“He has made us competent as
ministers of a new covenant.” - 2 Corinthians 3:6
In the Old Testament, God
made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and other patriarchs (Genesis
9:11; Genesis 15; Exodus 19; 2 Samuel 7).
In each instance, there were either conditional or unconditional parameters to
the covenants. In the New Testament, God made the most important covenant of
all by sending His Son to bring us redemption from our sins (Matthew
26:28). This covenant is unconditional
and binding. We do nothing to earn it and it will last throughout eternity.
I heard a man say, “I pray
to God all the time while I am out in nature. I do not need a church to say my
prayers.” Of course, this is true. We do not need a building, or a corporate
worship service to worship God. However, Paul encourages us not to neglect meeting
together, as some people do. He tells us to gather and encourage one another,
especially now that the day of His return is drawing near (Hebrews
10:25).
Some people think that
believing in God is all they need to guarantee them a place in heaven (John
6:40). Even demons believe in Jesus.
They actually tremble because they understand and respect His power and
authority (James 2:19). So,
belief in God is not enough. Salvation is a covenant between God and man.
Saving faith is much more than acknowledging God’s existence. Faith without
works is dead. We do not need works for salvation, but we prove our salvation
by our works (James 2:18, 20, 26).
Most people who claim to
have a saving knowledge of Christ have no personal relationship with Him at
all. They are just like the foolish virgins who missed the wedding feast (Matthew
7:22-23). God does not know them, and
they have a false hope of going to Heaven. They do not have the Spirit of God
or the oil of salvation within them. They have a body and soul – a mind, will
and emotions; however, their spirit is still dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians
2:1,5).
Jesus purchased us by His
blood sacrifice on the cross (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20). He identified us as His own, and He gives us His
Spirit as an earnest of our inheritance of eternal life (Ephesians
4:30). Then He makes all things new
within us (2 Corinthians 5:17).
He replaces our stony heart with one made of flesh (Ezekiel
36:26-27). He writes His laws upon our
heart (Hebrews 8:10), and
He teaches us what He expects from us. God gives us eternal life, so we will
never perish (John 10:28). His
Spirit leads and guides us as we listen to His voice (Romans
8:14).
Christ in us keeps us
faithful and blameless (1 Corinthians 1:8). We can never walk away from or lose our salvation once we have that
personal relationship with Christ. We are like the five wise virgins who
entered the wedding feast fully prepared with the oil of salvation (Matthew
7:22-23). God forgives our wickedness and
remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12). Our spirit is no longer dead in sin, but Born Again (John 3:7).
Jesus entered
the heavenly tabernacle by His own blood, cleansed our conscience and made us
holy, so that we can serve the living God (Hebrews 9:12,14; 10:10). Now, we minister to others
the truth about God’s new covenant with us and His life and Spirit within us.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for
dying on the cross to free us from the consequences of our sinful behavior.
Thank You for Your covenant, which renews a right spirit within us and gives us
everlasting life. Create in us a clean heart and help us to walk by the
direction of Your Spirit each and every day. Also help us to lead others to
saving faith in You.
Thought for the Day:
Our covenant with God is protective, not
restrictive. 