Covenantal Salvation

The point of my writing is less about answering any significant questions and more focused on struggling through questions. The more I know, the less there seems to be certain.

The idea of covenants is nothing new, and certainly something that most Christians are comfortable with. The Old Testament is saturated with covenantal relationships. God and the people or Israel, God's covenant with Abraham, God's covenant with Moses are just a few of the covenantal examples found in scripture. Many Christians faced with the question that the bible supports polytheism with a different God in each of the Testaments. They will point out that Scripture claims that Christ is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. Some perhaps will point to the first verse of John. "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God" To point to God's eternal nature. So, if God is in fact the same today, as he was in the both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Why do we then act as if there are no covenants?

Often times in my experience, people are more comfortable with the concept of covenantal relationship, but seem to deem it too legalistic for our day and age. Some would point to the new Covenant being under Christ and being a covenant of Grace. However, this is only valid if you neglect to consider the contents of the New Testament. It, much like the Old Testament is saturated with covenantal language. Some of the flagship verses contain this language.

John 15:1-8 "If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit." Verse 7 goes on to say that "if a man remains in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be given to you."

This verse is important that it brings clarification, i believe to the oft misquoted "when two or more are gathered passage" This is the covenant part, if you remain in me. If.You.Remain.In.Me. IF. So, in order for Christ to remain in us, we must remain in him. Let's switch the word remain, to abide. To remain seems to be still, maybe resting but also possibly stagnant. To abide, is to endure without yielding. So, we must abide in Christ, THEN he will abide in us. This should be be confused in thinking that we can accomplish such an act apart from Christ, but the two acts are synonymous.

Often I hear John 8:36 proclaimed, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Which is true, however, most do not recognize the qualifier of this statement is found a few verses back in verse 31 where it says “IF you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So, to be set free then, according to verse 31 we first must hold to his teachings, a sign of a disciple, then we will know the truth and accordingly experience freedom.

We clamor about free will, yet act as if we have no responsibility to follow Christ. We concern ourselves with rights and grace, but fail to pay the cost. We verbally yearn for a revival, yet internally are comfortable in our complacency. There are to great commandments in scripture, first, what is known in Judaism as the Shema, which is found in Deut. 3:5, a call to love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” The second is to love your neighbor as yourself” found in Mark 12:28-31. Given the highly narcissistic nature of church society this last one is quite challenging.

The fact is that our salvation with God is covenantal. The New Testament is full of the if/then covenantal language. We cannot, we must not believe that we cannot deny Christ in our actions and think to cling to grace when we stand before him. We will find, on that day, it is not grace we have been clinging to but the coat tails of the father of lies.

Matthew 10:32

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge them before my father in heaven. But who ever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Cost of the Cross.

When did following Christ become so easy? When did it become so safe? When did the words of Christ "take up your cross and follow me" stop resounding in our ears? When did we move from the idea that the chief end of man is to glorify God to the chief end of God is to glorify man? When did our hearts began only to break for ourselves instead of the lost? Why is our own personal safety and happiness become priority one? How do I continue to justify my materialism in the face of the impoverished? How do I believe to follow Christ, and yet so often his word leaves me unchanged? Do i believe I follow Christ, or am i living as if Christ followed me. When has being a Christian become painless and without sacrifice in North America? Has it ever been different? Is it different now, and my perspective is merely limited by my environment?

Why is everyone seemingly terrified of challenging their brothers and sisters to walk closer with the Lord? Why is o.k. to watch i supposedly care about fret away their salvation in sin? Why are we scared of confrontation? Where is the accountability? Why is our generation so damn therapeutic and obsessed with being politically correct? Christ's closes companions all paid a significant price, socially, physically, and most paid with their lives. Yet, i see people in my generation toting Jesus is my homeboy shirts, who are aghast that following Christ should cost them something personally. Their right, it shouldn't cost something, it will cost them everything.

Christ, toted amongst most believers as the example to follow,in Mark 8:34 told his disciples that to follow him, life would require them to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him. We are not very good at denying ourselves, or taking up our cross. Often it seems, my prayers have been littered with requests for God to get me through the desert, to break some sin in my life, to get me to the end of some particular journey instead of the strength to get there.

Scripture denotes the importances of trials as character defining, and essentially sources of an unfailing hope (Romans 5:3-4, James 1) Regardless, our faith, and our journey will lead us to hear one of two things at the end. It will either be Well done my good and faithful servant (as did the faithful servant in mat 25)or I never knew you, away from me you evildoers.

Christ in me, Christ with me, Christ for me.