Grace by Covenant (final)

Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.

GRACE BY COVENANT

By Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D. ©2015 All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1 Harmony of the Covenants …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9 Chapter 2 One Covenant …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………. 22 Chapter 3 God’s Grace ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 34 Chapter 4 Sons ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…… 48 Chapter 5 Grace The Final Frontier ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 64

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RELIGION IS WHAT MAN SAYS THAT GOD SAID; NOT WHAT GOD ACTUALLY SAID - Bernie L. Wade

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FOREWARD Watchman Nee once said “The Gospel of grace and the Gospel of the kingdom are not two Gospels, but one Gospel looked at from two different angles. Perceived from man’s perspective, it is the Gospel of grace; perceived from God’s perspective, it is the Gospel of the kingdom. “ There have been many angles taken by those claiming either of these subjects – grace and the kingdom of God. The former deals with blessings whereas the later deals with the demonic oppression of Satan. Neither is wrong. It seems however that the gospel of grace has been misunderstood by some and understood by others – although both parties think they are right.

Bishop Bernie Wade effectively explains the foundation of Grace as defined in God’s Word and puts it into perspective taking us from the beginning until today. Many cannot and do not (try) to understand how important grace was throughout God’s Word and is still foundational today.

I finished this study with a better understanding of God’s grace and His covenant with us, His children. For the new didn’t replace the old; instead it fulfilled it giving us a better and everlasting covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

I pray that others can lay aside their differences of opinions and take the time to read this study. Savor the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart concerning His grace that’s working through His love for us. For without the understanding of His love (through grace) we may be but a banging gong or clanging cymbal.

Lea Bates Listening in silence is the best way to hear from God

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to my close friend, Barney P. Phillips, Ph.D., who works with me closely and is a steady sounding board for the various ministry endeavors we share and with whom we have worked closely to create Life Track.

Thanks to Bishop Derrick Day, President of International Circle of Faith (ICOF) who has helped me to re-examine my approach to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in many ways contributed to the writing of this book.

Thanks to the many who helped in some way with this project including but not limited to Lea Bates, Cindye Coates, Ph.D., Ken Etter, Bernie Wade II, Ralph Day, Ph.D. and Dr. Roderick Williams.

Thanks to the family of Life Church of Kentucky http://www.lifecommunity.us. You are my heart song! I love all of you.

Unending appreciation and love to Daisy R. Wade, Th.D., my companion for the past 30 years! I love you! I am glad that God knew what we were doing when we met! The journey has been so sweet!

Thanks to the many who have sowed into our ministry. I am not speaking here of finances (although that is appreciated). Rather, I am speaking of the many who have walked a mile with us, shared a meal with us, lodged us in their homes, and so many other acts of love and kindness. These may not seem like much but these actions speak louder than words and convey the Love of Jesus Christ to our family, ministry and to me.

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INTRODUCTION My hope for this book is to find that common ground offered by the “Clear Note and Certain Sound”1 of the Word of God. Too often we have what should be a clear and certain sound muffled or distorted by the opinion of men, the pressures of peers or the whim of society. Some strive to achieve morality which is nice but even morality is a moving target based on the dictates and values of the society from one generation to the next. Morality has been defines as, “Whatever a society agrees upon and establishes through consent, compromise and constant use defines reality.”

Thus, what was immoral to our ancestors may find itself perfectly acceptable in today’s culture. Morality shifts at the speed of water boiling and like a frog placed in the water, we miss the increasing temperature until it is too late.

My desire is to write this book in a style that is easy to read, easier to understand and uncomplicated to apply to your life. There has been no effort to find larger words to explain simple ideas. Rather, we want the simplicity of the message to help you mature.

When I was an 8th Grader in West Saint Paul Minnesota at Francis M. Grass Middle School, my Economics teacher was Mr. Ligday. Robert C. Ligday was a former Navy officer and in my mind quite a formidable figure.

I wasn’t quite sure what the Economics class was going to entail but that Mr. Ligday had the answers was never in doubt. On the first day, Mr. Ligday issued this challenge, “There is NOTHING in the world that is not connected to Economics”.

Now, Mr. Ligday did not put the emphasis on nothing, but that is what I heard. The result was that I set out to prove Mr. Ligday’s thesis to be incorrect. Every day at the beginning of class I had a new idea to offer that I was just sure Mr. Ligday could not connect to economics. Every day Mr. Ligday proved my objection incorrect. I don’t know if he enjoyed the exchange as much as I did, but I do know that he was the first teacher who 1

I Corinthians. Chapter 14. Verse 8.

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really challenged me. I would prove to work harder in his class than any I was enrolled before and perhaps even after.

One day, I arrived at Economics class with my ultimate challenge. I was ready but so was Mr. Ligday. Mr. Ligday started the class with the usual “let’s see what Mr. Wade has thought up for today”. He spoke to his students formally. In his class I was not Bernie, I was Mr. Wade. As an 8th grader few of us were used to be addressed in that manner. I am not sure what my classmates thought but I liked the approach.

So, class was in session and now I had to give Mr. Ligday my challenge.

With all the finality of a javelin thrower competing in World Competition, I said, “A baby in the middle of the Ocean.” My classmates were impressed I could tell! Could it be that Mr. Wade has trumped Mr. Ligday!? Mr. Ligday must have been a good poker player or he was just playing along!

He gave it all of a few seconds to set in on everyone and then said, “How did the baby get in the middle of the ocean? However, that happened was related to Economics.” I was done, that was my last challenge to the question. I understood clearly that everything was related to economics.

On a personal note, my friends tell me the Mr. Ligday that I reference here was Robert C. Ligday, a respected Teacher & Coach WWII Navy Vet. He passed in 2010, but the input and impact in my life continues. Thank you Mr. Ligday!

I expect you are asking, what does that story about you in 8th grade have to do with Grace? Hey, I am so glad that you asked! The answer is simple.

I told you that story so that you would understand that like as everything in the world is connected to economics; everything in the Word of God is connected to Grace!

GODS RICHES AT CHRIST’S EXPENSE 8|Page

HARMONY OF THE COVENANTS

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Throw Away the Old Testament In our ongoing rush toward self appreciation it seems that some are willing to make room for any or all theological positions (no matter how extreme).

The audacity of modern theologians is expressed in the arrogance of the posture that they have somehow arrived at revelation not revealed to our forefathers.

From a variety of venues I have had discourse with some ministers and self appointed theologians that are disturbing. No, these are not those who are promoting Chrislam, homosexual leadership in the Church, or a myriad of other strange dogmas; although those are also quite disconcerting. The faction I am referencing has perhaps cleared the way for the rest by claiming Christians ought to ignore the Old Testament or just disregard it all together.

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Here is a word picture. Take your bible out; get a scissors. Then, cut out all the parts of the Old Testament that are not relevant to us! Go ahead, it is just paper and ink if what we are to understand from the Universalists is true. Yes, cut them right out; every single word is incorrect or irrelevant! If you prefer, ‘Just take your bible and rip the Old Testament part right out!

Or better yet, just acquire a New Testament only version; the Old Testament is not important’.

My friend Pastor Marilyn Grabowski, who liked to be called simply, Sister Marilyn told me about a time when a chaplain of a prison that they were ministering in took exception to the message they were preaching. Sister Marilyn had her son take the prison chaplain his bible and a high lighter with the simple instruction to high light the parts that he disagreed with and they would not preach from them. The chaplain, seeing the wisdom of Sister Marilyn, responded, “Never mind, preach anything in the Bible.” The chaplain understood the danger of deciding what parts of the Word of God should be cut out.

Based on the teaching of some, everything that God did from the beginning of time till the coming of Christ is of no importance! What this crowd led,

by Modernists and Universalists would have us to believe that God was just wasting time with Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and a host of others. They don’t present their dogma in such a direct manner, but it would be hard to come to another conclusion.

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The Old Is Obsolete Proponents of this faction offer dogmas such as, “the Old Covenant is obsolete and has no legal authority.”2 These claim that the: 1. “Promises of the New Covenant (while admittedly already established) are still in the future.

2. To be under the law means to be under authority and Christians are not under authority.

3. The Core of the Old Covenant is the Ten Commandments… but the writings of Moses are obsolete and no legal authority over Christians … and the Law was the Covenant.”3 Their hypothesis is ok but deficient in substantiation. The idea of a lawless, uncommitted people is not offered anywhere in Scripture to those who are followers of the One True God. Rather, the concept of a disobedient, evil, tempestuous, seditious, lawless, uncommitted people is exactly how God portrays those who are the enemies of the Gospel.

“The Holy Spirit, both in the Old and the New Testament, spoke of a general turning from the faith of Christ, and the pure worship of God. False teachers forbid as evil what God has allowed, and command as a duty what he has left indifferent. We find exercise for watchfulness and selfdenial, in attending to the requirements of God’s law, without being tasked to imaginary duties, which reject what he has allowed.”4

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments arrived formally with the Law of Moses not at the beginning of the Old Testament as some assert. The legal authority they claim is dissolved lacks a court (official or un-official) to document their claim. In fact, to make such a claim one would first have to document that the Mosaic Law held such authority. Such authority must have been based in something. In the case of the Mosaic Law the authority would have to be based in the Covenant God made with Moses. The Covenant God made 2

Grace Communion International. The Old Covenant and the Law of Moses.

The Old Covenant and the Law of Moses.

4 Matthew Henry Commentary. I Timothy. Chapter 4. Page 1607.

3

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with Abraham is an Everlasting Covenant and as such never has lost legal authority. Nowhere in Scripture is there such a claim as the dissolution of legal standing. History, both that of Scripture and the Hebrews and the law of other cultures and civilizations points to rather than away from the establishment of law. A people that had grown from a family to millions, who believed in the Covenant that their forefathers had established with God, but had no set of rules or laws to govern them would find it necessary to have law and order. The Mosaic Law brought that solution.

The Mosaic Covenant the Universalists suppose is itself new (at the time) and they teach this also negates the former Covenant given to Abraham by God. Thus, rather than one Everlasting Covenant by an Eternal God as Scripture presents, they see a series of agreements, each voided by the next or newest. Kind of a God who brings temporary agreements with expiration dates. Makes one wonder what He will bring next?

The idea of voiding the Old Testament is serious. The Old Testament is the history of creation. The Old Testament is the story of human history from the first man and woman, Adam and Eve to the time of the Roman Empire.

To void the Old Testament is an attempt to invalidate the hundreds of years or more from the beginning to Abraham and to remove more than 400 years from Abraham to Moses. Disregarding more than 400 years of God interacting with mankind could lead to any number of conclusions.

The Law of Moses “It is all-important, for the proper understanding of the law, to remember its entire dependence on the Abrahamic covenant.5 ( Galatians 3:17-24 ) “That covenant had a twofold character. It contained the "spiritual promise" of the Messiah; but it contained also the temporal promises subsidiary to the former. The nature of this relation of the law to the promise is clearly pointed out. The belief in God as the Redeemer of man, and the hope of his manifestation as such in the person of the Messiah, involved the belief that the Spiritual Power must be superior to all carnal obstructions, and that there was in man spiritual element which could rule his life by communion 5

Smiths Bible Dictionary. The Law of Moses.

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with a spirit from above. But it involved also the idea of an antagonistic power of evil, from which man was to be redeemed, existing in each individual, and existing also in the world at large.”6 The Law of Moses “marked and determined the transition of Israel from the condition of a tribe to that of a nation, and its definite assumption of a distinct position and office in the history of the world. There must necessarily have been, before the law, commandments and revelations of a fragmentary character, under which Israel had hitherto grown up. So far therefore as they were consistent with the objects of the Jewish law, the customs of Palestine and the laws of Egypt would doubtless be traceable in the Mosaic system.”7 “In close connection with, and almost in consequence of, this reference to antiquity, we find an accommodation of the law to the temper and circumstances of the Israelites, to which our Lord refers in the case of divorce, (Matthew 19:7 Matthew 19:8) as necessarily interfering with its absolute perfection. In many cases it rather should be said to guide and modify existing usages than actually to sanction them; and the ignorance of their existence may lead to a conception of its ordinances not only erroneous, but actually the reverse of the truth.”8 “The first revelation of the law in anything like a perfect form is found in the book of Deuteronomy. Yet, even then the revelation was not final; it was the duty of the prophets to amend and explain it in special points, (Ezekiel 18:1 ) ... and to bring out more clearly its great principles. In giving an analysis of the substance of the law, it will probably be better to treat it, as any other system of laws is usually treated.”9 There is agreement from nearly everyone that sacrificial laws were not new under the Mosaic Law. Christ was the Sacrifice to end all sacrifices. “The Book of Hebrews is a word of exhortation, centering on Jesus Christ our high priest. Hebrews is a look at the doctrine of the atonement in Hebrews,

6

Smith.

