The keyword in the Book of Hebrews is faith, but the second keyword is the word, better. The New Testament (Grace) is better than the Old Testament (Law). The word better is more properly understood as stronger and is used 12 times in Hebrews: Heb 1:4, Heb 6:9, Heb 7:7, Heb 7:19, Heb 7:22, Heb 8:6, Heb 9:23, Heb 10:34, Heb 11:16, Heb 11:35, Heb 11:40, and Heb 12:24.

The Covenants of Life and Death

The Old Covenant of Law was important and significant, but it was a covenant that could result only in death and not life (Rom 8:2). Remember, the Old Covenant proved this, the Law was impossible for man to keep. While the commands of God are righteous and true (Matt 5:19; Gal 3:19-21), the Law did not give man the power to obey! Rather, it only revealed how desperately we needed a Savior (Gal 3:22-25). The Law, with its rituals, rules, and sacrifices for sin, was not sufficient to deal with the source of man’s problem – sin (Heb 10:1-10).

The New Covenant is a Better Covenant, it is a covenant of life! “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:13, 14).

The Promises

The promises in the Old Covenant were primarily about the present life and material blessings. They were promises that included: long life; increase in numbers; seedtime and harvest; national privileges; and extraordinary peace, abundance, and prosperity.

In the New Covenant, however, the promise of spiritual blessings becomes the central benefit of our faith in Christ. Those spiritual blessings are available because of the free gift of the Holy Spirit living in us (1 Cor 6:19), who will teach us and lead us (John 16:13) in an overcoming life on earth (Rom 8:37).

In the New Covenant, our Lord does promise to provide for our needs (Matt 6:25-34), but our hearts are also directed toward Heaven. We are reminded of the temporary nature of this life, and that this is not our eternal home. Our souls are at peace with the assurance of eternal life, the favor (grace) of God and the anticipation of Heaven.

People are generally comfortable with the old.

People, in their natural way of thinking, often cling to old ways of doing things because those ways are familiar and comfortable. The same can be true of learned traditions or religious beliefs that are not rooted in the New Covenant. The old is familiar, so it can be difficult to change them to fit the requirements of the New Covenant. If we are not careful, we can develop strong convictions based on false or erroneous teachings!

The New Covenant requires a radical change in thinking about life in God and salvation; which is very different from the Law of the Old Covenant and the religious traditions of that day. Jesus often addressed this issue with the Pharisees. In one encounter, Jesus confronted the religious leaders, the Pharisees, regarding their love of rituals and traditions as opposed to the truth (Luke 5:33-39). Sadly, many of the practices and beliefs of the Pharisees were not based on the Law as given by God but were based on traditions developed over many years and considered equal to God’s laws (Mk 7:1-8).

Today, as in Jesus’ day, preferring the old rituals can keep people from embracing the New Covenant promises and the free salvation Jesus gives to us. Jesus understood that the old can often seem good enough because it is familiar: “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39). The familiar can make one reluctant to let go of old ideas, traditions or beliefs.

Free or in bondage?

Beliefs that are based on the traditions of men and not on the Word of God become like chains of bondage. Trying to serve the terms of the Old Covenant today can also be like chains of bondage, especially in light of the freedom Jesus purchased for us: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’” (John 8:31, 32). Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) to set His people free!

Grace is not an excuse to sin!

There are some who are suspicious of the message of grace. They see grace as a weakness, or as “permission” to sin. Nothing could be further from the truth! “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Rom 6:1, 2). Grace is not a license, or liberty, or an excuse to sin. As a matter of fact, Jesus makes clear that grace demands even more of us than did the Law (Matthew 5:20-48). For instance, the Law says to not murder; grace says to not even get angry at someone. The Law says to not commit adultery; grace says to not even look at another with lust in your heart.

Grace requires more because Jesus seeks to transform our hearts, to change us from the inside out (Matt 15:1-20; 23:25-28). We are not to be “actors” who know how to go through outward religious motions or just follow rules. We are to be Christians, those who follow Christ and His ways, who from our hearts do what He would do and say what He would say!

Your Father in Heaven promised something better than the Law, in the Old Testament.

As I said in my last message; Six hundred years before Jesus the prophet Jeremiah said in 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

In my last message, I said that it is impossible to understand “grace” without understanding the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Let’s take a closer look at the Old Testament which is all about the Covenant of Law.

