2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
This morning, I am led to conclude our look at the contrasts between Law and grace (from the old and new covenants) by focusing on the issues of freedom and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Freedom is a tough word to define, and yet, it is vital to us all. It is obvious with the events of 9-11-01 that we needed a wake-up call and got one on the freedom we had taken for granted in this country. While it is horrible to lose so many fine people in such a heinous way, it did make us remember the blessings of freedom about which we had fallen into apathy. Our Abba has done us a great service in making it possible for us to have competent leadership in our government at a time like this. He also created in us our a wonderful heart of volunteerism that is an integral part of our North American culture. It is out of this that police, firefighters, medical people, and our military comes. My own heart swelled with gratitude that people who had been dealing with efforts to get prayer out of the schools and supreme court cases to ban the display of the Ten Commandments in public places were streaming back to their congregations to worship the Lord. Some others joined them. While our problems, i.e. evil, are long from being over with, this horrific attack has set things in motion toward dealing with them.
There is another kind of freedom which Christ refers to in JN 8: 31-32. “If you obey My teaching, you will really be My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The question comes up: How could Paul describe himself in RO 1: 1 as “a bondservant of Christ set apart for the Gospel” and still be free? It’s the same question that Paul needed to deal with in answering the approach of the Anti-Nomians, a group of objectors trying to exert their influence on the early church of his day. The Anti-Nomians tried to practice grace without license. They felt that if God extended grace, it didn’t matter what they did. This couldn’t be farther from the truth of God’s teaching. We have been given specific rules and restrictions by the Lord for our own good. Paul dealt with this question in RO 8: 1-4. “There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending His own Son, Who came with a nature like man’s sinful nature, to do away with sin. God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature.” My point here is that we enjoy true freedom, the kind which leads to eternal life, when we obey God’s teachings. Those who refuse to accept Christ even when the truth is put before them, become imprisoned by their sin and end up in the lake of fire and sulfur for their efforts.
Now, let’s turn to the contrast between the old and new covenants where the Holy Spirit is concerned. I offer my personal opinion that faithful people living under the old covenant (including today’s traditional Jews) do have limited access to the Holy Spirit. There is certainly plenty of evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the OT. What I mean by this is that the Holy Spirit visits certain people and certain situations intermittently. Here are some examples. JG 13: 24-25 refers to Samson. “The woman [Manoah’s wife] gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and the Lord blessed him. And the Lord’s Spirit began to strengthen him while he was Zorah and Eshtaol in the Camp of Dan.” 1 SAM 16: 13, “Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. Then, Samuel returned to Ramah.” If you speak to most Messianic Jews like myself, they will report that they felt the intermittent presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives just as I did before I came to faith in Christ. Otherwise, how could we have gotten to where we are today spiritually?
We all know that Christ told His disciples that He must leave them, and that He would send them a Helper [the Holy Spirit] Who would teach them everything [JN 14: 18-19, 26]. It wasn’t until Pentecost [AC 2: 2-4] that this promise was fulfilled. From that time on, people who repented and came to faith in Christ would have the consistent indwelling of the Holy Spirit that sets apart participants in the Covenant of Grace. When we are faced with a moral dilemma, suffer from illness, need strength and understanding, or whatever our real needs are, we are blessed to be able to turn to God Who is with us [the very meaning of Christ’s name, Immanuel, from MT 1: 22] Who will communicate with us to help us through the Holy Spirit. Not a single believer is deprived of this support. We should meditate on how it impacts our individual lives today.
PRAYER: O Lord, You bless us with freedom to travel the road that leads to eternal life. We are not left alone on that road, because You have commanded Christ to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and He obeyed that command. You know that with the limitations of our human perception, with the battle that is waged within us between our sinful fleshly nature and the Spirit, and the spiritual warfare we will encounter along the way that we would need this kind of Help. Out of Your love and compassion for us, You sent it. Although the OT never uses the name of Jesus, it is clear that both He and the Holy Spirit are present in it. Because of the limitations of the old covenant, the Spirit’s presence is intermittent. One of the ways that the Covenant of Grace is such an improvement over the Covenant of Law is that participants in it enjoy the rich blessings of the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You love us enough to want us to be free to live in eternal joy and fellowship with You. It is Your desire that we should be free to love one another as Your Son loves us. In faith You have given us a kind of freedom that transcends the grave, brings us real peace, and allows us to live lives that serve others and please You well. Words are inadequate to express the joy we feel in offering You praise and thanks. We pledge You our worship, adoration, glory, honor, trust, and obedience. In humility, we dedicate ourselves to listening for Your commands and carrying them out, knowing all the while that You deserve nothing less than to be the Lord of our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to write about the reasons why Paul wrote to the Galatians. In the course of looking into this, we can get a view of how the intervening of human agendas can and often does cloud the word of God. We will see how important keeping our covenant promises with God really is. I have often said that the Scriptures are God’s love letters to His people. Even when harsh, negative issues are raised in them, it is done so that we can understand the consequences of sin and choose a better alternative to it. Our Father is a loving, responsible Parent Who wants only the best for His children. Knowing Him makes You feel like a young duckling brought close to the warmth of its parent’s body, encased in love and protection. That is our awesome God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn