2 Corinthians 3:6

NASB – who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

NRSVUE – who has made us qualified to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

VOICE – Now God has equipped us to be capable servants of the new covenant, not by authority of the written law which only brings death, but by the Spirit who brings life.

The Law and the Faith

God equips people for sharing the Gospel. This equipping comes from His grace instead of any of our skills and talents. The New Covenant through Jesus brings three things: forgiveness of our sins, God’s commands written on our hearts, and restored knowledge of who God is. Jesus solidified this covenant through His covenant and resurrection. The old covenant under the Mosaic covenant showed God’s standard, but couldn’t change the hearts of the ancient Israelites. The new covenant gives us the Holy Spirit within us, transforming our hearts and giving us a willing obedience to follow God.

The written law shows us our sin and gives us condemnation on our failures. Revealing guilt and the penalty of death, the Law directs sinners towards Christ. The Holy Spirit starts us with a new life through our faith in Jesus, and united us with God in a new relationship. The forgiveness we receive frees us from the Law’s condemnation and turns us to be more Christ-like each day. The life of Christ is eternal now and fully acknowledged through His resurrection

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT; When you look at the laws of the old covenant and the new covenant by faith, what differences do you see?

Embracing the New Covenant

Our life should be a focuses on the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with is God is no longer based on the Mosaic Law. It’s based on our relationship with God. The new covenant accepts, by faith, that Christ died a sacrificial death as a punishment of our sins and rose again to eternal life. His sacrifice tore the curtain in the temple and gave us direct access to God. The goal is to be transformed into a relationship with God and grow as a His child to reflect a life as Christ lived.

The new covenant acknowledges that our sins are forgiven. The law acknowledges where we sin, but it is not the ultimate determination of our salvation or forgiveness. When we see that we failed to follow God’s commands, we know our past is forgiven. We bring our sorrow to God for messing up and confirm to turn away from those behaviors and turn to ways that reflect Him to all people we meet. God’s commands are summed up in two things: love God and love others. All of the commands of God that we read about both through the Mosaic Law and through the teachings of Jesus are grounded in loving Him and our neighbors. How this looks will change given the different societal, communal, historical, and political differences from ancient Israel to Modern Rome, Greece, and other surrounding areas to the United States in 2026. How we love God and our neighbors will look different, but it’s all still grounded in the teachings of God. Through learning God’s commands, grace, and mercy, we gain a greater understanding who God is. The more we understand who God is, the better we can reflect Him to everyone we meet. We learn more about who God is through our studies, prayers, and worship. We surround ourselves with Christians as well to help guide us through life. The more God is revealed to us, the more we can reflect His love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness to all people that we meet.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you embrace the new covenant lifestyle in your life?

0

Likes So Far (click to like the blog)