|
|
|
|
Does the church live under a covenant with God?
As believers in Christ Jesus we have NO COVENANT with God.
The Eternal Covenant was consented to in eternity past and fulfilled at the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
As believers in Christ Jesus we serve the God of the Bible and we are the sole recipients of God’s eternal covenant made between God the Father (the God of peace) and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Great Shepherd of the sheep); a covenant made between the First and Second Person of the Trinity before the foundations of the earth.
Heb 13:20 - Now the God of peace, that brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus (the
resurrection of Christ), that great shepherd of the sheep, through
the
blood of the everlasting covenant.
Because we are the recipients of the everlasting blood covenant through faith we can know we are eternally saved because of that covenant. Eternity is eternal and we are saved for ever, never to be lost. We are found worthy in the everlasting covenant not because of anything that we might work toward or accomplish, but because of the eternal blood covenant between the Father and the Son.
The everlasting covenant constituted that Jesus, as the Great Shepherd of the sheep, would lay down his life for the sheep and that the God of peace would raise Jesus from the dead. This is why I say the covenant was consummated at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Father and the Son fulfilled their obligations, and because their covenant was validated through their individual actions we become the beneficiary of their covenant when we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior...
We possess salvation because of their eternal covenant.
I hear many believers who speak of the two new covenants as
being a new covenant for
The Bible does not teach this.
The new covenant is limited to
We are in Christ Jesus which makes us a new creature.
I have written about us being born in sin because of the sin of Adam. Let me once again use Adam to illustrate our inheritance through Christ.
The term the bride of Christ is never used in the Bible, but it is inferred.
Eve was Adam’s bride. Would you agree? But the term the bride of Adam is never used in the Bible.
For the sake of this illustration identify yourself in the first Adam.
Our sins, every one of them were forgiven on the cross.
The sin nature was judged, condemned, and put to death.
While being any part of the first Adam we can not be betrothed to the last Adam.
We had to die to the first Adam in order to become the bride of the last Adam, Christ.
When Jesus died, our attachment to the first Adam died. When we died we were no longer married if you will to our first husband, Adam. We were made free by death to marry another.
When Jesus was buried, we were buried with Him.
When Jesus arose from the dead we arose with Him and we are now identified in Him.
Through His death, burial, and resurrection we are the betrothed bride of the last Adam – Jesus Christ.
While my husband (first Adam) is living I’m not free to marry another but once my husband (first Adam) dies I’m free to marry another (Jesus Christ).
Miriam put these Scripture up in a post at CLJ – they go perfectly with this article about the eternal covenant.
Romans 6:
3 Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death?
Under the old covenant -
We, the members of Christ’s body were baptized into Christ’s death. As we were baptized into Christ’s death we were sealed with the seal of heaven.
When we recognized our need of Jesus Christ as our Savior and we received Him as such, our entire sinful case and condition died with Christ.
Jesus was made sin for us.
Jesus was made a curse for us.
Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree.
Jesus rose again for our justification.
By baptism into Christ's death, our entire connection
with sinful Adam is crucified and ended.
4
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.
We were buried with Christ. This is a past action – actualized in us when we received Jesus as our Savior. We were buried with him, by baptism into His death. By the same baptism which publicly enters us into His death, we are made partakers of His burial also. If one is dead, one needs to be buried. As Jesus died and was buried – so too our old sinful nature (in the first Adam) died and was buried.
It was fitting, therefore, that Christ, after dying for our sins according to the Scriptures, should descend into the lower parts of the earth.
Jesus humbled Himself and was obedient to the eternal covenant made between Him and His Father. Burial was the last and lowest step of His humiliation. Jesus honored His part of the eternal covenant in this last obligation to the eternal covenant, (burial, descending into the lower parts of the earth). We were buried with Jesus by our baptism into His death, therefore we have severed our last connection with the entire sinful condition and life of the first Adam which Christ brought to an end in His death.
The second part of verse 4 states - That like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, that is, by the force of the Father's power, i.e. the brightness of His full glory raised Jesus from the dead. This is where the Father fulfilled His part of the eternal covenant. Jesus was covenanted to die and be buried, and when He fulfilled His part, the God of Peace would fulfill His part by raising Jesus from the dead by the full on power of the Father’s glory.
Now, I hope that you have been following this closely because when we complete this study I believe we will see a HUGE clue to the timing of the resurrection/rapture of the church.
Okay, we have concluded that our old sinful nature (in Adam) died when Jesus died. So, too, our old sinful nature (in Adam) was buried with Jesus. Even so, (even as this is true) we also are raised to a new life with Jesus.
The Father might have said to the Son – Son, I want You to die for their sins, be buried, and after three days and three nights I will raise You up from the dead. I covenant with You Son, if You will do this, I will raise You up. Then Jesus might have said, I will do My part Father. The Father said, I will do My part, Son. All God…
We also should walk in newness of life.
What is this newness of life?
Our old sinful nature, now dead and buried with Christ, was utterly sinful. Remember, Jesus took every component of the old sinful Adam – its nature and its power and crucified and condemned it in His death. This is great news!
