Israel's New Covenant

[berg]

Is there any relationship between Israel’s New Covenant (Jer 31:31) and the covenant mentioned in 2 Cir 3:6?
“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Berg.

 

[jeffweeder]

JER 31
"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

1Jn 2
These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.
27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

YES, the New covenant that would set his and all people free was the blood of the Messiah-our lord Jesus Christ.

This is the new cov in his blood.
One Jesus, one gospel, one precious blood to forgive sin forever, one Holy Spirit who reminds you of all that Jesus said..and did.

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves;
18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."
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.

 

[Notrash]

Is there any relationship between Israel’s New Covenant (Jer 31:31) and the covenant mentioned in 2 Cir 3:6?
“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Berg.

I believe fully they are 1 and the same. What does the old covenant refer to?

 

[berg]

Hi Jeff and Notrash,

If Paul is preaching Israel’s New Covenant which is LAW written on the heart.

Jer.31:33 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.

How then can he tell the church, the Body of Christ that they are dead to the law?

Rom. 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, “ye also are become dead to the law” by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Gal. 2:19 For I through the law am “dead to the law,” that I might live unto God.

Rom. 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are “not under the law”, but under grace.

Berg.

 

[jeffweeder]

We uphold the law but we are not under the law to be condemned by it. Christ is the end of the law as he fulfilled the law and removed the curse.--for us.
Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit sayeth the lord.
It is by Grace that ye are saved. We recieve him into our hearts, and slowly but surely we are transformed by grace into his likeness.= sanctification---my grace is sufficient for you--and we are his workmanship,so no-one can boast about it. We glory in the lords gift to us,and are saved.

 

[Notrash]

Hi Jeff and Notrash,

If Paul is preaching Israel’s New Covenant which is LAW written on the heart.

Jer.31:33 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.

How then can he tell the church, the Body of Christ that they are dead to the law?

Rom. 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, “ye also are become dead to the law” by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Gal. 2:19 For I through the law am “dead to the law,” that I might live unto God.

Rom. 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are “not under the law”, but under grace.

Berg.

In Jeremiah, it would be the "perfect law" of Love of the New Covenant refered to by James in his Epistle;

Expressed love fulfills the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Love is the perfect law, the law of liberty (James 1:25, 2:12) - liberty from a lifeless legal code and efforts for legal justification. It is the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12), that ageless law which conveys the intent and message of the law and the prophets

The law of love; the law of Grace; and the law of sonship/adoption/propitiation through faith in Christ and evidenced by reciving the Holy Spirit. God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom 5:5)

Romans 7 deals with the issure of seeking to please God; but not knowing how since the believer is no longer under the old covenant rules. Woe is him.... who can rescue him from this dilema.? ... Thanks be to God, for we please God by believing in Jesus and by recieving his love and loving others in accordance with obedience to Christ and the direction of the Spirit.


The verses you offered would be referring to the mosaic law of the old covenant of nation/land. We are no longer under that type of codified law or ordinances of do's and don'ts.

Here's a nice short commentary on the idea.
http://www.freedomsring.org/fic/chap3.html

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

Is there any relationship between Israel’s New Covenant (Jer 31:31) and the covenant mentioned in 2 Cir 3:6?
“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Berg.

Yes, there is a definite relationship. The New Covenant promises in Jer 31:31 are to Jews, and Paul himself was a Jew. One of the key New Covenant promises was reception of the Holy Spirit.


LDG

 

[Dispy]

Is there any relationship between Israel’s New Covenant (Jer 31:31) and the covenant mentioned in 2 Cir 3:6?
“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Berg.

The following is taken from the book A Commentary Of SECOND CORINTHIANS Based On The Greek New Testament, by Dr. Ernest R. Campbell. (The commentary has many words written in the Greek language which I will delete. () will indicate where the Greek word was delelted.)

2 Cor. 6. "who also made us sufficient ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life."

This verse begins with the relative pronoun "who" (), whfich refers to God. The Apostle Paul says that He "made us sufficient ministers of a new covenant." The Greek word translated "made" sufficient" () means that God had made Paul and his co-laborers qualified and competent "ministers" () and servants of a new covenant. Keep in mind, God is the one who had made them capable, qualified and competent ministers.

Next, we observe that they were made ssufficient ministers of. If he had in mind the covenant promised to Israel in the Old Testament, we would anticipate that he would have used the phrase the new covenant. It is true that the Gospel of Grace as it pertains to salvation has roots in the Old Testament, but the Gospel of Grace as it pertains to the Mystery is totally absent from the Old Testament. Since Paul and those associated with ministers of the Gospel of salvation and the mystery, we would not expect them to be ministers of the prophesied new covenant (Jer. 31:33; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 8:10). Paul affirms that they are not, but that "God made them sufficient ministers of adifferent covenant, a new covenant.

This new covenant of which the Apostle Paul was made a miniser is not of the "letter" (), that which is written in the Mosaic Law, BUT ()in strong contrast, he is a minister of a covenant of the Spirit. In verse 3 and in verses 7-8, agains the background of the Law, Paul exalts the superiority of God's ministry of the Spirit, truth revealed to and through him for the Church, the Body of Christ. It is impossible for a person who understands the gloriouss TRUTHS OF THE MYSTERY to comprehend why one would try to put himself under the Law. The only answer is - such a person must be totally ignorant of the Mystery, God's plan and purpose for the Chruch.

Paul goes on to say, "for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." To say that the leltter killis is synonymous with saying that the Law kills.. Romans 7:9-10 says, "for I was lliving apart from the Law once; but the commandment having come sin revived, and I died, and the commandment that was unto life, this for me was found unto death."

In contrast to the Law, the ministry of the Spirit "gives life" () and makes alive. According to Romans 8:2, the lalw of the Spirit is life in Christ Jesus. According to Romans 8:11, Gid will make alive our mortal bodies through His indwelling Spirit.

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord!

 

[Terral]

Hi Berg and LDG:

Berg >> Is there any relationship between Israel’s New Covenant (Jer 31:31) and the covenant mentioned in 2 Cir 3:6?

“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

LDG >> Yes, there is a definite relationship. The New Covenant promises in Jer 31:31 are to Jews, and Paul himself was a Jew. One of the key New Covenant promises was reception of the Holy Spirit.

