God the Father was aware from the time of creation that men would fail to live by the high standards expected of those He’d created in His own image (Gen 1;26). So it is that Jesus, second Person of the Trinity, is referred to as a “Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8). God understood before creation that neither man‟s good intentions nor his willpower would be sufficient for living in accordance to God‟s will. So while the Law is beautiful, it was given to reveal the desperate need of man for a Savior. Calvary says God cannot repair us as we are. The only remedy is crucifixion of self and becoming new creations in Christ instead of living by a nature inherited from Adam.
God explained why a new covenant was needed to replace that made at Mount Sinai between Himself and His chosen people the Israelites. “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone” (Eze 36:22). How true this is of the church in America today as well! We fail to realize that we’re saved to glorify God, not just to be recipients of abundant blessings. God’s name is profaned by those who profess belief in His Son yet continue to live according to the ways of a condemned world (1 Co 11:32).
In contrast to the old covenant made between God and man at Mount Sinai, it became necessary for God to make a covenant with His Son so we might live “in Christ” as new creations and not as a repair job. Because of unfaithfulness, God gave the Israelites a “certificate of divorce” (Jer 3:8) and spoke of need for a new covenant: “The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them…..I will put my law in their minds and write in on their hearts’” (Jer 31-33).
God realized that apart from empowering by His Spirit, it would be impossible for one to walk in the footsteps of His Son. So it is that God spoke of a new covenant through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Eze 36: 26,27). Note God does not indicate His laws and commandments for holy living were cancelled under the new covenant brought by the birth, death and resurrection of His Son. To the contrary, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit would make righteous living a reality for those redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
How then was this covenant completed whereby Jesus could exclaim as He hung on the Cross, “It is finished,” after which He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (Jn 19:30). Jesus, Son of God and very God Himself, was required to “not consider equality with God something to be grasped” by His “being made in human likeness” (Php 2:6,7l). Only by taking on human nature could Jesus become related to us as a “kinsman” and act as our “Redeemer” by paying the price for our sin debt. It was a sacrificial act beautifully foretold in the OT story of Ruth. However more was involved than Jesus shedding His blood, without which there would not be available forgiveness of our sins (see Heb 9:22).
Not only are sins forgiven for those who repent and come to Christ by grace through faith, but death lost its sting for the believer with Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor 15:55,56). Furthermore, demonic authorities under the rule of Satan were stripped of their power to hold men captive against their will (Col 2:15). Were that not sufficient, the new covenant includes the dead spirit of man being “born again” by the work of the Holy Spirit who comes to indwell the believer, making him a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 6:19). The new covenant would result in what Paul describes as a “mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:26-27).
The message of the gospel would not merely involve forgiveness of sins as taught almost exclusively from many pulpits. The message to hear isn’t simply about having a changed life but about having an exchanged life…. dying to self and Christ living within. Paul wrote Timothy, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him” (2 Tim 2:11). It is an exchanged life whereby Jesus lives in believers by His Spirit to direct their thoughts, decisions, speech and actions. This is why Scripture says that all in Christ are new creations and not repair jobs. It‟s as Paul proclaimed to the early church, i “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
Could they speak, fish would say it‟s easy to swim but hard to fly. Believers should be able to say it‟s easy to overcome temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit but hard to sin. Yet such is only true of those who hear Jesus say that to lose one’s life for His sake means saving their life (Mt 10:39). Salvation does not take place by making a “decision for Christ” as often preached. John 1:13 tells us specifically that salvation does not come by “human decision.” Millions have been deceived into believing they are saved through making a ‘decision’ and consider themselves forgiven in the absence of true repentance and having self crucified to the lordship of Jesus the Christ.
One act by Jesus would remain following His resurrection to complete the provision available under the New Covenant. As prophesied earlier (Joel 2:28), John the Baptist spoke of a critical part of the new covenant: “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Lk 3:16). Baptism with the Holy Spirit would be a work of grace distinct from regeneration (being “born again”). But life with this baptism was not possible until Jesus returned to heaven to receive a gift promised by His Father (see Ac 1:4,5). “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Ac 2:33).
These words were spoken by Peter when the Holy Spirit came upon those believers who had waited faithfully as instructed by Jesus (see Lk 24:49; Ac 1:4). With coming of the Holy Spirit upon (Gk epi) them, they went out empowered to continue the ministry Jesus had begun, namely preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing the sick, and setting free those under demonic influence. On Resurrection Eve when Jesus appeared in the midst of disciples, He breathing on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It was the resurrected Christ and inbreathed Spirit giving new spiritual life (Jn 20:22). At Pentecost, it was the ascended Christ and outpoured Spirit, igniting divine power in those already born again.
This “baptism with the Holy Spirit” is an experience distinct from salvation throughout the book of Acts (see Ac 2; 8:14-17; 9:17; 19:1-7). Anointing with the Holy Spirit also took place with Jesus immediately following His baptism in water by John the Baptism and it enabled Jesus’ earthly ministry (Lk 4:18). Luke records that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth [His nature as fully man in contrast to His nature as fully God] with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him” (Ac 10:38). In like manner, the Holy Spirit comes upon believers today by the ascended Christ, empowering them to not only preach the good news but to continue Jesus’ ministry of destroying the devil’s works by healing the sick and casting out demons (see 1 Jn 3:8).
