NOTE: The
Palestinian, or Land Covenant (Deut. 4-34)
is part of the Mosaic Covenant (Exod. 20:1-31:18). When God renewed the Mosaic
Covenant with Israel He added additional
rules and regulations to the covenant that
were meant to help Israel as they took
possession of the promised land. The
Everlasting Covenant (Heb. 13:20) is
actually part of the New Covenant of Christ
Jesus (Jer. 31:31-40; Heb. 5:9).
Promises
To Israel Are Based On The Divine Covenants:
Abrahamic
Covenant:
• Promises first
given to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:18; 17:2-7).
• God gave
Abraham circumcision as a “sign” of their
Covenant (Gen. 17:9-14).
• The Abrahamic
Covenant was based on faith alone. The
Abrahamic Covenant is what defines true
Israel as God’s people in all ages (Gen. 15:1-21; 22:15-18; 26:1-6; 28:10-15; Isa. 51:1-3;
Acts 3:8, 16, 25, 26; Rom. 4; Gal. 3; Heb. 11:8, 17).
The
Mosaic Covenant Compared To The Abrahamic
Covenant:
• The Mosaic
Covenant is different from the Abrahamic
Covenant (Deut. 5:2-3).
• The Abrahamic
Covenant is unconditional. It did not depend
on the obedience of the Israelites. The
Mosaic Covenant is conditional on Israel’s
obedience (Gal. 3:15-18).
• Mosaic
Covenant—a covenant of works. God’s holy
requirements cannot be ignored (Exod. 19:5-6).
• Abrahamic
Covenant—a covenant of promise. No
requirements are mentioned; God will
unconditionally bless true Israel.
• The Mosaic
Covenant did not replace the Abrahamic
Covenant (Gal. 3:17-19).
• The Mosaic
Covenant can be interrupted by disobedience
(Deut. 28:15); the Abrahamic Covenant cannot
be interrupted. (Lev. 26:42-45; Mic. 7:18-20).
Mosaic
Covenant:
• Israel took an
oath 430 years after God entered into
covenant with Abraham, accepting God as
their sovereign king and became subject to
His divine authority (Exod. 19:5-8; Exod. 24:3-8; Deut. 7:6-14; c.f. Gal. 3:17)
• The Law of
Moses is the whole body of the mosaic
legislation including the Ten Commandments
and the rest of the 613 laws of the Old
Covenant (Exod. 34:27-28; Deut. 4:13; 9:9; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2; Heb.
Torah: Deut. 1:5; 4:8; 4:44; 17:14-20; 27:3, 8;
2 Kings 14:6; Isa. 8:20; Josh. 24:26).
• The Covenant
God made with Israel was based on a Hittite,
Suzerainty-Vassal covenant type that was
conditional on Israel’s faithful response to
do all that the LORD had commanded them to
do (Exod. 19-24; 19:5-6; Deut. 28-31; Lev. 26).
• God gave to
Israel circumcision (Gen. 17:9-14; c.f. Exod. 4:26; 12:44-48; Lev. 12:3;
Deut. 10:12-16; 30:6), the Passover (Exod. 12:13-14), and the
Sabbaths (Exod. 31:13, 17; Ezek. 20:12, 20) as
covenant “signs” to be kept “throughout
[their] generations”.
• The Covenant
had both blessings and curses to be
implemented depending on Israel’s faithful
response to God’s commands (Deut. 28-30;
Lev. 26).
• This Mosaic
Covenant continued in force until the
leaders of the nation formally rejected
Jesus as their Messiah and King and declared
to Pilate that they had, “no other king but
Caesar” (John 19:12-15; cf. Matt. 21:43-45; 23:36-38).
• The Old or
Mosaic covenant is a legally binding,
conditional covenant that God made with
Israel on Mount Sinai. This covenant was
brought to an end and was fulfilled at the
cross (Exod. 19:5-8; Gal. 3:24-25; cf. Acts 13:39; Rom. 7:1-9; 10:4;
Heb. 7:18-19; 8:6-13; 9:1-4; 9:8-16; 10:1-14).