We can agree that the New Covenant of Jeremiah is the same “New Covenant” of Hebrews 8:8 that Paul is referring to in 2Cor. 3:6, but that fact does NOT mean the New Covenant has anything at all to do with the members of “Christ’s Body.” This is one of the very simple aspects of “Grace Doctrine” that escapes the notice of many professing Dispensationalists ‘wrongly dividing’ the word of truth. The fact that Paul is a Jew has nothing to do with anything, as if everyone calling himself a Jew is somehow under the New Covenant. If you read Hebrews again, then you will see that the “New Covenant” is between the Lord God (Christ) and the Houses of Israel and Judah, which does NOT even begin to describe our mystery “Body of Christ” at all. The truth eluding most everyone here is that Paul is ‘preaching the kingdom’ (Acts 20:25 = Gospel of the Kingdom explained here) for the building of the Prophetic Kingdom “Bride” (Church #1 here) for whom the “New Covenant” does have application. The members of the Kingdom Bride were part of this Corinthian congregation represented by groups claiming to be “of Apollos” and “of Cephas” (1Cor. 1:12) that were saved via the “Gospel of the Kingdom” including repentance, confession of sins, water baptism for the forgiveness of sins and laying of hands for the Holy Spirit. However, the “New Covenant” has nothing to do with the people saved via our “Word of the Cross” (1Cor 1:18) gospel message (gospel #2), because ‘we’ are seated in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6) even now.

The “New Covenant” had application to people like “Aristarchus” and “Barnabas’ cousin Mark” (writer of the gospel), as the “fellow workers for the Kingdom of God” (Col 4:11) who spend their lives preaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom” like Peter is doing in Acts 2 and Acts 10 to Cornelius. The fact is that the Corinthian Epistles bear a ‘water mark’ with instructions to the Prophetic Kingdom ‘Bride,’ (Church #1) which MANY of you are misinterpreting to the detriment of your heavenly garment being turned black like coal. Again, the “New Covenant” has NOTHING to do with the members of “Christ’s Body” (Church #2) saved by God’s grace through faith apart from works (Eph. 2:8-10) and justified by faith apart from works (Rom. 4:4-6). The New Covenant has everything to do with Israel of the flesh ‘and’ the Prophetic Kingdom Bride under Peter’s stewardship and apostleship made ready to join us “IN Christ” via the “Marriage Supper Of The Lamb” (Rev 19:5-10). The New Covenant will be in effect between the Lord God and the Houses of Israel and Judah, when Elijah returns to restore all things (Matt 17:10-11) as the prophet of Acts 3:22-25; but only after our Rapture (1Thes 4:16-17) that ‘starts’ the 1000 Year Day of the Lord (in blue here and here).

In Christ Jesus,

Terral

 

[berg]

Hi Jeff, Notrash, Dispy, LDG, and Terral, each one of you has contributed something in this thread, to my understanding of Israel’s New Covenant, and how it is perceived amongst Christians. Thank you all very much, I am going to spend a little more time thinking on it before I make any more comments on the subject. Catch ya later.
Berg.

 

[berg]

Hi Berg and LDG:

We can agree that the New Covenant of Jeremiah is the same “New Covenant” of Hebrews 8:8 that Paul is referring to in 2Cor. 3:6, but that fact does NOT mean the New Covenant has anything at all to do with the members of “Christ’s Body.” This is one of the very simple aspects of “Grace Doctrine” that escapes the notice of many professing Dispensationalists ‘wrongly dividing’ the word of truth. The fact that Paul is a Jew has nothing to do with anything, as if everyone calling himself a Jew is somehow under the New Covenant. If you read Hebrews again, then you will see that the “New Covenant” is between the Lord God (Christ) and the Houses of Israel and Judah, which does NOT even begin to describe our mystery “Body of Christ” at all. The truth eluding most everyone here is that Paul is ‘preaching the kingdom’ (Acts 20:25 = Gospel of the Kingdom explained here) for the building of the Prophetic Kingdom “Bride” (Church #1 here) for whom the “New Covenant” does have application. The members of the Kingdom Bride were part of this Corinthian congregation represented by groups claiming to be “of Apollos” and “of Cephas” (1Cor. 1:12) that were saved via the “Gospel of the Kingdom” including repentance, confession of sins, water baptism for the forgiveness of sins and laying of hands for the Holy Spirit. However, the “New Covenant” has nothing to do with the people saved via our “Word of the Cross” (1Cor 1:18) gospel message (gospel #2), because ‘we’ are seated in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6) even now.

The “New Covenant” had application to people like “Aristarchus” and “Barnabas’ cousin Mark” (writer of the gospel), as the “fellow workers for the Kingdom of God” (Col 4:11) who spend their lives preaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom” like Peter is doing in Acts 2 and Acts 10 to Cornelius. The fact is that the Corinthian Epistles bear a ‘water mark’ with instructions to the Prophetic Kingdom ‘Bride,’ (Church #1) which MANY of you are misinterpreting to the detriment of your heavenly garment being turned black like coal. Again, the “New Covenant” has NOTHING to do with the members of “Christ’s Body” (Church #2) saved by God’s grace through faith apart from works (Eph. 2:8-10) and justified by faith apart from works (Rom. 4:4-6). The New Covenant has everything to do with Israel of the flesh ‘and’ the Prophetic Kingdom Bride under Peter’s stewardship and apostleship made ready to join us “IN Christ” via the “Marriage Supper Of The Lamb” (Rev 19:5-10). The New Covenant will be in effect between the Lord God and the Houses of Israel and Judah, when Elijah returns to restore all things (Matt 17:10-11) as the prophet of Acts 3:22-25; but only after our Rapture (1Thes 4:16-17) that ‘starts’ the 1000 Year Day of the Lord (in blue here and here).

In Christ Jesus,

Terral

Hi Terral,

Terral >> The New Covenant Has NOTHING To Do With The Members Of Christ's Body. ZERO.

