The coming of Jesus into this world as the Lamb of God – to be offered for our sins – brought huge changes. Those colossal changes were purchased by the blood of Christ. They were preordained by God, and are the gifts which enable transition for God’s children – from death to life. Each and every one of those changes is the accomplishment resulting from the anguish of the Lamb of God. They are the purchased treasures by the blood of Christ and wrapped in love when delivered.
Those changes are many. Those changes are God-made. Those changes are essential.
We human beings find changes difficult and disruptive. Many will choose the familiar routines – instead of a change, even if it is obvious the change is for the better. I suspect this comes from the evil one. When he has a soul entangled in his nets of evil, when a person is held with the cords of his own sins, it is not in devils interest to change anything. So he makes change seem very difficult – even if it isn’t.
God knows this, so He has employed His Holy Spirit to help His children make the necessary changes. The changes that follow the work of Jesus are many, and all are divine and heavenly. They are the gifts of God to fallen humanity, brought about by the merits of Jesus, and by the amazing grace of God. It would be good to write a book – bringing out into the open the glories of the incredible riches lavished on our Salvation – as achieved by the Father and the Son. But for now, I will focus on one change only. The one change which is most relevant to the subject of this book – obedience.
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Obedience and change.
When Israel was given the Ten Commandments, they were commanded to obey them.
“He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments—which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets.”
Deuteronomy 4:13 NLT
The arrival of the New Covenant brought a big change to this.
““If you love me, obey my commandments.”
John 14:15 NLT
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.””
John 14:21 NLT
“Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”
John 14:23-24 NLT
The old Covenant’s arrangement was a master-slave type of commanded obedience.
The New Covenant’s is a Father-son type of filial obedience. It is willingly given, and driven by love and gratitude – because we now belong. We are children of the heavenly King, and it is natural to be what we now are.
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God looks at the heart.
The Ten Commandments were given us by God Himself. It was He who commanded us to keep them. It was He who commanded us to sharply focus on the individual acts of sin as written in that law. He said:
“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NLT
God knew that even the very best outcome of human efforts in this, will only blunt devil’s weapons a little. Will only slow down the progress of evil a little. But God judges by the intentions of the heart. Even though the actual achievements of our obedience to the Ten Commandments were so small, God was pleased to see them.
We know that the type of obedience rendered to the written Law, the Ten Commandments, was pronounced pitifully worthless, and looking from the vantage point of the New Covenant – no longer adequate – and for very good reasons. It was skin deep and it produced righteousness which is like filthy rags. It was a ‘do-it-yourself’ righteousness. That is why Jesus said:
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:20 NKJV
But even so, God was pleased to see those efforts. And when He saw a true heart – He rewarded it.
The book of Romans is a mini textbook on how a person is Saved.
“Merely obeying the letter of the law” is not God’s idea for Salvation. “Rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit.” “A true Jew is one whose heart is right with God.” Merely obeying the letter of the law by human effort is a mechanical attempt to create righteousness. God tolerated that, knowing that the Solution to the sin problem is on its way. But since Jesus successfully accomplished all objectives God asked Him to do – God is implementing those real solutions. Under the New Covenant – the Old Covenant’s systems have become obsolete. All of it was just a representation, a symbol of the good things to come. The Good News is that – in Christ Jesus – God has provided a free access to His righteousness. That righteousness works and changes us from inside out. It deals with the underlaying issues of sin. It is a small benefit if we focus only on the acts of theft – when in our hearts we know we are a thief. It is a small benefit if we focus only on the outside individual lies – when in our hearts we know we are a liar. God’s gift of righteousness transform a person according to the blueprint of that righteousness. That person becomes a new person. A new creation. That is a person who now reflects God’s character from whom that righteousness came. The result of it is a beautiful righteous character. God desires that we grow up and be like Him. It is His grace at work. It is His way. And He will not fail.
You will recall that One Commandment, the Ten Commandments, the Enlarged Law at the time of Jesus and apostles, and the Grand Law of God which governs the universe – are all in perfect harmony with each other. They were all given us by God. Each has given us the information we needed at those times when they were given, and each revealed as much of God’s character as He was willing to share with us at those times. Each of those laws was perfect, and their functions were suitable to the needs of their time.
But with the coming of Jesus, everything has changed – for the wonderful better!
Now our Christian lives are turbocharged. Now the meagre mechanical human ways of doing things, have been replaced by Spirit’s divine dynamic Omnipotent God’s ways. Ways which are from heaven. Ways which work. What an amazing gift of God!
Jesus said:
“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
John 6:63 NLT
When Paul saw the grandeur of what God has achieved in Jesus, he exclaimed:
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”
Romans 11:33 NKJV