Smiths.

8 Smiths.

9 Smiths.

7

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especially as it is laid out in 10:1-18. In this section of the book He is upheld as the final sacrifice.”10

The Double Minded God Some say that God really had two covenants.

Certainly, God is capable of making Covenant with as many (or few) as He chooses. Yet, what limited amount we know as humans tells us that God is consistent as opposed to contradictory, unchanging as opposed to always shifting. It seems from the explanation some give that He might be double minded.

All agree that sacrifices were part of the Abrahamic Covenant and even the Covenant given to Noah. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of the Gentiles by Rabbi’s in an attempt to make it seem inferior to the Law of Moses rather than one continuous Covenant God made with mankind.

“The Jews believed that these laws dated back to the time of Noah, and therefore applied to all nations”11 and became part of the Mosaic Covenant passed through previous Covenants. Not new but continued; like new & improved.

Some Modernists contend that the Abrahamic Covenant was somehow voided by the Mosaic. On the one hand they claim that all the Old Testament law is obsolete, and then in the same breath offer that “some individual laws, of course are still valid.” Confusing? Yes, but, it is refreshing to know that while these propose to discard the Old Testament (or the parts they don’t like or understand); murder, rape and incest still violate God’s tolerance of man’s behavior. It is a frightening thought to think that somehow Christ Jesus deleted the 10 Commandments while fulfilling the Promise he made to Abraham.

10 11

Early Christian Writings. Hebrews. Terry A. Larm. copyright © 2001-2015 Peter Kirby Grace Communion International. Christians and the Law of Moses: A Study of Acts 15.

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All generally agree that God was seeking obedience and not sacrifices (I Samuel 15:22). God brought His people out of Egypt seeking obedience.

We must not confuse that God is always seeking obedience. Sacrifice made by man was only temporal. Only the sacrifice made by the manifestation of God in the flesh through Jesus Christ is eternal (Hebrews 10:4). Even in the idea that God is a God of Judgment the point is obedience and God is always extending Grace by His Covenant.

In all of these supposed obsolete covenants none of the theologians who see this as throwing away the Old can give an exact point of ending the previous covenant. Instead they hold to terms like ‘fading away’ as proof text of their hypothesis; offering that one Covenant was still in effect for an undisclosed amount of time while the other began. Thus, they give us somewhat of a temporary version of Dual Covenant Theology.

Duel Covenant Theology Dual-covenant or Two-covenant theology is unique in that it holds that the Old Covenant or the bible's Law of Moses remains valid for Jews while the New Covenant only applies to nonJews or gentiles.12 Grace is certainly not the message of Dual Covenant thought.

The challenge for the Dual Covenant adherents is that one is obliged to believe that God in some form or manner has a racist or separate tendency. When challenged about the separatist nature of the ideology they generally use Old Testament ceremonial law (from the Mosaic Law) to support their position.

According to the Dual Covenant idea God chooses people based on their race or heritage. Now, we understand that they do not present their position that way. This dogma became very popular in Europe and gained 12

Dual Covenant Theology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-covenant_theology

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much traction after World War II and the subsequent establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. Today, many espouse Dual Covenant Theology and may not even realize what they are proposing.

Dual Covenant Theology teaches that God has made a special deal only for Jewish (or Hebrew) people based solely on the fact that they were born Jewish. The authenticity of their Jewish birth has never really been defined by the adherents of this idea. This position gives kind of a ‘separate but equal’ idea to God’s plan for mankind. This separate but equal theology gives those who were born Jewish access to salvation but not through Jesus Christ.

It is offensive to some that we would label Dual Covenant Theology racist. In fact, it is more than that racist. It is Anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism was born in Europe particularly Germany in the late 1800’s from the idea of Jew hatred. Anti-Semitism is prejudice against, hatred of, or discrimination against Jews as a national, ethnic, religious or racial group.13 A person who holds such positions is called an "anti-Semite". Antisemitism is widely considered a form of racism. Separating Jewish people to a plan for Salvation, but one not like that offered to Gentiles reeks of racist ideology. The thought of the concept being based in Scripture is simply wishful thinking. As my Southern friends would say, “That dog won’t hunt!”

The truth is that Dual Covenant Theology is a marriage between modern Zionism and the racial bigotry of Europeans and others towards Jewish people. The marriage culminated in creating a nation state for those who were Jewish by birth or conversion. This seedbed gave a platform to a gaggle of self proclaimed theologians (many of whom deny they hold the Dual Covenant position) who have vested themselves in dispensational theology and perceive the nation of Israel as established in 1948 as the

13

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antisemitism

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culmination of Biblical Prophecy. The prominent promoters of this ideology have and continue to benefit financially from their position.

This theology claims that God has reserved a special season (the Great Tribulation) to put the Jewish people (who they see as God’s chosen people because of their race) through a special manner of torment which will end with them leading or ruling in a future Utopian world for 1000 years where God will physically establish an earthly throne in the city of Jerusalem. In many ways this is merely a revisit of ancient Zionism. The most infamous proponent of ancient Zionism was Judas Iscariot who apparently convinced himself that he would usher in the Kingdom by betraying the Messiah.

It is interesting that to be Jewish one has to be born or converted. Dual Covenant Theology offers no distinction between those who are born and those who are converted to Judaism. Adherents generally respond to queries in this area with, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written”, (Romans 11:26). Thus, their Dual Covenant position supports their positions in other areas. This lack of foundational truth has spawned a myriad of schemes like the infamous 88 reasons why the Lord in coming in 1988.14 Most of the New Testament leaders and all of the initial converts [as far as we know] were Jewish; not Gentile. In the Upper Room in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, and later the same day when 3000 more were converted, these were all Jewish believers in Jesus Christ! The Covenant they received from Jesus Christ is the one they passed down to all of us.

To attempt to separate this into two Covenants or a Dual Covenant after the fact has no basis in Scripture exegesis. Further, the concept cheapens the Gospel of Jesus Christ and makes the precious blood of Jesus Christ of no effect to those who were not born Gentiles!

14

http://www.amazon.com/reasons-Why-Rapture-Will-1988/dp/B00073BM8O

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“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:1-2)

The Apostles Decide The Apostles understood that there was only one Covenant that God had made with man and sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. In his sermon of the day of Pentecost, Peter specifically addressed some of the Jews like this, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:36-38). This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ given to a predominately (if not completely) Jewish audience.

The same message has been preached all over the world to Gentile converts. Not another Gospel, not another Covenant. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile).

God’s covenant with Abraham is extremely important, but salvation in the name of Abraham does not exist. Salvation is in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). When the apostles were arrested and brought before the Jewish council in Jerusalem, Peter and the other apostles said, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:2931). There is a plethora of Scripture that makes it very clear that salvation is one plan for both Jew and Gentile.

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Adherents of Dual Covenant Theology also do not take into account the overabundance of Gentile converts under the Mosaic Law including those like Ruth, Rehab and Tamar who end up in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ.

In a related topic they also conveniently ignore that Abraham and Sarah were also Gentiles. In contrast, those who understand that God chose to Covenant with man and has always had a Covenant in force (whether man was keeping his end of the agreement of not) see Grace through an Everlasting Covenant not through division based on racism.

From Noah to Apostle James It is evident that the leaders of the New Testament Church (including the Apostles and the Elders) concluded that the Old Covenant, even the major parts of the Covenant God made with Noah, was still relevant to them and to those who would come after them including us.

We unmistakably see that the New Testament leaders vigilantly considered the Noahic Covenant (or Law of the Gentiles), the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Law. It is apparent that our Apostolic fathers, the leaders of the New Testament Church rightly saw these as one progressive Covenant. They understood that the law added through Moses had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ and did not void the entire Old Testament nor did it negate the various commands of God against murder, serving false gods, rape, and more.

While physical circumcision remained appropriate and was not superseded under the Mosaic Law, the leaders rightly concluded that physical circumcision was only important from Abraham till the Advent of Christ and was a type of the circumcision of the heart that came only through Christ Jesus. Thus, circumcision was not a new feature brought through the Mosaic Law but was rather a continuation of the Grace brought through the Abrahamic Covenant. To bring sanity to the confused Apostle Paul wrote, “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by 20 | P a g e

the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.� (Romans 2:29).

Law of the Gentiles In the decision of Acts 15 the Apostles then confirmed what is often referred to as the Law of the Gentiles (what some refer to as the four rules). Thus, freedom from the Law of Moses was not a rejection of the entire Old Testament. These were the conclusions of the New Testament Leaders as recorded in Acts 15, and drawn from the Old Testament Covenant God made with mankind represented by Noah in Genesis 9.

Ultimately, it is James who is the Bishop of the Jerusalem Church that makes this declaration as the consensus of the whole: "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood."

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ONE COVENANT

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Mind Meld The idea of a mind meld was introduced to most Americans by the character of Spock in the 1960’s American Television series Star Trek. Here the character attempted to read peoples mind through physically putting his hand on their head.

In some misguided attempt to make the modern culture mind meld with the whole of Scripture some people have simply decided that the Old Testament doesn’t matter. Have they actually given thought to the position? Can we then ignore the Ten Commandments? Is it true that there were merely the Ten Suggestions? Why would someone propose to throw away the Creation story? Is the fall of man in the Garden something that we need not be aware? What about the Great Flood? All cultures and peoples believe in the story of the Deluge or the Great Flood but these Modernist Universalists propose to discard it as irrelevant to Christendom.

The story of the miracles throughout the Old Testament, those related to the Exodus, the journey through the Wilderness and the incredible, repeated, deliverance of the people of the One, True God are marginalized by the thought that the law has made the rest of the Old Testament irrelevant. Although the Modernist has discarded the Old Testament, Apostle Paul reminded us why it is important in his letter to the church in Rome: "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Romans 15:4 NASB The Modernists and Universalists have over pursued the law and thrown the baby out with the bath water. We understand that the law was added because of transgression but the law is not the whole of the Old Testament.

“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also 23 | P a g e

might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21).

Old Testament The law is not nearly the whole of the Old Testament as the law was added 430 years after Abraham (Galatians 3:17). “Abraham was the tenth generation removed from Noah, being a direct descendant of Shem, (Noah's son), the father of all the "Semitic" peoples. When Abraham was born, Shem was 390 years Old, and his father Noah was 892 years old. Abraham was 58 years old when Noah died. These are important facts, for, as we shall see later, Abraham spent many years in the house of Noah and Shem, and received instruction from them. Thus he learned all the details about the Flood from the very men who built the Ark and survived the Flood. (Noah knew Methuselah for many hundreds of years, who in turn knew Adam for many hundreds of years, which means that Abraham received first hand information about everything that happened since the very first day of Creation!).”15 The Old Testament record reveals the character of God in many different ways. In it we see His faithfulness, His justice, His compassion, His holiness and many other things. We can be encouraged to go to God in prayer, knowing that He has both the power and inclination to act on our behalf--just as we see He did in the Old Testament time and time again.

Additionally, the Old Testament contains many prophecies and pictures of Christ that gives us confidence in the truthfulness of the Gospel and also lets us see the beauty of God's dealings with mankind. Isaiah 53 is an amazing prophecy of the suffering Messiah and the Snake in the Desert beautifully demonstrates the Gospel.

15

Abraham's Early Life. Nissan Mindel. Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society

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It should be noted that much of the Old Testament is actually not simply laws to follow, but stories of God's interaction with mankind. The Law is contained in the Old Testament, but Genesis, Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and the much of the prophets have little or nothing to do with instructions on the Law.