“2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

Second Corinthians was written from Paul and Timothy, (2 Cor 1:1) so I expect the “us” in 2 cor 3:6 would be referring to “Paul and Timothy” as being “Able ministers of the new testament”, so if you are right about Paul having a ministry to the Circumcision as well as the Uncircumcision, that would explain why Paul circumcised Timothy in Acts 16:1-3, and many other nagging problems would be cleared up as well.

Berg

 

[pehkay]

Hi Berg, the answer is yes. Also refer to Rom 8:2 the law of the Spirit of life ...
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Putting His Law within Them

The last portion we will consider is 31:33 and 34. "This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law within them and write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And they will no longer teach, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for all of them will know Me, from the little one among them even to the great one among them, declares Jehovah, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." In speaking of the new covenant that He would make with His elect, God said that He would put His law within them. This is not the law of letters—it is the law of life. If God's law were not the law of life, He could not put His law into our being. The law that God puts into us is the law of His own life. The law is actually the life. This means that God puts Himself into us as life, and this life is the law that He puts into us.

God's life, which is God Himself, is a law that regulates us. Just as a cat is regulated by the law of the cat life and a human being is regulated by the law of the human life, so are we regulated by the law of the divine life.

Writing His Law upon Their Hearts

In verse 33 God, speaking of His law, says that He will "write it upon their hearts." God not only puts His law within us, but He also writes it upon our hearts. To write here means to inscribe. God writes His law upon our hearts by moving from our spirit into our heart to inscribe what He is into our being. This indicates that in the new covenant God does not ask us to do anything, for in the new covenant He does everything.

They Being His People,
and All of Them Knowing Him,
from the Little One among Them
Even to the Great One among Them

Under God's new covenant, Israel will be His people, and He will be their God. Today we, the believers in Christ, are God's people, and He is our God.

In verse 34 God says, "All of them will know Me, from the little one among them even to the great one among them." To know God does not simply mean that we know that God is triune and that He is holy and righteous. To know God is to live God, and to live God is to know God. For example, we may hate, but God loves. Thus, if we know God, we will live Him by loving others. Also, God is compassionate. To know Him is to live Him as the compassionate One. This is something that the elders in particular need to do. A compassionate elder is an elder who knows God. Furthermore, God is considerate. To know Him is to live Him as the One who is considerate.

We can know God in such a way only because He has put His life into us, and this life is just God Himself. This life is our inner life law with its capacity. As believers in Christ, we all, from the little one to the great one, have this capacity to know God by living Him.

God Forgiving Their Iniquity
and Remembering Their Sin No More

In the last part of verse 34 God says, "I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." As we pointed out in the previous message, this involves redemption (Eph. 1:7). Since God forgives, to know God is to forgive others and to not remember their sin. This is to live out Christ's redemption.

All the matters in Jeremiah 31:33 and 34 are developed in the New Testament. In Hebrews 8 Paul quotes these verses in order to show us that today we have the inner law, the law of life. In the new covenant, which is the better covenant (Heb. 7:22), God has put Himself into us as life, and this life is our inner law. This inner law is our capacity to live God in order to be God's people. Thus, we can live and have our being in the same way God does. He is forgiving and does not remember the sins of His people, and we can be the same.

THE ULTIMATE ISSUE OF JEREMIAH'S REVELATION

What is described in Jeremiah 31:33 and 34 is actually the new creation. The ultimate issue of Jeremiah's revelation is the new creation, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem. Therefore, intrinsically speaking, Jeremiah is the same as the New Testament. The intrinsic content of the book of Jeremiah is the base of the New Testament. The New Testament is thus the development of Jeremiah.

 

[ddub85]

To All:

Could someone please explain to me how it is that Gentiles were never given the law, and are not under the law, YET...

Those under the New Covenant ARE GIVEN THE LAW in their hearts and in their minds... ??? The law is at the center of the New Covenant, Gentiles don't have the law, but many claim Gentiles are under the New Covenant (Not to mention the fact that the New Covenant is NEVER promised to Gentiles, and a host of other reasons).

Could someone please deal with this for me?

Thanks.

God Bless!

 

[pehkay]

GRACE NOT MAKING US LAWLESS

Romans 6:14 says, “For you are not under the law but under grace.” This verse does not mean that we are fully liberated to do anything we want; grace does not make us lawless. The law referred to in this verse is the Old Testament law, the law given through Moses. Although we certainly are not under that law today, this does not mean that God has no law toward us. God is not a lawless God. In the New Testament God has imparted His law upon our hearts (Heb. 10:16). In the Old Testament it may have been possible to disregard the Ten Commandments, which were written on tablets of stone, but today God’s law has been written into our hearts. We cannot disregard this subjective law within us. Furthermore, the law of the New Testament is stricter than the law of Moses. What God does is always advancing and going higher. Romans 6:14 does not mean that today we are not under any law; rather, it means that we are not under the Old Testament law, the objective law written on tablets of stone. Today we are under a law that is stricter and more subjective to us; it is written upon our hearts.

THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW
BEING THE LAW OF BONDAGE

The Old Testament law, the law given through Moses, was a law of bondage (Gal. 5:1). Because we are not able to keep the Old Testament law, we are bound by it. The law says, “You shall not covet” (Exo. 20:17a). A missionary in China once preached the gospel to his cook, explaining that all people are sinners and need salvation. However, the cook resisted, claiming that he was a good man who never sinned. The missionary wisely did not argue with the cook but instead began to talk about a fine horse that the missionary owned. The cook immediately began to think about the missionary’s horse and how he could obtain it. The next day, when the missionary spoke again to the cook concerning all men needing salvation, the cook again claimed to be a good man who never sinned. The missionary then asked what the cook had been thinking about since their previous conversation. The cook admitted that he had been thinking about the missionary’s horse and how to obtain it. The missionary pointed out that this was covetousness and was a sin, and the cook was convicted.

THE NEW TESTAMENT LAW
BEING THE LAW OF FREEDOM

Because no one can keep the Old Testament law, it is the law of bondage. Because the New Testament law, which is written upon our hearts, frees us, it is a law of freedom. Romans 8:2a says, “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus.” Today we are under the law of freedom, not under the law of bondage. The law of freedom is written not on stone but upon our hearts. Many saints have testified that as they were going to an ungodly place, although they were outwardly claiming to be liberated, something bothered them within. This inward feeling, sensation, or consciousness is the function of the law written upon our hearts. This shows that we are indeed under a law. Regardless of how much we believers may declare that we have been liberated, there is always a living law within us. Whenever we do something that offends God, this living law within rebukes us. Although we are always under the inner law, if we obey this law, it immediately frees us.

