Category: New Testament

A discussion of the Two Tabernacles and the ordinances of divine service mentioned in Hebrews 9.

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The question Paul asks here regards God’s supply or provision of  miraculous gifts to Christians.  Also under consideration were the miracles themselves (as we know confirming the word, and culminating with the resurrection of Christ Himself) cf. Hebrews 2:3-4).

Did God do this under the law of Moses? Or under the New Covenant of Christ? It was by the “hearing of faith” in Jesus Christ, which included salvation both to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

The conclusion is one that Paul argued continually in many places. It is interesting here he uses the miracles that had occurred and continued in the time of the Galatian Christians to make his point. “So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (9).

His question to the Galatians is one we must ask ourselves. Why were they returning to the law of Moses, when salvation was through faith in Christ? And, why do so many do the same today!

Here Paul expresses his confidence in his standing with God. It is because of what his life demonstrated, just as with the Corinthians he mentioned in the previous verses (1-3).

This was not a claim of self-sufficiency. He knew that he alone was incapable of acceptably serving the Lord.  He was a creature who relied upon God’s grace, as do we all.  As such he wrote that he did not “think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (5).

His sufficiency was given to Him by God. His sufficiency was as a minister of the New Covenant. In parallel, the New Covenant is sufficient. There is a significance in his comparing the “letter” to the “Spirit.” The letter kills (here referring to the Old Law). The Spirit gives life. Paul’s continued battle was to deliver the redemptive work of Christ into the lives of those who needed life, but had not found it. It is not in the Old Covenant.  It was solely through Christ and His work. “The Spirit gives life” (3:6).

A discussion of the allegory used by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4:21-31, using Hagar and Sarah to discuss the two covenants of God.

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We are familiar with the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was born to Sarah’s handmaiden, as she gave Hagar to Abraham as a wife. Isaac was the son of promise. The one God promised to Abraham and Sarah as their heir, and the beginning of His fulfillment of the promises He made to them.

In Galatians 4 the Holy Spirit revealed through the pen of Paul that the two sons of Abraham represent something else. Two covenants. As Ishmael was born of a bondwoman according to the flesh, he represents the first covenant “from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage” (25). In this metaphor, we have a bondwoman (Hagar) representing Mount Sinai, and her son (Ishmael) corresponding to fleshly Jerusalem, which under the Old Covenant, remained in bondage.

In contrast, “the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all” (26). Here Sarah is the freewoman who coincides with that Jerusalem which is above. Therefore her children, represented by Isaac, are free. In that she is “the mother of us all” (26), this text clearly establishes the all encompassing nature of the New Covenant of Christ. As Paul wrote earlier in the book, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (3:26-29). Continue reading “The Old and New Covenants” →

God made a covenant with Abraham, noted first in Genesis 12. This covenant included the promise of a great nation, and a land in which they would dwell. This land — Canaan — was given as an inheritance to the Israelite nation. Under that Old Covenant, the Jews were Abraham’s seed and heirs. “So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (Joshua 21:43-45).  In fact, the very word is used to describe this gift. “These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan” (14:1).

Things have changed with Christ. No longer is the physical Jew the heir of God’s promises. As Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). Continue reading “The Value of Heirship” →

Here we see a pattern of Jesus during his adult life, seeking solitude to pray to His Father in heaven. It shows us the importance of such conversations with God, which help to  sustain us and provides comfort and strength to handle whatever comes our way.

As the pattern begins here, near the beginning of his Galilean ministry, it took the followers by surprise. Their teacher had disappeared! We are told that when they finally found the Lord, they said, “Everyone is looking for You.”

Instead of apologizing (He was not sorry for His prayerful preparations, Jesus told them it was time to go to the next towns to continue his ministry. Verse 39 tells us that he went throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.

Understand the significance of his words, “for this purpose I have come forth” (38). This is the central truth of the entire New Testament, Him coming to establish His covenant for sinful man.

A discussion of Hebrews 1:1-9. Jesus is better both as a spokesman for God, and as a Divine Being, compared to God’s servants, the angels.

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Here, Paul refers to himself and other Jews (as contrasted to Gentiles) and especially Peter as themselves sinners. So, there was nothing in that regard to separate them from the Gentiles.  But, did it follow that Christ made them sinners?  Absolutely not!  Instead, Christ simply reveals what is already so, we are all in need of the grace of God.

It was this truth that made Paul “die to the law that I might live to God” (19).

His purpose was to live for Christ.  In his conversion, his own will became irrelevant.  It was Christ who determined his life.  Such should be so for us as well.  “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (20).

Christ’s death was useless (vain) if a man could appear just before God as a result of the law of Moses.  But, all have sinned, and there was no provision for grace and mercy under the old law.  Christ is needed, and His death has value for every man.

What do the words mystery and revelation entail? A discussion of the text of Colossians 1:24-29.

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An appeal is made to the contrast the Hebrew writer makes in the first chapter of his letter. He clearly shows the superiority of Jesus to the angels of God.

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Speaker: Tommy Davis

A discussion of the difference between the Old Law (written on tablets), and the New Law, written on the hearts of men.

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Speaker: Josh Cox

Josh explains the differences between the covenants, and the purpose the Old Law serves for us today.

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