• It was never
intended to save people, but instead its
purpose was to demonstrate the inability of
even God’s own chosen people to eradicate
sin and guilt until the coming of the
Messiah. The Law revealed God’s
righteousness. The sacrifices revealed His
grace (Gal. 3:10-13; 3:21-25; Gal. 4:21; 5:1, 13;
Rom. 6:14; 7:1-14; 2 Cor. 3:7-18;
Heb. 10:1-4; 9:11-28).
• Israel, under
the Mosaic covenant was the physical
fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, a
foreshadowing of the superior New Covenant
of grace to come (Gal. 3:16, 17, 18, 21;
Jer. 31:31-34; Hebrews 8).
• The sacrificial system of the
Mosaic Covenant did not really take away
sins (Heb. 10:1-4); it simply foreshadowed
the bearing of sin by Christ, the perfect
high priest Who was also the perfect
sacrifice (Heb. 9:11-28). Therefore, the
Mosaic Covenant itself, with all its
detailed laws, could not save people. It is
not that there was any problem with the Law
itself, for the Law is perfect and was given
by a holy God, but the Law had no power to
give people new life, and the people were
not able to obey the Law perfectly (Gal. 3:21). [Got Questions].
• God made the
Sabbath known for the first time to Israel
on their way to receive the Law (Exod. 16:22-26).
• No one kept the
Sabbath before Israel did and only after the
exodus (Exod. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:2-6; Ne. 9:13-14).
• The Old
Testament predicted the Sabbath would be
brought to an end (Isa. 1:13; Lam. 2:6;
Hosea 2:1-13).
• The New
Testament explicitly teaches that
Sabbath-keeping was not a requirement for
the New Covenant Church (Acts 15:1-28; Col. 2:13-17; Gal. 4:10-11; Eph. 2:11-16;
Rom. 14:5-12; Heb. 4:1-11).
Tithing And Giving Under The Law:
• Tithing extends to all kinds of
produce and livestock (Lev. 27:30-32).
• Cereal and fruit offerings could be commuted
to money (2 Chron. 31:5-6; Ne. 10:35-38; 13:12).
• All tithes were paid to the Levites (Num. 18:21-24; Ne. 10:37-38; Heb. 7:5).
•
Tithes were to be paid in a designated place
(Deut. 12:5-6; 14:22-29; 26).
• 2
Tithes were paid in Jerusalem, or every
three years in towns where the tithe feast
was eaten.
• Levites offered a tenth
to the Lord (Num. 18:25-29; Ne. 10:39).
• Blessings were promised to those
who tithe (Mal. 3:10; Prov. 3:9-10).
• Failure to tithe and abuses of the
tithe (Mal. 3:8-10; cf. Lev. 27:33; 1 Sam. 8:15-17; Ne. 13:10).
There Were Three Different
Types Of Tithes Offered:
1.
The Levitical, or sacred tithe (Num. 18:21, 24).
2. The tithe
of the feasts (Deut. 14:22-27).
3.
The tithe for the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29).
Uses Of The Tithe:
• Support of the Levites (Num. 18:21;
cf. 2 Chron. 31:4).
• The tithe meal (Deut. 14:23).
•
A three-yearly gift to the poor (Deut. 14:28-29).
Freewill Offerings
Were Made in Addition To The Tithe:
• They were given freely (Exod. 36:3 cf.
Lev. 7:12-18; Num. 15:3; Ezra 1:4; Ps. 54:6;
Ezek. 46:12).
• They were given
according to ability (Deut. 16:10; 16:17;
Acts 11:29; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:12).
•
“People
presented their tithes by taking them to the
central place of worship, where, with their
households and the Levites, they joined in a
joyous ceremonial meal (Deut. 12:5-7; 12:17-19). If the offerer lived so far from
the tabernacle (or later the temple) that
transporting his goods was a problem, he
could sell his tithes locally and take the
money instead (Deut. 14:22-27).
