Grace of Christ and the New Covenant
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But they had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the
exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in them-
selves, to render obedience to God’s law, and their need of a Saviour.
God gave them His law with the promise of great blessings on
condition of obedience: “If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep
My covenant, ... ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy
nation.”
Exodus 19:5, 6
. The people did not realize the sinfulness of
their own hearts and that without Christ it was impossible for them to
keep God’s law. Feeling able to establish their own righteousness, they
declared, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
Exodus 24:7
. They readily entered into covenant with God. Yet only a
few weeks passed before they broke their covenant and bowed down
to worship a graven image. Now, seeing their sinfulness and their need
of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the Saviour revealed
in the Abrahamic covenant and shadowed forth in the sacrificial offer-
ings. Now they were prepared to appreciate the blessings of the new
covenant.
The New Covenant and Justification by Faith
The terms of the “old covenant” were, Obey and live: “If a man
do, he shall even live in them.”
Ezekiel 20:11
. But “cursed be he that
confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them.”
Deuteronomy
27:26
. The “new covenant” was established upon “better promises,”
the promise of forgiveness and the grace of God to renew the heart and
bring it into harmony with God’s law. “This shall be the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I
will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts... .
I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:33, 34
.
The same law that was engraved upon tables of stone is written by
the Holy Spirit upon the heart. We accept the righteousness of Christ.
His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then
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through the grace of Christ we shall walk even as He walked. Through
the prophet He declared of Himself, “I delight to do Thy will, O My
God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.”
Psalm 40:8
.
Paul clearly presents the relation between faith and the law under
the new covenant: “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God