There are plenty of slippery snags that Christians fall into when discussing law, works, mercy, grace, faith, gospel, and the covenants.
Before we begin, let us first define what these terms mean.
LAW as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary:
- the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
In the Bible, the LAW is defined as all the rules, standards, and commands that were given by God that defined how His people are to live and conduct themselves as a society.
MERCY:
- compassion or a refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, punishment, or obligation) that is due
In the biblical sense, mercy can either be a refraining from punishing someone who deserves punishment, or treating someone with special kindness out of a feeling of compassion towards the other person’s distress or circumstances.
Another, more secular way to look at MERCY is how it is expressed in a court of law. For example, suppose a person is arrested for stealing. Suppose the usual punishment for such a crime is five years in prison. But let’s suppose the criminal stole out of desperation. He is unemployed, lives out of his car, and has no money to buy food for himself and his family. Suppose it is within the judge’s authority and discretion to provide LENIENCY in such a case as this. OUT OF COMPASSION the judge decides to REFRAIN FROM PUNISHING this criminal and sets him free instead. This would be an act of MERCY by the judge.
GRACE:
- heartfelt approval, blessing, or kindness that is unexpectedly given
GRACE had always been described to me as “unmerited favor” or “getting what you don’t deserve”. Using the same court room example from above, suppose the criminal is not just set free, but is given a million dollars, with no strings attached, by an anonymous benefactor. That would be an act of exceptional GRACE. It is going over and above the removal of punishment and showering the individual with an unexpected and unprovoked blessing.
FAITH:
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
The word FAITH is used a lot in Christian circles, but I think to really understand what FAITH is, it is important to note what FAITH is NOT.
- It is NOT simply a belief that God exists. It is much more than that. It is COMPLETE TRUST OR CONFIDENCE in the nature of God, His abilities and attributes.
- It is NOT wishful thinking. Perhaps you WANT to believe God is loving, and kind, and has the desire and ability to heal your illness, but can’t bring yourself to believe with COMPLETE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE that He will do it. This is NOT faith.
- It is NOT ‘blind’. Oftentimes, faith is based on something, usually a promise made by God. When Jacob prayed on behalf of his family, before his confrontation with Esau. He pleaded earnestly with God to protect his family. He boldly reminds God (not that God needed reminding!) of His promise that Jacob’s offspring would eventually found a new nation. He had faith God’s promise would be accomplished, and it is on the basis of this promise that he pleaded for his family’s safety. Thus, his faith wasn’t ‘blind’
- It is NOT reading and memorizing the Bible. The Pharissees were well-versed in Scripture and it didn’t get them anywhere.
- It is NOT going to church every Sunday. Any non-believer can come to church and sit in a pew. My husband did so for eight years as a non-believer and none of my church friends knew about it. The Pharissees in Jesus’ day also attended worship services every Sabbath, but Jesus renounced them.
- It is NOT praying every day. Just because you pray often doesn’t mean your faith is any greater than anyone else. Jesus warns not to go on “babbling like pagans” because “they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
- It is NOT surface-deep. Faith is NOT our outward actions. It is NOT immersing ourselves into outward actions in order to prove to ourselves and others how faithful we are. If we already HAVE faith, we have nothing to prove. Our outward actions will automatically reflect this.
WORKS: There are several different types of ‘works’ described in Scripture. Below are three distinct definitions:
- Actions, activities, and achievements that were motivated and inspired by a firm confidence in the instructions or a promise made from God
- Actions, activities, and achievements that were motivated and inspired by a misguided belief that one can EARN GOD’S FAVOR by following the Old Testament LAW, or by following any set of God-given or man-made standards
- Any activities apart from FAITH IN GOD
It is important to render which definition of ‘works’ is being used, but usually it is laid out clear enough based on context.
GOSPEL:
- The GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST
What is this good news? It is that Christ died for the redemption of all mankind. While all mankind was doomed for hell and destruction by embracing disobedience, deception, evil, and darkness, Christ, in His MERCY, felt compelled to REMOVE OUR PUNISHMENT by trading places with us, and enduring the punishment that should have been ours; that is, He endured the FULL WRATH OF GOD upon Himself when He was crucified. But He goes ABOVE AND BEYOND just removing our punishment. He also, as a gift of GRACE, promises us ETERNAL LIFE – a life without any further suffering or sorrow – IN PARADISE to all who have FAITH IN HIM.