•
Every third year the offerer had to
distribute this tithe (or perhaps an
additional tithe) in his own locality, so
that the local poor could benefit from it as
well as the Levites. In this case the
offerer, after distributing his tithes, had
to go to the central place of worship and
declare before God that he had done
according to the divine command (Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-15).” [The AMG Concise Bible
Dictionary].
NOTE: “The
Bible records two pre-Mosaic examples of
tithing. Abraham, on gaining a notable
victory in the land God had promised him,
offered to God a tithe of the goods he had
seized in battle (Gen. 14:17-24; Heb. 7:4-10). Jacob, on fleeing for safety to a
distant land, promised to give God a tithe
of his possessions if God brought him back
safely (Gen. 28:20-22). In both cases the
offering of the tithe was an acknowledgment
that God was the sovereign controller in
human affairs and the giver of all gifts.”
[The AMG Concise Bible Dictionary].
• There is no specific command in the
New Testament for the church to tithe, but
many commands to give generously and to
support the Lord’s work.
God Instituted The Mosaic Covenant With Israel To Guide Them In Fulfilling Their Role:
• The covenant
was meant to show God’s holiness and how
people must act to live in God’s presence
(Lev. 19:1-2; Rom. 7:12).
• The covenant
showed Israel how to properly worship God
(Lev. 23).
• The covenant
distinguished the Jews as a distinct people
from the rest of the nations (Deut. 7:6; 14:1-2).
• The abundance
of commandments in the covenant served to
magnify and reveal the sins of the
Israelites (Rom. 3:19-20).
• The covenant,
in revealing sins, was meant to drive the
Israelites to faith in the promised seed of
the woman (Gal. 3:24-25).
Under The
Covenant Relationship, Israel Pledged
Themselves To Obey God In All Things:
(Exod. 19:1-8; 24:3-8)
• Upon Israel’s
faithfulness, God would give to them the
land of Palestine as their inheritance (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7-8).
• Israel would be
endowed with unique physical, intellectual
and material blessings designed to make them
the greatest nation on the face of the earth
(Exod. 15:26; Deut. 7:12-15; 4:6).
• God promised
Israel greater skill in cultivating the soil
that would restore their land to the
fertility and beauty of Eden, and bring
prosperity to their flocks and herds (Deut. 7:13; 28:3-12; Isa. 51:3; Mal. 3:10-11).
• As a result of
their faithfulness, Israel would enjoy
unparalleled prosperity and reach the
highest standard of living of any nation
(Deut. 8:18; 28:11-13).
• They would
become the greatest nation on the face of
the earth (Deut. 4:6-8; 7:14; 28:1-2; 28:10-13; Jer. 33:9; Mal. 3:12).
• With their
wholehearted cooperation with the revealed
will of God and their best efforts, God
would give Heaven’s richest blessings (Deut. 4:9; 28:1; 13-14; 30:9-10).
• The Promised
Land, also known as “The Land of Milk and
Honey” is the land which, according to the
Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), was promised and
subsequently given by God to Abraham and his
descendants. The promise was first made to
Abraham (Gen. 15:18-21), then confirmed to
his son Isaac (Gen. 26:3), and then to
Isaac’s son Jacob, Abraham’s grandson (Gen. 28:13).
• The Promised
Land was described in terms of the territory
from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates
river (Exod. 23:31). A smaller area of former
Canaanite land and land east of the Jordan
River was conquered and occupied by their
descendants, the Israelites, after Moses led
the exodus out of Egypt (Num. 34:1-12).
• This occupation
was interpreted as God’s fulfillment of the
promise (Deut. 1:8). Moses anticipated that
God might subsequently give the Israelites
land reflecting the boundaries of God’s
original promise, but only if they were obedient to
the covenant (Deut. 19:7-10).
• The law
anticipates the enlargement of Israel’s land
(Deut. 12:20) and thus the need for further
cities of refuge to ensure accessibility.
Moses took every opportunity to remind the
people that God’s promises of land obligate
Israel to obedience (Deut. 19:9). That these
further three cities were appointed shows Israel
did receive the land promise.
• The
Land promise was fulfilled when Joshua led
the people on the conquest of Canaan and
then divided up the land (Josh. 21:43-45).
• The Bible names the six cities as
being cities of refuge: Golan, Ramoth, and
Bosor, on the east (left bank) of the Jordan
River, and Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron on
the western (right) side (Num. 35:11-28).
• If Israel stopped following after
the LORD God they were promised suffering
instead of blessings for their disobedience
(Josh. 23:6-16).
Israel
Was To Be A Living Example And Witness To
The Whole World:
• The world would
see the infinite superiority of the worship
and service to the true God of Israel,
Yahweh (Deut. 4:6-9; 7:12-15; 28:1-13; Isa. 49:3-7; 61:9; 62:1-2).
• One by one the
nations would unite with Israel in serving
Yahweh (Isa. 2:2-3; 11:10; 14:1; 19:18-22;
Isa. 45:14; 55:5; 56:3-8; 60:1-12; Jer. 3:17; 16:19; 33:9; Zech. 2:11; 8:20-23).
Israel
Forfeited Possession Of The Land Of Canaan
Due To Apostasy:
• The nation went
into captivity and spent 70 years as
captives in Babylon (Deut. 28:63-65; Josh. 24; Judg. 2:1-3; 2:11-18;
2 Chronicles 36:14-17; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 25:5-11; 29:7-19; 32:21-23;
Ezek. 7:2-9; 12:3-28; 20:28; Ezek. 20:35-38; 21:25-32; 36:18-23;
Mic. 2:10; Hosea 9:3, 15).
• The divine curses came upon Israel for disobeying the law/covenant (Deut. 28:15-19;
cf. Lev. 26:14-39;
Deut. 11:26-28; 27:9-26; 28:20-68; 29:18-21; Jer. 11:2-4; 11:8;
Dan. 9:11-14; Gal. 3:10).
• They were to
learn through adversity what they could have
learned in times of blessing and prosperity
(Jer. 25:5-7; Jer. 46:28; Ezek. 20:35-38).
Israel Is
Restored To the Land Of Canaan After The
Exile:
• God renews the
covenant with Israel and promises that they
can still see all the blessings come to pass
if they would be loyal to him (Jer. 31:3-38; 33:3-26;
Ezek. 36:8-11; 36:21-38; 43:10-11;
Mic. 4:8-12; Zech. 1:17; 2:12; 6:15; 10:6).
• All the Old
Testament
promises looking forward to a time of
restoration for the Jews as God’s covenant
people anticipate their return from
Babylonian captivity (Isa. 14:1-7; 27:12-13; 44:28-45:4; Jer. 16:14-16; 23:3-8; 25:11;
Jer. 29:10-14; 30:3-12; 32:37-44; Ezek. 34:11-16; Amos 9; Mic. 2:12-13).
• Ezra describes
the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 3-6). The
temple was completed and dedicated in 516
B.C., exactly seventy years after it was
destroyed!
• God promised that the Babylonian
captivity would not make a complete end to
Israel’s role as His covenant people (Jer. 4:27; 5:18; 46:28).
• In the covenant
“blessings and curses”, God promised to
bring Israel back to the Promised Land from
any future captivity (Deut. 30:1-10; Lev. 26:44-45).
• God continues
to warn Israel about future covenant curses
if they continued in their unfaithfulness (1 Kings 14:15; 2 Kings 17:7-8; 17:18-20;
Ps. 78:10-11; 40-42; 78:56-62; Jer. 32:30; Amos 9:8).
• God gave Daniel
a vision of the coming world kingdoms that
would be destroyed by God’s everlasting
kingdom (Dan. 2-12).