Human Analogy Apostle Paul gives us this analogy of the importance of the law as contrasted with the even greater importance of the Grace given to man through Covenant.

"To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls a man's will, or adds to it once it has been ratified." “To us that sounds incorrect because we can change our wills and add codicils. But there were Roman and Greek and Jewish laws under which this statement would have been precisely accurate. What's important is that there were (and are) kinds of testaments or dispositions of property or inheritance arrangements or oaths which cannot be cancelled or changed by addition. Paul sets this up as an illustration of how the Mosaic Law must not be interpreted as an annulment Cyrus the Great 16 or alteration of the terms of the Abrahamic covenant.�

Other examples of this level of importance given are found in Scripture such as in the edicts given by rulers of the Medes and Persians.

Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not (Daniel 6:8). Since even the edict of earthly men has been put down as unalterable, how much more should the Covenant of the Eternal God be irreversible, unalterable and unchanging? Men and the laws of men are ever changing but God remains the same. At one time in Rome 16

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. Galatians Broken by His Cross, Healed By His Spirit. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

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there was no record of a divorce in Rome for over 500 years. Yet, the decadence that followed left a legacy that finds that statistic unbelievable.

Likewise in America, with divorce being normal, it is hard to imagine that just a generation ago divorce was almost never heard of and that divorce was difficult to obtain prior to 1969. To men whose laws and word mean so little it is difficult to imagine a Covenant that God would make with man that He would keep for thousands of years!

The point here is that the Law which is a reference to the Mosaic Law or Law of Moses, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward Abraham had no authority (legal or otherwise) to annul a covenant previously ratified by God. The Promise of Grace by Covenant given by God to Abraham had to stay in force. God gave the Covenant by Promise.

God gave the law to Moses. Both are conditional. Both are Covenant. “God's dealings with Abraham showed that divine blessing is freely given only to those who have faith not to those who try to earn it through works of law.�17

The Relation of Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants What exactly are we referring to when we say speak of the law? The law is fundamentally a restatement of the Abrahamic covenant applied to new circumstances in redemptive history. “It is not nullification or a basic alteration. In both covenants the only way to attain blessing from God is to trust him for His Grace. And in both covenants final blessing depends on a life of faith, not just a single act of faith. Or to put it another way: in both covenants the promise of God's blessing comes by grace through faith and is not earned. But in both covenants the faith which saves taps into God's power in such a way that obedience results. And this obedience is such a necessary extension of saving faith that in both covenants obedience to God is a condition of final salvation. Not legalistic "works of law," but Spiritempowered "obedience of faith."18

17 18

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

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What the law could not do references that the Mosaic Law cannot usurp Grace. The Law does not have the authority to annul Grace. Even under the Mosaic Law Grace and Mercy and Grace had their place. Grace came to man by Covenant and man holds no power to annul, alter, change, or dissolve that Grace. God, of course, as the Testator of the Covenant could have changed the terms, the outcome, but He chose to first give the Covenant and then keep the Covenant. By GRACE are we saved; not of works since it would give men opportunities to boast. By Grace; not law.

How did we get the Grace? By Covenant.

“In Genesis 22:16–18 God says to Abraham after his obedience in offering Isaac, "Because you have done this, . . . I will indeed bless you and multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven . . .

By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." And in Genesis 26:4, 5, God says to Isaac, "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven . . . and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves: because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."19 “In Genesis 18:19 God says, "I have chosen [Abraham], that he may charge his children . . . to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." It is apparent that God’s Covenant with Abraham was not unconditional as some claim. God's ultimate blessing does depend on obedience, but not on works of law-works that aim to earn God's blessing.

The obedience on which salvation depends is simply the way a person acts in which he is really trusting in the promises of God. Such obedience is simply a life lived by faith in God's power and love.”20 Of these and others the writer of Hebrews 11 tells us, “These all died having not received the

19 20

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

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Promise...” How did they die? “In faith”. Faith in what? Faith in the Promise God made to mankind by Covenant.

“So when the law is given 430 years (after Abraham), it is wrong to think that any fundamental changes were made in the stipulations of God's covenant relationship with Israel. Of course, an elaborate sacrificial system was created that wasn't there before. But basically the commands of the law were simply a general outlining of what the life of faith would look like in the theocracy. It would be terribly wrong to say that the Mosaic Law was opposed in its teaching to the Abrahamic covenant.”21 Moses saw the law as simply a restatement of the conditions of the Abrahamic covenant. He says in Deuteronomy 7:12, 13, "Because you hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love which he swore to your fathers to keep; he will love you, bless you, and multiply you." (Cf. 30:16– 20; 8:18, 4:31.) For Moses the covenant made at Mount Sinai was a reaffirmation and spelling out of the covenant made with Abraham.”22 Faith (Exodus 14:31; Numbers 14:11; 20:21; Deuteronomy 1:32) as evidenced in its fruit was the requirement of both covenants. So Paul seems fully warranted in saying that the law, which came 430 years later, did not nullify or basically alter the Covenant ratified with Abraham. They are in perfect harmony.

21 22

Piper.

The Law Does Not Annul the Promise. The Law. April 17, 1983. John Piper.

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We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Gal. 2:15-16).

Reconciliation The Bible as we have it is the history of God’s interaction with mankind.

Apostle Paul made it his mission to not only take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his fellow Jews. He also included in his mission to take this Gospel to the Gentile nations that had been ostracized by the separatist attitude of the natural Jew. This ostracization was primarily based on the Pharisaical interpretation of the Law of Moses. Apostle Paul’s mission was to help both Jew and Gentile understand the role of Jesus Christ in fulfilling the Covenant God made with man in general and the natural Jew’s Patriarchal father; Abraham in particular. The wisdom of the Apostle Paul was a game changer for the New Testament church.

Apostle Paul helped both Jewish believers and Gentile believers understand that they could co-exist in Covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ. The explanations of Apostle Paul not only satisfied most of the New Testament Christ followers but set the stage for some 2000 years of advancement in Christ’s Kingdom. Apostle Paul’s revolutionary understanding of what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ meant to Christ followers released non Jews, women, slaves, servants caused many to understand that the promises made Abraham were fulfilled in Jesus Christ giving them access to participate in the Grace that was given by Covenant to Abraham and fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

Throughout history a plethora of theologians have taken various positions for and against the explanation given by Apostle Paul of God’s Grace by Covenant. Yet, we must allow that Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) be our guide. The sixteenth Century Reformer John Calvin gave this explanation: Christ was given to us by God’s generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace: 29 | P a g e

namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ’s blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ’s spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life.23 The Moravian Peter Bohler once urged Wesley to “Preach faith till you have it, and then, because you have it you will preach faith.”

Muscle Flexing

Today, there are a plethora of theological positions that have been developed and adhered to by various denominations, groups, ministerial organizations and the like. From these various positions instead of Grace we have found many reasons for division.

Some of these we call Denominations, or the dividing of the nation. God gave us one Nation, a Holy Nation we have created something else.

The media, social and otherwise, seem to have had a sudden increase of preachers proclaiming themselves “Grace Preachers”. Apparently this classification is as opposed to preachers that do not preach Grace.

Strangely, many of these profess to have been somehow converted to preaching Grace. From exactly what they converted varies but it is evident that what they preached before was something else or in fairness (based on their own explanation) another version of what should have been the Gospel.

The concerning thing about this is that the reason for these conversions often seems based in some perceived flaw, inability or injury caused by those deemed not ‘Grace Preachers’ against these who are the self proclaimed ‘Grace Preachers’. It is irony in itself that many of those discussing this Grace do so in a manner that is quite condemning apparently ignoring Scripture. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).

23

John Calvin, John T. McNeil, ed., Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960) III.xi.1, p. 725.

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Different Agendas

1. Grace by Scripture There are at least three major groups that either are either referred to or who refer to themselves as Grace Preachers. The first group is primarily comprised of those who articulate the message Grace from the whole of Scripture. These, like Apostle Paul, generally have a good understanding of what both the word Grace and concept of Grace actually conveys. They generally have keen understanding of the nature, purpose and plan of God. This is a credit to the five-fold ministry and benefit to the Body of Jesus Christ. From these accomplished people of God we definitely need to hear more.

2. Grace Because of Offense The second group generally seems to be copying or Polly parroting the first group. On the one hand this could be a good thing as there is a need for the message of Grace properly presented. Yet, the message of this group reeks of offence. Constituents of this group should take the time to read John Bevere’s book, The Bait of Satan and apply this to their lives.

Offense is not helpful to anyone. Grace is not a weapon.

Unfortunately, this second group is comprised of those who behave as though they alone have discovered Grace. You know, like it wasn’t Noah who found Grace but them! They portend like Grace is some version of the Holy Grail known only to and by them and perhaps those they have chosen to endow or who have heard their message. It is evident that the ‘us vs. them’ or the ‘Grace vs. the Un-graced’ tone of the constituents of this group is born in hurt, injury and insult and certainly not based in the Grace they proffer to dispense. Even while writing this we must take care not to provide room to that which we hope to disperse.

This second group appears to want all others to be awed at their prominence, self proclaimed authority and self exalted oratorical skill.

Some of these have gone so far as to proclaim that we no longer should 31 | P a g e

use words like sin, repentance, blood, etc. While some of these may be well intentioned they generally are doing more harm than good and their association with the general tone of this group causes their message to be ignored. The lack of merit generated by this group has caused detractors to label them (and then tragically, by default, those from the first group) as preaching hyper grace, greasy grace, sloppy agape and other unflattering labels. These labels are not nearly as much about the message as they are about the messengers.

This author is would certainly agree that if we are to error it should be on the side of Grace but the novices that populate this second group discredit the message. The very purpose of Grace is lost in their presentation.

3. Grace as a License to Live Lasciviously Some want to pretend that this third group doesn’t exist but that is counterproductive to the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The third group is a repugnant bunch that is uses what they call grace for their own lust by riding the latest wave of interest, media manipulation and hype and taking advantage of some Christianeze. These subvert whole households to their blasphemy.

Spokespersons for this third group has gone so far as to offer that the Church will soon embrace all manner of sin and lasciviousness supposedly (they say) under the banner of grace or rather their version of grace.

Further, these filthy dreamers discard large portions of Scripture under the guise of their version of “grace”. These embrace all manner of strange doctrines and dogmas like their new religion they call Chrislam. These also advocate for practicing homosexual leaders in their churches and more.

Unfortunately, it is apparent that whole churches, movements and denominations have fallen prey to their deception under these misguided notions of Grace.

In contrast to the second and third group mentioned above, God’s Grace freely provides what we have the inability to produce ourselves. Grace elicits the confidence that He will accomplish that which he requires of us— as we cooperate with and obey him.

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When we preach God’s Grace, we motivate our listeners to trust God in confidence rather than shrink from him in fear. The purpose of the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ is not fear but obedience; obedience to Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:6-8 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

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GOD’S GRACE

“If you don’t know where you are going… then any road will get you there.” - Bernie L. Wade

CHAPTER 3 34 | P a g e

Contending for Grace What exactly is this Grace that so either many claim, contend with or about? It seems that Grace may be found (Noah found Grace) or discovered but it does not seem that we have to contend for Grace.

Rather, it seems that contention and condemnation are the opposite of Grace. Some self appointed grace theologians that would be right at home in our second group propose that Grace is a concept presented only in the New Testament. Some go so far as to offer that we don’t need the Old Testament because there is no Grace there or that the whole of the Old Testament is the law. These same contend that the Church has generally gotten it wrong for the last two thousand years. This gives pause to wonder how such an Un-Graced bunch could have brought the Church this far. Perhaps it is because of that old hymn of the Church; we have come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord!

These neophytes assert salvation through adherence to their new revelations, understanding or enlightenment. If you were to overhear a group of some of these it might well resemble the Publican’s prayer (See Luke 18), “Lord, we are so glad that we are not like the rest of the preachers. We are so thankful that we are among those few that have discovered your real Grace. We are honored that we do not preach ungrace. We are trying really hard to get the rest of the ministers to understand you as well as we do but they are so far behind us in understanding. We know that we have been chosen to bring the new revelation of grace. Help the others if You can.”

