnest study of the Old Testament.

Dub McClish