Friday, November 1, 2019

The God of Covenants (RD39)

    'Rightly Dividing the Word'

Free Will Given to Men
Gen 3:22  Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"—
    After God had created Adam and Eve, they were free to choose. They chose death and rebelled against His command by eating from the tree of knowledge, so God drove them from the tree of life.
    After Adam and Eve were driven out from the garden of Eden, God gave them two laws 
1. No idolatry - He alone is God
2. No adultery - Holy Matrimony.
    Since Adam chose the knowledge of good and evil, God judged each person according to their conscience.
    When the wickedness of men were great, God had to destroy them by the deluge.
Gen 6:5  Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Covenant with Nation of Israel
Exo 19:3,6a  And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:.. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation..."
    With the failure of men in walking out their conscience of good and evil, God came down to live among the house (nation) of Jacob. 
    He gave them laws and anointed priests, prophets and judges/kings to teach, guide, encourage and correct each Israelite to produce a holy nation. When the Israelites wanted a king to replace God, He fulfilled their desire.
    When His anointed priests and prophets rebelled against Him, defiled the temple of God and His people loved lies and deceptions, He handed Israel and Jerusalem to their enemies.
Jer 5:30-31  "An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?"

New Covenant of New Spirit
Jer 31:31-32  "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— 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."
    Though God loved and led the house (nation) of Israel as a husband, yet they rebelled against His covenant. So God made a new covenant with the Israelites as individuals so that He could give each of them a new Spirit.
     They must repent and turn from their transgressions, so that each would get for himself a new heart and a new spirit.
Eze 18:30-31  "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord God. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?"

New Covenant of Jesus' Blood
Jer 31:33-34  "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... For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
   Out of God's grace, whoever (both Jews and Gentiles as individuals) believes Jesus as the Messiah and accepts the gospel of Christ will be saved with his sins forgiven. He will also be given the Holy Spirit as the seal of redemption.
    The Holy Spirit will teach him all things and bring to his remembrance the word of Jesus thus fulfilling prophecies.
John 14:26  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."