You take your temperature when you think you have a fever; can you take a self-test to see if you are living under the Old Covenant, or under the New? At Mt. Sinai, ancient Israel voluntarily enslaved themselves under Old Covenant darkness that shadowed their history thereafter until finally they destroyed their nation and crucified their Messiah, the world's Redeemer.
What's the difference between the two lifestyles today?
(1) New Covenant living is believing the promises of God, rejoicing in the salvation already achieved for you, saying Thank You to God for saving you from the second death by the sacrifice of Christ's blood. It's realizing consciously that the bread you ate today is stamped with the cross of Christ, that every breath you draw is a gift of His much more abounding grace, that you're infinitely and eternally in debt to Him. It's reading Ephesians 1 and believing that you have been adopted into the family of God, thanks to something the Savior already did and not what you have ever done. It's joyously, willingly, happily, surrendering yourself to follow Him in service today, counting not your life dear unto yourself, gladly consecrating yourself to listen obediently to everything the Holy Spirit says to you--all because your little selfish heart is stretched outsize to "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the agape-love of Christ, which passeth knowledge," the love that drove Him as far as hell to save you from hell. Yes, it's total obedience motivated by His abounding grace.
(2) Old Covenant living is constantly trying to do everything right, motivated by fear of the judgment, concerned because Christ has not already done all of this for you but is waiting for you first to do something that would make it possible for Him to do all this for you.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 24, 2010.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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