All societies define righteousness differently. A couple of weeks ago I heard two girls condemning a guy for having a sexual relationship with someone other than his significant other. Both girls were living with their boyfriends, outside of marriage. Thirty years ago the behavior of the two girls would have been condemned by society but today the social norm is for couples to live together but to cheat on the girl you are living with is a damnable offense. It is judged as unrighteous behavior. Gay couples have fought for the right to marry and have carried their fight to the United States Supreme Court but heterosexual couples fight for the right to live together outside of marriage. Both are judged to be righteous by the respective parties.
The truth is mankind’s definition of righteousness changes from generation to generation, but even God’s definition has changed over time. The definition of sin is the breaking of a commandment. A commandment is an edict, spoken or not, that demands certain behavior. To break the commandment, in other words, to not do the requirement stated by the commandment is unrighteous behavior and therefore sin. Commandments are absolute both in society and from God’s perspective. Societies’ commandments of right behavior change over time.
Now, the subject I want to address is God’s salvation. Salvation is a state of being. In that salvation is the purview of God, it is God’s definition of righteousness that is pertinent to this discussion. The presence of a commandment or commandment(s) defines sin,but God has issued many commandments over the last six thousand years and no man is expected to keep all of these commandments. To not keep a commandment not issued to you is not sin in God’s eyes. God issues very specific commandments for specific periods of time in specific circumstances.
All of God’s commandments are only valid for the time in which they are issued and only valid for the people they are issued to. The commandment issued to Adam in the Garden of Eden was only valid for the time Adam was in the Garden of Eden. Once that time had ended, the time of the commandment had ended. God defined the righteousness (right behavior)required for Adam to remain in the Garden of Eden by commandment. Being in the Garden of Eden was Adam’s salvation. As long as Adam kept that commandment, God judged him as righteous and none other of Adam’s behavior affected Adam’s righteousness in God’s eyes. However, the day Adam broke that commandment; Adam became unrighteous and could no longer remain in the garden.
Similarly, Abraham was issued one commandment. The commandment, to go out into the desert to seek a city built by God, was valid for the life of Abraham, Hebrews 11:8-10. At the end of Abraham’s life, he was still seeking that city, but his son had no obligation to continue to seek the city. As long as Abraham kept that commandment he was judged as righteous by God and no other behavior affected Abraham’s righteousness. Even though Abraham broke commandments issued in later years to the Jews, Abraham was only responsible to the commandment God had issued to him. Abraham was saved because of His obedience to God’s commandment.
Now we need to introduce a new word, “covenant.” A covenant is essentially a contract; it is the Bible word for contract. In a covenant, God comes to man and says, “If you will walk righteous before me I will provide you with certain blessings.” God then defines righteousness by commandment. In the Adamic covenant, righteousness was defined as not eating of a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. In the Abrahamic covenant, righteousness was defined by the searching for a city God had constructed. As long as Abraham performed the commandment, God obligated Himself to bless Abraham according to the promise God had made with Him. God’s promise to Adam was he could live in the garden with his wife and children as long as he kept the commandment, but, the day Adam broke the commandment the covenant was broken. Adam became unrighteous because he had sinned against God in the breaking of His commandment and as a result, lost the blessing of living in the Garden of Eden.
As Abraham’s children grew in numbers, God made a covenant with his children, now called the Children of Israel. This covenant is referred to by the New Testament as the old covenant, or law. Of course you understand that commandments are laws. In our society, commandments are enacted by the government. These commandments then are the law of our society. The word “commandment” and the word “law” are synonyms. The law of the Garden of Eden was the commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The law of the Abrahamic covenant was to seek the city whose builder and maker was God. To break the law is unrighteousness; unrighteousness is sin.
As we have learned, the old covenant law only applied to the Jews and only to the time of the Jewish nation. The death of Jesus signaled the end of the old covenant and some thirty years after His death, in 70AD, the Roman soldiers over ran Jerusalem and destroyed the temple of God and the sacrificing of animals for the sins of the people ended. These sacrifices were the heart of the old covenant as the old covenant had a provision for the breaking of the covenant by the Jews. Any person who failed to keep the commandments of the old covenant could offer an animal to be sacrificed for their sins and could thereby remain in covenant with God. This was unlike Adam’s covenant, which had no such provision. Moreover, the Nation of Israel was dispersed to the four corners of the earth and ceased to be a nation. The old covenant came to an end. In that the old covenant ended, the old covenant’s definition of sin ended and since sin is defined by commandment the authority of the commandments of the old covenant have ended, which means the old covenant’s definition of righteousness has ended. We now live in the age of the new covenant.