The Old Covenant

The Old Testament represents a “covenant” known as the covenant of the Law. Every Covenant has two parties called covenant heads. God is one covenant head, and the other covenant head is a person called out by God to represent a group of people. In the case of the Old Testament Covenant of the Law, the two covenant heads were God or Jehovah and Moses. Moses represented a group of people known as the Hebrews or Israelites. What is true of all covenants is that there is an exchange between the two parties. What belongs to one now belongs to the other. God, clearly the stronger party, made His power and authority available to the weaker party, Moses and the people of Israel. 

The Israelites

Where did the Israelites come from? Let me take a brief moment to take a look at the genealogy of the Israelites. God created Adam and Eve then after many generations came Noah, a descendant of Adam and Eve. After more generations, a descendant named Abram was chosen by God to be the one whom God would use to receive the promise that his descendants would be God’s chosen people. 

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham had a son, Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. God changed Jacob’s name God to Israel. Jacob now known as Israel had twelve sons and they eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel. The sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The point is that these twelve tribes of people became known as the Israelites, or the children of Israel (Jacob). Just as a side note Jesus is a descendant of Judah. 

As a result of a famine in the land, these tribes found themselves in Egypt. In the beginning, they were treated very well, but over a period of 430 years, they became slave laborers. All of this is described in beautiful detail in the Book of Genesis. I would encourage you to read or re-read this book of “beginnings”. The book of Genesis shows that in the midst of life, God has a plan and that His plan will come to pass. God never fails.

So far, with many gaps in between, the genealogy goes like this; Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and the twelve tribes of Israel.

In the Book of Exodus, we pick up the story of the Israelites in Egypt. God heard their cries of hardship and raised up a Hebrew leader named Moses. It is with Moses that Jehovah God establishes the Covenant of Law. The Covenant of Law was the fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham that his offspring would become a great nation. Moses is the Covenant Head representing the people of Israel. This is a key point; God deals with the people of Israel through the Covenant Head Moses. 

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as orally giving Moses commandments about worship, religious practice, and expected behavior. There are about 613 commandments or “mitzvot” that a religious Jew had to obey. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy describes these details. Remember the first five books of the Bible are the “Torah” or the “Law”.

A Conditional Covenant.

The bottom line of the Covenant of the Law is that it is a “conditional covenant”, that is if the people obey the Law they will be blessed. On the other hand, if they disobey the Law they will be cursed. A person’s “righteousness” was determined by how well they kept the Law. 

When a person under the Law broke the Law (sin or unrighteousness) the only way they could be restored to a right relationship with God was to repent and provide a sacrifice. That is why the Old Testament concerned itself with sacrifices, feasts, and traditions. Even the Old Testament Jews recognized that it was impossible to keep the Law perfectly.

Don’t despair because during the Old Covenant of Law, Six hundred years before Jesus Christ, the prophet Jeremiah said in 31:31, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 

The Prophet Jeremiah could see that something new was coming… see you the next time.

One very simple thing to keep in mind is to ask yourself the question, “what would Jesus do”! This may seem like a simple question, but it is the doorway into finding out about the nature and character of God.  If we try to know the character of Jesus, we then will know what He expects from us in every situation. Often our response to life’s circumstances is centered on what we want instead of responding to what Jesus wants. 

Mature Christians.

This may come as a shock to some but, Jesus does not exist for the sole purpose of making you happy. As a new Christian, it is normal to focus on what you need from God, but again it’s important to make the effort to “grow-up or become mature in Christ. Jesus gave His all so that you would become mature and become more like Him. His plan for your life is to advance the Kingdom of God on earth by being witnesses of Him. So that all may know of Jesus!

• Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”.
• Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-17, is speaking to the Corinthians who should be mature in Christ but have not given the evidence of that maturity and understanding. They are still behaving in a carnal manner. In other words, they proclaim that they are Christians, but they still behave as if they did not know Jesus Christ. He describes these kinds of Believers as babes in Christ. All Christians should desire to know more about Jesus, what He has done for us and what we can expect from Him.

Seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness.

The desired way in which to become mature in our relationship with Jesus is to follow His instructions, for instance in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.