You would be correct in thinking that this functions more like an assemblage of Old Testament Pharisees than New Testament Christ followers. Yet, these call this Grace. Sadly, when Christians talk like this, they are — usually unwittingly — making something universal that happens to be true about themselves. When a person says, “We (meaning the Church as a whole) don’t know what Grace is” what they’re really saying is, “I don’t know what it is.” If one is trying to say, “many Christians” or perhaps 35 | P a g e

“I think that most Christians” … then that’s more accurate. The truth is that there are many Christians who know what Grace is and practice it regularly. There are many Christians who understand the kingdom and live in its joy, peace, and righteousness. There are many Christians who know what Christian community is, both its dark side and its glorious face.24

Preachers of Righteousness Grace has been defined, not as a created substance of any kind, but as…

"The love and mercy given to us by Jesus Christ because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.”

Every preacher of Righteousness should be a Grace Preacher. That being said it is fair to say that some need help in their presentation but that should not be used as an excuse for them to be disparaged; either from us or by their peers. Equally, we should not be hesitant to point out that those who do not preach Righteousness are simply not preaching Truth. Nothing new here; yet, we face unnecessary division and it seems to be deliberate.

Grace has come to us by Covenant. Without Covenant we have no basis for Grace. Without Grace we have no hope of salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

(Ephesians 2:8-9).

To give Grace proper placement we must shake the influence of dual covenant theology, universalism, and other heresies and realize that the God of the Universe is not double minded. God is not a nationalist or a racist. This means that people who happen to be born Jewish don’t get a special deal on salvation (as some teach) and God does not have two people. Further, God does not have two separate Everlasting Covenants.

He has, since the Garden of Eden, covenanted with mankind repeatedly (in continuity) making it clear that He valued Mercy or Grace above sacrifices.

242424

Beyond Evangelical. Christianeze Revised. Frank Viola. Adapted.

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This is the God pointed of Hebrews 1:1. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.

What the writer is attempting to get us to understand is that God has used various methods at different times to accomplish His will and to point mankind to His Covenant. God is not schizophrenic in His interaction. He has one purpose and that is to reconcile mankind to Him. Faith is the key.

Abraham understood this as have many others that without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. The list of Christ followers in Hebrews 11 points to the importance of faith.

Verse 6 says it succinctly, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Everlasting Covenant Genesis 17:7 is one of many stumbling block verses for those who see two separate covenants, but part of the remedy for those who understand that God is not a covenant breaker and has only one Everlasting covenant; the covenant He made with mankind. “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

“The Bible was written for no other purpose than to show the way of Life. It contains history and biography, but these are parts of the Gospel Message.

Not one line is written except to reveal Christ; whoever reads it for any other purpose than to find in it the way of salvation from sin, reads it in vain; studied in the light of Calvary, it is a delight, and things that would otherwise be obscure are made clear as the noonday.”25 25

The Everlasting Covenant by E. J. Waggoner. 1900. INTERNATIONAL TRACT SOCIETY, LIMITED, 59, Paternoster Row, E.C.

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God is a God of Covenant. The covenant God made with Abraham was a continuation of the covenant God made with Adam but unlike Adam who broke God’s Covenant: Abraham kept the Covenant.

The idea that God would upgrade, change or usher in a New Covenant was first prophesied by Jeremiah. Interestingly, in the context of Jeremiah 31, the Prophet says that Israel found Grace in the wilderness (verse 2).

Jeremiah continues to offer newness to Israel through his prophetic message including that Israel will again be a virgin (verses 4, 31). Then in verses 31-34 we are told, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

From this some have propagated the idea that new is literal even though is it obvious that making someone a virgin again could not be literal and these have also decided that new means that the old is destroyed or abolished. Yet, the covenant God made with mankind has often been renewed or brought to fruition. The idea that those before Christ were devoid of Grace is not supported by Scripture. The fact remains that Scripture gives us many views of God’s Amazing Grace.

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The First Grace Preacher Fortunately, Grace was not born in the New Testament. If mankind had been burdened with waiting for thousands of years for the Grace of God we would no doubt, like the dodo bird26,be extinct. It is certain that even our first parents; Adam and Eve benefited from the Grace of God in that they did not die immediately in spite of their egregious action against God. With the cursing of the serpent in the garden, the salvific Covenant of Grace is announced for the first time.

Some have difficulty separating a God that is sinless and intolerant of sin from His Grace. Grace is the gift of God and was manifest throughout the Old Testament. In addition to Adam and Eve, Lot, Isaac, King David, Queen Esther and a host of other benefited from God’s Grace.

The word, the concept and the idea of Grace are all brought to us in the book of Genesis; in the beginning. In Genesis 6:8 we find, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Some translations use the word favor in place of grace which is also correct as grace and favor are synonyms.

Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.  A divinely given talent or blessing. "the grace of the Holy Spirit"  The condition or fact of being favored by someone.  Synonyms: favor, approval, approbation, acceptance, esteem, regard, respect27 “The word “grace” appears for the first time in the Bible in Genesis. Noah lived in the midst of the most heinously evil society the world had known, but because he had found grace, God favored him with personal instruction about the coming catastrophic judgment and the details for a new beginning on earth. The language of Genesis 6:8 gives us insight into 26 27

http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/ext_dodobird.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_%28Christianity%29

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Noah’s character. “Found” is a simple active perfect verb, not a passive one. Thus, Noah found favor—grace—in God’s eyes because he was actively looking for it.”28 While it was Noah who found Grace, all of his posterity (including you and I) benefited from his message, life and Covenant (commitment) to God. Through Noah mankind is preserved and the Covenant God makes with Noah becomes the beginning of the Covenant that God extends to Abraham. New in Noah’s day and New again in Abraham’s.

We refer to Noah as a preacher of Righteousness. In reality, there could not be a better description of a Grace Preacher! Thank the Lord for Noah, because without the Grace granted to him none of us would be here. We cannot deny that Noah is the first Grace Preacher. Evidently, God intended for us to know this key factor: Noah’s life was righteous—in spite of the horrible condition of the world of his day. He was looking for God’s direction and for the answers to his heart’s cry. “Noah wasn’t merely hanging around waiting for the inevitable destruction that he sensed must come as a result of the awful rebellion that surrounded him. Noah was anticipating a response from God—and when God finally did give him instruction, Noah “found” the favor that he sought!”29 The relationship between God and man is structured by agreements that we call covenants. When God created the earth, He entered into a covenant of works with Adam in which Adam could secure blessing if he obeyed the terms of the covenant. Adam disobeyed and broke the covenant of works by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Nevertheless, God was gracious to Adam. Though Adam died spiritually, he did not experience physical death immediately because of God’s forbearing mercy. Even more importantly, God gave hope that one day He would remove the curses through an agent who would be faithful to the covenant of works (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 5:16–17).

After the Great Flood we find God establishing His Covenant with Noah.

We have to concede that this was, for that time, a New Covenant and it 28

Noah Found Grace. Book of Beginnings. Volume 2 by Henry Morris III, D.Min. Institute for Creation Research.

29 Morris III, H. 2013. Noah Found Grace. Acts & Facts. 42 (1): 5-7.

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was the Everlasting Covenant. Yet, none of these provisions are contrary to subsequent Covenants as they are part in parcel of the same Everlasting Covenant. God’s Covenant with Noah and his sons is later referenced in the New Testament (Acts Chapter 15) and confirmed by the collected representation of all the New Testament Church including the Apostles as part of the New Covenant even though the Everlasting Covenant given to Noah was some 7000 years before. As we have previously mentioned, some call this the Law of the Gentiles. This is a reference to the fact that God established His law in Covenant with mankind after the flood. Thus, man had a Covenant with God just like God made with Adam and Eve. “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh.

And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

When God Covenanted with mankind He gave a physical sign of His promise. God saves a remnant of His creation because of His great mercy.

But it is only a remnant. Though we can be confident of God’s great Grace, we should never think that He will allow sin to go unpunished. Percentage wise more perished than were saved by Grace.

We read of the Noahic Covenant in Genesis 8:20–9:17. The Noahic covenant, like the covenant made with Adam, is a covenant made with all of humanity; it is made at the “re-creation” of the earth, at the new 41 | P a g e

beginning for the earth after the flood. This covenant is ratified by sacrifice (8:20–21), and God promises never again to destroy the earth by means of a flood. In this covenant, God pledges to preserve the stability of nature.

Such stability is necessary if He is going to enter history to save His people. Moreover, since all living things will never again be destroyed completely by God in a flood, we see that the whole earth is the beneficiary of this Covenant. This demonstrates God’s Grace toward all of His creatures and gives us a hint that one day all things will be renewed or made new.

Mosaic Law Moses found himself in the desert with millions of people who had begun as a family of some 70 souls and were now a nation in their own right.

This group had no legal system. They had been slaves and as such had operated in the limited sphere and understanding of slaves. Now, because of the Exodus, God’s Grace had given them a new day. They were still beneficiaries of the Covenant God had made with Abraham, but they had no system to function in their daily lives. Moses, with the direction and in some cases permission of God, gives them their first system of laws. This we call the Mosaic Law. Some merely refer to this as the Law. One of the common misconceptions is that this law somehow annulled, superseded, or negated the Covenant that God had made with mankind firth through Noah and then confirmed in Abraham. God had given mankind a physical sign of His commitment, the rainbow. Abraham reciprocated with a physical sign by requiring all males to be circumcised in their flesh. This would continue to be the method even under the Mosaic Law. Not by command; but by Covenant.

Adam Clarke gave this explanation; “I understand the Mosaic law. By entering in, παρεισηλθεν, or, rather, coming in privily, see Galatians 2:4, (the only place where it occurs besides), I understand the temporary or limited use of that law, which was, as far as its rites and ceremonies are considered, confined to the Jewish people, and to them only till the Messiah should come; but considered as the moral law, or rule of 42 | P a g e

conscience and life, it has in its spirit and power been slipped in introduced into every conscience, that sin might abound - that the true nature, deformity, and extent of sin might appear; for by the law is the knowledge of sin: for how can the finer deviations from a straight line be ascertained, without the application of a known straight edge? Without this rule of right, sin can only be known in a sort of general way; the innumerable deviations from positive rectitude can only be known by the application of the righteous statutes of which the law is composed. And it was necessary that this law should be given, that the true nature of sin might be seen, and that men might be the better prepared to receive the Gospel; finding that this law worketh only wrath, i.e. denounces punishment, forasmuch as all have sinned.”

Grace Trumps Sin Christ followers speak of Scripture as the unfolding drama of God’s Covenant of Grace. We do this because the apostle Paul speaks of the Israelites, saying, “To them belong … the covenants” (Rom. 9:5) which is embracing of all the instances of the confirmation of the Eternal Covenant with mankind. The Bible is a covenantal story, and one that Paul, again, describes as “the covenants of promise” (Eph. 2:12).30 With must have this as our foundation. Like my example from the Introduction, everything is related to Grace.

Even through the fall of man in the Garden of Eden Grace Trumps Sin. Sin caused the fall, but Grace kept mankind from total destruction. In the great flood Grace Trumped Sin. Sin caused the Holy God to become repulsed at mankind but Grace caused mankind to be preserved. The 30

What Is the Covenant of Grace? Daniel Hyde Sep 26, 2014

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triumph of God’s abundant Grace over sin is explained in detail in the New Testament usually while referencing the triumphs of the Old Testament. It is in Acts Chapter 15 that the entire leadership of the Church, both Jewish and Gentile, agreed that the ceremonial law was fulfilled in Christ. So, the law added through Moses is trumped by Grace.

There is no mention in any of these texts of abolishing the entire Old Testament or the Covenant God gave to Abraham. Rather, in Acts 15 there is a confirmation of the covenant that God made with Noah. The Covenant God made with Noah sets the stage for the Covenant God makes with Abraham. They are both are components of the Everlasting Covenant. When you look in a mirror there is not suddenly two of you.

There is still only one of you. Likewise there is not two covenants; just one.

This Covenant was in effect long before Moses. The Covenant of Noah is confirmed in Acts 15 and speaks directly to sin in the form of sexual perversion, idol worship, and the exaltation of false gods. All of these were components of religions that oppose the one true God. Where sin abounds – Grace Triumphs!