In that righteousness is always defined by commandment in every covenant of God, what commandment did Jesus issue in the new covenant age? That commandment defines righteousness and sin under the authority of the new covenant. Righteousness is the keeping of God’s law; Sin is the breaking of God’s law. In that we live under the authority of a new covenant, there is a new definition of sin; a new definition of righteousness and therefore a new definition of salvation.
Still, since the Nation of Israel now exists again, we might ask the question, “How did the new covenant preempt the old covenant?” In that a covenant is a contract and a contract is a binding agreement on both parties, how was the authority of the old covenant emptied to allow the new covenant to come forth? The old covenant was made with the Nation of Israel and the Nation of Israel died in 70 AD. Therefore the covenant with the nation of Israel ended. It went out of force. However, the Nation of Israel was resurrected in 1947 and now exists again so therefore its definition of righteousness and sin should be applicable. However, in Galatians 4:4-5 Paul states: “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.”
The word, “redeem” means, “to buy back.” Thus, God sent His Son to buy those that were under the law. This is how the old covenant was superseded by the new covenant. You might remember that Jesus purchased our salvation. Jesus was born under the authority of the old covenant and at His death He took on Himself the penalties for breaking all the commandments contained within the old covenant law. Furthermore, during His life He perfectly kept these same commandments. Thus, those who believe Jesus died under the penalty of transgressions of old covenant laws are baptized into Jesus’ death by faith and an exchange takes place. Jesus’ perfect keeping of the law is transferred to the believer and all the sin defined by old covenant law committed by the believer, past, present, and future, is transferred into Jesus’ payment for sin, 1John2:2.
Now, in that Gentiles were not part of the covenant God made with the Jews, Gentiles are not beholden to the commandments of the old covenant. However, in order to gain entrance to the new covenant one must enter through the old covenant. I find here that I need to introduce a new concept to this discussion. One of the attributes of God is righteousness, which means that God will always do the right thing. This is why God is bound by His covenants. Jesus, who is rightly called the savior of the world, is a Jew, born of the Jewish nation to Jewish parents. However, just before He gave His life for sins, He was rejected by the Jewish nation and died outside their capitol city. This made salvation possible for all who place their faith in Jesus’ death. However, because Jesus was a Jew, and the old covenant was made with the Jews, Gentiles need to first insert themselves under the law that they might then be bought back from the law. All new covenant believers must enter through the old covenant.
This means that we Gentiles must first embrace the old covenant’s definition of sin in order to be bought back from it. Once we acknowledge that we are sinners by God’s definition of sin according to old covenant law and receive Jesus’ payment for sin by believing in Jesus’ death on the cross. We are now delivered into the new covenant and are eligible for the salvation Jesus offers in the new covenant.
Having come through the old covenant, these believers are now ready to enter the new covenant. In order to gain God’s salvation, salvation provided by the new covenant, we must first discern what God’s definition of righteousness is under the new covenant. God’s definition of righteousness is always exemplified by commandment. It should be obvious now that the keeping of old covenant law under the authority of the new covenant would be a breach of the new covenant. This breach is especially painful in that Jesus suffered and died a horrible tortuous death to redeem those who believe in Him from the old covenant. To keep the righteousness defined by the old covenant after being redeemed from it is to sin against the new covenant. It is the absolutely wrong behavior.
The only commandment issued by God (Jesus) after purchasing redemption from old covenant law is found in Acts 1:4. Of course, Jesus laid aside His godhood to come to earth as a man in order to perfectly keep the commandments of the law that He might in turn redeem those under the law. However, the Father God and Holy Spirit God were so impressed with Jesus’ total submission to His manhood, and the suffering of the torture, not to mention Jesus’ total yielding to the death of the cross, they immediately stripped themselves of their godhood to convey on Jesus all power and authority of heaven and earth onto Jesus at His resurrection, Matthew 28:18. The commandment of Acts 1:4 is the only commandment issued with this level of authority in the scriptures. It is the only commandment issued by God in the new covenant age. The only commandment issued to the Church.
Salvation is the blessing God promises with the covenant He makes with man. Salvation to Adam was to live in the garden of God. Adam lost his salvation when he disobeyed God’s commandment. Abraham’s salvation was to live in the city whose builder and maker was God and according to the scriptures Abraham gained his goal. He now lives in the city God built. According to Paul, the Jews missed their salvation because they exchanged God’s definition of righteousness for a definition of righteousness of their own making, Romans 10:3. This truth is supported By Jesus’ rebuke of the Jews in Mark 7.
