The Lord Jesus came as the Messenger of the New Covenant - Malachi 3:1. He did not come to
put away the laws of God and replace it with grace. However, both law and grace can coexist harmoniously and they are inseparable. For without law there would be no need for grace, for sin is the transgression of the law - 1 John-3:4. If there is no law to break, there is no concept of sin.
Since God is perfect and holy, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Therefore, God's Plan of Salvation encompassed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through it all, He might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9) for forgiveness of our sins. This is God's grace, His favor, available for everyone who repent by turning away from sin. Those who obey and are given the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) are people redeemed from every lawless deed, purified and set apart as a group of special people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). No amount of good works by man can cancel the death penalty for sin save the redemption work of Jesus Christ!
Grace is not just God squashing the death penalty for those who obey Him and receive forgiveness, but much more than that. It also involves the gift of His Holy Spirit to help the believer obey His law from the heart and eventually obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God. Hence, without law there would be no way to define sin; and without grace there would be no way to find forgiveness for all our sins! Contrary to popular belief, both law and grace are interlinked and required for salvation and eternal life. They are not mutually exclusive.
The Sinai Covenant (Old Covenant) given through Moses was not flawed per se, but the problem lies in the people's lack of a willing heart to obey God's law - Hebrews 8:7-8. Also, since the people then were not given the Holy Spirit due to disobedience, they could not understand the full meaning and significance of God's law given to them because the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, and foolishness unto him (1 Corinthians 2: 14). But the day is coming when God will give them His Holy Spirit and write His laws on the fleshly tablets of their hearts - 2 Corinthians 3:3.
The writer of Hebrew (whom I believe is the Apostle Paul) states that Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better covenant which was established with better promises. It is a better covenant because it included the gift of eternal life which was not available in the Sinai Covenant. Such better promises came about only after Jesus Christ had been crucified and resurrected from the dead! Coupled with the gift of God's Spirit, it can transform hearts and minds of those who will repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who eventually succeed to become over-comers will receive the promise of eternal inheritance - Hebrews 9:15.
The Sinai Covenant was temporary in that until everything it symbolized were fulfilled by or through Jesus Christ. Such symbolic features like ceremonial rituals were no longer required under the New Covenant when Jesus Christ came as the sacrificial Lamb to replace bulls and goats and became our High Priest in place of the Levitical priesthood. It does NOT do away with the moral laws of God of righteousness like The Ten Commandments. All the moral and righteous laws of God remain intact even under the New Covenant! In fact, it expects a higher standard in that not only the letters of the laws but the spirit and intent of God's laws have to be kept. In A.D 70 when the physical temple was destroyed and burnt to the ground by the Roman army, all form of ceremonial rituals practiced by the Jewish system of temple worship came to a halt.
put away the laws of God and replace it with grace. However, both law and grace can coexist harmoniously and they are inseparable. For without law there would be no need for grace, for sin is the transgression of the law - 1 John-3:4. If there is no law to break, there is no concept of sin.
Since God is perfect and holy, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Therefore, God's Plan of Salvation encompassed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through it all, He might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9) for forgiveness of our sins. This is God's grace, His favor, available for everyone who repent by turning away from sin. Those who obey and are given the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) are people redeemed from every lawless deed, purified and set apart as a group of special people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). No amount of good works by man can cancel the death penalty for sin save the redemption work of Jesus Christ!
Grace is not just God squashing the death penalty for those who obey Him and receive forgiveness, but much more than that. It also involves the gift of His Holy Spirit to help the believer obey His law from the heart and eventually obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God. Hence, without law there would be no way to define sin; and without grace there would be no way to find forgiveness for all our sins! Contrary to popular belief, both law and grace are interlinked and required for salvation and eternal life. They are not mutually exclusive.
The Sinai Covenant (Old Covenant) given through Moses was not flawed per se, but the problem lies in the people's lack of a willing heart to obey God's law - Hebrews 8:7-8. Also, since the people then were not given the Holy Spirit due to disobedience, they could not understand the full meaning and significance of God's law given to them because the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, and foolishness unto him (1 Corinthians 2: 14). But the day is coming when God will give them His Holy Spirit and write His laws on the fleshly tablets of their hearts - 2 Corinthians 3:3.
The writer of Hebrew (whom I believe is the Apostle Paul) states that Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better covenant which was established with better promises. It is a better covenant because it included the gift of eternal life which was not available in the Sinai Covenant. Such better promises came about only after Jesus Christ had been crucified and resurrected from the dead! Coupled with the gift of God's Spirit, it can transform hearts and minds of those who will repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who eventually succeed to become over-comers will receive the promise of eternal inheritance - Hebrews 9:15.
The Sinai Covenant was temporary in that until everything it symbolized were fulfilled by or through Jesus Christ. Such symbolic features like ceremonial rituals were no longer required under the New Covenant when Jesus Christ came as the sacrificial Lamb to replace bulls and goats and became our High Priest in place of the Levitical priesthood. It does NOT do away with the moral laws of God of righteousness like The Ten Commandments. All the moral and righteous laws of God remain intact even under the New Covenant! In fact, it expects a higher standard in that not only the letters of the laws but the spirit and intent of God's laws have to be kept. In A.D 70 when the physical temple was destroyed and burnt to the ground by the Roman army, all form of ceremonial rituals practiced by the Jewish system of temple worship came to a halt.