Many people are under the bondage of movies. A young brother may lie to his mother, telling her that he is going to the library when he is actually going to a movie theater. After returning home, the young brother may lie again when his mother asks about what he studied. By telling two lies, both of which will be judged by God, this young brother has shown that he is bound by movies. However, the law written in our hearts can free us from such bondage. This law frees us by troubling us. Before being saved, a young man may have felt fine and even proud after deceiving his mother in such a way. After being saved, however, something within will bother him both about going to a movie and about lying to his mother. Thus, the law of freedom bothers us, troubling us within. This law is very patient. If we disregard the troubling within, this law will simply continue to trouble us. Sooner or later, we will be subdued because a bothering element has been written upon our hearts.

Apparently, to be a Christian is to have peace. Actually, however, after becoming Christians, we do not always have peace. We are often bothered by the One who is within. This bothering One will not stop His bothering. He may continue bothering us for years. We will never convince Him to allow us to do certain things. He will patiently and gently continue bothering us until He subdues us. When He subdues us, the law within becomes the law of freedom. The law of freedom can thus free us from the bondage of movies or anything else.

We should not think that today we are not under any law. Christians are under the strictest law; it binds us even in minor points. This law, which is within every believer, requires not only that we speak the truth but also that every word be accurate. The more we love the Lord, the more this law will operate by troubling us. Before being saved, we were lawless, but after being saved, we become people of law. God’s law is written upon our hearts. In 1 Corinthians 9:21 Paul says, “I am not without law to God but within law to Christ.” We are under the law to Christ. There is a new law in the New Testament, the law of freedom, which is also called the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). We are under the law of freedom, the law of Christ. Every Christian is a lawful person, a person under law. This law is stricter and finer than the old law. If we have only a little pride within us, although no one may perceive it, the law within will condemn our pride. We all need to realize that we are under this law.

The law of freedom is the law of life (Rom. 8:2). A baby does not know the words bitter or sweet, but he will always swallow something sweet and spit out something bitter. This illustrates the function of the law of life. The baby is living, and in his life is a law that regulates him, causing him to swallow the sweet and spit out the bitter. Every life has a law. Because we have been born of God, we have received the life of God. With the divine life there is a divine law. Before being saved, if we went to a movie, we did not sense any bitterness. Rather, we may have felt happy. After being saved, if we still go to a movie, something within will cause us to feel bad. However, not many Christians are immediately willing to obey this inner feeling. Therefore, this inner feeling will trouble us again and again, even for years, until we are eventually subdued. Nevertheless, the sooner we obey, the better. By obeying sooner, we save ourselves from the bitterness and from wasting time.

 

[pehkay]

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BEING BASED ON LAW

Jeremiah 31:33 is a most basic verse in the Scriptures: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law in their inward parts and write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” In order to have God as our God and to be a people to God, we must realize and understand the matter of law, because it is based on law that God is God to us and we are a people to God. If we are not clear about this matter, the relationship between us and God cannot be right as God requires. Therefore, we must understand the law that God puts in our inward parts and writes in our hearts.

Jeremiah 31:33 is quoted twice in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them; and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to Me.” In Jeremiah’s prophecy law is singular, but here in the quotation it becomes laws. In other words, when this law was prophesied in the Old Testament time, it was one law, but when this law is applied in the New Testament time, it becomes a number of laws. This is because although the law is one, when we apply it to our experience, it becomes several laws by spreading into our various inward parts. Also, in the quotation here the word mind is used instead of inward parts in Jeremiah’s prophecy, proving that the mind is one of the inward parts. This quotation in Hebrews also says that first God will impart His laws into our mind, and then He will inscribe them upon our hearts. Hebrews 10:16, a second quotation of Jeremiah’s prophecy, says, “This is the covenant which I will covenant with them after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws upon their hearts, and upon their mind I will inscribe them.” In this verse the heart is mentioned first and the mind second. Therefore, by comparing the one prophecy in Jeremiah 31:33 and the two quotations in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16, we can see at least three changes. First, lawis changed to laws; second, inward parts is changed to mind; and third, in 8:10 the mind is first and the heart is second, but in 10:16 the heart is first and the mind is second. Moreover, both the prophecy and the two quotations indicate that first the law must be put into us, and then it must be written on us.

These three verses tell us that the relationship between God and us is based on the matter of law. For us, the New Testament believers, the law is not the law of letters written outside of us on stone tablets; rather, it is a law that is put into us and written on our hearts. Since this law is something put into our inward parts and written on our hearts, this law must be something of life and in the Spirit. If not, how could this law be put into our inward parts and written on our hearts? Hence, this law must be the law of life. Today the relationship between God and us is based on this inward law of life in the Spirit.

THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE

In Romans 8:2 this law is clearly mentioned as “the law of the Spirit of life.” The law, the Spirit, and life, composed together, are the law of the Spirit of life. This is the law prophesied by Jeremiah and referred to by the apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. This law is the law of the Spirit of life so that it can be put into our inward parts and written on our hearts. Furthermore, this law is also “in Christ Jesus.”

(too much to put up --- so on the side ... )

Please notice that God's intention for giving man the law was not for man to keep it. God never says that those who keep the law will satisfy His heart. God did not give man the law with the intention that he would keep it, but with the intention that he would gain the righteousness of the law. We have to differentiate between the law and the righteousness of the law. Not being covetous, honoring one's parents, and refraining from idolatry—these are the righteousnesses of the law. God does not want man to keep the law but to gain the righteousness of the law. In summary, God's intention in instituting the law is as follows: First, He apparently wants man to keep the law, but only for the purpose of exposing him so that he would see the futility of his flesh. Second, He wants man to inherit the righteousness of the law. Third, He wants man to have His life. In order to have life, a man cannot be lawless. Without the righteousness of the law, he cannot receive life. When man inherits Christ as his righteousness, he inherits life as well. According to the law, a man receives the righteousness of the law and inherits life if he keeps the law (Lev. 18:5). Today we can inherit the righteousness of the law and have life without keeping the law. As long as we believe in the Lord, we become righteous (Gal. 2:16), and we have life. But after we have inherited life, the Judaizers say that we should keep the law in order to gain the righteousness of the law. This is wrong. Once a man tries to keep the law, the old man is revived. We are saved when God puts us into the death of Christ. We inherit righteousness through the blood of the Lord, and we receive life by inheriting righteousness. This life is not under the law. If we want to keep the law, our flesh will have to keep it. When we try to keep the law, the flesh is revived. The new life the Lord has given us is not under the law; rather, it fulfills the righteousness of law automatically within us.