Adam Clarke continues, “Now, it is wisely ordered of God, that wherever the Gospel goes there the law goes also; entering everywhere, that sin may be seen to abound, and that men may be led to despair of salvation in any other way or on any terms but those proposed in the Gospel of Christ. Thus the sinner becomes a true penitent, and is glad, seeing the curse of the law hanging over his soul, to flee for refuge to the hope set before him in the Gospel.” Thus the law comes that it may be made evident that it has no power over the Grace of God. Where sin abounds – Grace Triumphs!

Apostle Paul writes, But where sin abounded - Whether in the world, or in the heart of the individual, being discovered by this most pure and righteous law, Grace did much more abound: not only pardon for all that is past is offered by the Gospel, so that all the transgressions for which the soul is condemned to death by the law, are freely and fully forgiven; but also the Holy Spirit, in the abundance of his gifts and graces, is communicated, so as to prepare the receiver for an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The law could not negate Grace. Rather, the law manifests 44 | P a g e

the impact and power of Grace. Thus the Grace of the Gospel not only redeems from death, and restores to life, but brings the soul into such a relationship with God, and into such a participation of eternal glory, as we have no authority to believe ever would have been the portion even of Adam himself, had he even eternally retained his innocence. Thus, where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound.

In Adam we find the extension of this Grace in God’s provision for clothing, food and shelter that superseded the sin of Adam and Eve. Abundant sin?

Yes, but much more abundant was the Grace of God for the posterity of Adam and Eve. This Grace carried on till Noah who found it apparently when others could not or made a contrary choice.

In Noah’s day the wicked imagination of mankind manifests unimaginable levels of sin and depravity. Because of this depravity, Moses in reflecting the mood of God laments God’s feeling of regret at creating man. This is much like a parent who becomes so disappointed by the actions of their child. However, even in this worst of conditions, sin never triumphs over the Grace of God. It may have looked bleak. Darkness may have seemed like it would continue forever, but once again Grace Triumphs over sin.

The people of Noah’s day were focused on sin. Yet, where this sin was abundant Grace once again trumps sin as mankind is preserved in the Divine Favor or Grace found by Noah.

Jesus Paid our Debt All of the Old Testament references are but a foreshadowing of the power that would come through the advent of the Jesus Christ and through His shedding of Righteous blood. All of the sin of the Old Testament was only covered by the shedding of blood because the blood shed there was not capable of sealing a Covenant of Everlasting Righteousness. We cannot be so blinded by the foreshadowing that we are unable to see in the account of the Old Testament as this only speaks 45 | P a g e

to the coming of the New Covenant that would speak to something more powerful than the blood of bulls and goats.

The explanation of power of Grace though out the ages to triumph over sin prompts Apostle Paul to point to the power of Christ that did not come at Calvary or at the Resurrection but rather that was chosen before the very foundation of the world and extended to mankind by Covenant.

In explaining Grace, Apostle Paul makes a point of speaking directly in language that those who understand the Covenant would relate to as heirs of the promise (will) of God. In Ephesians 1, he relates that we who God predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious Grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his Grace which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Title Deed Many homeowners in America have come to their ownership through a mortgage payment plan. In this the potential homeowner covenants with a bank or other lender that they will make the agreed upon number of payments which returns to the lender the principle with interest. After this is complete the potential homeowner trades the payment plan in for the Title Deed for the property.

What a happy day when they make that final payment and receive the Title Deed! It is common for there to be some sort of a celebration that often even includes a ceremonial burning of the mortgage.

This is very similar to the progression we see in the Covenant God made with man. Like the mortgage payment plan there are many payments that are made toward the principle and interest. Eventually, in the fullness of time, the debt is paid and the home is owned free and clear. Likewise the 46 | P a g e

Covenant God made with man allows mankind to Covenant with God and even though mans part of the agreement cannot totally satisfy the terms of the Covenant, God has allowed that the Covenant terms are finally satisfied

by Jesus Christ. In effect, Jesus Christ comes to manifest the Title Deed to the Covenant. No, wonder the writer of Hebrews (Chapter 11) said, “These all died having not received the Promise!”. This tremendous list of heroes of the faith all obeyed God by Faith in the Promise (Covenant) given to Abraham. They believed that God would one day keep the Promise and fulfill the Covenant.

Today, we have people claiming that God doesn’t honor the Covenant. It would be like our home owners making 30 years of payments and then when they make the final payment moving out of the house instead of celebrating the getting the Title Deed to the property!? Or worse yet, like the bank refusing to keep their end of the bargain and present the Title Deed. Thankfully, God keeps His promises! I know that to think that God would use some kind of sleight of hand on us sounds silly! Yet, that is what some apparently think happened with the Covenant God made with man.

When Jesus Christ paid the price (our debt; not His) so that we could receive Eternal Life through the Holy Spirit which is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephesians 3); rather than praising God for His amazing Grace; some propose that He reneged on His promise. Yes, that does sound extreme! What we know is that God chose this plan of Grace by Covenant before the beginning of time. So, before mankind (Adam and Eve) sinned God had already planned for Grace to Triumph! This triumph of Grace is through the blood of Jesus! While Christ would not come chronologically first His sacrifice would be the blood that would satisfy the terms of the Covenant of Grace. No other blood could satisfy the terms of the Covenant; not Isaacs, not bulls and goat, only Christ Jesus.

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SONS

CHAPTER 4 48 | P a g e

Inheritance If you pay attention you will notice that much of Apostle Paul’s writing is set in legal language. Those who lived before Christ were granted the Grace by Covenant. God purposed to Covenant with man; most significant of which is the Covenant He made with Abraham! In Christ Jesus we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance …

The new covenant is the gospel of salvation. It describes how we have been saved from sin and death so we can live forever in a loving relationship to the center-point, Jesus Christ. He is God himself, who has offered himself to us. If we want eternal life with God, it must be through Jesus Christ. At its core, the new covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the message of salvation by Grace through faith in him. That is why it is important for us to understand it and teach it. It is the basis of our eternal life! Not another Gospel, not another covenant, not a new Gospel but the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets the earnest of our inheritance in that the Covenant Promise made with Abraham is Paid in Full in the New Covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

The law and the prophets brought us to the forerunner of Christ in John the Baptist, but the full proof of our inheritance of Grace would not come through a mere man. Jesus Christ did what no other could do in paying the price that would redeem mankind to benefit from the Covenant made with him by God. That is why we emphasize Jesus Christ. That is why we emphasize faith and grace. That is why we emphasize the new covenant, the gospel and eternal life. All these are bound up with each other. The gospel tells us that we can live forever with God—not because of good things we have done—but because of what Jesus Christ did for us. God 49 | P a g e

gives us this amnesty, forgiveness, and a new and wonderfully good relationship with him. He tells us that he has accepted us, and urges us to believe this message of his goodness and put our confidence in what He has done for our salvation.

When Jesus announced a new covenant in his own blood (Luke 22:20), he was announcing something dramatically new! Never before had God made a covenant using human blood. The previous covenants had used animal blood. Jesus made it clear that His coming was not to abolish the law but to fulfill. Never before was there anyone who could provide the necessary requirements to allow mankind to receive all of the promises of Grace by Covenant.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.� What we get from Christ is the New and Improved Covenant; not the old and discarded. New, just like the title deed to the house that we paid on for all of those years is new, those who receive Grace do so by the New Covenant!

What is the Difference Between Testament and Covenant?

Unfortunately, we use the words covenant and testament as though they are the same word. While there are similar in some ways there is a difference. One of the tragedies of pretending they mean the same is that we have seen some lump the entire Old Testament as the law. This is quite a leap, and has led some of these to conclude that we should ignore the Old Testament entirely!

Covenants in biblical times were sealed in blood. Often this was done by severing an animal, with the implication that the party who breaks the covenant will suffer a similar fate. In Hebrew, the verb meaning to seal a covenant translates literally as "to cut". For example: It is presumed by Jewish scholars that the removal of the foreskin for circumcision was used 50 | P a g e

because it symbolically represents such a sealing of the covenant. While a testament is similar to a covenant; it does not require the shedding of blood. In other words, a testament is merely a promise or a contractual obligation but a covenant was sealed in blood to signify it as much more severe.

“The Bible is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament, which preserves the Hebrew Scriptures from ancient times, and New Testament which explains the New Covenant. Though both sections describe covenants, they are called "testaments". But are they the same? Not exactly. A covenant is an agreement between two living parties, as in a marriage covenant, while a testament concerns the disposition of property and favors after one's death, as, for example, in "last will and testament".

Our word testament is based on the Latin testamentum.

For example: "In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living" (Heb.9:16-17). The writer is telling us that Christ remembered us in His will. He left us a priceless legacy: forgiveness of our sins, the removal of all guilt and the promise of eternal life.

These are all part of the New Covenant agreement Jesus proposed, but were not available until after His death. It was His "blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" that made the process of salvation possible.”31 To better understand the concept of a covenant we must understand what a covenant conveys. To best explain the covenant that God made with Abraham let’s look at the promise.

God Covenants with Abraham “Genesis 17:1-8. When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk with me and be trustworthy. 2 I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants.” 3 Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4 “But 31

http://www.nccg.org/FAQ071-Testament.html

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me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5 And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abram but Abraham.6 I will make you very fertile. I will produce nations from you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you. 8 I will give you and your descendants the land in which you are immigrants, the whole land of Canaan, as an enduring possession. And I will be their God.”32 Like Noah, God’s Covenant with Abram is inclusionary of all nations, not just 12 tribes. The Hebrew and the Greek signify nations; and, in the Old and New Testaments, mean those people who were not descendants of any of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Thus, God continues with Abraham His vision of Grace by Covenant.

God makes a Covenant between Him and Abraham. This is unparallel in all of Holy Scripture and Noah makes all of this possible. That God would make such an agreement with man is simply amazing and has impacted all of the earth both for those who have followed the God of Abraham and those who have rejected Him. While Abraham has at least 933 natural sons there is a definite blood line that this covenant must follow and this becomes a trail that leads to eternal destiny for all of mankind! All of the descendents of Abraham will benefit but the emphasis becomes on Isaac; the child of promise.

First, in what some pass over as insignificant God changes the name of Abram to Abraham. It seems evident that the God of heaven was not so bored that He needed something to do. It is a rare thing indeed for God to insist on changing someone’s name. You may have many friends but that love God but He has never seen it as important enough to change their name.

This name change is perhaps the most significant indicator of the importance of the Covenant and emphasizes the importance of this Covenant. Abram ab (ab or aba means a father of high importance). The 32 33

Common English Bible (CEB) http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/03/abrahams-sons.html

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word ‫'( אב‬ab) is not, like our word "father" reserved for the male parent and used metaphorically for other people, but rather a word of unknown and unparalleled meaning, which expresses respect to persons of authority, including male parents. The word 'ab followed by the letter yod usually makes the ab-part possessive. The construct ‫'(אבי‬abi) may mean "father of," "my father," or form the adjective fatherly (literally "of father").34 Ra or ram “The verb ‫( רום‬rum) means to be high, in several literal and figurative fashions. Some have equated this to the Egyptian god Ra. While this is not the literal translation it does point to the fact that this man is of significant importance in the viewpoint of the Almighty God even to the point that many cultures recognized his importance. This verb is used to indicate either literal height (Psalm 61:2, Job 22:12), the height of rank, statues or glory (Numbers 24:7, 2 Samuel 22:47, Proverbs 24:7). Thus in the case of Abram it signifies a father of considerable rank, importance or significance”35 or some conclude a father that has power with God. This man of great importance has an encounter with God and to signify the importance of his mission God covenants with Abram and changes his name to Abraham. God changes the name of Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. So Abram (Noble Father) becomes Abraham (Father of many Nations) and Sarai, (Princess) becomes Sarah (Mother of Nations).

Whether or not Abraham literally went around calling himself by the new name is not important. That this was the Covenant name is the key. The key here is Abraham was the name that God called him. In other words, this was a prophetic pronunciation on the way that God saw him!