So then, the Party of the second part has fulfilled His obligation to the everlasting covenant. Likewise, the Party of the first part fulfilled His obligation. The everlasting covenant is all God … and dear ones; we are the ones who reap the benefit of the covenant between the Great Shepherd and the God of peace.
The new life is altogether a holy life when our spirit arose with the risen Savior.
Now, let us settle the eternal security issue.
There is no way, that a new creature in Christ Jesus
can lose their salvation.
Even when we are ashamed of our past sins, we contradict our resurrection with Christ to newness of life. We get amnesia; we forget that we have been purged from our old sins. How much more do we contradict our resurrection with Christ Jesus when we believe we can lose our salvation? This is beyond absurdity, and in fact makes a mockery of the eternal covenant made between the Father and His Son.
Do you actually believe that you can annul the everlasting blood covenant made between the Great Shepherd and the God of peace?
I know many who profess Jesus as their Savior who need to confess this sin of pride. I MUST KEEP MYSELF SAVED.
5 For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his resurrection:
Planted together means: having become formed
together, born together, implanted by birth or
nature, grown together, and united with.
So then, as we are formed together in the likeness of Christ’s death, we shall also be formed together in the likeness of his resurrection.
We must see that since Christ's death and resurrection are inseparable in their importance, value, and worth, our sealed in heaven union with Him, in the one (death) carries with it participation in the other (resurrection); in this union is our benefit and our responsibility alike. As new creatures in Christ Jesus we benefit from Christ’s death and resurrection and we are responsible to uphold the truth wrought for us through His death and resurrection, i.e. we can never lose our salvation.
We must realize that the future tense is used because of our participation in His resurrection, because the resurrection is only partially realized as of this date.
Factually, we are right now, our new creation, seated with Jesus in heaven. We have been resurrected to this newness of life in that our new nature that can only walk after the Spirit is seated in heaven. Our new creation can’t walk after the flesh because the flesh is the old sinful nature of the first Adam. The old sinful nature is dead and condemned in Christ. We are in Christ, and we are seated with Him, therefore we can not walk after the flesh. We can only walk after the Spirit i.e. we live and move and have our entire being in Christ.
Now, in light of the truth of what I just wrote read these words with a fresh understanding.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Do you see it dear ones?
We who are “in Christ” can never be condemned; it is impossible for us to walk after the flesh because we are no longer in the first Adam – we are forever in Christ Jesus.
The sin nature in the first Adam i.e. the flesh, died when Jesus died.
We are now an entirely new creation.
We are neither Jew nor Greek.
We are a brand new creation who can only walk after the Spirit.
Our spirit is right now in heaven – sealed, in union with the Spirit of God.
Our enlivened spirit can only walk after the Spirit that is in heaven.
Our spirit is perfect before the Lord because our spirit has been made clean and quickened through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus, our spirit was dead because of sin that entered into the world through the first Adam.
Before Jesus, we walked after the old man of the flesh, the first Adam.
When Jesus died, He condemned sin in His own flesh.
Our flesh life in the first Adam was condemned in the flesh body of Christ.
Therefore, as new creature – our new nature is incapable of walking after the flesh.
Our soul is being made whole by the washing of the water by the Word of God. The mind is being sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the Word. Christ is preparing His heavenly bride, in order that He might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Our body will be redeemed at the physical resurrection/rapture.
Because our minds are not yet sanctified, and because we still are clothed in this corruptible body we can put our hand, eyes, thoughts, and mouth to sin – but our spirit that has been sealed by the Holy Spirit can not sin.
We are a new creation born again by the Spirit of God.
Our new nature can’t walk after the flesh
– our new nature can only walk after the Spirit.
It is absolutely impossible for the new creation to walk after the flesh. To align ourselves with: we can walk after the flesh as a new creation and therefore come under condemnation would mean that the old sinful nature that died with Jesus and was buried with Jesus is not really dead and buried after all. Not only that, if the old sinful nature did not die and was not buried then the Lord Jesus must die, be buried, and resurrected over and over each and every time we should commit sin in word, thought, or deed. Following the logic of this is another absurdity which is completely contrary to what Scripture teaches, and in fact makes a mockery of God’s eternal blood covenant.
Jesus died once and for all.
The redemptive work of Jesus is finished, and because of this fact we also walk in newness of life.
Now, I said all that to say this:
Linda discovered some things by the Holy Spirit as she was sharing from one of Miriam’s papers. Miriam came behind her sharing and posted more understanding. This endeavor of mine is to build upon what they have both so eloquently stated.
Since we are born again spiritually as brand new creations (neither Jew, nor Greek), and we make up the mystical body of Jesus, He being the Head of this body - does it not make perfect sense that the actualization, i.e. the bodily resurrection of us (whether dead or living), the mystical church body of Jesus will rise on the same day that He arose from the dead?
Jesus is the Head of His mystical body known as the church, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ.
