Does
the New Covenant Abolish the Commandments?
Does the New Covenant
Abolish the Commandments?
Jesus, who overcame the flesh and “condemned sin [lawlessness] in
the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”
(Romans 8:3-4; see also 1 John 3:4).The International Critical
Commentary,in reference to Romans 8:4, says: “God’s purpose in ‘condemning’ sin
was that His law’s requirement might be fulfilled in us, that is, that His law
might be established in the sense of at last being truly and sincerely obeyed—the
fulfillment of the promises of Jer[emiah] 31:33 and Ezek[iel] 36:26.1.”In a
footnote to Jeremiah 31:33-34 the commentary explains that this passage “is
often misunderstood as a promise of a new law to take the place of the old or
else as a promise of a religion without law at all. But the new thing promised
in v. 33 is, in fact, neither a new law nor freedom from law, but a sincere
inward desire and determination on the part of God’s people to obey the law
already given to them...”The following passages in the New Testament confirm,
either explicitly or by example, that Jesus and the apostles viewed the Ten
Commandments necessary for true Christian living.
• First Commandment: Matthew 4:10;
22:37-38.
• Second Commandment: 1 John 5:21;
1 Corinthians 6:9; 10:7, 14; Ephesians 5:5.
• Third Commandment: Matthew
5:33-34; 7:21-23; Luke 11:2; 1 Timothy
6 :1.
• Fourth Commandment: Luke 4:16;
Acts 13:14, 42, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4;
Hebrews 4:4, 9.
• Fifth Commandment: Matthew 15:3-6;
19:17-19; Ephesians 6:2-3.
• Sixth Commandment: Matthew
5:21-22; 19:17-18; Romans 13:9, Gala
-
tians 5:19-21; James 2:10-12.
• Seventh Commandment: Mat
thew
5:27-28; 19:17-18; Romans 13:9; 1 Corin
-
thians 6:9; 10:8; Ephesians 5:5; Galatians
5:19-21; James 2:10-12.
• Eighth Commandment: Matthew
19:17-18; Romans 13:9; Ephesians 4:28.
• Ninth Commandment: Matthew
19:17-18; Romans 13:9; Colossians 3:9;
Ephesians 4:25.
• Tenth Commandment: Luke 12:15;
Romans 7:7; 13:9; Ephesians 5:3, 5.
To learn more about this crucial subject, download or request the
free booklet The New Covenant: Does It Abolish God’s Law?
The Bible tells us that Christ came as the Mediator
of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6). The popular belief that the New Covenant
abolishes God’s law reflects a misunderstanding of both covenants. God
tells us that He altered the original covenant and made “a better
covenant, which was established on better promises” (verse 6). But it was not
established on different laws. The law stayed the same.
There was, however, a weakness, or fault, in the original covenant.
That fault was with the people,not with the law. “Because finding fault with
them,He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (verse 8).
It was because the people “did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded
them, says the Lord” (verse 9).In the Old Covenant, God wrote the law on
tablets of stone. It was external, not part of the thinking and motives of the
people. It was in their literature but not in their hearts. In the New
Covenant, God writes the law in the minds and hearts of His people (Hebrews
8:10; Jeremiah 31:33-34).To enable people to internalize His law—to love it and
obey it eagerly and willingly—God makes this promise: “I will give you a new
heartand put a new spiritwithin you; I will take the heart of stone out of your
flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause
you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them”(Ezekiel
36:26-27). God’s Spirit enables His people to obey His laws!People lacking the
Holy Spirit are incapable of wholehearted obedience. Why? “Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed
can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8 :7-8 )
.This is why the Old Covenant and the New Covenant differ. Paul explains that
“what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh” God has
accomplished by sending
Jesus
Christ: lord
• If you’re not already a subscriber,
request a free subscription to our
gods-word by gaurav pawar daily artical -magazine
The Good News at
http://gods-word-gauravpawarg-article.blogspot.com/
http://earn2hundredblliondoller.blogspot.com/,
http://br-vitarv.blogspot.com/
• While you’re at it, also request a
free subscription to our
World News
and good-nwse
newsletter
No comments:
Post a Comment