Some claim that Abraham was required to do nothing but that is not correct. “God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants in every generation. This is my covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Circumcise every male. You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a symbol of the covenant between us. On the eighth day after birth, every male in every generation must be circumcised, including those who are not your own 34

Abraham Meaning and Etymology. http://www.abarimpublications.com/Meaning/Abraham.html#.VOdHd_nF8t0 35 Ram meaning and Etymology.

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children: those born in your household and those purchased with silver from foreigners. Be sure you circumcise those born in your household and those purchased with your silver. Your flesh will embody my covenant as an enduring covenant. Any uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin remains uncircumcised will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.” God is serious about His covenant and required this blood token from every male descendant of Abraham as part of the agreement that would continue this Covenant of promise until the time would come that Jesus Christ would satisfy all the terms of the Covenant.

Irrevocable Inter vivos Trust To understand the Covenant of God with Abraham we examine what in our vernacular we would call an Irrevocable Inter vivos Trust. What this means refers to inheritance (no wonder there is so much in the Bible about inheritance). God gives to Abraham a Covenant in the form of a promise.

This is His will (not unlike a person might make a will) that outlines what God is giving to Abraham. Never was there such an inheritance as God promises to Abraham and his heirs. This is God’s Will or in other words what Abraham can expect to inherit. The idea of irrevocable is expressed in the Everlasting nature of God’s Covenant. This was not God making idle promises. God was serious to the point that He promises Abraham an Everlasting Covenant.

Inter vivos (Latin, between the living) is a legal term referring to a transfer or gift made during one's lifetime, as opposed to a testamentary transfer (a gift that takes effect on death). This term is often used to describe a trust established during one's lifetime, i.e., an Inter vivos trust as opposed to a Testamentary trust which is established on one's death, usually as part of a will.

An Inter vivos trust is often used synonymously with the more common term Living trust. In the case of what God’s promises to Abraham it is irrevocable as long as the terms God gives Abraham are kept. Historically, this Covenant has no equal. There is no Covenant made by God, or anyone for that matter, that has both the natural and eternal significance of 54 | P a g e

this amazing Covenant. By virtue of God conveying this Covenant on Abraham, God becomes the Testator of this Covenant.

Testator is one who makes or has made a will; one who dies leaving a will.36 So, this Covenant as we rightly call it is God’s will conveying to mankind through Abraham all that He desires to bequeath to Him. This Covenant God expects to be sealed through the shedding of blood and thus for man’s part this becomes sealed through circumcision. Later, the event of Abraham’s test with what seems will be the sacrifice of his only son Isaac points out that only God will be capable of providing the blood that will seal this Covenant permanently. In the interim, the test of Abraham with Isaac is a prophetic vision of Calvary. At the conclusion of that test Abraham tells Isaac that God will provide Himself the sacrificial lamb that will seal the Covenant (Genesis 22:8). To help us understand the importance of the promises of this Covenant and their significance to all of us, Apostle Paul writes (Hebrews 9).

It is so that in Christ we have the cancellation of the ordinances (Mosaic Law) that were against us!

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the un-circumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14). A certificate of debt, also known as a bond, is a written promise.37 This is what Abraham received in the Covenant. A debt that Christ did not owe, but he paid. We cannot have the old debt canceled, without (by that very means) contracting a new one unless you were the one who cancelled the debt. Since we (mankind) were not able to answer the great debt against us, Christ paid the debt. “This debt is transferred from Justice to 36 37

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/testator Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_6926585_certificate-debt_.html

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Mercy. While sinners we are in debt to infinite Justice; when pardoned, in debt to endless Mercy: and as a continuance in a state of grace necessarily implies a continual communication of mercy, so the debt goes on increasing ad infinitum. Strange economy in the Divine procedure, which by rendering a man an infinite debtor keeps him eternally dependent on his Creator! How good is God! And what does this state of dependence imply?

A union with, and participation of, the fountain of eternal goodness!”38

Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle “Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”

Here the Apostle Paul is explaining that the setting up of the physical tabernacle was only a vision into what would come. Abraham was quite satisfied with his personal encounters with God at the Valley of the Kings with Melchizadec the King of Peace and in the Plain of Mamre when God chooses to pay a visit to His friend Abraham. Abraham’s grandson Jacob is confident that he prevailed when he wrestles with God face to face demanding a blessing. Later, this face to face type of encounter with a powerful God frightens the assembled multitude of Israel who asks that God speak to them through Moses and not so directly. In response God gives them an earthly tabernacle that is a natural pattern of spiritual things.

Thus, the natural foreshadowed the Spiritual. But Jesus Christ changes 38

Adam Clarke. The Book of Matthew. Page 140.

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ALL of that and ushers in the full promise of the Inheritance though a tabernacle not made with hands eternal in the heavens!

The Inheritance Promised in the Covenant Apostle Paul continues: “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption for all mankind. The promise of the Covenant was complete in Christ Jesus.”

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” What 57 | P a g e

the natural could not do because man was unable to redeem himself, God fulfilled. What man could not seal by circumcision is sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Apostle Paul continues to explain the importance of the Covenant made with Abraham as the natural and the enforcement of the will of God in the spiritual made possible when God robes Himself in flesh and provides the only blood sacrifice that can absolve the curse of sin and trespass. “In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.” This is such a clear explanation.

God as the Testator of the will (Covenant) made with Abraham had to be the one who brought to fruition the force of the Covenant. And of course the blood of Jesus Christ is able to bring us so much more than even Able who is the poster boy of Righteousness.

Apostle Paul continues, “This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.” This Covenant made with Abraham was sealed with the blood of every male. Then, “when Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” This Covenant is clear reference to the Covenant God made with Abraham. This is important as we see that “In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

The Promise God made to Abraham and sealed in Covenant to Abraham and his descendants could only cover the sin and trespasses until in the fullness of time when God manifest in the flesh and provided Himself the 58 | P a g e

eternal earnest for the inheritance so that the Children of Abraham might receive the promises of the Covenant God made with him.

The Covenant that God made with Abram (Abraham) is a promise not just to Abraham but a promise to all the nations (people) of the earth.

A promise that can only be fulfilled in Christ and yet we have those who desire to ignore, discard or toss away as insignificant this amazing Covenant from God to mankind that is anchored in the blood (covenant) of Jesus Christ!

Below is a sampling of the nations that are natural descendents of Abraham and that is not nearly as significant as those who are Children of Abraham because of Jesus Christ which of course impacts every nation under heaven.

By Faith, or by Works of the Law? Apparently, the Galatian followers of Christ became confused by legalism.

This is not surprising as legalism is a common pit fall of believers today.

The problem with legalism is that it is void of the Grace of God. Apostle Paul, showing no attempt to be politically correct, calls them foolish and chides them that they have fallen into a spell of witchcraft! He asks them if they were perfected in the natural (by the flesh) or by the Spirit. He then points out to them that their salvation is just like that of Abraham! Really?

Why Abraham? How could that be? Yes, Abraham was Old Testament, but Apostle Paul is not confused by the fulfillment of the Promise to Abraham that Christ fulfills. He understands that what the blood of bulls and goats would never accomplish the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world had indeed accomplished.

Abraham was not under the law, he was before the law! Because the whole of the promise of the Covenant that Christ fulfills begins with Abraham, his faith and his commitment to the Covenant that God made with him and his posterity. Without Abraham there is no Covenant.

Without the Covenant there is NOTHING for Jesus Christ to come to fulfill!

It is rather silly to expect that Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law! What would be the point? How does one fulfill legalism? Exactly how would you 59 | P a g e

fulfill the law? On the other hand, fulfilling a Covenant makes total sense and that is what Jesus Christ accomplished.

You can have the law without God. In fact, historically there were similar law systems from the Code of Hammurabi to the Constitution of the United States. All are like the law that God gave Moses but they are just the law.

Christ came to fulfill none of these! He came to bring the earnest of the inheritance that He had promised Abraham. He came and fulfilled a covenant.

“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

So, we see that the faith of Abraham in the Old Testament is the justification for the faith of New Testament Christ followers. Here we not only see the fulfillment of the Covenant God made with Abraham but we see that the Gospel was preached in the Old Testament to Abraham! How then could we who are thousands of years after Abraham have any bearing on the keeping of the Covenant God made with him? How can we ignore the Gospel message of the Old Testament or the Grace Preachers of the Old Testament who like Abraham believed God and it was counted to them as righteousness.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith Here is where many make an unfortunate leap. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” However, Abraham who it has already been made 60 | P a g e

abundantly clear is the man of faith was in the Old Testament not the New! Yet he is justified not be the law which came after him through Moses but rather by his faith. Faith in what? In the promise of God which Abraham received in the form of Covenant!

“But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the Spirit through faith. So the blessing of Abraham which is summed up in the Covenant God made with him is the source of the New Testament reception. To abolish, do away with or ignore the Old Testament would negate all that God did through Abraham!

The Law and the Promise In case his readers miss the point that without Abraham there is no covenant, no promise, no inheritance, no will, nothing to entrust faith the Apostle Paul continues: “To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.” So, Apostle Paul references a simple testament, will or document that a man might make and points out that once you have written your will no one is authorized to annul it, add to it or change the document. That is the whole point! The will is your covenant of what you want to happen with your effects upon the event of your passing. What point would there be in having a covenant that could be altered at the whim of whomever?! Why would the God who is eternal in the heavens even consider such an arrangement? What confidence would we have in a God who reneged on His Everlasting Covenant? Only with first having a Covenant and then having the one who made the Covenant die (the death of the Testator) can there be inheritance.

The Great Apostle Paul concludes, “Now the promises were made to 61 | P a g e

Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.” How do we ignore this other than on purpose?

“This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.” Here we see and understand that the law which came more than 400 years after Abraham received the Covenant from God had NO EFFECT on the Covenant God had previously made with Abraham. The law had no ability to nullify, change or alter the Covenant God had previously made with Abraham.

None! To teach, preach or otherwise conjecture (as some do) that based on the fulfillment of the law coming in Christ we should then use that as a reason to ignore, discard or abolish the entirety of the Old Testament which includes the very Covenant to which we reference is heresy at best and none could say it better than Apostle Paul did to the Galatian believers; you have fallen under a spell of witchcraft!

Even in the law God makes the point that this is connected to the Covenant He made with Abraham. “For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you (Lev. 26:9).

Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land (Lev. 26:42).” This is not a New Covenant in the sense of another Covenant, but a commitment from God to establish the Covenant He made with Abraham based on the same terms He made with Abraham. The newness of this Covenant would come in its fulfillment in Christ Jesus!

You would rightly ask the Galatian church had; Why then the law?

Apostle Paul gives the answer: “It was added because of transgressions.”

For what period of time? “Until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law 62 | P a g e

had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 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.” This all comes to pass through the Covenant God made with Abraham; not by the law, nor through multiple covenants but one made by one eternal God who sealed the Covenant by His own blood!

Without the Old Testament and the Covenant of Abraham we are without explanation for the plethora of Scriptures that speak of the fulfillment of the Covenant, the promise, the inheritance, and more. The law can satisfy none of these! The Covenant with Abraham set the stage for the eventual coming of Messiah to forever ratify the same Covenant; a New Covenant fulfilled in the blood of Christ. Jesus Christ came not to make a completely New Covenant devoid of connection to the promises made to Abraham but to fulfill them. What would be the point in calling the law a Covenant or in calling the coming of Christ a Covenant? Jesus Christ came for the express purpose of fulfilling the Covenant He made with Abraham.

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GRACE THE FINAL FRONTIER

CHAPTER 5 64 | P a g e

In 2005 at the International Circle of Faith (ICOF) Gathering of Eagles Conference in Edmonton, Alberta Canada I spoke on the topic, Grace: The Final Frontier. My text for that night was Acts Chapter 15.

In my mind I could hear the voice of actor William Shatner [Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk] eloquently saying “Space: The final frontier” as I read my message title that night and gave it my own imprimatur: Grace: The Final Frontier.

For many in the audience a message on Grace was unknown territory. Some admitted that they could not remember ever hearing a message on the subject of Grace. Fortunately, you don’t have to travel on a star ship to reach Grace.

Christ already travelled the necessary distance to bring Grace to you.

