The New Covenant "in a Nutshell" | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: The New Covenant "in a Nutshell" | Previous Challenge Entry
By Anne Warden
09/07/23
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Growing up in a Protestant church, I learned that, if I were to die with one unrepented sin, even an unknown sin, I would go to hell. By neglecting even one of the Commandments, no matter how hard I tried, I could lose my salvation.

That’s a massive burden to carry around!

But is it Truth?

The Galatian Christians were under the same misconception as many of us who were taught this. In Paul’s letter to them, he refuted this very belief. Hear what he wrote:

“When I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God’s approval. So I died to the law, to live for God. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me, [He] who loved me and gave Himself for me. I [will] not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, there was no need for Christ to die.

Let me ask this one question:
Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not obey all these commands written in God’s Book of the Law.”¹ And, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”² Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law . . . when He hung on the cross.³

Then why was the Law given? To show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the Child to whom God’s promise was made. The law was our guardian until Christ came. Now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.”⁴

You might ask, “Didn’t Jesus say, ‘If you love Me, obey My commandments.’?”

And that verse is followed by, ‘I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you – the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.’⁵ When we’re living in the Spirit, it is He who keeps us headed in the right direction, not us.

The Bible also says, ‘God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.’⁶ Jesus said, ‘You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.’⁷ And we know He is not only the Author of our faith. He’s the Perfector too.⁸ It is He who molds us daily until we become perfect – upon His return. He also promised that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.⁹ This confirms we are not under the heavy yoke of the Law now.

In Romans 7, Paul revealed he wanted to do good, but sometimes did evil instead, because of the battle between his flesh and the Spirit within. What is impossible by keeping the Law, God does within us instead. Only faith in Jesus delivers us.¹⁰

But the next three verses are key:
‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you . . . from the power of sin that leads to death . . . so the requirement of the law is fully accomplished for us who . . . follow the Spirit.¹¹ The Spirit [not the law] is now our guarantee of salvation until the day of redemption.¹²

This is the promised New Covenant,¹³ come alive within us.

Following the Spirit means we listen to His guidance and repent of sins as He convicts us.

However, if we begin ignoring His leading, fall back into patterns of sinning,¹⁴ and rebelliously refuse to repent when He convicts because we like our sin, then yes, we can lose our salvation.

We must not quench the Spirit’s convictions.¹⁵ Continually doing so is the beginning of the end of our salvation.

Instead, quench satan’s wicked darts.¹⁶
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Scripture quotes from NLT, unless otherwise indicated

1 Deuteronomy 27:26
2 Habakkuk 2:4
3 Deuteronomy 21:23
4 Galatians 2:19-3:25 (condensed)
5 John 14:15-17a
6 Philippians 1:6
7 Matthew 5:48
8 Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)
9 Matthew 11:30
10 Romans 7:18-25
11 Romans 8:1-4
12 Ephesians 4:30
13 Jeremiah 31:33-34
14 Mark 7:21-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
15 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV)
16 Ephesians 6:16

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