You see, the Jews interpreted the commandments of God. They were so zealous of righteousness; they took God’s definition and added to it, thinking they could be even more righteous than God required them to be. The example Jesus used in Mark 7:9-13 illustrates this fact. The fifth of the Ten Commandments states: “Honor your father and mother.” So the commandment of God was to simply honor your parents but the Jews, in their zeal to be righteous, reasoned, “Yes, but to offer your life as a living sacrifice to God is more honorable than simply honoring your parents.” They sought to go beyond what was required of them. They did the same thing with the commands for cleanliness. God had commanded certain washings which the Jews added to in an effort to go beyond the mark. In their zeal to be righteous in God’s eyes they missed His righteousness altogether and therefore His salvation, Mark 7:6-8. This was the cry of Paul’s heart that Israel might be saved, expressed in Romans 10:1.
Jesus said, “Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me” (Mark 7:6). You see, for mankind to change what God requires for righteousness is very dishonoring to God. In their attempt to be more righteous than God required, they actually became unrighteous. Moreover, their attempt to redefine God’s righteousness was sin. In this present age, the age of the new covenant, Jesus has issued one commandment. That one commandment defines righteousness in this age and the only commandment that needs to be kept in order to be righteous before Jesus is that one commandment. To try to go beyond the one commandment to keep commandments defined by old covenant law is to sin against the new covenant, it is to sin against Jesus. It does not honor Jesus to ignore the commandment He gave in the new covenant but keep the commandments of the old covenant. The church may honor Jesus with its lips, but the heart of the Church is in its own honor, its own sense of well being. Why else would the Church seek to keep commandments not defined by the new covenant?
Christians today, just like the Jews before them, struggle with God’s love for them and it seems impossible to remain righteous while behaving in a way that seems unrighteous. If adultery was unrighteous under the old covenant, why is it not still unrighteous under the new covenant? It is because the blood spilled at Calvary was holy blood, the blood of God. This blood is not only able to totally eradicate sin; it eradicates the very definition of sin.
The fact that Jesus issued a commandment under the authority of the new covenant indicates that those clothed with Jesus’ righteousness through faith in His death can still commit sin because even though the definition of sin hasn’t changed, what is defined as sin has. Similarly, the definition of righteousness has not changed but what is defined as righteousness has. For man to disobey a commandment issued by God is sin. Adam was only responsible for keeping one commandment. It was the only act of righteousness God made him responsible for. His obedience of this commandment defined his righteousness and therefore his salvation. Similarly, Abraham was only answerable to one commandment. No other behavior affected His righteousness or his salvation other than his response to this one commandment. Though he took his concubine and had sex with her and produced a child, none of this was judged as unrighteous behavior by God.
Now, these commandments were personal commandments. No man today is expected not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil nor is any believer expected to seek a city God built. However, who is responsible for keeping the commandment Jesus issued under the authority of the new covenant? We must ask and answer the question, “Are we still living in the time in which the commandment was issued and do the people Jesus issued the commandment to still exist?” Jesus issued this commandment under the authority of the new covenant and we are still living in the age of the new covenant. Jesus issued this commandment to the Church and the Church still exists, the apostles being the charter members. Jesus issued this commandment in the Church age and we are still in the Church age. Conversely, all of the old covenant commandments were issued in the age of the Jews. The age of the Jews has ended. There are no priests offering sacrifices for sin in Jerusalem. That age has come to an end, but the new covenant age continues. The Church age continues. It is ludicrous to keep the commandments of the old covenant and expect God’s blessings in the new covenant age; just as ludicrous as attempting to keep a commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or going out into a desert to seek a city whose builder and maker is God. The blessings of each covenant is set by God and obtained by obedience to the commandment issued by God in that covenant.
Moreover, the old covenant commandments were issued to the Nation of Israel. Did God expect the second and third generation of Jews to keep the laws of the old covenant? When Jesus came to earth 2,000 years later He rebuked the Jews for not keeping the old covenant law. Jesus was born under the authority of the old covenant and it was His perfect keeping of the old covenant law that redeems believers from it. Yet this is what the leaders of the Church have told the Church about the Lord’s commandment. They judged this commandment to be a personal commandment and said once the apostles had died off the age of the Lord’s commandment had ended and obedience was no longer required but the Church age goes on. Christians are continuing to be born into the kingdom of God and this commandment was issued with more authority, greater authority, than all the other commandments found in the scripture combined.
For the commandment of Acts 1:4 to not be valid, the age of the Church would have ended. The age of the Church will end, at which time obedience to the Lord’s commandment will no longer be expected, but as long as the Church exists; as long as Jesus remains Lord, obedience of the Lord’s commandment is not only expected, it is required for righteousness and we must remain righteous in order to gain salvation. Jesus died as Saviour, having laid aside His power and authority to come to earth as a man. As a man, He died for man’s sins. But, when He was raised from the dead, He was made Lord of All. As long as Jesus is Lord of All, wielding all power in heaven and in earth, those who wish to be in His Kingdom must obey His commandment!