• God gave Israel
a time period of 490 years to see if they
could measure up to His purpose for them as
a nation that would culminate with the
coming of the Messiah and the establishment
of his Kingdom (Dan. 9:20-23; 9:24-27;
Jer. 12:14-17).
God’s
Intention Towards The Gentiles In The Old
Testament:
• God distinguished the Israelites by setting them
apart as his own nation (Lev. 20:24-26), yet
his reason for doing so was not to play
favorites, but to benefit everyone (Gen. 18:18; 22:18).
• The Israelites
were intended to be an example to others, so
that everyone would hear about God and be
saved. When other nations witnessed or heard
about Israel’s history - that is, their
relationship with God and God’s actions on
their behalf - those nations would hear
about God and have reason to believe in him
(Isa. 60:1-5; Zech. 8:20-23; 14:9; cf. Rom. 11:26-29).
• God performed
the miracles in Egypt and during the exodus for
this reason (Exod. 9:16; Josh. 4:23-24), and
they did cause people in other nations to
revere God (Josh. 2:8-11).
• Throughout the
Old Testament there are pointers to God’s
global vision. The Psalms often refer to God as
the God of all nations (Ps. 47:8-9; 99:2).
They prophesy that all nations will worship
God (Ps. 86:9) and call on them to worship
him in the present (Ps. 47:1; 117:1).
• Other Psalms speak
of God revealing himself to all nations (Ps. 98:2; 67), through his deeds and through the
Israelites praising him to other nations
(Ps. 9:11; 96:3, 10; 105:1). Several
passages in Isaiah also talk about God’s plans
to include the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 56:7; 66:19).
• The laws given
to the Israelites were also meant to get the
world’s attention and included several
provisions for Gentiles (Deut. 4:6).
• God loved the
Gentiles and provided for them, and
instructed the Israelites to love foreigners
as themselves, particularly because they had
been foreigners in Egypt (Deut. 10:18-19;
Lev. 19:33-34).
• This included
providing for needy immigrants (Lev. 23:22;
Deut. 24:19-22) and not mistreating or
oppressing them (Exod. 23:9; Deut. 24:14-18; 27:19) but treating them equally under the
law (Num. 15:15-16; Lev. 24:22).
• Those who
became followers of God would be Israelites
in God’s view (Jer. 12:16) and could
participate in Passover (Exod. 12:48-49).
The
Kingdom Forfeited In The Rejection Of The
Messiah!
• When the
appointed time came His people “received him
not” (John 1:11).
• Three days
before his crucifixion, Jesus pronounced
Heaven’s verdict on the Jewish nation (Matt. 21:43-45; 23:27-39; Luke 21:1-28) .
• When the Jews
rejected their Messiah, God brought the Old
Covenant to an end and established His
Church as the new covenant people of God (Jer. 12:14-17; 18; 26:1-6; Dan. 9:26-27;
Eph. 2:11-16).
• God would still
fulfill his promise to bring the Gentiles
into a saving relationship with him (Isa. 60:1-5; Zech. 8:20-23; 14:9; cf. Rom. 11:26-29).
The
Kingdom Is Transferred To The Church! (Jews
and Gentiles Are Equal Participants)
New
Covenant:
• Jesus Christ is
God’s special servant that would be a
covenant for His people, and God’s light to
all the nations of the world (Isa. 42:1-7; 49:7-9; Matt. 12:17-21; Luke 4:18-21; Acts 13:47).
• The New
Covenant church is the eschatological
fulfillment of the people of God, the
renewed Israel in Christ that supersedes
Israel as God’s covenant people and His
representatives on earth (Matt. 28:19-20;
Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 2:28-29; 9:24-26; 9:30-31; 10:12-13; 2 Cor. 5:18-20;
Gal. 3:9; 3:27-29; Eph. 2:11-16; 1 Pet. 2:4-10).