The Kingdom Jesus is speaking of is a spiritual Kingdom, and it exists on earth as each believer acts according to what Jesus has taught. Luke 17:20, “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” When you do what is required in the Kingdom, the Kingdom is being made manifest through you. Keep in mind the Kingdom has a King, and the King is Jesus. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings (I Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 17:14).

If you have Him and He has you- you will have everything. Seek His “face” (Who He is) not His “hand” (only what He can provide).

The Old Testament of Law.

All that Jesus has promised to provide for His people is dependent on understanding the great change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The New Testament of the Bible is not simply a continuation from the Old Testament. The New Testament proclaims that there is a new way in which God deals with His people, the followers of Jesus Christ.

As you know the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, has to do with the creation and formation of a group of people into a nation known as Israel. The purpose of God’s plan was to show the rest of the heathen/idolatrous world, at that time, what a nation subjected to the one true God would look like. All the blessings and benefits of being one nation under God. 

The means by which God would teach His people about His nature and character would be through something called the Law. God used Moses to bring His Ten Commandments to the Hebrews or Israelites. The Law was then the Ten Commandments and all of the religious and social rules and regulations found in the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah, which was written by Moses. 

Here is the critical point that is so important to understand. The Law handed down by God to Moses was “accepted by the people”. They agreed that the Law was good and that they would abide by the Law. This agreement meant that God and the people of Israel were in a “covenant relationship”. A covenant is more than a contract because God is one of the covenant heads. In this case, Moses was a covenant head too and he represented the people. When God makes a covenant He never reneges or changes His mind. What is important about this covenant is that it is a “Conditional Covenant”. That means that God’s response is based upon the people’s obedience or disobedience to the Law. Deuteronomy chapter 28 spells out the blessings and curses associated with the Law.

I hope you can see the conditional distinction. God will bless you as long as you keep the Law. In other words, His response is based on your behavior. Do good and be blessed, do evil and be cursed. Your relationship with God is “conditioned” upon your actions. Keep the Law perfectly and you would be in a perfect relationship with God.

The way to restore a relationship with God when one sinned or broke the Law, under the Old Testament, was to repent and provide a sacrifice. This was done year after year because no one could keep the Law perfectly. As you can imagine living under the Old Testament Covenant was a bit uncertain. You never quite knew where you stood with the Lord. 

What the Old Testament Covenant proved according to the New Testament was that no one could keep the whole Law. Break one part of the Law and you have broken it all. James 2:10-11 states, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 

The New Testament of Grace.

The Gospel message of the New Testament is “Good News.” The good news is that, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the Law, but a better way has been provided for us. Ephesians 2: 8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works (Law), lest anyone should boast”. 

The New Testament of Jesus Christ introduces a new or better covenant (the word better covenant is used 8 times in the book of Hebrews) which is called the New Covenant. This covenant is very different from the Old Covenant in that the New Covenant replaces the Law with Grace.

Grace can only exist in an “unconditional covenant”, remember the Old Covenant was conditional. In this New Covenant God, the Father, and Jesus Christ are the two covenant heads. What is great about this is that neither the Father nor Jesus can fail. This also means that anyone who agrees with Jesus (repents and believes) is part of the new covenant. Just as the Hebrews who agreed with Moses were part of the Old Covenant.

Grace.

As Christians, we have a right to God’s Grace. Nothing can be added. When Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), it means that Jesus did everything necessary to secure our salvation and our ability to become more than conquerors in this life. 

The only thing that God requires of us is to believe- this is what “faith” is all about. Believing that Jesus provided for our eternity and that He provided for the “abundant life” now.

I will continue on the subject of Grace and Faith in the next episode.

Many Voices

In Christianity, there are many voices proclaiming they have the truth about Father God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word the Bible. It can be very confusing. They can’t all be correct because so many of them contradict each other. So, how do we strip away what is false and find the truth about God and His will for us?

First, we have to keep in mind that Satan is the father of all lies. This means every lie that is spoken or perpetrated originates with him. Satan uses deception to mislead people and draw them away from the truth about God. His plan is to make you feel weak and powerless so that you would depend on your strength instead of trusting in Jesus. Satan wants to create doubt in your life about God’s love, faithfulness, and plan for you. If he can create confusion, then you will seek the wrong things which will draw you further away from Jehovah God. 