It certainly was in the mind of the Apostles in Acts Chapter 15 and more clearly on the mind of Apostle James the Bishop of the Jerusalem Church as he spoke of the importance of not putting those things on the non Jewish converts that had been added through the Mosaic Legal system (or law). As we have discussed, the Apostles in their coming together (Acts Chapter 15) sought to bring unity and clarification to the role the Law of Moses would play in the nascent New Testament Church. Their answer was clear, concise and direct.

Unfortunately, those that call themselves the Church, or Christians or Followers of Christ have added a plethora of their own ideas, conclusions, and dogmas and created more than 41,000 differing religious systems (we call denominations) to enforce or oversee their opinions. It is certain that neither Jesus Christ nor the New Testament Church leadership would have endorsed such chaos.

It seems strange to me that Grace should be spoken of in such a paradigm as a frontier or the vast unknown. Yet, it is not Grace that is illusive but 65 | P a g e

rather men have placed barriers and walls between those for whom Christ gave His Life and the people He died to Save. Even though Grace has been the cornerstone of man’s interaction with his Creator from the beginning, it resonates with us that Grace still seems like a vast unknown.

I encourage you to take a voyage and discover Grace. Like the crew of the famous Star Ship Enterprise it may be a 5 year voyage, or it may take an entire lifetime, but I promise that the journey through God’s Grace will be Epic.

The Whole of Scripture Speaks to the Covenant God made with Abraham.

The essence of the Covenant of Grace is the same throughout the Old and New Testaments—God saves sinners by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But its historical administration has varied by time and place. For example, the covenant of grace widened from the Old Testament to the New Testament, as it was administered first with small families (e.g., the families of Noah and Abram), then with the nation of Israel, but now with the church, which is made up of people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). Also, it was administered in the Old Testament through what the New Testament authors describe as “types” and “shadows” (Heb. 8:5; 10:1), such as sacrifices, the priesthood, and the temple, all of which pointed to their reality, Jesus Christ (Col. 2:17).39 “Under the Old Testament, revelations were made at various times, by various persons, in various laws and forms of teaching, with various degrees of clearness, under various shadows, types, and figures, and with various modes of revelation, such as by angels, visions, dreams, mental impressions, etc. See Numbers 12:6, 8. But under the New Testament all is done, simply, by one person, i.e. JESUS, who has fulfilled the prophets, and completed prophecy; who is the way, the truth, and the life; and the founder, mediator, and governor of his own kingdom. One great object of 39

What Is the Covenant of Grace? Daniel Hyde Sep 26, 2014

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the apostle is, to put the simplicity of the Christian system in opposition to the complex nature of the Mosaic economy; and also to show that what the law could not do because it was weak through the flesh, Jesus has accomplished by the merit of his death, and the energy of his Spirit.”40 Scripture (hundreds of references, verses to a wide variety of the people of God) expresses the importance of God’s Everlasting Covenant with His people. There are many references and reminders of just how important God holds the Covenant that He made with His friend Abraham. In all of those references there is no indication that God’s Grace has been exhausted or that He intends to do anything other than keep in force His portion of the Covenant even when mankind ignored, violated or trampled His Covenant. None of these things could persuade God from His will and the promise of the same expressed through His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The concept of the coming Messiah is intrinsically tied to the Covenant God made with Abraham, not the law.

In I Chronicles 16 God reminds the Children of Israel that His Covenant with Abraham is in effect for 1000 generations. 1000 Generations! Wow! While we understand that is more symbolic for unlimited generations even just a 1000 generations is more than 40,000 years and we have only journeyed a small portion of that number since the book of Chronicles was written. In fact there is debatable evidence that the entire history of mankind encompasses such a span. In Ezekiel 16 God rails on Israel because of the multiple violations not of the law but of the Everlasting Covenant that God made with their forefathers. Even the Ark (symbol of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness) is called the Ark of the Covenant.

The Westminster Confession of Faith gives us this relevant summation: “This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, 40

Adam Clarke Commentary. Hebrews. Chapter 1. Page 351.

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prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.

Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations. (7.5-6).�

The manifestation of the Covenant of Grace was progressively disclosed.

It began in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned and God promised a redeemer (Gen. 3:15), to Abraham the promise to bless the nations (Gen. 12:2-3).

Another Preacher of Grace The Old Testament is as qualified to focus on the Covenant of Grace as is the New Testament and it is the central theme of both. Noah was not a lone ranger railing against all others who were not as filled with grace as he. We find that it was Enoch (also a preacher of Grace) and not Noah who preached about the return of the Lord in judgment.

However, Noah is left to continue the line of men while Enoch is translated.

Jude 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 68 | P a g e

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sin ners have spoken against him.

It is noteworthy that Jude (a New Testament Grace preacher), in his onechapter epistle, referred not only to Enoch and Adam, but also to Moses, Cain, Balaam and Korah, as well as to the sin of the angels and the destruction of Sodom. Strangely, these are topics that many modern preachers think are to be discarded.

Jesus Christ Beneficiary of Grace It may seem odd to consider that Jesus Christ would be the beneficiary of Grace by Covenant. It is certainly unique for the Testator of a Covenant to also be a beneficiary. The Mosaic Law called for a mother who was without child and had not yet been with her husband to be stoned.

Joseph, who is espoused to Mary (mother of Jesus), certainly knows that he has not been with Mary in such a manner. Yet, in an amazing display of Grace, Joseph (himself a beneficiary of Grace by Covenant) extends the Grace of God to his fiancée, Mary, and to the unborn Child which is Jesus Christ. “Though Joseph was a righteous man, and knew that the law required that such persons as he supposed his wife to be should be put to death, yet, as righteousness is ever directed by mercy, he determined to put her away or divorce her privately, i.e. without assigning any cause, that her life might be saved; and, as the offense was against himself, he had a right to pass it by if he chose.”41 Apostle Paul gives a unique perspective in speaking of the heir, “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father”(Galatians 4:1-2).

41

Adam Clarke Commentary. Gospel of Matthew. Chapter1. Verse 19.

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All Roads Have Two Ditches Every driver understands that on the left hand of the road is a ditch, but the right also has a ditch. One ditch is no better than the other. Jesus referred to the blind leaders of the blind and the end result is all of their followers ended up in a ditch. In the case of the Gospel message, abusive, legalistic and/or authoritarian leaders, pastors and other ministers have delivered a picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is untrue, unrealistic or altered often leaving those who would follow Christ confused, angry, or frustrated. This is certainly a ditch. Some of these confused, angry and frustrated people in an attempt to justify the ‘ditch’ that they have been directed toward have overcompensated by swerving toward the other ditch. One ditch is no better than the other.

For the record I would say that if we are going to error let us error on the side of Grace. However, the Gospel is not a represented by either ditch and Grace is not limited to the New Testament. We cannot, we must not, replace one error for another. We cannot exchange authoritarianism for license. We cannot replace legalism with the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (no moral absolutes). Grace is the primary message of God to His creation; beginning in Genesis and continuing till today. Grace was the message that kept our first ancestors from immediate death. Grace was the message that allowed Noah and his wife to be the progenitors of the human race rather than the last living persons. Grace gave David life after he murdered Uriah. Grace gave us the promise of a coming Messiah, Grace gave us a resurrected Christ and Grace gives each of us an opportunity for eternal life. By Grace are you saved, not of works, lest you would boast!

If we look carefully we must conclude that both Noah and Enoch were preaching grace. Yet, many of our modern preachers want to contend that Enoch was preaching “un-grace”. By un-grace they apparently mean to indicate a lack of grace. However, there is apparent Divine approval of the 70 | P a g e

message of both Enoch and Noah. Both are righteous. Thus, it must then be that they were both dispensers of the Grace of God.

By Grace are you Saved Like Noah who found Grace, Apostle Paul points the New Testament Christ follower to pursue finding Grace. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Apostle Paul is obviously not confused about the importance of the Old Testament or its relevance to the Everlasting Gospel. Perhaps, previous to his conversion this was a stumbling block for him, but afterward he understood that Jesus Christ was the Promise of the Old fulfilled in the New. He continues the theme in Chapter 5 of Hebrews, ”As in the seed of Abraham all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, Abraham received a sacerdotal blessing from Melchisedec, who was the representative of the Messiah, the promised seed, to show that it was through him, as the high priest of the human race, that this blessing was to be derived on all mankind.”42 “As there is no account of Melchisedec ceasing to be a priest, or of his dying, he is represented as still living, the better to point him out as a type of Christ, and to show his priesthood to be more excellent than that which was according to the law, as an unchanging priesthood must be more excellent than that which was continually changing”43 and as a result superior, Everlasting from before the time of Abraham to present.

The Levitical priesthood was merely a copy of the Melchisedec Priesthood first modeled to Abraham and finally manifested in Jesus Christ. The order of Aaron being now abrogated, to make way for that which had preceded it, the order of Melchisedec. Thus, we see that Melchisedec is Priest before the Mosaic Law and after Jesus Christ comes in the same original order.

“The priesthood, therefore, being changed, Jesus coming in the place of Aaron, the law of ordinances and ceremonies, which served only to point

42 43

Adam Clarke Commentary. Hebrews. Chapter 5. Page 465.

Ibid.

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out the Messiah, must of necessity be changed also.”44 Melchisedec, who was not only a priest, but also a king. None of the Levitical priests sustained this double office; but they both, with that of prophet, appear and were exercised in the person of our Lord, who is the Priest to which the apostle alludes.

In Grace we see the original intent of God is manifest in Jesus Christ. The Mosaic Law is but a part of that plan, brought to fruition specifically for the Israelites as they transitioned from slaves to free and from a family to a nation. A law (Mosaic) to give the people direction that would ultimately point them to Christ, back to the original Covenant that God had made with Abraham. Melchisedec is an agent of implementation and Christ coming in the same manner delivers the Promise. Hebrews refers to this as an oath and better covenant.

“THE NEW COVENANT, thus contradistinguished from the Mosaic, which was the old covenant; and this is called the new and better covenant, because God has in it promised other blessings, to other people, on other conditions, than the old covenant did.”45

God Is Grace Teaching, preaching, or prophesying of God’s judgment upon those who are ungodly and refuse to turn from their ungodly deeds (sins) is also part of the eternal message of the Grace of God. This gives continuity to all Scripture. Grace is not a ‘feel good’ or where we pick and choose what parts of the Word of God we like. Rather, God is Grace. He alone is the arbitrator of His Grace, His Goodness and His Divine Mercy.

Given that, the entirety of the message from God to mankind is about Grace. Those who perished in the Great Flood and those who were saved 44 45

Adam Clarke Commentary. Hebrews. Chapter 5. Page 467.

Adam Clarke Commentary. Hebrews. Chapter 5. Page 471.

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were beneficiaries of Grace. Those who escaped Sodom and Gomorrah and those who perished all were beneficiaries of God’s Grace.

Hebrews 8 gives us the account this way: Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. Jesus Christ was not held to the limitations of the promise and the chronological vision of Abraham but as the manifestation of God He brought the promise and the “New” to the Covenant. This is of keen importance to those who were of natural Jews but of little understanding to the Gentile who had been limited in their access to the Covenant primarily because of the interpretation of the law.

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.”

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they 73 | P a g e

will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Perfect Preacher of Grace Job was a preacher of Righteousness. He found so much Grace (favor) with God that he got the attention of Satan. Job is not the poster boy of the Grace as license movement but he is one of God’s poster boys. The reason some don’t understand Job is that they tell people that when you serve God everything is perfect. While it is true in one sense it is not in the context they present God’s Grace. In Job they miss the very point. The message of Job is that we can be perfect; not as men count perfection, but rather as God counts perfection. Job was perfect because he put God first. Job says that even in death he will trust God! This is a man who realizes God’s Grace at work in his life. Job, no doubt, had his shortcomings. His wife and his friends certainly had an opinion on the subject. However, God was of the opinion that Job was perfect.

To give a parallel from the times of Christ, we find the teachers bring to Jesus a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. Adultery is sin.

Adultery is punishable by death. Like the sin of her forefathers in the Garden of Eden; the penalty was death. Jesus did not attempt to defend the woman based on legalism, authoritarianism, church history, or His personal feelings on the subject. The law was clear and the teachers were certain. Rather, Jesus used the opportunity to point out that there was something higher than the law.