Jesus, the Head, rose from the dead on Nisan 17/18. Is it not logical with all that is laid out above in the everlasting blood covenant that the earthly body of Christ (all the living and dead in Christ) will raise in like manner - and on the same day?
Remember we were formed together in the likeness of Christ’s death.
5a. For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
5b we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
And don’t forget, as pointed out in this verse - our full participation in Christ’s resurrection is yet future i.e. shall be also formed together in the likeness of His resurrection – just like in the likeness of His death.
We shall be also formed together in the
likeness of his resurrection.
At present the resurrection is only partially complete for us. We know that the resurrection is only partly complete because our spirit was redeemed and raised up with Jesus at His resurrection on Nisan 17/18. However, our physical body and soul will also be redeemed at the resurrection of Christ’s earthly body.
The Head of the earthly body was raised bodily at Christ’s resurrection – the earthly body of Christ must follow.
We are presently being formed together in Him.
Once the earthly body of Christ is completely formed together in Him we will be raised incorruptible even as Jesus was raised.
Our individual spirits were formed together in Him in His death, so too our spirit was raised up new when Jesus arose, but the earthly body of Christ is not yet complete, therefore the resurrection is yet unfinished.
Since we know through many studies that God is a God of order and a God of set patterns we believe that it is entirely plausible that the earthly body of Christ will be resurrected on the very day that the Head of the earthly body was raised. The enlivened spirit of us already seated in heaven with Jesus, the restored soul of us, and the redeemed body of us caught up to meet the Lord Jesus (the Head) and there we will be joined forever to Him.
We believe these verses in Romans 6 are a clue to the timing of the bodily resurrection of the earthly body of Christ. Just as our new creation was resurrected in Christ when Jesus was resurrected (Nisan 17/18), so too, the dead in Christ will rise at the resurrection, and the rapture of the living in Christ will transpire on Nisan 17/18, i.e. on RESURRECTION DAY or Firstfruits…
We watch for Jesus to call us up to meet Him. We know that at the time of the resurrection/rapture our minds will be completely renewed, and our corruptible bodies will be changed. We also know that this event will transpire at God’s appointed time. As surely as the eternal covenant was fulfilled when the God of peace raised Jesus from the dead, the resurrection/rapture of Christ’s earthly body will be fulfilled when we are raised up together to meet Him in the air commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Lord said that as often as we meet we were to remember His death until He comes. Through partaking of the elements of the bread and the wine we are to remember His death. The bread represents His body that was broken for us. The wine represents His shed blood whereby we are cleansed of every sin, past, present, and future. Take of these two elements as often as we meet in remembrance of Him.
We truly believe that the resurrection/rapture, of we who are in Christ Jesus will be celebrated on the very day that Jesus was raised from the dead.
As we have been formed together in the likeness of his
death, we shall also be formed together in the likeness of his resurrection.
We celebrate His death until He comes for
His earthly body as often as we meet together.
When He comes for His earthly body, He
will celebrate our full redemption on the very day that He took our newly
birthed spirit with Him to heaven.
The Spirit is given each new creation as a down payment. The Spirit is the earnest pledge for the full payment. The full payment is when Jesus comes for His earthly body and we receive the full redemption promised us. The Holy Spirit is given to the believer now as a first installment to assure him his full inheritance as a son of God.
We are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.
If this coming spring comes and goes, I will look to the following spring. And I will continue to look for Jesus to come for us in the spring on resurrection day until He calls us home.
We believe the patterns in the Written Word show us when our full inheritance will be realized. When we follow the order and the patterns – we believe the time of our redemption will actualize, i.e. come full circle on Firstfruits, the day our Lord took our spirit to be seated with Him in heaven.
I have read many commentaries on Ephesians 4:8 … When he
ascended on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Have we discovered through this paper what this really means? Could this verse mean that we were captive to sin, but as we are the ones who benefit from the eternal covenant wrought by His death, burial, and resurrection - when Jesus ascended, He took us, who were formerly captive to sin, and led us to heaven where we are now seated with Him free of sin?... And that, He gave gifts unto men, i.e. prophets, apostles, teachers, etc…
Jesus led the way. God’s grace made a way for those captive to sin to be reconciled to God. He led captivity captive. Jesus took captive the devil, death, the curse, and sin, and in doing so He led the way for His new creation through His death, burial, and resurrection. He concluded His first coming at His ascension when He took our newly born spirit with Him to heaven.
To close:
We are not under the new covenant, nor are we any part of
it. The new covenant is strictly for
The eternal covenant is solely a God covenant, between the
God of peace and the Great Shepherd. The birthed from above church body are
recipients of God’s
everlasting blood covenant.
Do we guarantee that the resurrection/rapture will for sure
occur on Nisan 17/18? We can’t, but we believe the Word points very strongly to
this conclusion.
May the God of peace, and the Great Shepherd of us - grant us peace and rest as we strive to rightly divide the Word of Truth…
This paper was
formulated with the aid of JFB commentary, the teachings of MJS, the Written
Word of God, and the quickening of the Holy Spirit.
bravenet.com
