A NEW COVENANT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.”

“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.”

Romans 3:27-31

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Throughout the Old Testament, there was one thing that was made very clear in Israelite culture.

They and they alone were God’s chosen people.

Now in and of itself, this wasn’t bad. It was truth because God did indeed appoint the Israelites as His people and proclaimed that He in turn was their God. The relationship and its associated covenant were grounded in exclusivity.

But three things happened that changed this narrative.

First, spiritual pride took root within the hearts of the Israelite people. Not a pride that showed everyone how honored they felt to be chosen by God but rather an arrogant pride that led to them snubbing their noses at everyone else.

The climate they created was one of division. There were Jews and then there was everyone else. A Jew was privileged while a non-Jew was unclean, worthless, and not deserving of having any relationship with God. If a non-Jew wanted to get a relationship with God, they would need to get circumcised, the sign of the covenant.

In other words, works were required in order to become justified before God. This was the Jewish view.

Secondly, the Jews were hypocritical in the way they conducted themselves. They wanted to single out Gentiles as being sinful and unclean before God but overlooked the fact that they were just as fallen. God hated sin and the Jews were just as much sinners as the Gentiles were but they either didn’t realize this truth or chose to live in denial.

Finally, the Jews lost their favored status with God because of their consistent disobedience toward Him. From the moment God made them His special chosen ones, the Israelites rebelled against Him. He delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. He led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He was always with them and never gave them any indication He would ever leave them or forsake them. Rather, He promised to be their God if they would be His people.

Unfortunately, the Israelites didn’t keep their side of the bargain, not just once but many times over.

And so God decided to make a new covenant with mankind and He did so through His only Son Jesus. In this new covenant, the gates of heaven were open to all people, Jew or Gentile, the circumcised and the uncircumcised. If a person believed in Jesus as Savior, then God would grant them the gift of eternal life and a place in His kingdom.

This new covenant, ushered in by Jesus, is still in effect today and it will remain in place until that day when He returns to judge the earth. And while salvation is open to everyone, we know that everybody won’t accept the offer. Despite Jesus saying in the scriptures that He is the only way to God the Father, there will be people who push the unbelieve button and reject this truth. Sadly, they seal their fate of eternal damnation and torment by doing so.

Conversely, those who accept and enlist in God’s new covenant through faith and faith alone will gain the blessing of an everlasting life with God and Jesus forever, basking in the glow of love and peace forever.

Have you accepted God’s new covenant of salvation through Jesus?

If not, today is the day to do so and see your life change forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com