Jesus, as the giver of the law, was the same Lawgiver who had granted Grace to Eve and Noah and the only one who could usher in a new or updated Covenant. It was not a man’s covenant so a man could not accomplish what only God manifested in the flesh would. In 74 | P a g e

this scenario he grants Grace to the woman caught in the very act of adultery. Here Christ demonstrates the earmark of Grace. Grace is not about license but Grace is about the absence of condemnation. One of the reasons some modern theologians are turning Grace into license is that they don’t understand that Grace is about the lack of condemnation. Grace doesn’t change the law. Jesus Christ came as both the lawgiver and the testator of the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham.

Rather than condemn the woman Jesus first encourages the accusers to determine who among them was without sin. This is not the abolition of law and order but rather a time to reflect on their own sinful condition. Then Jesus instructs those who were without sin to pick up a stone. However, there were none among the teachers who thought themselves free from sin as they were still largely impacted by the curse from the law. Perhaps they had never even considered the point. They were so busy enforcing the law that their own shortcomings may have never occurred to them. When taken in the light of having a sinless nature to enforce the law there was no one left. This is the culture of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In Christ we are in a culture where sin does not have the pre-eminence.

It is one thing to insist on the keeping of the law. It is quite another thing to keep the law. Apostle Peter commented in Acts Chapter 15 (concerning the law) “which neither we nor our fathers could keep.” What Jesus does is not abolish or change the law. Rather he simply asks that those enforcing the law be sinless. Grace trumps the law.

The Anti-Grace “There is a growing movement in the Body of Christ that insists that the primary offense in the church is its “sin consciousness” and the judgmental attitudes that go with it. Certainly religious spirits are a problem and legalism continues to bring many into misguided bondage. But if that were all there was to the issue of the church’s condition now or then the letter to the Corinthians would hardly have needed to have been written.”46 46

IS CHRIST DIVIDED? DISCERNING THE LORD’S BODY. Don Atkin and Brian Harrison. Page 21

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Those that claim Christ and offer hate are fortunately in the minority.

Grace is not a license for sin. Neither is Grace a platform to bludgeon those with whom we disagree. Those who think that the purpose of the Bible is to be used as a weapon to beat unbelievers or those who have shortcomings or those who fall prey to sin do not understand Grace. Jesus Christ came that we could have Abundant Life!

An example of those who abuse the purpose of God and frustrate Grace in this manner is the 40 member Westboro Baptist Church. This group uses the Bible to preach a message of hate that God never sanctioned or endorsed. They are no doubt the poster child for those claiming Christ who offer no version of Grace. This might be fairly called an Anti-Grace group.

This group has sponsored a plethora of activities that have no possible support in Scripture. “Representatives of the Church offer their idea of Grace by saying that “99.999 percent of people are going to hell”47. This is hard to absorb in light of a God who gave His life that none should perish but that all should gain eternal life.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Grace is not License The opposite message of the Anti-Grace promoting Westboro Baptist is the concept of Universalism with a plethora of poster boys none of whom we will give free publicity in this treatise. These offer everything from the idea that redemption or salvation will be offered in hell, to the idea that Adolf Hitler and his contemporaries will also eventually gain eternal salvation. This is not reflective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or any of the terms of His Covenant with man. How can we ignore the message of Hebrews 12?

47

Hellbound. 2012.

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Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Here the writer speaks of the most important segment of the Covenant; the blood and connects this directly to the Spirit of Grace!

In fairness, these are some of those who have turned the Grace of God into lasciviousness. This we must not ignore, excuse or endure.

However, that is not a reason to expect that all who preach Grace are turning that Grace into lasciviousness. The last thing we want to do in our preaching is encourage sin. For the believing heart, it provides the very motivation to say “No� to sin. It is Grace and Grace alone that will empower people to overcome sin! The road to victory over sin is paved with Grace. This Grace was given to mankind by Covenant and sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

Preaching Grace Jesus was the ultimate Grace Preacher. He was Grace manifested in flesh. There are many examples of His Grace. In speaking to the woman caught in the very act of adultery did not condone her sin nor did he pretend that she had committed no sin. Rather, he commanded the woman to go and sin no more. The reasons are many. Yet, we must know that the culture in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is one that is free from sin. Sin is the enemy of God. God looks for those who are perfect. Not perfect in a human sense; as we all could attest to our own shortcomings and the faults of others. Yet, perfect as Christ looks on us. Free from the desire to sin and set free by the blood of Jesus Christ from the curse of sin that was against us.

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Grace will not rob a preacher of the right to say the hard words or make challenges or ask for commitment. Jesus makes it clear. Neither do I condemn you! The true sense of Grace is a lack of condemnation.

Jesus did not say that you are no longer guilty nor did he preach her a sermon on the evils of sexual sin. Even in our repentance and baptism we do not erase the deeds of the past. If you murdered someone they are not magically transformed back to life because of your coming to Christ in repentance and baptism. Rather, as in the case of this woman you are transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ from carrying the weight of your sin and the condemnation of the same on you to living in the Grace of Jesus Christ.

Preaching grace with power will yield a greater long-term result than will legalistic manipulation offered by those who have misplaced Grace. Grace never has, and properly understood, never will encourage sin. Grace was bought by Jesus Christ at the highest of prices. And grace dispensed from that account will never take sin lightly. But it will address it from a different posture—and actually empower victory over it.

1. Preaching grace does not mean avoiding a confrontation with sin.

2. Preaching grace does not mean avoiding a call to commitment.

3. Preaching grace does not mean serving up spiritual mush with no caloric value for the soul.

But here’s what it does mean: 1. Preaching grace always keeps an eye on the incredible forgiving nature of God. 2. Preaching grace does mean refusing to manipulate your hearers to accomplish an objective in a fleshly, legalistic, or authoritarian manner.

3. Preaching grace does mean loving your hearers in spite of how they respond to your message.

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4. Preaching grace does mean trusting God to accomplish his objectives in his way and in his time.

To my friends, from the first group we mentioned, who are truly Grace Preachers, I salute you in the name of Jesus Christ, the only name given among heaven whereby we must be saved! I charge you to keep the message of Jesus Christ pure and to preach Grace by Covenant to all; both Jew and Gentile, male and female, bond and free, happy and unhappy, white, black, Hispanic, Indian, Asia, African and all others!

To those, from the second group we mentioned, who are trying to impress the rest of us with your knowledge. I encourage you to study show yourselves approved. Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and humility.

Those, in our third Group, who claim Grace while offering a license to sin, are not Grace Preachers. Those claiming that the Church needs to change its position on sin and those claiming that the Commandments of God are no longer relevant are in error. We do ourselves, and the body of Christ a discredit to protect such persons by claiming that there are not offering license. To those who purposely seek to pervert the Gospel, I leave you with the words of the great Apostle Jude.

“In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

“Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them. Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit 79 | P a g e

and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”

Second Covenant and New Covenant

We would be remiss to ignore or not take time to examine and explain the Scriptures that speak of a New Covenant or a Second Covenant. These references are to contrast what Christ accomplished in fulfilling the Covenant against the understanding people (primarily Jewish followers of Christ) had of the Covenant made with Abraham.

None of these references speak to abolishing the Covenant. Nowhere is this made clearer that Apostle Paul’s writing in Romans 9. “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

“The term new covenant, as used here, seems to mean that grand plan of agreement or reconciliation which God made between himself and mankind, by the death of Jesus Christ; in consequence of which, all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe in the great atoning sacrifice, are purified from their sins, and united to God. Christ is called the Mediator of the new covenant, Hebrews 9:15. And referring to the ratification of this new covenant or agreement, by means of his own death, in the celebration of his last supper, Christ calls the cup, this cup is the new covenant in my blood: i.e. an emblem or

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representation of the new covenant ratified by his blood.”48 It is certainly, “adding to”49 for those who assert that the ratification of the Covenant as new means the dissolution of the Everlasting Covenant rather than the fulfillment of the same. “Previously to the New Testament times, were termed simply THE Covenant; were, after the incarnation, called the OLD covenant, as we have already seen, to distinguish them from the Christian Scriptures, and their grand subject, which were called the NEW covenant; not so much because it was a new agreement, but rather a renewal of the old, in which the spirit, object, and design of that primitive covenant were more clearly and fully manifested.”50 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

In Galatians 4 Apostle Paul tells us that the idea of two covenants is an allegorical way of explaining the difference between the Covenant God made with Abraham and the fulfillment of the same through Jesus Christ.

Romans 8, speaks of the better covenant. In our vernacular we would call this New and Improved. This would be like Tide (laundry soap) offering a new version of its product and marketing it as New and Improved. Still the soap that the buyers have previously had confidence, but new in the sense that it has added ingredients that will improve the user’s experience.

This does not mean that the original is no longer but rather it is exactly as advertized – New, better, improved. Hebrews 12 tells us that the New Covenant is better than the blood of bulls and goats, better than the blood of Able, not like the attempts to covenant with those who keep not their end of the Covenant. A Covenant like that made with Abraham (who was a Gentile) that did not attempt to exclude Gentiles,

48

Adam Clarke Commentary. Gospel of Matthew. Preface. Page 6.

Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:19.

50 Adam Clarke Commentary. Gospel of Matthew. Preface. Page 6.

49

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1. “As the law was given on Mount Sinai, so the Gospel was given at Mount Sion.

2. As Jerusalem was the city of the living God, (for there was the temple, its services, sacrifices, etc.,) the Christian Church is now called the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. In it is the great sacrifice, in it that spiritual worship, which God, the infinite Spirit, requires.

3. The ministry of angels was used under the old covenant, but that was partial, being granted only to particular persons, such as Moses, Joshua, Manoah, etc., and only to a few before the law, as Abraham, Jacob, etc. It is employed under the new covenant in its utmost latitude, not to a few peculiarly favored people, but to all the followers of God in general; so that in this very epistle the apostle asserts that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salvation.

4. At the giving of the law, when the Church of the old covenant was formed, there was a general assembly of the different tribes by their representatives; in the Gospel Church all who believe in Christ, of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, form one grand aggregate body. Believers of all nations, of all languages, of all climates, however differing in their color or local habits, are one in Christ Jesus; one body, of which he is the head, and the Holy Spirit the soul.

5. The first-born under the old dispensation had exclusive privileges; they had authority, emolument, and honor, of which the other children in the same family did not partake: but under the new, all who believe in Christ Jesus, with a heart unto righteousness, are equally children of God, are all entitled to the same privileges; for, says the apostle, ye are all children of God by faith in Christ, and to them that received him he gave authority to become the children of God; so that through the whole of this Divine family all have equal rights and equal privileges, all have GOD for their portion, and heaven for their inheritance.

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6. As those who had the rights of citizens were enrolled, and their names entered on tables, etc., so that it might be known who were citizens, and who had the rights of such; so all the faithful under the new covenant are represented as having their names written in heaven, which is another form of speech for, have a right to that glorious state, and all the blessings it possesses; there are their possessions, and there are their rights.

7. Only the high priest, and he but one day in the year, was permitted to approach God under the system for those who were under the Law of Moses; but under Grace by Covenant, every believer in Jesus can come even to the throne, each has liberty to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and, to real Christians alone it can be said, Ye are come-to God the Judge of all — to him ye have constant access, and from him ye are continually receiving grace upon grace.

The righteous perfect, or just men made perfect, is a Jewish phrase, and signified those who had made the farthest advances in moral rectitude. The Apostle used it to point out those in the Church of Christ who had received the highest degrees of Grace, possessed most of the mind of Christ, and were doing and suffering most for the glory of God; those who were most deeply acquainted with the things of God and the mysteries of the Gospel, such as the apostles, evangelists, the primitive teachers, and those who presided in and over different Churches.�51 Final Thoughts When people of any race or background enter into a covenant relationship with Christ, they, too, become Abraham's seed. As Paul wrote in Galatians:3:28-29 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

51

Adam Clarke Commentary. Hebrews. Chapter 12.

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And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

God has only one people. His one people are comprised of people from all stations and walks of life. His people are from every nation under heaven; every tribe, every kindred, every caste, every culture, every skin color, and more.

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