Now, let’s back up just a little. When Gentiles believe that Jesus died under the penalty of their sin, they are baptized into Jesus’ death and come out wrapped in Jesus’ perfect keeping of old covenant law because Jesus died under the authority of the old covenant. In order to enter the new covenant, they must now keep the commandment of the Lord as Jesus has been transformed from the Saviour, dying under old covenant law, to Lord of Lords and King of Kings, executor of the new covenant. Thus, the commandment of the Lord is the gatekeeper of the new covenant. It is the mechanism that allows us entrance. Moreover, this commandment is the cornerstone of the new covenant. If obedience is discouraged by Church leaders, the new covenant collapses as the whole of the new covenant is built on the cornerstone.
Jesus told the disciples, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed from heaven.” By removing the cornerstone of the new covenant by interpreting that the commandment is obsolete, Church leaders have bound up the new covenant. “Where there is no commandment, there is no obedience; where there is no obedience there are no blessings.”
Sin is defined as the breaking of a commandment. God establishes a standard for righteousness by commandment. Salvation is achieved by walking in righteousness.
In that there is a new covenant, there is therefore a new definition of sin defined by a new commandment and the salvation offered by God has changed. Under the authority of the new covenant, we are offered the position of sons of God. Belief in Jesus’ death will clothe you with the righteousness of the old covenant but then deliver you from the old covenant and into the new covenant. Remember, Jesus redeemed us from the old covenant law, Galatians 4:4. That means we are now no longer answerable, responsible, to old covenant law but in that we were delivered into the new covenant, the standard for righteousness has changed just as the definition of salvation has changed. In order to be found righteous by Jesus, the blessed only potentate, we must keep His commandment, the commandment He made with all power of heaven and earth. Righteousness under the new covenant is defined by the commandment issued under the authority of the new covenant. Sin, under the new covenant is defined as not keeping the commandment. Unrighteousness is a direct result of sin and precludes those clothed with the righteousness of the old covenant from receiving the salvation offered by the new covenant.
It is time for believers in Jesus to wake up and realize the righteousness they practice will not gain them salvation. Just as the Jews exchanged God’s definition of righteousness for a definition that did not save, Church leaders have done the same (Rom.10:3).
Now, we must realize as it is glaringly obvious, God’s definition of sin is vastly different than our own. Under the old covenant, the sin defined by God did not measure up to the sensibilities of the Jews and they added their sensibilities to God’s definition of sin. It appears Adam did something similar. In this present age, God only defines one act of behavior as sin even though we all know there are many other acts of behavior that should not be tolerated by society. Should we add to God’s law according to our sensibilities? No, not if we want to gain the salvation offered by God.
The beauty of the new covenant is that if yield ourselves to the Lord’s commandment, Jesus actually becomes Lord of our lives and by our obedience to that one commandment; all our other behavior is controlled. Those whose lives are submitted to the righteous Lord through the keeping of the new covenant righteousness do not need any more commandments to keep them righteous.
Recently, a nationally recognized church leader was on one of the national radio programs denouncing Donald Trump. He said Trump was not a Christian because he doesn’t ask God for forgiveness of sins.
Of course this struck me as odd. If Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, Romans 10:4, then why would Christians continue to repent of sins defined by the old covenant in order to maintain righteousness? The only reason I can think of is control. Romans 10:9-10 clearly reveals that Jesus must be Lord in order for believers to attain salvation. The commandment of Acts 1:4 is the mechanism that makes Jesus Lord. If believers have to stop what they are doing to be saturated by the Holy Spirit’s representing of Jesus daily, Jesus is Lord of their life. The action of the Holy Spirit flowing out of their mouth then is the control of the Lord; it is the mechanism that keeps believers centered on the Lord. It is the gift of tongues flowing out of the believer’s belly daily that sets the rest of his behavior. If the commandment is removed from the consciousness of the Church, then another means of control must be devised. The easiest and most sensible way is to take the Church back under the old covenant. What good does it do to be redeemed from the law only to be brought back under its authority?
