The New Covenant part 1: Ramafications and considerations.

Jer 31:33-34  “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  (34)  And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

Either the New Covenant is in force or it is not. Has the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant... simply limped along side the New Covenant for the past 2000 plus years as so much of evangelical doctrine and dogma suggests? The answer, I believe is a resounding no! Here is the fact as I see it from the preponderance of scriptural evidence. The New Covenant is the only covenant in force today. If that is not the case, and we await some cataclysmic apocalypse then NO Gentile is truly redeemed. Look at this verse from the (little apocalypse) in Luke's Gospel: Luke 21:28  "But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.” Here you have it plain and simple, if the apocalypse did not happen as prophesied in the first century there is NO REDEMPTION.

However, it did happen as prophesied with the destruction of the temple. So as a result, the New Covenant is completely and solely in force. This is ultra important in understanding the gospel and the transformation it brings. The real transformation process is the direct result of having peace with Father God. That peace with Father comes from the 34th verse of the above passage from Jeremiah. "I will forgive their wickedness and I will never remember their sins." This is precisely why a proper understanding of the gospel is so important. Paul explains it this way in Ephesians 2:15-17,  "having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  (17)  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near." This is what brings peace with the Father. The Old Covenant because of human flesh was enmity with us. However, Paul also explains that it is being justified, declared righteous by the work of Christ that brings the peace.

Rom 5:1  Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is precisely the fact that brings about supernatural transformation and it was what turned the world upside down in the first century. Because of the gospel one is set free from being accepted by God based on obedient behavior. The Obedience is simply trusting Christ for righteousness no matter what. This brings peace with the Father and more than that it produces love for the Father. That is where all the transforming power stems from. It is not antinomian to believe the gospel. That is simply a perverted view of the gospel that is brought on by the leaven of the Pharisees which as infiltrated most all of Christianity.

The New Covenant is not as evangelical doctrine erroneously depicts it. It is not a hybrid mixture of the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. It is simply a new and better way!

The peace that passeth understanding... surpassing peace.

Php 4:6-7 CSB  "Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (7)  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Living worry free is a tall order. I would say beyond any doubt, that naturally, on one's own, it is impossible to do for an entire life span. But, I can testify that at times at least, I have tapped into the peace that surpasses all understanding, and it is only because of lack of focus, that I do not experience it all the time. Herein lies one of the most important aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, I believe that it is the most important aspect of the gospel. I am pretty much a universalist. I believe that Christ's sacrifice was efficacious for all. Oh, I have not ruled out the remote possibility of annihilation of unbelievers. I suppose it is possible. I have ruled out, and for sound biblical reasons eternal punishment and torture. However, the question invariably arises, "if you were right and all benefit from the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, what possible reason is there to preach the gospel?" The answer to that question is the gospel, properly proclaimed, understood, and believed produces a peace that surpasses all understanding.

It is sad that there are not more fellowships that would allow saints to gather, and contemplate the great gift that the gospel of Christ provides and affords. The pristine gospel produced this peace that surpasses all understanding. By pristine gospel, I mean the gospel taught by the first century apostles Paul being chief among them. I am constantly reminded of Paul's words recorded in Romans 5:1 "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Peace with God is the peace that surpasses all understanding. The pristine gospel is meant to encourage and assure.

Knowing that one is not on a working contract with God that determines favor is ultra important in having the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is not the way that seems right unto man. It is easy to think that one is on a working contract of sorts with the Father and that is utter nonsense in view of the pristine gospel of Jesus Christ. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself not counting trespasses and short comings. He made Jesus to be made sin so that those resting in the gospel could become the righteous of God in Him Jesus.

The Greatest in the Kingdom

Mat 18:12-14  What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?  (13)  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  (14)  In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

The eighteenth chapter of Matthew begins with a question from Jesus close companions, one of his chosen twelve disciples. Here is the question: Matt 18:1 CSB  "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” We live in a world that measures greatness by accomplishment. The same is true with the church culture for the most part. One of the concepts that plays out in the legalistic mindset is using the metaphor's of babes and seasoned saints. When I use the term legalistic mindset, I am referring to the read and do mentality that stems from a legal constitutional reading of scripture. There is a lot of evidence that this passage of Matthew can be enlightened by a different understanding than is traditionally understood. While that is true of most passages of scripture it is especially true with the way evangelical dogma has framed and presented Jesus message with respect to a legal constitutional read and do mindset. The reason is that it appears that this passage refers to sin and hell when it is really speaking of religion verses faith. It is important to realize that Jesus often used hyperbole to get his points across and this passage is an example. Verses 18 and 19 explain that one should pluck out ones eye or cut off ones hand or foot. So when Jesus answers the question about the greatest in the kingdom he is not literally saying that children are preferred over adults as you can see in Matt 18:2-4.

So let's get back to the idea of babes and seasoned saints. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven then are those according to Jesus, that humble themselves like a child. They are the so called "babes" and not the seasoned saints. The seasoned saints, by implication, in this passage are those who are steeped and studied in religion and take offense to the radical aspect of Jesus message as it criticizes the status quo theologically. Let's look directly at this passage. Mat 18:2-4 CSB  "He called a child and had him stand among them.  (3)  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  (4)  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." What is the point in His analogy? One must have child like faith. Children accept much of what they hear from the adults around them on blind faith. This is the criteria for being the greatest in the kingdom.

If you read Hebrews chapter three and four carefully, it will become apparent that faith is obedience, and unbelief and sin are synonymous. So then, the seasoned saint is only the greatest in the kingdom if they hang on to their child like faith and allow God to prove himself over time. It is not a seasoning that comes from reading and doing. It is a seasoning that comes from believing and being. Yet, this is not the common belief within evangelical Christianity. It becomes instructive then to read Matthew chapter 18 with this view in mind. The warning that is given to the one who would cause one of the little ones to sin/stumble is a warning against destroying child like faith in the gospel in favor of reading and doing and growing in a legalistic way. It is a warning against those who would try to get people who had believed in Jesus to turn away from their belief in Him based on religious interpretation of the sacred texts. Furthermore it is to cause the so called "babe" to question the sufficiency of the initial simple gospel message.  It is the attempt to link faith in the gospel to a read and do mentality that proves the efficacy of the gospel message by the "babe's" ability to read the text and adopt "correct" behavior and response to the gospel reality.

It will take additional posts to unpack Matthew chapter eighteen, but for this one, the ninety nine are not the lost souls of the world per se, but rather those who have fallen away from the simplicity of the gospel by alleged more enlightened teaching. The ones who are causing the little ones/babes to stumble are the religious establishment the "seasoned saints."