Beloved in Christ,
Warm Greetings in the name of our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ.
Wish you all a very happy and blessed New Year 2016. When we look back to the year 2015, we have to thank and praise God for His care, protection and blessings that he has given to us. At the beginning of the year we do a covenant service. It means we are the covenant people. God prophesied “ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the hand that I gave to your fathers: you shall be My people and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36: 26 – 28). People do not naturally like to obey God’s laws. It is not in our natural, carnal nature to follow God’s ways, with out the spirit of God. But those ways produce human misery and ultimately lead to death (Romans 3: 16). God’s spirit empowers us to put to death the deeds of the body, the evil works of the flesh such as adultery, fornication, hatred, jealousy, anger and selfishness (Galatians 5: 9-21). When we have God’s spirit dwelling in us, it enables us to have an attitude of enthusiastically and from the heart of wanting to submit to God and follow His lead. The new covenant is God’s commitment to give His people His spirit so they can obey Him. It is to be noticed in this passage that God’ law is included in the new covenant. His law not changed. What God commit himself is to change human heart. He will enable those entering the New Covenant with Him to willingly and wholeheartedly obey His laws.
Remember, God did not find a fault in His law under the terms of the old covenant. The fault was in the self– centered and rebellious thinking of the people. God’s law and way of life remain an integral part of the new covenant. The new covenant requires a genuine change in the heart and mind that can be accomplished only through the transforming power of God’s spirit. Once an young man asked Jesus, “what good things shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus responded. “If you want to enter in to life, keep the commandments” (Mathew 19: 16-17). Rules are involved in any relationship. God’s laws are part of the Old Covenant. They are also part of the New Covenant. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can have a heart that can be able to respond much differently from those ancient Israelites , who rejected God’s way of life.
The nature of God’s law is fundamental to the understanding of Biblical covenants. The laws of God endure for ever (Psalms 119: 89). He established them to last for forever (Psalms 119: 152). The notion of a covenant without rules that define the relationship makes no sense.
Wish you all a blessed new year
Yours in Christ
Rev. C.C.Sabu