(some experience of the law of Spirit of life is mentioned on the post before .. but I can post more ...)

 

[Terral]

Hi Berg:

Terral Original >> The New Covenant Has NOTHING To Do With The Members Of Christ's Body. ZERO.

Berg Quotes >> “2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

Berg Commentary >> Second Corinthians was written from Paul and Timothy, (2 Cor 1:1) so I expect the “us” in 2 cor 3:6 would be referring to “Paul and Timothy” as being “Able ministers of the new testament”, so if you are right about Paul having a ministry to the Circumcision as well as the Uncircumcision, that would explain why Paul circumcised Timothy in Acts 16:1-3, and many other nagging problems would be cleared up as well.

Yes. Paul and Timothy have dual membership in Peter’s Prophetic Kingdom ‘Bride’ and Paul’s Mystery ‘Body of Christ’, which means you see Paul “preaching the kingdom” (Acts 20:25) and preaching the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), as ‘two parts’ of the “whole purpose of God.” Acts 20:27. Examples of Bible principals for whom the “New Covenant” does have application include: Peter and the Twelve, everyone saved via the “Gospel of the Kingdom” in the Four Gospels and on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Samarians and the Eunuch (Acts 8), Cornelius and his household (Acts 10) and the ‘disciples’ of Acts 19. Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) because he would be helping the “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Col. 4:11 = like Mark = Col 4:10) preaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Gospel #1 here) for the building up of Peter’s Kingdom “Bride” (Church #1 here).

My comment about a ‘water mark’ appearing in the Pauline Epistles ‘and’ your heavenly ephod is upon a topic that escapes the notice of almost everyone here today, but in the ages to come these things will have the most importance and the highest priority of all. The ‘nagging problems’ you are talking about are created by intermingling the doctrinal precepts teaching Kingdom Doctrine for Peter’s Prophetic Kingdom Bride ‘versus’ Grace Doctrine for Paul’s Mystery Body of Christ, which will be the downfall and failure of many members of Christ’s body earning dark clouds for the heavenly garment and dark ‘coal-like’ stones (dark-dull blue) for their heavenly ephod. Israel’s “New Covenant” has NOTHING to do with the members of Christ’s Body, but the ‘water witness’ language for Peter’s Kingdom Bride ‘does’ appear within the boundaries of the Pauline Epistles; because the Corinthian congregation contained members of ‘both’ groups. Take a look at the following diagram to begin ‘rightly dividing’ the Word of Truth correctly:

Three Witnesses Of Scripture:

Your Bible is Living and Active in that Scripture has a spirit (OT = 39 books), soul (Pauline Epistles = 13 books = blood witness) and body (Kingdom Epistles = 13 books = water witness) and “the three are into the one” (1Jn 5:8); just like the Father (spirit witness), Son (blood witness) and the Holy Spirit (water witness). The Book of Acts is neither a Kingdom book (water witness) nor a Grace book (blood witness), but it represents the transitional veil (First Veil) between the Court and the Holy Place of God’s Living Word. Israel’s New Covenant (Heb 8:8-12) is a ‘water witness’ component standing in the “Court” of God’s Living Word having nothing to do with the members of Christ’s Body at all. Every Dispy starting our Mystery Church in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost is ‘wrongly dividing’ the Word of Truth to his or her own shame, while mixing things together that God Himself has put asunder. Elijah will return and begin the process of restoring all things (Matt. 17:10-11) as the prophet of Acts 3:19-26, which will add Kingdom Disciples to Peter’s Kingdom Bride called to God through the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” You and I will see all of that from heaven, because Elijah appears in direct connection with our mystery rapture that ‘starts’ the 1000 Year Day of the Lord.

In Christ Jesus,

Terral

 

[ddub85]

@ Pehkay

GRACE NOT MAKING US LAWLESS
Romans 6:14 says, “For you are not under the law but under grace.” This verse does not mean that we are fully liberated to do anything we want; grace does not make us lawless.

Agreed.

The law referred to in this verse is the Old Testament law, the law given through Moses. Although we certainly are not under that law today, this does not mean that God has no law toward us. God is not a lawless God.

By the same token, God's law doesn't change. It's the same law yesterday, today, and forever. But the fact expressed by the Bible is that the Jews were given the law, and Gentiles do not have the law.

In the New Testament God has imparted His law upon our hearts (Heb. 10:16).

WE (Gentiles) are never mentioned in this verse, or anywhere in the Bible as being under the New Covenant, and this verse never says this covenant is active. As a matter of fact, it speaks in a future tense.

In the Old Testament it may have been possible to disregard the Ten Commandments, which were written on tablets of stone, but today God’s law has been written into our hearts.

First, this isn't possible because the Bible makes it clear that we Gentiles DO NOT have the law. Therefore, the law isn't in our hearts. It is GRACE that is in our hearts.

We cannot disregard this subjective law within us. Furthermore, the law of the New Testament is stricter than the law of Moses. What God does is always advancing and going higher.

Then please... list the NT law that is more strict than the law of Moses.

Romans 6:14 does not mean that today we are not under any law; rather, it means that we are not under the Old Testament law, the objective law written on tablets of stone. Today we are under a law that is stricter and more subjective to us; it is written upon our hearts.

The OT law hasn't been replaced. As a matter of fact, Jesus said,

Mat 5:17 ¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Are you telling me that after Jesus said this, He eliminated this law, and created another one? I THINK NOT.

THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW
BEING THE LAW OF BONDAGE
The Old Testament law, the law given through Moses, was a law of bondage (Gal. 5:1). Because we are not able to keep the Old Testament law, we are bound by it. The law says, “You shall not covet” (Exo. 20:17a). A missionary in China once preached the gospel to his cook, explaining that all people are sinners and need salvation. However, the cook resisted, claiming that he was a good man who never sinned. The missionary wisely did not argue with the cook but instead began to talk about a fine horse that the missionary owned. The cook immediately began to think about the missionary’s horse and how he could obtain it. The next day, when the missionary spoke again to the cook concerning all men needing salvation, the cook again claimed to be a good man who never sinned. The missionary then asked what the cook had been thinking about since their previous conversation. The cook admitted that he had been thinking about the missionary’s horse and how to obtain it. The missionary pointed out that this was covetousness and was a sin, and the cook was convicted.
THE NEW TESTAMENT LAW
BEING THE LAW OF FREEDOM
Because no one can keep the Old Testament law, it is the law of bondage. Because the New Testament law, which is written upon our hearts, frees us, it is a law of freedom. Romans 8:2a says, “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus.” Today we are under the law of freedom, not under the law of bondage. The law of freedom is written not on stone but upon our hearts. Many saints have testified that as they were going to an ungodly place, although they were outwardly claiming to be liberated, something bothered them within. This inward feeling, sensation, or consciousness is the function of the law written upon our hearts. This shows that we are indeed under a law. Regardless of how much we believers may declare that we have been liberated, there is always a living law within us. Whenever we do something that offends God, this living law within rebukes us. Although we are always under the inner law, if we obey this law, it immediately frees us.

According to Jesus, the law doesn't change. When we are given grace, WE change, not the law. We still are incapable of keeping the law, just as those under it are, but Jesus can, and did keep the law, and it is He who is in our hearts. But as the Bible says, we don't have the law.

Many people are under the bondage of movies. A young brother may lie to his mother, telling her that he is going to the library when he is actually going to a movie theater. After returning home, the young brother may lie again when his mother asks about what he studied. By telling two lies, both of which will be judged by God, this young brother has shown that he is bound by movies. However, the law written in our hearts can free us from such bondage. This law frees us by troubling us. Before being saved, a young man may have felt fine and even proud after deceiving his mother in such a way. After being saved, however, something within will bother him both about going to a movie and about lying to his mother. Thus, the law of freedom bothers us, troubling us within. This law is very patient. If we disregard the troubling within, this law will simply continue to trouble us. Sooner or later, we will be subdued because a bothering element has been written upon our hearts.

You're describing grace, not a law. You're describing the Holy Spirit within all saved men.

Apparently, to be a Christian is to have peace. Actually, however, after becoming Christians, we do not always have peace. We are often bothered by the One who is within. This bothering One will not stop His bothering. He may continue bothering us for years. We will never convince Him to allow us to do certain things. He will patiently and gently continue bothering us until He subdues us. When He subdues us, the law within becomes the law of freedom. The law of freedom can thus free us from the bondage of movies or anything else.
We should not think that today we are not under any law. Christians are under the strictest law; it binds us even in minor points. This law, which is within every believer, requires not only that we speak the truth but also that every word be accurate. The more we love the Lord, the more this law will operate by troubling us. Before being saved, we were lawless, but after being saved, we become people of law. God’s law is written upon our hearts.

Not biblical. What is biblical is that we don't have the law, we have grace. We shouldn't confuse these two things.

In 1 Corinthians 9:21 Paul says, “I am not without law to God but within law to Christ.” We are under the law to Christ. There is a new law in the New Testament, the law of freedom, which is also called the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). We are under the law of freedom, the law of Christ. Every Christian is a lawful person, a person under law. This law is stricter and finer than the old law. If we have only a little pride within us, although no one may perceive it, the law within will condemn our pride. We all need to realize that we are under this law.

Again,... Christ hasn't placed us under any law, He has given us grace. One is not the other.

The law of freedom is the law of life (Rom. 8:2). A baby does not know the words bitter or sweet, but he will always swallow something sweet and spit out something bitter. This illustrates the function of the law of life. The baby is living, and in his life is a law that regulates him, causing him to swallow the sweet and spit out the bitter. Every life has a law. Because we have been born of God, we have received the life of God. With the divine life there is a divine law. Before being saved, if we went to a movie, we did not sense any bitterness. Rather, we may have felt happy. After being saved, if we still go to a movie, something within will cause us to feel bad. However, not many Christians are immediately willing to obey this inner feeling. Therefore, this inner feeling will trouble us again and again, even for years, until we are eventually subdued. Nevertheless, the sooner we obey, the better. By obeying sooner, we save ourselves from the bitterness and from wasting time.

Again,... the Holy Spirit isn't a law, the Holy Spirit comes with grace. You seem to be confusing the two, yet the Bible is clear about them.

God Bless!

 

[ddub85]

@ Pehkay

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BEING BASED ON LAW
Jeremiah 31:33 is a most basic verse in the Scriptures: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law in their inward parts and write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” In order to have God as our God and to be a people to God, we must realize and understand the matter of law, because it is based on law that God is God to us and we are a people to God. If we are not clear about this matter, the relationship between us and God cannot be right as God requires. Therefore, we must understand the law that God puts in our inward parts and writes in our hearts.
Jeremiah 31:33 is quoted twice in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them; and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to Me.” In Jeremiah’s prophecy law is singular, but here in the quotation it becomes laws. In other words, when this law was prophesied in the Old Testament time, it was one law, but when this law is applied in the New Testament time, it becomes a number of laws.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Hmmm... one unchanging law.

This is because although the law is one, when we apply it to our experience, it becomes several laws by spreading into our various inward parts.

Any Bible for that?

Also, in the quotation here the word mind is used instead of inward parts in Jeremiah’s prophecy, proving that the mind is one of the inward parts. This quotation in Hebrews also says that first God will impart His laws into our mind, and then He will inscribe them upon our hearts. Hebrews 10:16, a second quotation of Jeremiah’s prophecy, says, “This is the covenant which I will covenant with them after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws upon their hearts, and upon their mind I will inscribe them.” In this verse the heart is mentioned first and the mind second. Therefore, by comparing the one prophecy in Jeremiah 31:33 and the two quotations in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16, we can see at least three changes. First, lawis changed to laws; second, inward parts is changed to mind; and third, in 8:10 the mind is first and the heart is second, but in 10:16 the heart is first and the mind is second. Moreover, both the prophecy and the two quotations indicate that first the law must be put into us, and then it must be written on us.

