LEAVING THE FIRST PRINCIPLES -- Tomorrow:
"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits." (Hebrews 6:1-4, NKJV).
Devotion 5 of 24
The Holy Spirit encourages growth, leading us to put to death the "deeds of the body" (Rom 8:13), and pouring out the love of God into our hearts (Rom 5:5). Through the Spirit, we are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18).
In His glorified capacity as our High Priest, the Lord Jesus is leading us to glory (Heb 2:10), manifesting Himself to us (John 14:23), and teaching us (Eph 4:20-21). He dwells in our hearts by faith, so we may "be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph 3:18-19).
Most believers in Christ are aware that there are major deficiencies in the professed church. Commitment is something less than at an optimum level. Spiritual understanding is exceedingly rare. Convenience is preeminent in many Christian circles, with the activities of local congregations tailored for the disinterested. There are fewer preachers than there has been for a long time. Solid teachers of the Word are rather uncommon.
Let it be clear, this is not simply a complaint. Rather, it is an assessment that is held by nearly all spiritually informed people. What has produced this condition? Why is fervency for the Lord so little known? Why are more professed Christians not noted for being "steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor 15:58)?
This condition is not owing to any deficiency in the New Covenant. This is a superior covenant wherein the results God desires are achieved. Read the covenant once again, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb 8:10-12). This is declared to be the very covenant Jesus is presently mediating (Heb 8:6; 9:15; Heb 12:24).
The New Covenant, called a "better hope," is said to make men "PERFECT" (Heb 7:19). "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God." Here "the Law," which was the First Covenant, is compared with a "better hope," which is the New Covenant. Extending the comparison between "the Law" and the "better hope," verse twenty-two declares that Jesus is the "surety," or "guarantee" (NASB, NIV) of a "better covenant, " or "testament." Chapter eight reminds us Jesus is the "Mediator of a better covenant which is established upon better promises" (8:6). The "first covenant" did not produce "perfection," and thus the New Covenant was inaugurated. That "better covenant" is declared in the eight chapter (verses 7-13).
The perfection the Law could not produce pertained to the conscience. It could not cleanse the conscience from dead works (Heb 9;14). It could not produce a sense of sins forgiven in the heart of the worshiper. And that for good reason: its sacrifices brought no satisfaction to God (Heb 10:6), and could not take away sin (Heb 10:4).
What a wonderful covenant we have in Christ Jesus. it is superior in every way to the first covenant which "made nothing perfect." Those under its gracious provisions "know the Lord." His law has been "put into their hearts," and written "upon their minds." God remembers their sins "no more." The glorious Gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim1:11) announces it, and the Holy Spirit brings it home to us, shedding the love of God abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5).
Indeed, the Law "made nothing perfect." However, the bringing in of a "better hope" did bring perfection. It is a perfection of which we partake, not one we achieve. Only God can "make you perfect" (1 Pet 5:10), and the New Covenant is the area in which that is accomplished.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for deliverance from the Law, that could make nothing perfect, and the blessing of having a better covenant established upon better promises.