Church Unlimited

Obeying God is not about developing a particular habit or two. Under the Old Covenant, obedience was a matter of doing the work. Under this New Covenant obedience is a matter of believing that the work has been done! Obedience doesn’t involve toil. It involves trust!

When a relationship involves true love, there is no limit to what you will endure to protect the other. Jesus endured the agony of becoming sin on the cross so that He might protect you from the eternal pain that sin demanded. That’s how valuable you are to Him!

Christ is not Jesus’ last name. It is a title given to the One who would save the world from its sin. Jesus was killed, not just as a good and honorable man – He was crucified as the Anointed One from heaven. And now God speaks exclusively to the world about what Jesus did.

God told Moses to assign 6 “cities of refuge” as a hiding place for those who unintentionally killed someone. As long as the killer was in the city walls, the blood avenger could not hurt them as an act of revenge. This is, of course, a type of Jesus, our true refuge! Under the New Covenant Jesus gives us shelter when we deserved judgment. And this hope is the anchor of our souls that can never be moved!

When it comes to sin, God calls you, “Blameless!” Jesus is the substitute, and all of sin’s judgment fell on Him on the cross. Instead of spending the rest of your days begging God for scraps, the Holy Spirit is reminding you that you’re enjoying a great feast in the presence of the Father!

The New Covenant offers a much better hope than the old one. Under the Old Covenant you were able to draw near to God only on the basis of your hard and relentless effort. This was never-ending, and it was certainly never enough. The New Covenant, however, brings you near to God based on Jesus’ work, guaranteeing you effortless and eternal communion with the Father. That’s the mind-blowing truth of the Gospel!

The Old Covenant was given from heaven, by God, to a man – Moses. The New Covenant, however, wasn’t just handed down. It arrived on earth as God the Son, in the flesh. Because of grace we are no longer bound to work toward righteousness by self-effort. Instead, we enjoy the everlasting freedom of perfect righteousness by faith in Jesus!

The Old Covenant was intensely complex. It gave plenty of steps toward God but offered no actual life in return. The New Covenant, in contrast, is as simple as one step – believing! Keep all the steps under the Old and you still leave lifeless. Receive righteousness by faith under the New and the entirety of God’s own life fills your spirit!

The Law of Moses was a hired hand, intended to last only until the work of the cross was finished. Once the debt of sin was paid the law dropped us off at our destination of righteousness. There are no more steps or hurdles for you to jump through in the hopes of pleasing God. You are now perfectly pleasing to Him simply by faith in what Jesus did in your place!