Ten Great Truths That Make God's Last Days Message Unique
NUMBER SIX: The New Covenant is God's one-way promise to write His law in our hearts, and to give us everlasting salvation as a free gift "in Christ." The Old Covenant is the vain promise of the people to obey, and "gives birth to bondage." The spiritual failures of many sincere people are the result of being taught Old Covenant ideas, especially in childhood and youth. The New Covenant truth even today lifts a load of doubt and despair from many heavy hearts.
The New Covenant is easy to understand: it's the Lord's one-way promise to write His holy law in our sinful hearts, so that now we love to obey His law. It's a cataclysmic change of heart!
It's the same as receiving the at-one-ment. "The carnal mind [was at] enmity with God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom 8:7), but now under the New Covenant the Lord writes that law deep into our hearts and it becomes our joy to be obedient.
But it's more than merely being "obedient." One can be "obedient" to the law while the inner heart is seething with rebellious thoughts. The most difficult task in the entire universe for God to accomplish is writing that law in our hearts; He can guide the unnumbered stars of the Milky Way more easily than He can change an unwilling human heart.
In fact, the only way that God has found that can change an unwilling human heart is a heart-appreciation for the sacrifice of Christ on His cross. When our little worldly minds can be "enlarged" to grasp and to appreciate that sacrifice of love, our grasping for reward melts away; we lose our acquisitive spirit; getting a mansion on Main street in the New Jerusalem ceases to be our goal; oneness with the Lord Jesus becomes our heart's joy.
God doesn't ask us to make promises to Him for He knows already that we can't keep them. Re-read the story of Abraham in the Book of Genesis--you will find that the Lord NEVER asked Abraham to make any promise to Him! All the Lord wanted was for Abraham to believe His promises--and of course that included dear Sarah, Abraham's wife. How could she become pregnant when she was now such an old woman? Sarah was Abraham's legally married wife, old as she was; it was never God's idea for Abraham to "take" Hagar! This entire story is the story of righteousness by faith--get your Book of Genesis; curl up in a cozy chair tonight, and read the story! It is faith-building.
But the Lord has made this magnificent promise to write that law in our hearts; it's a complete transformation of heart and character.
The accomplishment of this wonderful purpose is not effected through our making promises to God that we will from now on be obedient; our promises today are no better than were the promises of the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai when they assured the Lord through Moses, "All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do" (Ex. 19:8).
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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