Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wiping out the handwriting of commandments that was against us

What is the operation of the Law in the New Covenant? How does the Law of Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, differ from he Law of sin and death? How does one fulfill the Law of Christ? These are very important questions in understanding the paradigm shift to a more inclusive gospel and Christianity that reflects a God who is described as being equal with love, agape (1John 4:8). It is in this area that great confusion exists.
 
For example, in Colossians 2:14 alone, there is a plethora of interpretations as to what Paul meant by the handwriting that was against us. According to Gill, there were these various views. Some believe it was the covenant with Adam Gen 2:17; some believe it was the Mosaic Covenant, Exo 24:7; others say it was the book of conscience; and still others, the ceremonial law. Who is right?
 
I actually believe it was all of the above but, in a slightly different way. It is not that the Law in general is not a good thing and, even something that men should strive to obey. I believe it is. Rather, It is the process of read and do…with our acceptance before God at stake; it is being on a working contract with God that causes the problem that Jesus over came with the cross.
 
Col 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
 
Notice that forgiveness of trespasses is the result of wiping out the handwriting of the commandments…. taking it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. But, he also disarmed principalities and powers. This is primarily Satan the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) but, he takes the form of the religious leaders. The principalities and powers is not just Satan and his minions, no, it is those who have disguised themselves as an angle of light. If indeed there is anything at all to the concept of demonic strong men, and I quite frankly believe there is then….the absolute strong man of strong men, is the demon of religion…..the harbinger of read and do.
 
This is precisely why the dynamics of the New Covenant is completely different than the Old Covenant. Under the Old Covenant there was a handwriting of commandments and ordinances that were often not kept and, never kept with a complete obedience and therefore there was a necessity for substitutionary sacrifices after the infractions. Under the New Covenant, one sacrifice….the cross of Jesus handled all infractions once for all time.
 
This understanding of the New Covenant results in a true love and true worship of God….from that place of love and worship we are set free to serve God by serving others in love.
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3 comments:

  1. feetxxxlFebruary 14, 2010 at 5:02 PM

    9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

    13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[b] God made you[c] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.


    under the new covenant we no longer have a relationship to god thru regulation as in deut. 28 but instead directly to the one who lives in each believer, the new covenant written on our hearts(rather than on stone tablets), the indwelling of this relationship with the one within us is what leads us and guides us thru faith thru grace.


    all new covenant law is summed up in the second commandment(love your neighbor....). the sole purpose of new covenant law is to make us conscious of NOT LIVING THE 2ND COMMANDMENT.

    apart from all things concerning this "everything is permissible but not everything is constructive"

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  2. jmacFebruary 24, 2010 at 11:49 AM

    feetxxl,

    Agreed! Good comment

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  3. AWJune 30, 2012 at 7:05 PM

    "This understanding of the New Covenant results in a true love and true worship of God….from that place of love and worship we are set free to serve God by serving others in love." For this reason is why I wish everyone would believe in Jesus Christ, because He gave His very life for us. And not just the saved us, but the unsaved us also; this is what love is, to give your very life for someone else. John 15:12-13

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