It is my firm belief that much of the confusion in the American church is brought about by a clergy that is unable to discern the difference between what is old covenant and what is new. I believe that this error is prevalent because for years Christian leadership has proclaimed that the dividing line in history began with Jesus’s life rather than at His death. This simple yet devastating fact, by sheer default, places the 21st century believer directly under the curse of the Mosaic law. To be sure, if there is a right way to divide the word of truth, and we know there is; there must also be a wrong way. The following scriptures are just a few of the many passages that the apostle Paul wrote to highlight and substantiate this claim.
The first comes to us from Paul’s second letter to Timothy; chapter 2 verse 15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV) What I think Paul was trying to tell Timothy is: ‘Study to show that you are approved by the Father. That you understand your eternally perfected new nature as a son; firmly standing in your heart and in your mind within the bounds of the New Covenant. That in this, you will rightly divide the word of truth between law and grace; thus, having no reason to be ashamed of yourself or anyone else.’ Here is what I believe Paul was not saying: See to it that you study enough to know that God approves of you because of your correct theology; so He will have no reason to be ashamed of you because you have been more diligent in your studies than that guy. If we were approved by God by our correct theology or lack thereof, then Christ went to the cross in vain, because none of us would be approved. I think it’s important to note at this time that from the onset of I Timothy all the way through to the book of Titus, Paul was in a tremendous battle with the Jews; who were constantly trying to drag the saints back under the old covenant law.
In I Timothy 1:1-9a, Paul highlights the battle he faced with the Jewish leadership throughout his entire ministry;
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.
But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners.
Furthermore, Paul goes on to tell Timothy in chapter 6 verse 3-5: If anyone teaches otherwise, and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless ranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such men withdraw yourself!
He concludes his dissertation in 6:20-21: Oh Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge – By professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you, amen.
In Titus 3:9-11, Paul makes this bold claim regarding teachers of the law: But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonishing, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. (The statement ‘being self-condemned’ refers to the fact that if you teach law, you yourself are under law and since no one can keep the law, the only position your heart will find is that of self-condemnation. It will not find rest!)
The point the apostle Paul was making is absolutely clear; one cannot mix law with grace. The Gospel is the gospel of grace. To bring Moses into the equation is to denounce the gospel of Jesus Christ altogether! What these verses tell me is how deadly serious Paul was in regard to rightly dividing the word of truth. I think it is important to add the fact that throughout Paul’s writing, the scriptures he was referring to were the old testament scriptures. He used these old testament scriptures to show his audience that the entirety of scripture was written about the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. the coming Messiah; Paul stating this in II Timothy 3:15: And that from childhood, you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Here is what Jesus says concerning this subject in John 5:39-40: You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; but these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
In II Corinthians chapter 3, verse 4-6, Paul makes the following statements; he begins with this: And we have such trust through Christ towards God. For years, I overlooked this little faith transference of power and revelation, through Christ in us towards the things of God. Notice the apostle Paul keenly gives us this little tidbit right before he explains the difference between the supernatural ministry of the Spirit, the New Covenant vs the one not of the spirit, i.e. the letter that kills, Old Covenant. Then he begins to lay out our sufficiency in God, through Christ, regarding the supernatural ministry of grace. One is spirit, one is not.
‘And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’
Please read verses 7-9 where Paul explains why one, the spirit brings life, and the other kills. Note: it kills because it brings condemnation; and condemnation produces spiritual death.
But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
Verses 12-14: Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech; unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.
In the following verses, Paul is going to explain 4 very important things: 1) When the set time had come, God sent forth His Son. This statement confirms the prophecy of Daniel 9:19-24 regarding not only the coming of the Messiah, but His death as well.
