The New Covenant

Focus Statement

For many, God is as distant as the cold reaches of outer space.

They, of course, believe in God and try to live “good” lives but, in the end,

they do not have a close, personal relationship with God.

Today, we learn that closeness to God is NOT the same as “doing good”;

rather, any good we do is because of God and our closeness to Him.

Point of Relation

As a pastor I interact with a lot of people,

many of who will claim to be people of faith…in particular…people of the Christian faith...

of all sorts of denominational and theological backgrounds.

Most of these folks are average, every day people.

And their understanding of the Christian faith is both informed by their upbringing as well as their own personal reflections.

I find, sadly, very few of these are actively practicing in a faith community...

or attending to the ordinances of God.

And fewer still have any understanding of what the Bible says about salvation or how to maintain a close relationship with God.

I hear all sorts of “beliefs” from Christians that are simply not Biblical, let alone accurate to whatever faith they were pulled from.

For instance, many “Christians” will say that they believe in karma.

And yet, they don’t truly understand Karma from an Hindu perspective...

And their beliefs are simply made up from whatever they may have picked up on TV or in the movies.

Certainly, not the kind of beliefs I would be willing to bet my soul on…personally.

One such person I was talking to happened to be a Roman Catholic...

And out of the lot of Christians, Roman Catholics tend to be more aware of the doctrines of the church...

However, some of those doctrines get misunderstood.

For instance, I was speaking to a Roman Catholic person a little while ago who said to me...

I just want to do enough good to shave off a few extra years in purgatory.

Put aside the fact that purgatory is never mentioned in the Bible, especially not in the Christian cannon consisting of 66 books...

This kind of understanding is both common and mistaken...

The understanding that we have to EARN our Way to God.

That if we don’t “do good” it will count against us in heaven…possibly barring our entrance.

What’s more, many Christians believe that because they are Christian…

they are suddenly impervious to sin…and that they are “good” Christians’

John Wesley, the father of Methodism, taught quite differently...

First, John Wesely defines salvation as something quite different than the common understanding:

which is to go to heaven as opposed to going to hell.

For Wesley, pulling from Scripture,

Salvation was both the justification or pardon for our sin

and the sanctification or purifying of our sinful selves,

transforming us into whole and holy children of God.

In other words, salvation is the moment we are forgiven of our sins and the Holy Spirit begins to perfect us in God’s love.

It is not a future happening...

as in “I am saved when I go to heaven...”

Rather, it HAS happened presently...

and that Salvation is leading you closer and closer to Jesus.

Second, Wesley understood that Salvation (both Justification and Sanctification) happens only through FAITH.

That is the ONLY condition for SALVATION:

That one believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Good works are NEVER sufficient for Salvation…only FAITH is!

Through THE NEW COVENANT sealed through Jesus’ blood.

And, finally, as a result of Sanctification, we produce good works as the FRUITS of our FAITH.

That, as Wesley put it…that, and that alone, is the Scripturre Way of Salvation!

Things to Consider

It is common for us to turn to meritocracy when trying to understand Salvation...

As we believe that if we “do good” it must mean that we are on the right track or that we are good people..

But that understanding is theologically flawed and here is why:

We don’t have the power to do anything but sin and evil,

apart from the grace of God.

So, if “we” do good at all, it is solely because of God…not because of our own ability.

Therefore, we do nothing…it is God who is doing the good through us!

It is God enabling and empowering us to be agents of good in the world.

To think otherwise is to negate the Gospel…the GOOD NEWS of THE NEW COVENANT...

with the lie that it was not God through Jesus Christ...

Rather it is by our own power that we are good...

and ultimately, if we are good…we don’t need to be saved…right?

Theologically, it is vital for us to GET THIS RIGHT as Christians.

What Scripture Says

You may be wondering…

well, who is he to tell us that we’re not good…

or to define salvation in such ways...

You may also be wondering, what makes John Wesley right...

or how do we know that Wesley’s understanding was truly Scriptural?

Okay, okay, as good Methodists, I am sure you would never question the sagely wisdom of Johnn Wesley...