COVENANT:
- a binding agreement between two parties
The Bible describe many covenants made between God and man. There is much debate regarding the covenants – mainly whether or not all the covenants had stipulations attached – but there is one covenant all theologians can agree on that most definitely DID have stipulations attached, and that was the covenant given to Moses and the Israelites, that included the Ten Commandments, plus hundreds of other laws and ordinances by which all the people, and all their descendents after them, were to follow TO THE LETTER. This became what is known as the Old Testament LAW and we know from Scripture that not a single human being is capable of being 100% obedient to the LAW because humans by nature tend to do the exact opposite of what you tell them to do! đ Thus, don’t expect the LAW to vindicate you. You will receive no sympathy from God even if it were possible to fulfill “most” of the LAW. God is a holy God so He expects nothing less than perfection. You break one rule, one law, and you are a lawbreaker, someone who has broken the covenant of the LAW and stands condemned. You deserve nothing less than curses and death. No blessings of the covenant for you! But we will get into greater detail of the covenants belowâŚ
Now, where were we? Oh, yesâŚ
In the beginning, God created all things, and set Adam in His garden. God granted Adam authority over the earth and everything in it. He gave Adam the task of gardening and of naming all the creatures God had made. While in the garden, Adam enjoyed special fellowship with God. God gave Adam just one rule (one “law”) and that was to not eat of the tree of knowledge, of good and evil. God told Adam that if he did so, he would surely die. This was the first LAW or instruction God ever gave to man. When Adam broke that LAW, Adam did not die – at least, not right away. God in His MERCY delayed Adam’s punishment of death for his sin for 900 years! (God had said Adam would die for his sin – and Adam did die eventually – but it must be noted that it was within God’s right to have Adam and Eve put to death that very day.) Not only did God, in His mercy delay Adam’s punishment, but He left in place all of His promises that He gave to Adam; that is, God did not revoke Adam’s authority over the earth, or his task of gardening and subduing creation as God’s steward. However, God introduced suffering into the world. Thus, after the Fall, Adam and Eve’s roles would be much more difficult. This was their curse, the harsh discipline they were to endure as a result of their disobedience. Adam would still cultivate the earth, but there would be thorns and thistles to contend with. Eve would still bear children as decreed (“be fruitful and multiply”) but her childbearing would be painful. And we bear the curse of sin and suffering to this very day.
Now, after the Fall, the Scriptures say man became increasingly evil. We see Cain’s descendents becoming very successful and highly skilled individuals – apart from God. God in His GRACE allowed Cain’s descendents to thrive in spite of their increasing wickedness. Scripture describes Cain’s descendents as highly skilled musicians and craftsmen. Yet they were evil and vengeful and would have nothing to do with God.
Then we come to Noah, and we learn from Scripture he was the only person left on earth who felt any devotion to God at all. God had favor on Noah and asked him to build an ark because He was about to destroy the earth by flood. Noah, because he believed in God and had FAITH in God’s words, went ahead and built the ark precisely to God’s instructions (and he was, no doubt, scorned and mocked by the rest of the world for doing so, who either forgot God even existed, or took it completely for granted that God had graciously allowed them to thrive in spite of their increasing wickedness). Noah persisted, built the ark, and saved all the animals, plus all of humankind. Afterwards, he burnt a thank offering to the Lord for His provision and deliverance from the flood. The Lord looked upon the offering and was well pleased. It was only then that the Lord made a COVENANT to Noah, a covenant with him, his descendents, and with the earth and all creation, that He would never again destroy the world with flood. The Covenant Theologians would say that building the ark was a stipulation to this covenant. However, this is in conflict with what we know of covenants. Stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant for example (the LAW) were passed down from generation to generation. Every generation had to fulfill the stipulations if they wanted to enjoy the blessings of the covenant. But unlike the covenant of the LAW, there are no stipulations imposed on Noah’s future descendents in order for them to enjoy the blessings of this covenant. Clearly, if ark building was a stipulation, all of Noah’s descendents, from generation to generation, would have to learn to build arks, just as Noah did, in order to enjoy the blessings of God’s promise. Clearly, this is not the case even though God intended for the blessings of His promise to extend out into future generations. In fact, we too enjoy the blessings of this promise, and the sign of the rainbow, to this very day. Thus, we are given this hope, that no matter how bad things get, or how wicked the world becomes, there is one gaurentee – God will never again destroy the world by flood! That is His promise, and His promises always stand. It is also important to note when God made His covenant to Noah, it was AFTER the flood, not before. And this is another reason why we should not consider ‘ark building’ a stipulation attached to the covenant. Timing is everything. If ‘ark building’ was a stipulation of the covenant, God would have inaugerated the covenant BEFORE the flood, not after. Also, when God asked Noah to build the ark, it was a test of Noah’s FAITH. Noah was a man of FAITH, but he had to PROVE HIS FAITH with obedience by making the ark. It was only after his FAITH had been proven genuine by obedience that God inaugerated His COVENANT with Noah. And this pattern you will see over and over again all throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testament. FAITH had be proven genuine by unwavering obedience before a COVENANT was given.