This brings me to another question. If Christians today are believing in Jesus to have their sins washed away, are they Christians? Paul teaches that believers in Jesus’ death have Jesus’ righteousness imputed to them by faith, 2Cor.5:17. Since Jesus died some 2,000 years before these believers were born, it should be clear that there is no relationship between individual sins and Jesus’ death. Once faith has been exercised, the believer is free from the old covenant’s definition of sin. The only definition of sin that is applicable to new covenant believers is the definition of the new covenant, the righteousness of faith speaks, Romans 10:5-6. Where there is no law there is no transgression, Romans 4:15. Christians are redeemed from the law by faith, Galatians 4:4. But where there is a law there is a transgression and the new covenant has one commandment. This one commandment is the law of the new covenant, the righteousness of faith. It is not coincidental that obedience to this commandment (law) causes a stream of language to flow over the tongue, Romans 10:6&9-10.
Since it is clear the church has almost universally changed the gospel message of the Christ from that of faith in Jesus’ death to faith on Jesus’ blood, can these believers rightfully be called Christians? They are followers of Christ, just not according to knowledge, Romans 10:3. They have exchanged the righteousness of God, which is faith in Jesus’ death for sin for a righteousness of man, which is a belief in Jesus’ blood for sin. Under this scenario who is Lord, Jesus, or church leaders?
Moreover, the new covenant’s definition of righteousness and sin is ignored.
It should be abundantly clear by now that each of God’s covenants have had a different definition of sin and righteousness defined by commandment. The commandments of previous covenants had no bearing on the people affected by later covenants. We are now living in the new covenant and the resurrected Lord issued one commandment in this new covenant age. This commandment defines sin and unrighteousness in this age and in order to gain God’s salvation, provided through Jesus Christ the Lord, we must keep the new covenant’s definition of righteousness.
Look, in 1Timothy 1:15, Paul said, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners so in order to be saved we must judge ourselves guilty by the standard of old covenant law. Once we have judged ourselves guilty by God’s standard of righteousness, we have successfully inserted ourselves under the law and can then be delivered from the law through faith in Jesus’ death. However, once delivered from the old covenant law by faith in the broken body and shed blood of the Saviour, we must now obey the commandment of the Lord. The salvation offered to the Jews under the authority of the old covenant is not the same salvation offered to new covenant believers. A new commandment indicates a new definition of righteousness which indicates a new definition of salvation. New covenant believers should not try to access the salvation promised to old covenant believers. That covenant has sun downed and the blessings promised no longer exist. It is like trying to get a company that has gone out of business to back the warranty of a product they produced while in business.
The entrance to the new covenant is through the old covenant only because Jesus was born a Jew to Jewish parents in the nation of Israel. He was born under the authority of the old covenant. It is His perfect keeping of old covenant law that delivers believers in His death from the old covenant and into the new covenant. The only way to enter the new covenant is through Christ Jesus the Lord. We insert ourselves into Jesus’ death by faith, pass through His death by baptism, and come out the other side at His resurrection. We are now in the new covenant and Jesus is no longer Saviour but Lord. The old covenant falls away behind us and the vistas of the new covenant opens up before us.
Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first and then also to the Greek (Gentile) (Rom.1:16). He then goes on to point out that each society has its own definition of righteousness and each society’s definition closely resembles God’s definition found in the old covenant. Thus all peoples already judge themselves guilty of God’s law and only need to accept Jesus’ death for payment of sins to be delivered from sin. Jesus said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed,” John 8:38. What are they free from? The old covenant’s definition of unrighteousness!
Most Churches teach a keeping of old covenant definition of sin and a use of Jesus’ blood to wash that sin away similar to old covenant theology. Then, most believers are left trying to access the blessings of the old covenant, a covenant that is defunct, no longer in force. Their faith and hope in the Saviour is extremely strained; more so as the years pile on and less and less prayers are answered. When believers are first converted, there is a tremendous amount of God’s love and grace and mercy and kindnesses showered on them to propel them forward into the new covenant, but as years of disobedience to the Lord’s commandment pass, these believers move from greatly blessed to blessed to hardly blessed to cursed till at the end they suffer with the curses pronounced in the covenant they tried to access.
The Jews were proud of their ability to live righteously before God, so when Jesus came along pointing out the thoroughness of the law to condemn all as unrighteous, they became very angry and put Him to death. Jesus pointed out that if a man looked on a woman with lust in his heart he was already guilty of adultery. No man can live up to the demands of the old covenant law, which is why Jesus came to deliver mankind from the old covenant law’s definition of sin. There is only one commandment under the new covenant and it is a joy and delight to keep it. By keeping the commandment of the Lord, all the character and characteristics of the Godhead pass out of your belly and over your lips daily. All the love and compassion, all the mercy and grace, all the kindness of God washes over you and saturates you. This salvation wasn’t offered to the Jews, it wasn’t offered to Abraham, and it wasn’t offered to Adam; but it is offered to you.