Sunday: The Need of a New Covenant
Read Hebrews 7:11-19. Why was a new covenant needed?
According to Hebrews, the fact that Jesus was appointed priest according to the order of Melchizedek implied that a new covenant had been inaugurated. The old covenant had been given on the basis of the Levitical priesthood (Hebrews 7:11, NASB). The Levitical priests acted as mediators between God and Israel, and the law excluded anyone else from the priesthood. The author concludes, then, that a change of priesthood implies a change of the law of the priesthood, as well as the change of the covenant (Hebrews 7:12, Hebrews 7:18-19).
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The issue with the old covenant was that it could not provide perfection (Hebrews 7:11). Paul is talking about the Levitical priesthood and its ministry (sacrifices, feasts, etc.). The animal sacrifices offered through them could not provide true, total cleansing from sin, nor access to God (Hebrews 10:1-4; Hebrews 9:13-14; Hebrews 10:19-23).
The fact that a new covenant was necessary does not mean that God was unfair with Israel when He gave them the old covenant. The Levitical ministry and the services of the tabernacle were designed to protect them from idolatry and also to point them to Jesus’ future ministry. Hebrews stresses that the sacrifices were “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1, NKJV).
By pointing them to Jesus, the sacrifices should have helped the people put their hope and faith in “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, NKJV; compare with Isaiah 53:1-12). This is the same point that Paul makes when he says that the law was “our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24, NASB) or that “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4, NIV).
In other words, even the Ten Commandments, as good and perfect as they are, cannot provide salvation (Romans 3:20-28, Romans 7:12-14). They provide a perfect standard of righteousness, but they do not provide righteousness, any more than looking in a mirror can erase the wrinkles of age. For perfect righteousness, we need Jesus as our Substitute.
| Why can’t the law save us? After all, if we keep all the commandments, and keep them well, even flawlessly — why shouldn’t that save us? |
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Have you investigated what biblical perfection actually is? Is it the "flawlessness" that today's lesson is referring to in its final question? Well, it might surprise you that the answer is both yes and no.
Picture for a moment a child learning to ride a bicycle. What will be the end result of much practice over time? Essentially, the child will learn to ride the bicycle 'flawlessly'. But what will the process that leads to eventual 'flawless' riding look like? It will have wobbles, stumbles and even 'falls'. However, as long as the child gets back on the bicycle again, they will continue to progressively move ever closer to eventual 'flawless' riding. It is the process of riding a bicycle that develops the capacity to ride 'flawlessly'. Thus, both the process and the end result of that process are essential and inseparable components of bicycle riding.
Prior to the fall of humanity, perfection seemed to equal flawlessness. However, after the fall (Genesis 3:6), the wider developmental nature of perfection that was there all along is more easily seen. While we are used to thinking of perfection as the point of flawlessness, from a biblical perspective perfection includes the developmental process of bringing something progressively to that eventual endpoint. Thus, being authentically on-board with the process is 'perfection' even though a person hasn't yet reached the endpoint of flawlessness. Paul reflects this in Philippians 3:12-14. Hebrews 5:8-9 also affirms that perfection incorporates the process of making perfect. And, does the fact that while man looks on the outward appearance, God instead looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) start to make sense here too?
If we consider Matthew 5:48, perhaps one of the most well know verses regarding 'being perfect', what kind of perfection is being referred to? In the immediately preceding verses, Jesus is calling us to be like God insofar as we treat everyone with beneficence (ie, motivated by advancing others genuine best interests) - not just those who are good to us. Jesus is calling us to progressively grow to become ever more like this as an outflow of hearts that are being renewed (Psalm 51:10).
And if you look into the original Greek words (teleios, telos, telioo) that are translated as 'perfect', you will find they too refer to a progressive process leading to an eventual endpoint.
I hope that this starts you thinking and investigating for yourself a little more regarding what I would propose has been the often misunderstood biblical notion of 'perfection' that also gives you further insight into another of God's "higher ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9) - and, importantly, that your findings give you hope even when you struggle and fall along the way (Philippians 3:12-15).
Phil, are you saying Jesus 'fell' and 'improved' time and again, along His short life on earth that led to His perfection?
Hi Robert
I appreciate you asking for clarification rather than merely assuming what I am saying and running with that assumption. No, I am not saying Jesus fell and improved.
Hebrews 5:8-9 refers to a developmental process even for Jesus in His humanity - although His starting point was different to the rest of fallen humanity. While the starting point for rest of humanity since Genesis 3 is a fallen sinful nature (as reflected in Romans 5:12-14 and Psalm 51:5), Jesus start point was like that of the first Adam in that Jesus was able to experience being tempted to sin, but did not have a propensity to sin. Thus, Jesus was "made 'perfect'" (Hebrews 5:8-9) in terms of growing stronger and stronger in His strength to resist temptation*. We see Jesus facing increasingly stronger and stronger temptations presented to Him by Satan, with the temptation to have the cup pass from Him and come down from the cross and save Himself being some of the pinnacle temptations he was faced with (as per Philippians 2:8).
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* Whatever we practice becomes stronger. That repetition strengthens is a developmental principle that is embedded within created beings even in their unfallen state.
If you have ever done any philosophy or logical reasoning you will be familiar with the terms "a priori" and "a posteriori".
In some respects, the old and new covenants represent a priori and a posteriori treatments of the same topic, namely, the role of Jesus in the plan of salvation. Does that make sense?
