The Messianic Covenant (part 9)

As we near the end of our study of the Messianic Covenant it might be well to distinguish between the everlasting covenant which God made before the creation of the world, and the Messianic Covenant, or the Christian Covenant as it is sometimes called. This covenant regarding the Messiah ushers in the last stage of world history.

· First, the one was made in eternity past; the latter one was made in time, that is, during the history of the world.

· Second, the one was made with Jesus alone; the other with all of His people.

· Third, the one is without any conditions so far as we are concerned; the other establishes terms that must be met by God’s people.

· Fourth, under the one Jesus is the One who inherits; under the other Christians are the heirs and inherit that which Jesus purchased by His fulfilling the terms of the everlasting covenant, of which He now the administrator.

Now someone may ask, does my getting to heaven depend on the everlasting covenant or the new covenant? And the answer is, both. With respect to the everlasting covenant, we are dependant on what Jesus did in executing the terms of that covenant, namely, being the perfect sacrifice that satisfied God’s requirements under the law.

There are those who maintain that man has no responsibility under the New Covenant. This is simply not so. We cannot confine ourselves to a few favorite Scripture verses and ignore the “ifs” and “buts” in His word.

· Heb 3:1-19 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Does this seem like there is some uncertainty regarding our individual responsibility under the New Covenant? Of course not! If a person turns from their sinful ways, God has made an everlasting covenant with him and has given him the same which He gave to Jesus as Mediator. But there is the condition of obedience.

Now for a kind of post-script to the study of the covenants. I would like for you to look with me at Galatians 4 beginning with verse 8. Actually, part of this passage is an allegory, an allegory being a symbolic representation of truth.

· Gal 4:8-11 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

In these verses Paul reminds the believers in Galacia of what they were before their conversion, and what a great change their conversion had made in them. He then tries to convince them of their weakness in listening to those who would return to bondage of worshiping other gods.

Do you remember what the Spirit called Paul to in his ministry? He was called to be a missionary to the Gentiles! And do you know where Galacia is? Well, it is in north central Turkey, and as such it is not a Jewish area but a pagan area that worshiped false gods before Paul preached Jesus to them. So this was not a matter of the Law with the Galatians; it was a matter of false gods. However, the Judaizers had come in, following their conversion to Jesus, and were teaching that they should obey the Law. In other words, the Judaizers were trying to convert them to Judaism.

So Paul does some straight talking to them in this letter. He reminds them of their past behavior and what they were before the Gospel was preached to them. He said that then they were ignorant of the true God and therefore were slaves to the false gods.

Then he reminds them of the happy change that took place in them when they heard the Gospel preached. He speaks in very critical tones when he asks why they want to return to positions of slaves to false gods.

Then in verse 11 he says something that I suspect every preached has at least thought on some occasions when there seemed to be no response to his preaching, or that his preaching had no changing effect on the congregation; He says that his preaching seems to have been wasted on them.

· Gal 4:12-20 I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

The apostle pleads with them to follow him and not the false teaching of the Judaizers. He mentions his illness and how they have been so kind to him in that regard. This is one more hint that Paul had a vision problem. He goes so far as to say that these Galatians would have even given their own eyes to him if they could. (Do you remember what happened to Paul during his conversion experience?) Yes, he was blinded on his journey to Damascus.

Finally Paul seems to apologize for his tone of voice but still he is disappointed in them. At this point we pick up the allegory of Abraham’s family.