• The church has
taken on the role of Israel as God’s new
temple and priesthood in 1 Pet. 2:4-10. They
offer spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing
to God through Jesus Christ (Isa. 8:14; 28:15; 43:20-21; Ps. 118:22; Exod. 19:5-6;
Hosea 1:6, 9; 2:25).
•
Christologically, the church is not directly
the “new Israel” or her replacement. Rather,
in Christ Jesus, the church is God’s new
creation, comprised of believing Jews and
Gentiles, because Jesus is the last Adam and
true Israel, the faithful seed of Abraham
who inherits the promises by his work (Gal. 3:16; Eph. 2:11-22). Thus, in union with
Christ, the church is God’s new covenant
people in continuity with the elect in all
ages, but different from Israel in its
nature and structure. Now, in Christ, both
believing ethnic Jews and Gentiles stand
equally together and inherit all of God’s
promises in him (Gal. 3:26-4:7; Rom. 2:26-28). And,
furthermore, the relationship between Christ
and his people is inseparable. For this
reason, the church receives all of God’s
promises in Christ.
• The New
Covenant is the promised everlasting
covenant (Heb. 13:20) established by Christ
Jesus (Luke 22:20; Dan. 9:26-27) that
fulfills all preceding biblical covenants –
a covenant in which all believers have full
forgiveness of sins (Jer. 31:34), are
permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit
(Ezek. 36:25-27; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30), and
are empowered by the Spirit to live a life
that is pleasing to God (Jer. 31:31-33;
Phil. 2:12-13).
• The New
Covenant is the spiritual fulfillment of the
Abrahamic covenant. The New Covenant came
into effect with the ministry of Jesus, at the
Last Supper when Jesus said in Luke 22:20,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which is poured out for you.”
• The People of
God are God’s elect community, consisting of
believing Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:15),
first formed as the body of Christ, which is
the Church, at Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-41), not before (John 7:39; 17:21; Col. 1:26-27; Heb. 11:39-40), as one corporate
spiritual body in New Covenant union with
Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:19-21; Col. 1:18-24).
• In Christ, the
land promise is also fulfilled and
consummated, as the one who wins the new
creation by his work and who, when he
returns, will usher in the new creation
(Rom. 4:13; Eph. 6:3; Heb. 11:10, 16; cf.
Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21-22).
• In Christ, as
the last Adam and true Israel, he is the
first man of the new creation and by his
work he wins the new creation by putting
everything under his feet in victory and
triumph at his cross and in his glorious
resurrection (Heb. 2:5-18). The land, then,
is viewed as a type/pattern which not only
looks back to Eden/creation, but also
forward to Christ and the new creation.
• Jews and
Gentiles alike find salvation as believers
in Christ and not as physical descendants of
Abraham (Acts 10:34, 35; Acts 15:9, 11; Rom. 9:6; Rom. 11:1-2; Rom. 11:11-15; Rom. 22-26;
Eph. 2:11-19; 3:6; Eph. 4:3-6; Col. 3:10-11).
• Nine of the
Ten Commandments are reaffirmed in the New
Covenant.
1st Command (1 Cor. 8:4-6; 1 Tim. 2:5). 2nd Command (1 Jn. 5:21; Rom. 1:22-23; Acts 17:29; Rev. 21:8). 3rd
Command (James 2:7; 5:12; 1 Tim. 1:20; 6:1). 4th
Command - (Matt. 12:1-8; Acts 15:1-28; Col. 2:14-17; Gal. 4:10-11; Rom. 14:5-12; Eph. 2:11-18; Heb. 3:7-4:13; 10:23-25; Matt. 11:28-30)
[The 4th Commandment is not repeated in the New
Covenant]. 5th Command (Matt. 19:19; Eph. 6:1-4). 6th Command (Rom. 13:8-10;
1 Pet. 4:15; Rev. 21:8). 7th Command (Rom. 13:9; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Heb. 13:4; Rev. 21:8). 8th
Command (Rom. 13:9; Eph. 4:28). 9th
Command (Rom. 13:9; Eph. 4:25; 1 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 21:8). 10th
Command (Rom. 7:1-7; 13:9; Col. 3:5; Heb. 13:5).