However, none of this changes the fact that we Gentiles do not have the law. As a matter of fact, this is further proof that we are not a part of the New Covenant because the recipients have the law, yet we Gentiles do not have the law.

These three verses tell us that the relationship between God and us is based on the matter of law. For us, the New Testament believers, the law is not the law of letters written outside of us on stone tablets; rather, it is a law that is put into us and written on our hearts. Since this law is something put into our inward parts and written on our hearts, this law must be something of life and in the Spirit. If not, how could this law be put into our inward parts and written on our hearts? Hence, this law must be the law of life. Today the relationship between God and us is based on this inward law of life in the Spirit.

You are making quite a few assumptions here that God has no part in. Our relationship with God isn't based on the law, according to the Bible, it's based upon GRACE.

In Romans 8:2 this law is clearly mentioned as “the law of the Spirit of life.” The law, the Spirit, and life, composed together, are the law of the Spirit of life. This is the law prophesied by Jeremiah and referred to by the apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. This law is the law of the Spirit of life so that it can be put into our inward parts and written on our hearts. Furthermore, this law is also “in Christ Jesus.”
(too much to put up --- so on the side ... )
Please notice that God's intention for giving man the law was not for man to keep it. God never says that those who keep the law will satisfy His heart. God did not give man the law with the intention that he would keep it, but with the intention that he would gain the righteousness of the law. We have to differentiate between the law and the righteousness of the law. Not being covetous, honoring one's parents, and refraining from idolatry—these are the righteousnesses of the law. God does not want man to keep the law but to gain the righteousness of the law. In summary, God's intention in instituting the law is as follows: First, He apparently wants man to keep the law, but only for the purpose of exposing him so that he would see the futility of his flesh. Second, He wants man to inherit the righteousness of the law. Third, He wants man to have His life. In order to have life, a man cannot be lawless. Without the righteousness of the law, he cannot receive life. When man inherits Christ as his righteousness, he inherits life as well. According to the law, a man receives the righteousness of the law and inherits life if he keeps the law (Lev. 18:5). Today we can inherit the righteousness of the law and have life without keeping the law. As long as we believe in the Lord, we become righteous (Gal. 2:16), and we have life. But after we have inherited life, the Judaizers say that we should keep the law in order to gain the righteousness of the law. This is wrong. Once a man tries to keep the law, the old man is revived. We are saved when God puts us into the death of Christ. We inherit righteousness through the blood of the Lord, and we receive life by inheriting righteousness. This life is not under the law. If we want to keep the law, our flesh will have to keep it. When we try to keep the law, the flesh is revived. The new life the Lord has given us is not under the law; rather, it fulfills the righteousness of law automatically within us.
(some experience of the law of Spirit of life is mentioned on the post before .. but I can post more ...)

The problem here is that every description of the law in us ends up being a description of grace. Also, the Bible states we don't have the law, which makes this a clear contradiction. You're saying we have the law, it's just a different law from the OT law. Yet, Jesus says that OT law is the law, and is still here, and in effect. That totally contradicts what you're saying.

God Bless!

 

[pehkay]

Hmm ... just read it again..

Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them; and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to Me.”

In Jeremiah’s prophecy law is singular, but here in the quotation it becomes laws. In other words, when this law was prophesied in the Old Testament time, it was one law, but when this law is applied in the New Testament time, it becomes a number of laws.

ddub..
I am not saying man is not saved by grace. I am not saying that Christians today should live by the principle of the law. We can't and we should NOT.

In between the covenant that God made with Abraham and the new covenant that the Lord enacted with His precious blood, there was the covenant of Moses. Moses, who, on the one hand, represented God, and on the other hand, represented Israel, enacted a covenant for the two parties, which covenant was the old covenant. The old covenant, referred to as "the first"; in Hebrews 8, was a covenant which was becoming old and growing decrepit and which was near to disappearing (vv. 13b, 7a). This first covenant was a covenant that should not have existed; it was not in God's plan but was added along the way. We may illustrate this in the following way: A person drives from Anaheim to the airport, and because he has no plan to see a doctor on the way, he expects to arrive at the airport in fifty minutes. However, along the way he has an accident and is injured. The car is pulled aside, while a policeman calls a doctor. This is the story of the law of the Old Testament. According to Romans 5, the law was something added; it was not something in the original plan but was inserted afterwards. The law is God's portrait, God's photograph; it is not God Himself. The photograph came first, and then the person Himself followed. The law is God's photograph, and grace is God Himself. Before God came, He first sent a picture to testify of Himself and also to expose man's real condition. God knew that man had fallen to such an extent that he was filled with the devil, having the devil's life and nature and even the devil himself, so that man could not walk according to God's law.

B. Grace Being for the New Covenant
in God's Economy, Which Is Also Called
the Second Covenant, the Better Covenant

When the Lord Jesus came (by God's incarnation), grace came. Grace is for the new covenant in God's economy, which is also called the second covenant, the better covenant (Heb. 8:13a, 7c, 6b). The law requires us to do something by ourselves; grace is God doing something for us. Actually, we do not have to do anything, and we cannot do anything. God does not require us to do anything; He does everything for us from the beginning to the end. It was God who carried out His incarnation, it was He who lived out His human living for thirty-three and a half years, it was He who accomplished the all-inclusive death on the cross, it was He who attained His entrance into resurrection, and it was He who accomplished His entrance into ascension. Everything was accomplished by Him. We just need to enter into His accomplishments and enjoy Him as our rest. This is grace.

God became flesh that He may enter into man and be mingled with man as one; this is Emmanuel. He is the God-man; He is God yet man, and man yet God. God and man became one in Him. This Emmanuel, the incarnated God, is grace for man's enjoyment (John 1:1, 14). Here we have One who was God becoming man, who was called Emmanuel and who was also called Jesus. He is grace. Grace is the embodied God. First, God as the Father was embodied in the Son, and then the Son was realized as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45). This Spirit enters into us as grace for our enjoyment.

