Strong Man Of God Blog

On January 29, 2014 in The Faith by Robert Kelley

Originally Posted January 26, 2014

God’s New Covenant (just as the Old) is broken only by its mortal parties to the second part not for one sin or ten thousand that are forgiven upon confession and repentance. It is broken by a persistent, unbelief driven return to the willful practice of sin in disobedience without repentance along with stubborn resistance to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and church discipline as a de facto apostate (Isaiah 63:7-10; Jeremiah 7:21-27, 8:4-6; Acts 7:51; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 12:19-21; Philippians 3:17-19; 1 Timothy 5:6-15; Titus 1:10-16; Hebrews 3:7-13). It is also broken by willful and blatant apostasy (Jeremiah 2:1-13, 11:1-10; Matthew 10:16-33; 2 Timothy 2:11-13).

So, why would a soul that through the Gospel has been “enlightened,” “tasted the heavenly gift” of salvation, become a partaker of the Holy Spirit as well as “tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” return to the unrepentant practice of sin or decide to deny the Lord and the faith outright, breaking His New Covenant (Hebrews 6:4-5, NKJV)? The answer to this question is complicated and beyond absolutes as it concerns the individual human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). However, God’s Word reveals a number of motives and reasons men fall away rooted in satanic activity, sin and self that gives important spiritual insight (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).

Beginning with Adam to this very moment in the world, the Bible shows how Satan deliberately works to entice men to sin. Men disobey God because they willfully choose to stop believing Him and His Word and instead believe Satan’s lies. They also fail to love God more than self and exalt their own will and desires over His (Genesis 3:1-6; James 1:12-18; 1 John 2:15-17). Satan, sin and self do not respect the fact that men enter into covenant with God. In fact, these enemies intensify their adversarial efforts when a man seeks to live for and please God (Genesis 16:1-2; Matthew 16:21-23)! Hence, in Christ, mortal believers are not exempt from satanic temptation to sin stirred by an intact sin nature.

Indeed, many born again Christians do not understand they have two natures: the sin nature they were born with the apostle Paul calls the “old man” (also called “the flesh”) and a new nature created in them at their new spiritual birth by the indwelling Holy Spirit he calls the “new man” as I also share in my book, The Strong Man Of God (Romans 7:14-8:11; Ephesians 4:17-24). Now, these two natures struggle for supremacy unless we, with made up minds, willfully choose to put to death the sin controlled flesh and its desires by walking in the Spirit; led, controlled and empowered by Him (Romans 8:12-17; Galatians 5:16-18, 22-25)! When we fail to obey, we immediately draw near to God to confess and repent from our sin. Faith in and love for God motivate us (Psalm 51:1-17).

The willful decision (the Bible teaches man’s freewill is always respected by God who gave it to him) not to “walk in the Spirit” by faith in and love for God is by default, a decision to walk in the satanically influenced, sin controlled flesh. Without repentance, “the deceitfulness of sin” causes a gradual decline in faith and backslide from God as well as hardening of the heart toward Him (Hebrews 3:12-13, NKJV). Again, faith is not a static concept. It can decrease or increase. This is the major reason believers are taught to continually grow in faith, love and knowledge of Christ to the end of spiritual maturity, godly character as well as avoidance of error and backsliding to destruction (2 Corinthians 10:14-16; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4; Hebrews 5:5-6:2; 2 Peter 1:2-11, 3:17-18).

God in love, mercy and grief employs measures including painful discipline to encourage the repentance of the backslider (Psalm 32; Amos 4:6-11; Ephesians 4:25-32; Hebrews 12:3-11; Revelation 3:19). He even puts some transgressors weak in faith to death to save their souls and warn the rest of us that would follow in their ways (1 Corinthians 5:1-8, 11:23-32; 1 Timothy 5:24-25). The sovereign, longsuffering God--who knows every heart and takes no delight in the death of the wicked--alone decides when, finally, to give the faithless, willfully sinning man who will not repent over to irrevocable judgment (2 Chronicles 36:15-17; Proverbs 29:1; Jeremiah 5:1-13, 17:10; Ezekiel 18:30-32; Luke 13:6-9; Romans 1:18-2:10, 11:19-22). No sinner inherits God’s Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:1-7; Revelation 22:12-17).

