Paul writes on the difficulty of the understanding the application of the Old Covenant in 2Corinthians 3 and explains how a right understanding of its application is found in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.
We had a guest preacher bring a message on this text this past Lord's Day, and as he went through the text, some important things crystallized.
The problem was not with the covenant, but with the people. Jeremiah 31:31-34 highlights this. They were hardened & blinded, having a veil over their spiritual eyes, their heart, thus they could not rightly obey God in the Old Covenant. Thus, our God and Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, brought in the New Covenant in His blood, by which, all who are in the New Covenant, such as Abel, Enoch and Noah, have been able to see the same glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, as saints since the cross.
God's mercy & goodness shine forth through the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas, with a veil over the heart, man turns that which is by faith into a system of works. Those who have had the veil removed turn to the Lord and through His Spirit changing them from glory to glory are made into the same image of their Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as you behold Christ in the New Covenant, beholding His glory, you are being made glorious, because you are being made like Him. What an amazing thought and not just a thought, but an actual reality for all those who behold the glory of Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Holiness of Jesus Christ
This week, considering the firstfruit and root which results in the lump and branches being made holy, I considered who this pictured, the Lord Jesus Christ, and what the Bible had to say about holiness.
Holiness is not just sinless righteousness. Two examples in Scripture demonstrate this clearly.
The first example is creation. God made all His creation and gave Adam & Eve sinless righteous tasks of dominion over the creation, filling it, caring for it, and caring for one another. This is before sin is introduced remember. Then the LORD God commands the sanctifying of the 7th day. It is to be set apart; but how? The 4th commandment in Exodus 20 says to keep the day holy, set apart from the other 6, which were to also be kept sinless & righteously. Holiness is higher, because holiness points to God, thus it is called the Lord's Day.
The second example makes this clear. In Isaiah 6, seraphim, majestic creatures, are before the throne of God crying Holy, holy, holy. These creatures are in the LORD's presence praising Him. From this, we deduce they are sinless and righteous, for they praise the LORD. Yet, they praise the LORD Jehovah as Holy, holy, holy, thereby identifying holiness as transcending the sinless righteousness of His creatures.
Can we comprehend His holiness? No. It is beyond what we can think and imagine. I cannot think of keeping 6 sinless days, let alone a day holy to the Lord. I cannot know nor understand what these majestic seraphim are like or look like, much less the LORD's holiness. Yet, that does not mean we should not ask for understanding nor keep His day holy. We must instead cry out to God for help.
By the way, the Lord & LORD in Isaiah 6 is the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in John 12:41
The Holiness of Jesus Christ is beyond human comprehension - it will take an eternity to comprehend what we believe and confess by faith
Holiness is not just sinless righteousness. Two examples in Scripture demonstrate this clearly.
The first example is creation. God made all His creation and gave Adam & Eve sinless righteous tasks of dominion over the creation, filling it, caring for it, and caring for one another. This is before sin is introduced remember. Then the LORD God commands the sanctifying of the 7th day. It is to be set apart; but how? The 4th commandment in Exodus 20 says to keep the day holy, set apart from the other 6, which were to also be kept sinless & righteously. Holiness is higher, because holiness points to God, thus it is called the Lord's Day.
The second example makes this clear. In Isaiah 6, seraphim, majestic creatures, are before the throne of God crying Holy, holy, holy. These creatures are in the LORD's presence praising Him. From this, we deduce they are sinless and righteous, for they praise the LORD. Yet, they praise the LORD Jehovah as Holy, holy, holy, thereby identifying holiness as transcending the sinless righteousness of His creatures.
Can we comprehend His holiness? No. It is beyond what we can think and imagine. I cannot think of keeping 6 sinless days, let alone a day holy to the Lord. I cannot know nor understand what these majestic seraphim are like or look like, much less the LORD's holiness. Yet, that does not mean we should not ask for understanding nor keep His day holy. We must instead cry out to God for help.
By the way, the Lord & LORD in Isaiah 6 is the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in John 12:41
The Holiness of Jesus Christ is beyond human comprehension - it will take an eternity to comprehend what we believe and confess by faith
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Praying in detail
Sometimes in our praying we pray in generalities. "Please help us & guide us in our decisions". When we pray, we need to be specific about what those generalities mean.
The reason is as we get specific, our God will answer specifics and display His glory and give you opportunity to glorify Him before others as you spell out how God answers the details.
My family and I have a family prayer time after our devotional time, and many of our prayer requests seem to be in generalities. I recently determined to take one of those line items and broaden it into the specifics so that as we prayed it, God knew and we knew what we meant, so that when the answers came, we would know that it was of God.
The answers came, and came in specific ways to address our specific requests, and beyond, because God goes beyond what we can think and ask.
Pray in detail
The reason is as we get specific, our God will answer specifics and display His glory and give you opportunity to glorify Him before others as you spell out how God answers the details.
My family and I have a family prayer time after our devotional time, and many of our prayer requests seem to be in generalities. I recently determined to take one of those line items and broaden it into the specifics so that as we prayed it, God knew and we knew what we meant, so that when the answers came, we would know that it was of God.
The answers came, and came in specific ways to address our specific requests, and beyond, because God goes beyond what we can think and ask.
Pray in detail
Monday, March 2, 2009
Grace beyond description
As I grow in the faith, the grace of God, through His Son, sparkles more brightly, and dazzles my gaze more fully.
The reason for this is I come to know God's holiness, righteousness and justice more through prayer, the study of His Word and revelation of the Holy Spirit illuminating these things to my soul.
At the same time, my depravity, the inherent sin, living in my old nature still clinging to me in this life, also becomes clearer. My inability to please God remains the same, but sight into this inability becomes clearer, and therefore, the glory of God's grace shines brighter.
It is no wonder that after Paul has written "who shall deliver me from the body this of death" that He is able also to say: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Praise our Father for His grace through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
The reason for this is I come to know God's holiness, righteousness and justice more through prayer, the study of His Word and revelation of the Holy Spirit illuminating these things to my soul.
At the same time, my depravity, the inherent sin, living in my old nature still clinging to me in this life, also becomes clearer. My inability to please God remains the same, but sight into this inability becomes clearer, and therefore, the glory of God's grace shines brighter.
It is no wonder that after Paul has written "who shall deliver me from the body this of death" that He is able also to say: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Praise our Father for His grace through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
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