Skip to main content

The New Covenant

          The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:19-26)

         Today’s passage gives another list describing the life of those who are not living according to the New Covenant: sexually immoral, impure, debauched, and practicing idolatry (the worship of anything other than God) and/or witchcraft.  It is a life of hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and other stuff like those. In other words, it’s a life of “I have the right to do what I want, when I want, with whom I want, how I want, where I want…as long as I don’t think I’m hurting anyone who doesn’t want or deserve to be hurt.” The passage states categorically that this lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God.
          Does this mean a Christian can’t be an alcoholic? Unfortunately, not. Becoming a Christian doesn’t always involve a miraculous change from sinful to sinless. I wish it did. Sinlessness would be a refreshing change in my life. But Christians move increasingly away from these things and do battle with them rather than accepting or encouraging them.
          Instead, the Christian lifestyle is characterized by:
* Love: intense desire for what is in the best interest of the beloved (not just what      makes the beloved happy.)
* Joy: feeling of well-being that results from an understanding that one is cared for    by someone who is willing and able to care for us.
* Peace: Submission, first and foremost to God
* Patience: Giving others time to do what we want (without our giving up wanting it.)
* Kindness: Acting and assisting in a way that is helpful and in the best interest of     the beneficiary
* Goodness: Useful, in the best interest of those involved, moral
* Faithfulness: Not giving up
* Gentleness: using only as much strength or power as is necessary.
* Self-Control: dealing with our own “dirty diapers,” sins, weaknesses.
         The person for whom these are becoming more and more the characteristics doesn’t need to fear any law. That’s what the New Covenant is about – not not breaking the law but about living a life in which one doesn’t need to be constrained by “Thou Shalt Nots” because one is too busy doing the other things.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more