We must see what grace is. Grace is the embodiment of God, who became a God-man with divinity and humanity, passed through human living, died, resurrected, and entered into ascension. Now He has become the life-giving Spirit and is dwelling in us today.

This is why when the Lord came, He is the only One who fulfill the law (Matt 5.17). Here for Christ to fulfill the law means (1) that, on the positive side, He kept the law, (2) that, on the negative side, through His substitutionary death on the cross He fulfilled the requirement of the law, and (3) that in this section He complemented the old law with His new law, as repeatedly expressed by the word "But I say to (or, tell) you" (Matt 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44). Christ's keeping of the law qualified Him to fulfill the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross. Christ's fulfilling of the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross brought in the resurrection life to complement the law, to fill the law to the full. The old law, the lower law, with the demand that it be kept and the requirement that man be punished, is over. The kingdom people, as the children of the Father, now need to fulfill only the new law, the higher law, by the resurrection life, which is the eternal life of the Father. The old law was given through Moses, whereas the new law was decreed by Christ personally.

Now this One is in us as the grace for us to enjoy. He is now the indwelling One as the law of Spirit of life operating within us. We just turn to Him and let Him operates within us spontaneously. As we grow in Christ, Christ lived out of us fulfilling all the law. He did it .. not us.

 

[Benoni]

Hmm ... just read it again..

Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them; and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to Me.”

In Jeremiah’s prophecy law is singular, but here in the quotation it becomes laws. In other words, when this law was prophesied in the Old Testament time, it was one law, but when this law is applied in the New Testament time, it becomes a number of laws.

ddub..
I am not saying man is not saved by grace. I am not saying that Christians today should live by the principle of the law. We can't and we should NOT.

In between the covenant that God made with Abraham and the new covenant that the Lord enacted with His precious blood, there was the covenant of Moses. Moses, who, on the one hand, represented God, and on the other hand, represented Israel, enacted a covenant for the two parties, which covenant was the old covenant. The old covenant, referred to as "the first"; in Hebrews 8, was a covenant which was becoming old and growing decrepit and which was near to disappearing (vv. 13b, 7a). This first covenant was a covenant that should not have existed; it was not in God's plan but was added along the way. We may illustrate this in the following way: A person drives from Anaheim to the airport, and because he has no plan to see a doctor on the way, he expects to arrive at the airport in fifty minutes. However, along the way he has an accident and is injured. The car is pulled aside, while a policeman calls a doctor. This is the story of the law of the Old Testament. According to Romans 5, the law was something added; it was not something in the original plan but was inserted afterwards. The law is God's portrait, God's photograph; it is not God Himself. The photograph came first, and then the person Himself followed. The law is God's photograph, and grace is God Himself. Before God came, He first sent a picture to testify of Himself and also to expose man's real condition. God knew that man had fallen to such an extent that he was filled with the devil, having the devil's life and nature and even the devil himself, so that man could not walk according to God's law.

B. Grace Being for the New Covenant
in God's Economy, Which Is Also Called
the Second Covenant, the Better Covenant

When the Lord Jesus came (by God's incarnation), grace came. Grace is for the new covenant in God's economy, which is also called the second covenant, the better covenant (Heb. 8:13a, 7c, 6b). The law requires us to do something by ourselves; grace is God doing something for us. Actually, we do not have to do anything, and we cannot do anything. God does not require us to do anything; He does everything for us from the beginning to the end. It was God who carried out His incarnation, it was He who lived out His human living for thirty-three and a half years, it was He who accomplished the all-inclusive death on the cross, it was He who attained His entrance into resurrection, and it was He who accomplished His entrance into ascension. Everything was accomplished by Him. We just need to enter into His accomplishments and enjoy Him as our rest. This is grace.

God became flesh that He may enter into man and be mingled with man as one; this is Emmanuel. He is the God-man; He is God yet man, and man yet God. God and man became one in Him. This Emmanuel, the incarnated God, is grace for man's enjoyment (John 1:1, 14). Here we have One who was God becoming man, who was called Emmanuel and who was also called Jesus. He is grace. Grace is the embodied God. First, God as the Father was embodied in the Son, and then the Son was realized as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45). This Spirit enters into us as grace for our enjoyment.

We must see what grace is. Grace is the embodiment of God, who became a God-man with divinity and humanity, passed through human living, died, resurrected, and entered into ascension. Now He has become the life-giving Spirit and is dwelling in us today.

This is why when the Lord came, He is the only One who fulfill the law (Matt 5.17). Here for Christ to fulfill the law means (1) that, on the positive side, He kept the law, (2) that, on the negative side, through His substitutionary death on the cross He fulfilled the requirement of the law, and (3) that in this section He complemented the old law with His new law, as repeatedly expressed by the word "But I say to (or, tell) you" (Matt 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44). Christ's keeping of the law qualified Him to fulfill the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross. Christ's fulfilling of the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross brought in the resurrection life to complement the law, to fill the law to the full. The old law, the lower law, with the demand that it be kept and the requirement that man be punished, is over. The kingdom people, as the children of the Father, now need to fulfill only the new law, the higher law, by the resurrection life, which is the eternal life of the Father. The old law was given through Moses, whereas the new law was decreed by Christ personally.

Now this One is in us as the grace for us to enjoy. He is now the indwelling One as the law of Spirit of life operating within us. We just turn to Him and let Him operates within us spontaneously. As we grow in Christ, Christ lived out of us fulfilling all the law. He did it .. not us.

Big Amen

Wherefore the law was our school-master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:21-24).


A schoolmaster, (the Greek text gives, a child conductor), was one who held the child in restraint as they conducted the child from home to the school, making sure that there was no mischief along the way, and that the child arrived at the school. Then the child was given over to the care of the teacher, and the duty of the child conductor was ended. The child conductor did not stand in the back of the class room and continue to exercise control and authority over the child, for now the Teacher was in control, and there was to be no outside interference. So also, once we have been brought to Christ, and His anointing abides within us, we are to be led by the Spirit.

In other Word the Law was given to us until we mature where God's Spirit can lead and Guide us in to all truth.