Why did Jesus sometimes tell Jewish people to keep the commandments and obey the law? How do we reconcile that with writings from the Apostle Paul and others who revealed in Scripture that all people have been freed from that very same law? The contrast is clear, yet it is seldom addressed head-on by Church Incorporated. Religious tradition has adopted most of what Jesus taught as a new Christian teaching, when instead He was frequently ministering the law to people from Israel who were under that law. Gentiles were never under the law of commandments which came through Moses, and in fact, we find in New Testament writings where they (we) were never to be considered under that former ministry. Jesus delivered people from it, and brought them into a New Covenant (Himself), to live within a new life by the ministry of God’s Spirit.
643. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 14): The Transition to a New Covenant
Many beliefs found in the world of the organized Christian church are based upon certain assumptions, which in some instances, have led people down the wrong path or the wrong mindset. This is why so many traditionalists will sound the alarm and issue “grace warnings” whenever they hear about faith-based righteousness that comes apart from the law of works. It will be beneficial for us to shift to an entirely different paradigm in order to rethink many foundational teachings we’ve been bombarded with over the years. As we do this, and begin growing in our understanding of the gospel of grace, we start to see things from a fresh and new perspective. We’ll even begin to realize some of the inconsistencies and contradictions found within our (previous) belief system.
One example from this week’s program: The New Testament page, found between the books of Malachi and Matthew. The New Covenant/Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, but after He died. Begin to transition into realizing that much of what Jesus taught was not a new Christian teaching for believers living in a New Covenant, but was ministry aimed at the Jewish people who were still under the law. They were without life, and in a hopeless situation living under the command. They needed something new. They needed Jesus to do the will of God and fulfill the law on their behalf.
During this week's program we mentioned the twenty-part Growing in Grace podcast series that we'd recorded a couple of years ago entitled "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants." In that series we (obviously) went into much more detail on Jesus' ministry to the Jews who were under the Old Covenant. Here's a link to Part 1 of that series in case you're interested in listening to it. (Then click on "Newer Post" to hear each subsequent part of the series).
One example from this week’s program: The New Testament page, found between the books of Malachi and Matthew. The New Covenant/Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, but after He died. Begin to transition into realizing that much of what Jesus taught was not a new Christian teaching for believers living in a New Covenant, but was ministry aimed at the Jewish people who were still under the law. They were without life, and in a hopeless situation living under the command. They needed something new. They needed Jesus to do the will of God and fulfill the law on their behalf.
During this week's program we mentioned the twenty-part Growing in Grace podcast series that we'd recorded a couple of years ago entitled "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants." In that series we (obviously) went into much more detail on Jesus' ministry to the Jews who were under the Old Covenant. Here's a link to Part 1 of that series in case you're interested in listening to it. (Then click on "Newer Post" to hear each subsequent part of the series).
557. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 14): Carry Your Cross & Try to Save Yourself
Many Christians will look at the teachings of Jesus as though He were speaking directly to believers of today, when much of the time He was speaking to Jews under the law. By looking through the lens of the Old Covenant, we can begin to see quite often where Jesus said some things that were never meant to be a life application for us in the New Covenant. In fact, we'll discover Jesus was attempting to show His Jewish followers how they simply could not live up to the requirements that it would take to truly be His disciple and inherit eternal life. One of these examples is when Jesus referred to them carrying their own cross. It has become a modern-day religious talking point, but it's clear Jesus never meant for us to carry our own cross when He said, "Whoever tries to save their life will lose it."
556. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 13): The Good Samaritan & Self-Justification
What inspired the story of The Good Samaritan? A lawyer was testing Jesus with a question about the law that came through Moses. The Scripture states he was trying to do what other Jews did under the law — they attempted to justify themselves. In order to truly justify himself, the lawyer was told to do according to what the law says. The problem with this? Nobody had ever done it before. While the world has encouraged us to be the good Samaritan, Jesus is actually the one represented by this person in the parable.
554. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 11): Ministering First to Jews Under the Law
It is a dangerous doctrine to assume Jesus was usually ministering a message directed at future believers who would be under the New Covenant. Jesus came to proclaim a message for Israelites first, not to those of us who were born as (non-Jewish) Gentiles. He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Righteousness was never meant to be attained by the commandments, but to be received freely as an heir. On this week's podcast, we look at a few more instances of Jesus ministering to these people who were under the first covenant.