Tag Archives: inherit eternal life

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE NEW COVENANT – 25

Bible Study, , ,

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I was researching the subject of prayer in the Bible several years ago, the Holy Spirit alerted me to the truth that there is a difference in the requirements in relation to prayer between the Old and New Covenants. I had never been taught this as a young believer nor had I myself ever recognised this truth in all the years of my study of Scripture. 

What a liberating and life-changing discovery this was to me! The entire Old Covenant revolves around “Do this …and you will live. “ The New Covenant, by contrast, assures us…”Believe, and you will live because it is done.”

Now, let’s unpack Jesus’ answer to this enquiry in light of the above reality. 

There are several key words and ideas in this encounter, which are confirmed in the context of other Scriptures, that clearly differentiate between the two covenants and between what our focus should be when we pray. 

The first word Jesus used in reply to the question, “What must  I do to inherit eternal life?” was “the Law”. He replied, “What is written in the Law?” Jesus’ answer, in the form of a question, was to refer the enquirer back to the Torah, the foundation of the Old Covenant. The operative principle of the Old Covenant was obedience to the Law.  

In this context, Jesus agreed with his answer.  “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” The first key word, then, is “Do!”followed by the 

second key word,”Live.” 

However, the entire history of Israel is the record of abject failure to obey this one overriding commandment. They could not keep this commandment…because the Law provided the standard but their sinful human nature made it impossible to keep. They were doomed from the start.  

Imagine this enquirer’s frustration at Jesus’ answer! He already knew that he could not obey this commandment. So, if perfect obedience to this one commandment was out of reach for him, what else could he do to be sure of his eternal destiny? 

Jesus left him hanging because the real answer lay in an event, planned in eternity but still to happen. 

This “expert in the law” was out of solutions because he was up against a problem outside of his control. The impenetrable barrier of sin separated him from a holy God. Even if he could perfectly obey the greatest commandment from that moment on, his past would always be there to accuse him. No amount of animal blood could erase his history. Under the Old Covenant, no matter how much he did or how hard he tried, this so-called expert was doomed. 

Did Jesus answer this enquirer in this way to drive home the reality of the Law’s failure to save anyone, even the experts who thought they knew everything?

Jesus’ real answer came in a scene of intimacy with His twelve closest associates. 

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Picture the scene. This was the final Passover celebration in all of history before its fulfilment in the next few hours! When Jesus breathed His final breath, the Old Covenant became obsolete and the New Covenant took over. 

“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah…By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭8‬:‭7, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, let’s examine the terms and requirements of the New Covenant. First, loving God is not an obligation according to the Law but a response to God’s love for us.  

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…We love because he first loved us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, we demonstrate our love for Jesus by loving His people. 

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Third, both Paul and John summarised all the terms and requirements of the New Covenant in these two simple statements…

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and these requirements are made possible because the Holy Spirit lives in us.  

“The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The New Covenant sets us free from all obligations of the Ikd Covenant. because of our inability to “do”. The New Covenant declares that Jesus fulfilled all the obligations of the Old Covenant for us and cancelled our the guilt of our disobedience by paying our debt for us. It calls us to believe and receive what He has done for us and to respond by loving His people. 

Can we do this? Yes we can because His Spirit is in us to give us power to overcome our old nature and to renew our minds with the truth of what God has done. Moment by moment, day by day, little by little, He is at work in us, restoring the image of Jesus in us until we begin to resemble Him. 

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, for those who are under the New Covenant, prayer changes from “please” to “thank you”. We are no longer required to do in order to approach God because, through Jesus, it is done. 

To b continued…

HOW NOT TO PLAY GOD – 2

Christian Life, ,

Mark 10:17-22 NLT
[17] “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [18] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [19] But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” [20] “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” [21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine LOVE for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [22] At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

Strong’s g25

  • Lexical: ἀγαπάω
  • Transliteration: agapaó…
  • Definition: to love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem.
  • Origin: Perhaps from agan (much); to love (in a social or moral sense).

Only Mark’s version of Jesus’ encounter with this wealthy young enquirer incudes a detail which gives us the clue to His way with people. How could He let this man go without trying to persuade him to take His advice?

Unlike Satan’s way, Jesus’ modus operandi was to confront people with truth and give them the freedom to choose. Why? If He knew that only through Him can anyone experience eternal life, why did He not try to win him by pressing His point?

LOVE! Did you catch Mark’s comment?

Mark 10:21 NIV
[21] “Jesus looked at him and LOVED him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Jesus loved him enough to tell him the truth and…

… give him the choice.

You see, Jesus does not want followers who are bullied into a relationship with Him by threats or coercion. He wants people to love Him more than their money or any other person or possession freely, by choice.

Luke 14:26 NLT
[26] “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”

John 21:15 NLT
[15]”After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?…”

If Jesus, the Son of God, would not use coercion to make people do what He wanted, neither does God, the Father, nor God, the Holy Spirit, drive people into doing His will. Jesus goes before us and calls us to follow Him. He honours us enough to let us be who He created us to be.

So also, He requires us to treat one another as He treats us. We set ourselves and others free when we take full responsibility for ourselves and allow others to do the same.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – HE KEPT EVERYTHING BUT LOST EVERYTHING

Bible Study, ,

HE KEPT EVERYTHING BUT LOST EVERYTHING

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:17-22

As we ponder the vast, unbounded and limitless love of God, a little phrase pops up in this story, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” What was there in that glance of Jesus that released a river of love for this man? What was this love that rose up in the heart of Jesus? What did the disciples see that released this comment in the inspired Scriptures? Was it a tear that rolled unheeded down Jesus’ cheek? Was it the tender tone in His voice? Was it an arm extended to embrace him? Was it the words Jesus spoke that would set him free from his burden of possessions had he the courage to let them go?

The words that Jesus spoke may have seemed hard and cruel to this wealthy man. Give it all away! How could he do that? How could he voluntarily reduce himself to poverty by giving away everything he had worked so hard to accumulate? How could he deprive his descendants of their inheritance? It was too much to ask of him. He weighed up his desire to be assured of eternal life with the ease and comfort of his present life and chose what he had over what he longed to have. He could not have both.

How amazing is the love of God! He honoured and respected His gift of free will. The man had made his choice and Jesus loved him enough to let him go. His love bound Him to honour his freedom without trying to persuade him or coerce him. In this He showed him that He longs to be loved for no other reward than to have the honour of loving Him.

What did this main gain by his choice and what did he lose? He gained the whole world, everything that money and possessions represent in this present scheme of things; comfort, ease, position, luxury, pleasure, self-indulgence, friends – but he lost his own soul. What he had inside was fear, guilt, shame, insecurity, emptiness and restlessness that would never leave him, day or night. His thirst remained unquenched. He was alone – an orphan, never knowing a Father’s love or the joy of a place in God’s forever family. Was it worth it?