• Baptism is the
outward sign that regeneration has occurred.
It is a special ordinance that signifies
that you have been spiritually born into the
believing people of God (a new creation),
the church. It is given to all those who
give evidence of regeneration, which is
repentance and faith. Baptism carries with
it a picture of Christ’s death and
resurrection (Matt. 3:11; 3:13; 28:19; Mark 10:39; 16:16; John 1:33; 3:22; 3:26; Acts 2:38; 2:41; 8:36; Acts 10:47; 10:48; Col. 2:12).
• The Lord’s
Supper, commonly referred to as “communion,”
is the special ordinance that the Lord
Himself instituted while He was still on
earth. The ordinance of communion
commemorates and typifies the suffering and
death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 6:53; Rom. 11:27; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23-25).
• The New Testament explicitly teaches
that Sabbath-keeping along with the other
ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant
Law are not required in the New Covenant
(Matt. 11:28-30; 12:1-8; Acts 15:1-28; Col. 2:14-17; Gal. 4:10-11; Rom. 14:5-12; Eph. 2:11-18; Heb. 3:7-4:13; 10:23-25).
• The day that
the church met for worship, the Lord’s
Supper and giving was the First day of the
week. It came to be known as the “Lord’s
Day”. The New Covenant believer is not
required to keep the Sabbath or any of the
other special days or ceremonies of the Old
Covenant (Matt. 28:1, 9, 17; Luke 24:1, 52;
Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:14-17; Acts 15; 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-3; Rev. 1:10).
• No required
amount or percentage for giving to the
Lord’s work is specified in the New
Testament. All giving to the Lord is to be
free will giving and completely
discretionary (Luke 6:38; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8-9). This is not to be confused with
the Old Testament requirement of paying
tithes (Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:21-26; Deut. 14:28-29; Mal. 3:8-10).
• New Testament
writers often reinterpret Old Testament prophecies regarding
Israel in light of the new historical
setting, applying them to the church (Acts 2:17-21; Acts 15:15-17; Rom. 9:25-29; 1 Cor. 9:9-10; Gal. 3:11, 16; 4:22-31; Heb. 4:1-10; 8:8-12; 1 Pet. 2:9-10).
• The Kingdom of
God is the everlasting reign of God over the
universe and His people, progressively
unfolded via the biblical covenants –
ultimately realized in the messianic reign
of Jesus Christ in heaven with His saints
(Heb. 1:1-4; Rev. 20:4; Eph. 2:6), that was
eschatologically inaugurated at His
ascension (Dan. 7:13-14) in fulfillment of
the Biblical Covenants (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Acts 2:25-36).
• It is advanced
through the Spirit-empowered preaching of
the Gospel (Acts 1:7-8), and will be
consummated in the new heavens and new earth
at the Second Coming when Christ subdues all
His enemies (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
The
Purpose Of The Mosaic Law And How It Has
Been Superseded By Christ!
• The Law of
Moses is the covenantal outworking of God’s
absolute law under the Old Covenant – the
exhaustive, indivisible (James 2:10; Gal. 5:3) legal code, summed up in the Ten
Commandments (Exod. 34:28), covenantally
binding upon the Nation of Israel (Exod. 19:5-6; 24:3), temporary in its duration
(Heb. 7:11-12; Col. 2:14), and fulfilled in
Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:4; Matt. 5:17-18; Col. 2:16-17);
• The Mosaic Law
was not for Gentiles (Rom. 2:14-15; Rom. 9:3-5; 1 Cor. 9:20-21).
• The Mosaic
Law’s purpose was to reveal sin, not to
justify (Rom. 3:19-20; 7:7; Gal. 3:19-22; 1 Tim. 1:8-11; Heb. 7:11-19) and to lead
Israel and us to Christ.