The deliberate apostate is immediately condemned (Luke 11:24-26; Galatians 1:6-9; Hebrews 6:4-8; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-22; Jude 4). In the case of both the de facto and willful apostate, the rejection of Christ and His once and for all sacrifice for sin leaves them with no other sacrifice or covenant. Also, God considers their rejection the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit with no outcome but eternal destruction (Luke 12:8-10; Hebrews 10:26-39; 1 John 5:14-17). Truly, the Lord Jesus plainly warns prospective followers and parties to the second part of God’s New Covenant about His demand that they make Him their ‘“first love’” and declares His willingness to destroy those who will not (Luke 14:25-26; Revelation 2:1-5, NKJV). Therefore, let every professing Christian give full heed to Hebrews 3:14-19 as does the aspiring strong man of God. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”

Tagged With: Beware of breaking God's New Covenant!

Party Of The Second Part, Pt. 1

On January 28, 2014 in The Faith by Robert Kelley

Originally Posted January 19, 2014

In continuing to celebrate God’s New Covenant in the New Year, the Holy Spirit has led me to further discuss its terms and conditions. A covenant is a binding agreement between at least two parties. God is the Party of the first part to His New Covenant which He has taken the initiative to offer freely to men that will enter into it through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ during this temporary season of grace. God being of perfectly trustworthy character, there is no doubt but that He for His part keeps His covenants and performs what He has promised as His Word also testifies (Deuteronomy 7:9-11; Nehemiah 1:1-7; Psalm 105:7-12; Daniel 9:1-8; Hebrews 6:13-18, 11:17-19, 13:20-21).

Mortal men that will respond as God has required are the party of the second part to His New Covenant. This is very important to understand for while God offers His salvation and New Covenant to all mankind, not all respond in the way He has prescribed to enter in! Only those who in voluntary repentance and faith receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and on the third day after rose again--are qualified to enter into the promise of salvation guaranteed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and God’s New Covenant (Acts 2:36-39; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Hebrews 8:7-13, 10:1-22).

God’s New Covenant is for believers in Jesus Christ who like Abraham the father of the faith that pleases God, accept His terms and embrace His promises at His word (Romans 4)! God’s terms in summary (see my January 10, 2014 posting, God’s New Covenant under the category, Holidays) are that He will be God to believers and we His people. He will supernaturally write His laws in our minds and on our hearts and each one will know Him intimately. He will completely forgive the past sins of believers and those confessed in repentance going forward all due to the finished work and continuing intercession of Christ who serves eternally as our High Priest (Isaiah 53:10-12; Hebrews 7:11-28; 1 John 1:5-2:2).

The Lord has only one condition for believers as a party of the second part to His New Covenant. It is the same as it was for Israel exclusively under the Old Covenant: walk lifelong with Him in faith and love driven obedience (Exodus 19:3-8; Deuteronomy 6:1-5; Galatians 5:5-6)! Uniquely under the New Covenant we are not charged to keep God’s law written externally through our best self-effort (which no sinful man can). But now, He has superiorly put His law inside of us and given us power through the Holy Spirit to live it out with hardly any conscious effort to His glory (Romans 8:1-5)! When we sin, upon our confession and repentance He forgives us as promised.

Our coming to God in faith for the promise of salvation is not just as a one-time act, but we ‘“live by faith’” in Him for life (Romans 1:16-17, NKJV). This active and continuing faith in God is demonstrated by its works for as James writes, “faith without works (deeds) is dead,” (James 2:14-26, NKJV). He cites how Abraham not only believed the promise of God at the time it was given, but also later when tested held to his confidence in spite of being asked to sacrifice Isaac who was the link to the fulfillment of the promise (Genesis 22:15-18). In the same way, God expects believers in His future promise of salvation completed to persevere in their faith as displayed daily in their lives through all manner of trials. All lack of faith (unbelief) is sin (Romans 14:23b; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:2-8; 1 Peter 1:3-9).

When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a believer in accord with God’s New Covenant, such a one will immediately begin to experience the reality of God for He comes to us as He is. “God is love,” (1 John 4:8, NKJV). God’s love is not theoretical; it is experienced because He Himself is love (Romans 5:5)! In God’s love we love Him back the way He has required: obedience to His commandments (John 14:15-24). Obedience is not some burdensome legalistic task either, but the love and joy-filled experience of our life in and from God wherein we are also enabled to love fellow believers (1 John 5:1-3), the unsaved and enemies as God does (Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 13:8-10). In light of God’s excellent terms and one condition that He even helps the willing fulfill, why would any mortal party to His New Covenant want to break it?

Tagged With: God's New Covenant blesses believers in Christ

Robert Kelley's weekly instruction, observations and reflections inspired by the Lord posted each Sunday night.

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