Thank you, Phil, for the "process of making perfect." And for: "Being authentically on-board with the process is 'perfection' even though a person hasn't yet reached the endpoint of flawlessness."
I like the example of flawless bike riding.
May I add that what matters most is not whether we wiggle as we ride, nor whether our bike falls down. What matters is where our focus is. Are we looking at the bike? The road before us? Something that happened behind us?
In our desire for perfection, focus is everything. The Lord is our only perfection. Without Him, we don't even breathe. Much less, do any good work. Every good work - every notion to do right, comes from Him.
So, our 'work' toward perfection is to cling to Him. To meditate on Jesus' life. He came to show us the Father. Our work is to spend time in His Word. To pray for strength for each day, and accept His grace when we don't measure up.
Ellen White writes:
It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin, our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous.
Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If we give ourselves to Him, then, sinful as our lives may have been, for His sake we are accounted righteous.
Christ's character stands in place of our characters, and we are accepted before God just as if we had not sinned. More than this, Christ changes the heart. We are to maintain this connection with Christ and continually surrender our will to him; and so long as we do this, He will work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Then with Christ working in us, we will manifest the same spirit and do works of righteousness, obedience. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
Ellen White shares this encouragement:
There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the words of Christ: “The Father Himself loveth you.” John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer.
Yesterday,s lesson I was asking myself the question, do we need a new covenent? Today's lesson answers that for me.
Since we are talking about the law and relation to our new covenant. I would like to say that in Romans 10:4, Paul was not saying that the law was done away with. He was saying that we are free of the law when we have Christ in our hearts. We are so free that we need Christ all the time. Now Paul also says just because we are free does do mean we go out and sin. No absolutly not. Romans 6:1-4. It is by coming to the foot of the cross and asking for forgivness of our sins that the Holy Spirit works in us to create a born again life. The perfection part may take a lifetime of Christ working in us. Now if we look at sin being apart from Christ, we realize better the necessity of being with Christ to maintain a relationship, thus there is righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4.
Hebrews 7:19.
Is supportive also. The law brings us to Christ, it does not save us. Christ saves us and the Holy Spirit prompts us to stay with Him.
The Law is like a mirror. The mirror can only show me where I need to clean at my face. But the mirror can never do any cleaning on my face. I have to then go to God and ask Him to do what I cannot do for myself but that His Son can do for me via His Holy Spirit and take away what the mirror has shown me is there to be taken away by Him. Then, this He does for me when I by faith do this. But then this happens on a moment by moment, day by day, basis and this part is called "sanctification," and it is a work of my entire life here on this earth before God then gives me an eternal, incorruptible and glorified body when He returns in power and great glory to do this for me and all who believe.
Was there a ‘need’ for a new Covenant or was it necessary to communicate the Old Covenant with new revelations? Was ‘the old covenant given on the basis of the Levitical priesthood’, or had the time come to reveal the Spirit of the Law - loving God with all your heart and do right by your fellow man -, which was also contained in the Old Covenant, but not yet written into the heart and mind of the people?
How did the Creator write it into the heart and mind of the people? Can we find an explanation by looking into the old sacrificial system? I agree, ‘the Levitical ministry and the services of the tabernacle were designed to ‘protect’ them from idolatry, pointing them to Jesus’ future ministry’, but I hold that the Love of God and man was always at the core of all Covenants of worship and interaction with our Maker.
I think it is time to let the New Covenant stand on its own, divesting ourselves from drawing comparisons to the shell of the Old Covenant – its sacrificial system. The heart of both is directing the people to love God.
Without Christ Jesus, there would not have been a New Covenant. I believe that Christ Jesus is the embodiment of the New Covenant; without Him the world would not have received the outpouring of His Spirit of Love. Compassion, Forgiveness, and hope through Faith would not have been written onto our hearts and minds.
All these attributes are spiritually based, awakened by the Spirit of God residing in us and were available at the time of the Old Covenant, but were buried by focusing on the ritualistic aspects of the Law and human corruption.
When my son was learning to ride his bicycle, I discovered early on the training wheels that came with his bicycle were an impediment to his learning experience. He would teeter totter between the training wheels on each side of the bike and toppled over several times when he turned too quickly. This was because he was relying on the wheels to keep the bike upright rather than developing a sense of balance.
So I took the training wheels off, adjusted the seat and removed the pedals from the crank so he could comfortably scoot to propel himself forward. We biked together for a few days this way until I could see he could balance. I pointed out to him that he was doing a great job with his balance.
Then I put the pedals back on. “Dad, I need you to walk beside me and hold the bike so I won’t fall over.” Even though we both agreed he could keep his balance, there was not enough confidence to go it alone. So I walked beside him “holding” the bike as he pedaled along.
Then “Kitty Hawk.” After I walked beside him for a bit, I gently let go of the bike and let him gradually pedal ahead. When he realized I was not holding the bike any longer, he stopped and I could see the “light dawning.” As we biked together to the next level, he quickly developed “daredevil” skill and we had a great time racing and vaulting over jumps and testing the limit of our skill. The Law is like those training wheels. As long as we trust rules and regulations to keep ourselves right with God, we will teeter along from one side to the other, never really learning to effectively keep our balance and more often than not losing it altogether.
The Law may be a transcript of God’s character, which is Love, but it is one thing to read about Love and quite another to live it with God. We need to move beyond a relationship with training wheels and start biking with our heavenly Father. Together Love will take us beyond the limit of our asking and thinking.
That is the new covenant.
Thank you, Richard. Very nice analogy.