God did not inaugerate a covenant with Abraham until Abraham had already PROVEN HIS FAITH was genuine, by leaving his family behind and going to a strange country, and by believing he would have a son in his old age and father a nation, as God had promised him, and this belief was accredited to him as righteousness. So only AFTER Abraham was declared righteous by faith did God grant him His covenant. This covenant was a covenant full of future blessings and favor, and it was granted unto Abraham as a reward for his steadfast faithfulness. God made promises to Abraham and his offspring that required nothing of Abraham and his descendents other than circumcism, which wasn’t so much a “stipulation” as it was a “seal”, that is a sign that you will be taking part in the promised blessings under the covenant. Those uncircumsized could not enter the Promised Land. And we know from reading Scripture that God was faithful – He rescued all the circumsized, regardless of their grumbling, idolatry, and ingratitude. This is God’s GRACE at work, that is, His UNMERITED FAVOR. The Israelites had done nothing to MERIT themselves in God’s favor. But God had made a promise to Abraham and God always keeps His promises.
God did not initiate a covenant with David until David had been king many years, long after David bravely took down Goliath, consulted with the Lord many times before battle, and had faithfully believed in God’s anointing, that he would somehow survive and take the throne over Israel, in spite of Saul’s fury and obsession with killing him. If mere ‘anointing’ was enough, God would not have rejected King Saul. But Saul’s faith had also been tested by God’s instructions relayed to him through the prophet Samual, and over and over again, Saul always fell short of complete obedience. He would kind of sort of obey⌠and rationalize why he didn’t follow God’s instructions to the letter. In the end, God was displeased and rejected Saul. Why? Because when the genuiness of his FAITH was tested, he failed. His halfhearted obedience revealed his lack of trust in God. So what seperated Saul from David? Was it not the genuineness of their FAITH? God surely knows the depths of our hearts already. But he always gives us several opportunities to choose obedience. Don’t you think that if King Saul had faithfully followed God’s instructions that were relayed to him by the prophet Samuel to the letter, God would have rewarded him with the covenant he gave David? But because King Saul revealed only a lackluster halfhearted obedience, God struck down Saul’s dynasty and replaced it with another, through Jesse’s son, David.
Clearly, all the men of whom God chose to initiate a covenant relationship were sinners. So, what made them special? Was it not their FAITH? Did not each person of whom the covenants were given first DEMONSTRATE THEIR FAITH in some manner?
So it is true now, in the New Covenant, as St. Paul says, we are “justified by faith” and “righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”. In the Old Testament, the righteous lived by FAITH, and nothing’s changed in the revelation of the New Covenant. We must first have FAITH that is proven genuine and true in order to take part in God’s covenant blessings, just as in the Old Testament.
So, what makes the New Covenant different? Yes, Christ fulfilled all the tenets of Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants. Yes, Christ was faithful to His Father to the very end, was blameless, without sin. But this was not the New Covenant. As a man, a perfect and blameless human being living in perfect harmony and obedience with His Father, He would have earned His Father’s favor; even more, He would have earned eternal righteousness and eternal life and glory on earth. But instead of accepting blessing, He accepted disgrace on account of His love for us. He was “cursed for our iniquities” and “bruised for our transgressions”. And it is in this strange twist of events that we receive the New Covenant (“He became sin who knew no sin so we might become His righteousness”).
The only stipulation on the New Covenant is that ONE MUST HAVE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. That’s it. That’s all that’s needed for justification, sanctification, and the blessings of eternal life, without sorrow, without suffering, without temptation, destruction, or evil. The promise of eternal glory go far beyond our soul’s journey heavenward once our bodies die away. The GOOD NEWS promises a hope that one day our physical bodies will be resurrected, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, restored, without blemish or illness, to thrive once again in eternal glory.
All we have to do is BELIEVE it. Have FAITH in it. Have COMPLETE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in it. Nothing else. Once we have this “one thing”, we have everything we need. All our motivation and inspiration, our thoughts and deeds, will spill out of this great FAITH in God. Not only do we have FAITH and great confidence in Him but we also LOVE Him with all our hearts. Once we seek HIM, God will take care of all the rest. We lose sight of Christ when we think we have to do something more. “We must do good works!” That’s what we tell ourselves. But Scripture is clear. Once we have faith in Jesus Christ, He will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and whatever works we do that are under the Spirit’s influence, aren’t “our” works at all, but God’s. “We” don’t do anything. We are instead carried along by the Spirit and used as His instruments. Ask that God will bless you with more of His spiritual gifts⌠and be amazed at what happens next!
Will you believe?
Christ Follower
christfollower376@yahoo.com
Just this morning I was reading a devotional on the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25. It also happens to be the lesson for Sunday’s Bible Study. As I read it, I felt deeply convicted. I know that I have not used all the “talents” God has given me. My great sin has been laziness on my part and I and I alone am to blame.