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore, consider the matter, and understand the vision: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
2) Paul records Christ’ natural birth; the fact that He was fully man, born of a woman. 3) ‘Born under law’ is Paul’s way of letting his readers know that Jesus was born under the Old Covenant; which means that He could do no other thing but to teach under that system. In other words, Jesus taught law until His death; because it wasn’t until His death that He ushered in the New Covenant. Hebrews 9:17 states the following regarding this fact: ‘For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.’ It is important to note that though Jesus taught under law, He was also a living expression to all concerning the unconditional love and grace of His Father. 4) He came to redeem those who were under law, that they might receive the adoption as sons. What Paul is explaining here is that Jesus’ first priority was to the lost sheep of Israel; to those who had been eagerly waiting for His appearing; that they might receive their full eternal inheritance as sons through His finished work at Calvary. I think it is important both for the sake of this writing, as well as, what the apostle Paul originally wrote, that we take note of the fact that these two statements, ‘when the set time’ or ‘when the fullness of time had come’, are time bound statements depicting two eras. The first being the Mosaic economy, i.e. the structure of law; the second, the ushering in through the death of Christ, the New system where we might all receive grace through faith; our eternal inheritance as sons. As I have said, His death being the supernatural dividing line in history; not His life.
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
In this segment I am going to highlight some verses which at first glance will seem in direct contradiction of one another; but the fact is, they are not. To sight this point, I will use statements from two different persons. First, I will use Jesus Himself pre-cross; then I will use the apostle Paul post-cross. Jesus will be speaking before His death, burial and resurrection; and Paul after. The unfortunate aspect of what I am about to clarify is that this reality is scarcely taught in the western church. And when it is, it’s done with great reservation because in the end, this revelation will leave people to question what they have been taught regarding subjects like eschatology, as well as many others. However, for the sake of this writing, I will save that conversation for another day.
The first place I am going to start is with some of Jesus’ sayings from the sermon on the mount. It is important to remember that when the authors of a particular book or letter originally penned said book or letter, they did not break their work down into verse and chapter. This grammatical work was done by scribes, theologians and historians; and more often than not this work was done long after the events written about actually took place. For instance, when the theologians of the 15th century put the first complete bible to the printing press, they sighted the book of Matthew as the beginning of the New Testament. Going so far as to put a blank sheet of white paper before the opening of the book that says in big black bold letters, “The New Testament”; and sadly enough, this error has been doggedly chasing Christianity for five millennia! Matthew is not the beginning of the new testament! Matthew is a book that is once again largely directed at the lost sheep of Israel; i.e. the Jewish nation. Matthew is trying to capture what Jesus is trying to accomplish, which is to prepare a people who have been under a conditional covenant for thousands of years to that of an unconditional covenant of grace which He is soon to usher in at Calvary with His death and resurrection. What Jesus is trying to illustrate to the Jews is the unfruitful futility of trying to find their worth before God based on their performance. That any such approach would end up in failure in never being able to do enough or be enough to please the Father. Here are some of the pre-cross and post-cross scriptures mentioned at the onset of this segment.
Jesus states in Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Paul says in I Corinthians 1:30: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. What Paul is saying here is that God Himself has placed us into the King of Righteousness; that Christ Himself is our wisdom from God; our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption. That we have found the righteousness of God in Christ – IN US! That in Him, all the things God the Father intended to add have been added. In Matthew 6:15 Jesus said: “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” In Colossians 1: 13-14, Paul says, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. The difference between Jesus’ statement and Paul’s is that in Christ’s statement there is a conditional clause, and in Paul’s there is not. Jesus said if you do not then God will not; Paul simply says He has conveyed us and in Him we have. To possess a new covenant mindset, we must begin to allow the Holy Spirit to prune away our old covenant conditional way of thinking.
In conclusion, there is one more subject that needs clarification without which I do not feel I would be doing my readers justice; the subject is of course the presence of God Himself in us, i.e. the logos; the living Word; God with us; Emmanuel; Christ in us the hope of glory; our ever present eternal counselor. When Jesus or John or any of the other apostles speak of the Holy Spirit, they do not say that the bible will guide us and lead us into all truth; they assign this task directly to the Spirit, for God Himself is Spirit. In short, it is not enough to simply make a mental assent into a doctrinal division between the old and new covenant. To be a true theologian, which by definition is the study of God, involves much more than that; because it is only when we realize that Christ Himself is our theology that we will truly begin to see the unfathomable riches and grace of God Himself; and yet this is only the beginning.
I John 2:25-27: And this is the promise that He has promised us – eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
Written by:
George L. Miller
01/2020
The Redemption Center 