• To produce
death so we can see our
need for God’s grace and Christ’s life (Rom. 5:20-21; 7:5).
• To watch over
us until we are made new in Christ (Gal. 3:23-25).
• The Mosaic Law
is not for the Church, the body of Christ.
Christians are not under the authority of
the Mosaic Law (Rom. 6:14-15; 7:1-6; 10:4;
Gal. 3:23-26; 4:21-31; 5:1-4; 5:18).
• None of
ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Covenant
are required of the New Covenant believer
(Col. 2:14-17; Eph. 2:15; Gal. 3; 4:9-11;
Heb. 8:7-13; Rom. 14:5; Acts 15:1, 5; 15:10-11; 15:24; 15:28-29).
• Christians are
under grace, not Law (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:18)
and called to liberty (Gal. 5:1, 13).
• Love is to be
operative motivation for the believer (Gal. 5:13-14) and the believer is to conduct his
life under the control of the Holy Spirit
(Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16).
• These elements
combined to form what Paul called the “Law
of Christ” (Gal. 6:2; 1 Cor. 9:19-23) and
the “law of God” (Rom. 7:22-25; 8:7).
• The Law of
Christ is the covenantal outworking of God’s
absolute law under the New Covenant – the
gracious law of the New Covenant (Rom. 6:14), which is covenantally binding upon
the Church (1 Cor. 9:20-21) and consists of
the law of love (Matt. 5:44; Gal. 6:2; James 2:8; Rom. 13:8-10), the example of the Lord
Jesus Christ (John 13:34; Phil. 2:4-12),
Christ’s commands and teaching (Matt. 28:20;
2 Pet. 3:2); and the commands and teachings
of the New Testament Gospels and Epistles (2 Pet. 3:2; Eph. 2:20; Jude 1:17; 1 Jn. 5:3).
• All Scripture
should be interpreted in light of the
ministry of Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:17-18;
Luke 24:27, 44; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
* NOTE: In Luke 24:27 Jesus explained to the two disciples
how not only the explicit prophecies about
the Messiah but also the historical patterns
of God’s activity again and again throughout
the Old Testament looked forward to Jesus
himself. In Luke 24:27, 44, the expression,
“Moses and all the Prophets” refers to the
entire Old Testament,
also summarized as all of the Scriptures.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
Nowhere in the New Testament does it say
that literal Israel will be restored to
covenant privileges outside of the New
Covenant promises given to the Church.
Galatians 3:26-29 says, “for in Christ Jesus
you are all sons of God, through faith. For
as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring,
heirs according to promise.” (ESV)
Many of the Old
Testament
promises to Israel that were unfulfilled
will never be fulfilled to Israel as a
nation. The promises such as those affirming
Israel’s worldwide mission, the ingathering
of the Gentiles and those pointing forward
to the eternal rest in Canaan can never be
fulfilled. They were conditional upon
Israel’s faithful response to the Mosaic
Covenant and have been superseded by the New
Covenant promises.
The other
promises that will be fulfilled through the
New Covenant Church as the new, spiritual
Israel, will be done so in principle – but
not necessarily in detail because of the
fact that many details of those prophecies
were made with respect to Israel as a
literal nation, situated in the land of
Palestine, whereas the Christian Church is a
spiritual “nation” scattered all over the
world. Those details cannot be reapplied to
the church in any literal sense.
Details that
depended upon the Jews continuing as God’s
chosen people in the land of Palestine have
lapsed by default. To lift selected passages
out of their literary and historical context
in the Old Testament and apply them arbitrarily to
our day is not a valid exegesis.
1 Peter 2:6-10
says, “For it stands in Scripture: “Behold,
I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone
chosen and precious, and whoever believes in
him will not be put to shame.” So the honor
is for you who believe, but for those who do
not believe, “The stone that the builders
rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word,
as they were destined to do. But you are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of
him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people; once you had
not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.” (ESV)
