The New Covenant
The old covenant establishes God's authority and our moral obligation as defined by His laws. This empowers our moral self, setting the foundation for a sense of personal responsibility. This acts to restrain our behavior, but it should also set the pedagogue in motion. The pedagogue helps us see our need, and the weakness of moral restraint as a source of real goodness. Once the pedagogue has done this, we are ready for the new covenant.
At its core the new covenant of grace is best described as a perfect healing relationship with God where we are changed as we experience His support, compassion and love - His grace. God meets us where we are. We don't HAVE TO change. In fact, healthy change can't come until we begin to connect with God according to the principles of grace. We then begin to reflect the qualities we experience in that relationship. Christian spirituality is not something you simply do, it's something you experience. (see Characteristics of Grace).
Yet many have no idea what a healthy relationship looks like. We often experience right and wrong in the context of reward and punishment. We must be transitioned into a new covenant way of seeing things. God's call to obedience continues the work of the pedagogue, for as we seek to follow Jesus we must define how He "rules". Is He rigid and dictatorial, is He soft and permissive, or is He nurturing and supportive? Does He rule through our outer man, through education and will power, or through the heart?
Obedience conveys different meanings depending on the nature of the relationship within which it takes place. A master slave relationship is different from a parent's relationship with his/her child. There are also peer relationships involving obedience among equals, as in a marriage relationship. Ideally, spouses freely subjugate their independence to foster this relationship. There is no force or authority required to bring about mutual cooperation.
Just what brings about this latter form of relational "obedience?" It is the quality of the relationship itself. If love defines the covenant within which relating takes place, that love serves as a powerful force binding the participants together. Love transforms our perspective, making duties light and sacrifices a pleasure. This makes the way we define God's attitudes toward our relationship with Him so critical. If the nature of that relationship is distorted it fails to inspire a FREE and properly motivated cooperation.
In the new covenant God doesn't rule by power or authority, He rules through the heart (Jer 31:33). God is Love (1 Jn 4:8). He wins our allegiance by demonstrating His love for us. Therefore, the new covenant is about loves healing attitudes. Each choice requires us to define how God's love relates to us. As we experience His love, that new covenant writes the principle of love on our hearts. The truths of God's law are never abolished. However, they are no longer the focus.
Grace wins our cooperation. When we fail, it offers mercy, understanding and support instead of anger and judgment. Grace nurtures rather than prods. It offers flexibility and freedom instead of the coercion driven by fear, moral pressure, and guilt. It gives us the time and room needed to process, working things through ourselves. Guidance is offered, never imposed.
Grace wins our hearts, not simply our compliance. We then become identified with those attitudes, reflecting them in our relationships. The moral atmosphere we live in determines the attitudes we bring to our relationships with others. If it is rigid and dogmatic, then we will be rigid and dogmatic. If it offers freedom, understanding, and support; then we will give freedom, understanding, and be supportive.
Obeying Objective Truth
"Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law" (Rm 2:31). The 10 commandments are the basics. Negating them would be similar to a mathematician ignoring two plus two. Yet, while the law (truth) continues to provide appropriate guidance it is powerless to provide the right motivation.
I John 3:4 states that "Sin is lawlessness". Lawlessness is self-destructive. Law is the way things work, like gravity in the physical realm. Biblical law is the same on a personal and social level. If we want a good result, we need to follow the guidance of God's laws. Faith then, in the goodness of those laws, motivates "obedience".
God sets the standard by establishing the authority of the law. However, once faith inspires us to trust God, that relationship can function according to the nurturing and supportive role of grace, rather than along the didactic and authoritarian lines of the old covenant. Faith allows God the option of offering unconditional acceptance without that resulting in license. The obedience God asks for in the new covenant is simply faith. Faith, tapping appropriate self-interest, results in our desiring to do things God's way because we see it as the best thing we can do for ourselves.
There is a reason law frontloads so much of scripture. We have a tendency to turn grace into permissiveness. This cheap grace excuses us from addressing our issues. We no longer need real grace.
This story of a pauper illustrates a proper relationship to law. A homeless pauper stands outside a beautiful mansion looking longingly through the window. The master of the house walks outside and, seeing the desperate condition of the poor waif, takes him in as his own son. Does this act of grace stop the working of the household? Are the chores abolished? Is the structure (law) that facilitates the cooperation of staff and master voided? No, "rather we uphold the law" (Rm 3:31), for grace is a necessary part of the whole. Grace motivates a free and willing cooperation with that structure and sets the appropriate atmosphere for growth.
However, does the master sternly tell the child what to do and how to do it? Of course not! The master is gracious. He creates an atmosphere of love in all he does. He wins the child to the truth over time, it is not simply imposed. He knows that order and self-discipline are essential tools for life and happiness. He gently encourages the child to adopt appropriate ways of doing things while allowing him the freedom necessary to explore and challenge. The master deals with the child relationally, taking into consideration his circumstances and background. He knows that change is a slow process and that the child must be given plenty of room to error, for that is the nature of the process. Any resistance is managed with understanding and communication; not demands, judgment, and guilt. Only if necessary will he discipline through consequences and corrective circumstances.
Christianity centers on a relationship with God for good reason. Taking our issues to Him changes everything. We can talk things out. God helps us to see how biblical principles relate to our situations. There is no pressure or judgment. This open atmosphere empowers us. God's guidance is seen as a source of freedom, not as a limiting factor. Obedience comes from the heart and from appropriate self-interest.
Relationships take time. Our spiritual root must be nurtured daily. We must spend time with God, contemplating the nature of His love and care. We must refocus the picture of His grace, for it must surround our choices. We are free only to the degree that we see the nature of God's openness and understanding and choose to live in it. If not, our old covenant will take the reins.
Our feelings are not to be trusted. They seldom see the spiritual kingdom clearly. It's faith first in healthy spirituality. There is, however, a place to deal with our feelings. It is with God. Prayer allows us to vent, rage, fume, and fuss. Look at the Psalms. Here we see feelings expressed in a very passionate manner. Catharsis, getting our feelings out in the open, is a good thing. However, we must ultimately give those feelings to God and turn to the facts that change those feelings. Daniel no doubt felt fear as he was thrown in the lion's den. David felt dejection and confusion as he fled for years from Saul. Moses felt anger and frustration with his people on many occasions. Each of these turned to God in faith and rose above their feelings.
Painful issues from our past also influence our lives. As we learn to trust God, we find real power to deal with them. We can bring our shame, pain, and anger to the sunlight of His love. Here we can experience His understanding, comfort, and support, and then let go.
Many times that involves forgiveness of those who have injured us. However, the pain others inflict on us is often hard to simply let go. It is helpful to know that God will judge. Leave vengeance to Him. On the cross Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". Jesus understood that ignorance and spiritual blindness led the Jews to crucify Him. Likewise, if we want to forgive, it is helpful to try and understand something of the background and pain of the person who injured us. Understanding the flawed nature of mankind makes it easier to offer compassion and let go of the anger and pain. It is also helpful to look at how much God values them. Looking at how He would see and act toward them can change our perspective.
Christian change involves a gradual transition. It doesn't happen overnight. We all have selfish inclinations and weaknesses. Many have given free reign to their habits. They are spiritual children. They need more external structure encouraging them to deal with their problem areas. God uses words such as obedience and command to maintain discipline until we mature. However, where it's appropriate to tell a child to obey, the same term is inappropriate for an adult. Adult cooperation should come from a different source than simply authority.
Copyright 8/04, Patrick Fagenstrom - edited 4/10