Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Covenant Primer”. A good lesson on the basics. As the quarterly states, the Biblical Covenants have 3 basic elements, “1. God confirmed the covenant promises with an oath; 2. The covenant obligation was obedience to God’s will as expressed in the Ten Commandments; 3. The means by which God’s covenant obligation is ultimately fulfilled is through Christ and the plan of salvation (Quarterly for Sunday). So it appears that all three are works of God. Let me explain...
The key word in #1 is “promises”. All on God’s part. Because He knows our promises are worthless. So God makes all the promises.
The key word in #2 is “obligation”. In this realm, man thinks it is up to him. But once again, mankind has no power to obey. The most that unregenerate man can do is “comply”. Which is not “obedience” at all. Compliance is not, nor never has been “obedience”. “The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely--because he is required to do so--will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey” (Christ’s Object Lessons pg. 97). “A sullen submission to the will of the Father will develop the character of a rebel. By such a one service is looked upon as drudgery. It is not rendered cheerfully, and in the love of God. It is a mere mechanical performance. If he dared, such a one would disobey. His rebellion is smothered, ready to break out at any time in bitter murmurings and complaints. Such service brings no peace or quietude to the soul” (Signs of the Times July 22, 1897). “The character of a rebel” or of Satan himself. “True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right--because right doing is pleasing to God” (Christ’s Object Lessons pg. 97). So obedience is also a work of God in the heart/ mind of sinful man. Our role is to submit. And even that submission cannot be done without God. For He leads us to die with Him on the cross. Self cannot crucify self… or self would boast.
“Obligation” does have some limited value, though. It is man’s first recognition that he is not his own. That he has been “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). So man starts out with his meager motive of “obligation”. But that motive only leads to frustration. “Obligation” will not carry anyone to the place God has designed for each. Only a recognition that you cannot fulfill this “obligation” will lead us down the right path. A path of contrition. A path of confession. A path of repentance. A path to the cross. Where we will be born again.
This is the reason that the “old covenant”, agreed upon by those ex-slaves at the foot of Mt. Sinai, failed. It was established on their poor promises (see Hebrews 8:6). The promises of those ex-slaves based upon obligation. No wonder “obligation” fails us. No wonder that the obedience required can only be established by faith. The New Covenant, which is but a re-stating of The Everlasting Covenant to Abraham, can be established only by faith. The only proper response from man to the promises of God… the only true obedience… is faith in God. Only faith in God can create the righteousness in the heart that the covenant demands. That is why it is written, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (James 2:23, Galatians 3:6, and other texts). Belief/ faith in God is the only proper response from sinful man to the promises of God. Not the weak promise of those ex-slaves (and all of us from time-to-time), “all that the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 19:8; 24:3). We who are without strength can only lean on God’s strong arm. To create in us the proper motive of love. Obligation will never suffice.
To unregenerate man, only doing the works of God can possibly be obedience and righteousness. Calling “faith” righteousness is a non-sequitur. It is foolishness of the highest order to unregenerate man. Faith is not righteousness to sinful man. But to the one who has seen God and seen the righteousness of God that can only be called obedience, “faith” is the only sensible response. To the unregenerate and ignorant question of the Pharisees, “’what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’” (John 6: 28-29). Therefore, believing God (faith) to create in us the heart motive that can only be called “obedience”, is all that sinful man can muster (and even that “faith” is inspired by our God… “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:9). In order to do the works of God (obey) from the heart, we must rely solely on God to do in us what it is impossible for us to do. Cooperating with Him is essential. And cooperating with Him involves following Him. Doing what He says. But this “doing” will not create the true heart motive. This “doing” is only following Him, walking with Him, relating with Him who alone can change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Only intimacy with our God, getting close enough so we will submit all to Him, will enable Him to change the heart that is offered-up to Him.
The key word in #3 is “means”. Again as in #1 and #2 above, it is still all God’s work. Our faith and trust in our Father is how this covenant is accomplished in our hearts. He is the “means”. He always was.
All three aspects of God’s covenant are His to perform. The promise, the obedience and the means. The one aspect that we contribute, that is ours alone to perform, is to choose to submit all. All that we are, all that we have to the leadership of our God. All to His leading... not our own. To walk with Him and to allow Him to work in our hearts and minds as we follow.
One more closing thought, here. God’s covenants are all designed to remedy our sin problem. To remedy the sin-issue in our hearts/ minds. The covenant(s) are all ways to bring-us into intimate relationship with Him, who alone can create in us clean hearts and minds. As we study each week, let us not forget this reason. The covenants are not so much legal finagling as they are relationship building. Not forensic but family. Not judicial but love… from our Father of Love.
With brotherly love,
Jim