Secondly, we have to remember what Jesus said in John 8:31-34, that the truth will set you free and that if Jesus sets you free then you are free indeed!  Now, what kind of freedom is Jesus talking about? Well, the most important freedom we have is that we are free to receive Heaven. because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Heaven is ours instead of Hell. Jesus also promised that we would be free from sin and the death and destruction that it brings. Freedom in Jesus also means that all of the promises of God are ours to obtain and enjoy. 

Missing out on God’s best.

Jesus promised a lot, so why is it that so many live below their potential in God. Is it because so many have exchanged the truth for a lie? Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:25 “… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen”. If one sincerely believes a lie about spiritual things that sincerity will count for nothing. It’s still a lie!  If the truth sets free then a lie will produce bondage- physical, emotional and spiritual.

Throughout our lives, we have been exposed to all kinds of influences. Some of those influences were good, noble and consistent with God’s plan for us. However, we have also been exposed to influences that were negative, evil and totally at odds with God’s will for us. 

Make no mistake if you are deceived by Satan you will not be fulfilling God’s desire and you will be reaping the fruit of Satan which is pain, suffering, and heartache. 

What I am trying to say is, the truth from God’s perspective, is essential to a blessed life. You cannot blame others for what you believe. As a believer, you have the Bible and the Holy Spirit of Truth to guide you in your search for the truth. Don’t assume that others are wiser, smarter or more knowledgeable about the Word of God, search for yourself! Being a Christian is a life-long journey into God’s truth.

An Important Question

Here is a question you should ask yourself, “are you doing things to please God without knowing why”! This is where it is important to examine what you believe and why. Is it because someone told you that it is true or is it because you have discovered the truth for yourself in the Word? 

In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 the Apostle Paul talks about the “veil” of deception. This was a veil over the hearts of the legalistic Jews who were under the Law of Moses. As a result of the veil, they could not see that the Old Testament was referring to Jesus as the Messiah, and they rejected Him. Then Paul says, very clearly, the veil is removed in Jesus Christ.

If we want all that God has provided in Jesus Christ which is what Grace is, and the Faith to appropriate or access that Grace we need to be confident that what we believe is Truth!  

World View And 7 Veils of Deception

The world’s view is a form of deception that attempts to marginalize or minimize the importance of God and His Church. Let me suggest that there are at least seven veils that every believer should examine in their lives.

1. Veil of our sin nature (habits). When we come to Christ we are forgiven and become new creations (2Cor 5:17). This is referring to our spirit-man; we still have to overcome a lifetime of bad habits. Our sin-nature has been dealt with, but we may still have unrighteous attitudes and thoughts. This is overcome by the work of the Word and of the Spirit as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2).
2. Veil of family. Your relationship (or lack of) with parents, especially your father can shape your view of your Heavenly Father. A negative family life can transfer that negativity or lack of trust for our Heavenly Father. This attitude can twist the Good News message into one that is harsh, judgmental and unloving.
3. Veil of education. As children, we tend to believe all that we are taught and as a result, we are taught values and morals that do not conform to the Bible. For example, of something that many are taught would be, God did not create man and woman, but mankind evolved into their present form (Creation vs. Evolution). 
4. Veil of peers. For the sake of friendship, we tend to overlook and sometimes embrace the evil or bad behavior of others. As the Bible teaches “bad company corrupts good morals (1Cor 15:33). Those whom we are closest to can have the greatest influence on us. Choose your friends carefully.
5. Veil of culture. A subtle but powerful influence that we are not aware of because we grew up in it. Attitudes about love, vengeance, gender, marriage, children, honesty and integrity are built into the culture we live in. These attitudes may be contrary to scriptures and yet widely accepted. However, we are called to adhere to biblical truth, not to cultural “truths”.
6. Veil of tradition. Jesus addressed the issue of the traditions of men. A common statement is, “It is the way we do things here!” Yes, but does it line up with the Word of God? The practice must line up with the Word of God. 
7. Veil of experience. Every individual is the sum total of their experiences in life. Both positive and negative experiences shape how we think and who we are. We are called to be Disciples of Christ; therefore, we should always examine our motives and behavior to make sure they are Christ-like. 

Know Yourself

         Since so much of what we know and believe is formed by our life experiences you can now understand why the Bible stresses the importance of knowing yourself and accurately judging yourself. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1Corinthians 11:31).

         Coming to know yourself means to understand the truth about God’s Grace and Faith.

In closing let me quote these two scripture verses:

• John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.
• John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”.