For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. ( Hebrews 7:12 )
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”[h]), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though [ it is ] only a man’s covenant, yet [ if it is ] confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. ( Galatians 3:13-15 )
Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. ( Ephesians 5:14 ( I Corinthians 15:34 )
Concerning the resurrection; Paul told the Corinthian church, 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed' ( I Corinthians 15:51 ). Primarily speaking ( contextually ) of the resurrection; Paul, I believe, also had in mind passages like Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God promised, 'I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah' ( Isaiah 65:17-25 ), the 'changing of the guard' that I've talked about before. Though it is one covenant ( the eternal, everlasting ), and in that sense is unchanging, as God Himself; the Old, or 'first' Covenant that the author to the Hebrews wrote of ( Hebrews 8:6-8 ), because those to whom it was first revealed had a 'problem' understanding its principles, and thus truly observing it ( Romans 7:6, I Corinthians 3:4-6, John 4:20-24 ), underwent a 'change', a reformation ( Hebrews 9:10 ( Jeremiah 31:31-34 ), if you will, in those 'last days' ( Hebrews 1:2, Acts 2:17 ( Joel 2:28-32 ), being revealed as a 'better covenant', and established on 'better promises' ( Ezekiel 36:22-27 ). As a 'better covenant', this 'new' covenant would be mediated by God Himself, and would thus be a spiritually principled, rather than a physically demanding and literally mandated covenant. In some ways, the Church, because of it's orthodox belief in the physical return of Christ ( and thus that parts of Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13, and most of the Revelation have yet to be fulfilled ) seems to have founded much of their doctrine in the belief, however unwittingly ( and without meaning to, I'm sure ), that we are still somewhat under the Old Covenant; for instance, that we are still, at least before we receive Christ, under the sin and the death of Adam. This, along with the belief that we are not yet fully redeemed, and that our salvation is not yet complete is actually very consistent with their teaching of the future ( to us ) return of Christ, or the 'second coming'!
So; what 'changed' with the Parousia of Jesus Christ, and the full implementation of the New Covenant? Does this change the doctrines of salvation and original sin? Yes and no; we are still 'saved' by grace, through faith ( Ephesians 2:8 & 9 ), although we are not 'being saved' ( Romans 13:11 ) in the same sense as the first century believers were, coming out of the darkness of the 'old' ( Mosaic ) covenant, into the Light and Truth of the 'new'; now we are being woken up from the darkness that many still experience, for whatever reason, within their own minds ( II Corinthians 3:14, Hebrews 10:16 ( Jeremiah 31:33).
'And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.' ( Colossians 1:21-23 )
David 'saw' this truth; in Psalm 26:2, he wrote, 'Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.' Our perception of things, though it does not change the things themselves, often, and most usually does affect how we treat, or approach these things. If, for instance, using a biblical example, we 'see' a lion in the street, rather than just a big, friendly dog; we will say, as the fool, or 'lazy [ man ]', in Proverbs 26:13, '[ There is ] a lion in the road! A fierce lion [ is ] in the streets!' ( 22:13 ) Our minds often play tricks on us ( or else make excuses for us ), making us 'see' things that are not there ( or at least, skewing our perception ), and preventing us from seeing things as they really are, but when God shines His light on that certain truth, through His revealed Word, and by His Spirit ( and we must remember; this happens to different people at different times, and in different ways ), our perception of that truth changes, and we 'awake' to the realization of the truth that has been there all along. In the famous words of the prophet Isaiah, 'You will keep [ him ] in perfect peace, [ whose ] mind [ is ] stayed [ on You ], because he trusts in You.' ( Isaiah 26:3 ) Applied to the 'lazy' person, above, in Proverbs 22 & 26, when we focus on God, trusting in Him, rather than our own 'perception, we would see the big dog in the street and enjoy the experience of petting, or playing with this big dog. In a different scenario; one might see the beautiful person beneath the rough exterior, and have the pleasure of getting to know his person, and reap the benefits of fellowship with him or her.
In a recent conversation with a brother of mine; I remarked that 'God changed us, not the requirements'; God's law has never, and will never change! Thinking back on my statement; I realize that I might have phrased it a little differently, more in fitting with the fact that we never experienced the change, at least, not like they did, but we still experience a change, of sorts, when, as I explained earlier, 'God shines His light on that certain truth, through His revealed Word, and by His Spirit ( and we must remember; this happens to different people at different times, and in different ways ), our perception of that truth changes, and we 'awake' to the realization of the truth that has been there all along'. I have picked up ( borrowed ) a phrase recently, which I kinda like; 'it is what it is', can can be taken the wrong way, and often is I believe, but in reference to the will and council of God; it 'fits' perfect! Talking to a friend of mine this afternoon; I remarked that any given person may have a different perception of God's and council, even of what the Bible ( or Scripture ) says it is, but that doesn't change the fact ( thank God! ): 'it is what it is'!
As I wrote, also earlier, that we are still 'saved by grace, through faith', although we are not 'being saved' ( I Corinthians 1:18, II Corinthians 2:15 ), as those first-century Christians were, who witnessed the 'changing of the guard', the transition from the 'old' covenant rule of law to the 'new' covenant rule of grace. Before I go too far here; let me just note that, while Scripture is very clear ( in 'letter', anyway ) that there were two distinct covenants, the 'first' or old' ( Hebrews 8:8 ( Exodus 20, et al ) and the 'new' ( Jeremiah 31:31-34 ( Isaiah 42:6, 49:8 ), it is also fairly clear ( or at least it has been made so to me ) that the covenant itself was not ( necessarily ) what was 'made new', or even 'renewed', although 'renewed' would be closer to the truth, I believe, but the people with whom that covenant was confirmed. There are those who aver that we are not inheritors of the 'promises', as laid out in Scripture, but simply 'benefactors': I agree, because while we were not given the hope of inheriting the promises of the 'new' covenant, while laboring in the 'darkness' of the 'old' ( because 'we' were never under the 'old' ( or were we? ), although some still labor as under the 'old' ( but that's a different story for another day, maybe ), we are the 'benefactors of those 'new' covenant promises, and still 'joint-heirs with Christ' ( Romans 8:17-it may be argued that I am ignoring the covenant context of this passage by that statement ), in the sense that we ARE children of God, and we do still suffer ( though maybe not to the extent, or of the nature of their 'suffering' ), as I also mentioned above; 'laboring in the 'darkness', although not of the 'old', but of ignorance ( some might say, 'blindness' ).
We talked today, in church, of the peace that we have been given through Christ, and which were are to show and share, as a 'fruit' of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:22 & 23 ). It is through that 'peace' ( 'which surpasses all understanding'-Philippians 4:7 ) that we are able, as brethren, to overlook our semantical differences, and are able to 'live peaceably with all men' ( Romans 12:18-oops, took that one out of context too ), as we should.
In the love of God, in Christ.
Charles Haddon Shank
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