But let’s say, for a moment that one might question such things.

In our very readings today, we see that Scripture points us to the same exact truth that it pointed John Wesley.

In Exodus, we are with Moses as he comes down off of Mt. Sinai with the fifteen…oops…ten commandments...

(Shameless Mel Brooks reference)

Because he had been in the presence of the LORD, his face was glowing like a lightbulb...

and he had to put a veil over his head to dim the light…because the people were afraid.

The ten commandments are, of course, representative of the Law of Moses...

The BIG 10, but also the other 603 laws as well.

And this is where the Apostle comes in.

In his second letter to the Corinthians...or Two Corinthians as it is called by some...

Paul draws a comparison between people of the LAW and people of FAITH...

utilizing the Scripture we read in Exodus.

For Paul, he likens the meaning of the veil this way:

The people had to hide from God’s glory because they were sinners with hardened hearts...

They hid because the LAW exposed them of their sin...

and were literally afraid of God’s wrath.

Thus, they were veiled away from God as a result.

In Christ, however, there is NO REASON to hide from God...

Because Christians have the hope that they are not saved by FOLLOWING THE LAW...

But, rather, they are justified by God’s grace through their FAITH in Jesus Christ!

Out of that, our hearts are on a journey of sanctification…which aligns us with God!

For Paul, the LAW points to JESUS.

There is no way to satisfy the law but through JESUS...

Who paid the price of our sins and, thus, satisfied the LAW...

And continues to satisfy the LAW through the process of sanctification...

Until one day we are free from EVIL, SIN, and DEATH

What’s more, in the fourth chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us that

BEFORE THE LAW EXISTED: Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.

Paul is not just making this up; rather, he is quoting Scripture directly.

It says in Genesis 15:6 “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

FAITH was always the answer...

but as humans we tend to lean into “good deeds” and keeping up appearances.

FAITH was always the key to THE NEW COVENANT...

yet, we hardened our hearts and attempted to TRY and follow the LAWS through our own “good nature”.

Thus, we became slaves to the law…and saw people as being created for the LAW…rather than the other way around.

So, friends, this is why Paul is so important to read...

Because he was a Jewish theologian and understands Jesus through that lens.

He brings us the closest to Jesus out of any other source aside from the Gospels...

Which were all written after Paul’s letters were already circulating.

He brings us the Scripture Way of Salvation...

and that FAITH. Faith in Christ and faith in Christ alone is sufficient for our salvation.

This is the way of The New Covenant!

What’s more, on Transfiguration Sunday, we remember Jesus meeting with Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) on the mountain top...

We also remember that Jesus was Transfigured and shone as brightly as the sun...

declaring to the disciples and to the world that, through Jesus Christ, we no longer need hide from God...

For we are saved by our Faith in Christ and his redeeming sacrifice on the cross.

What This Means for You

How have you considered your own salvation?

Have you been stuck in that vicious cycle of trying to earn and earn and earn your way into God’s love or into heaven?

What things are holding you back from putting your full trust in Jesus Christ as your savior?

We often don’t like to feel out of control...

and so perhaps this is why we struggle admitting we don’t have control...

and turning our whole hearts over to God.

Or perhaps we’ve been studying and learning from other sources more than from the Bible...

Perhaps we listen to Oprah or Dr. Phil or name your “positive thinking” person...

and spend little time weighing what we hear with what Scripture says.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you cannot listen to those or other sources,

and some times we find truth in them...

But the BIBLE is OUR Only Authoritative source…and it should be our primary reading and/listening.

What This Means for Us

As a congregation, we are being called to get our THEOLOGY RIGHT...

So that we can properly witness the TRUTH to people...

That we might witness to people the REAL GOOD NEWS of the New Covenant...

That God is with us in Jesus Christ and that there is NOTHING we can do to earn that love and that grace...

We already have been FREELY given it.

Remember, friends, we are being reminded of what we, as Methodist Christians, believe...

That we are not saved by works…but through Faith in Jesus Christ.

We are being reminded this for our own spiritual welfare...

and for the sake of spreading the Gospel to others.

Let us take this seriously,

drawing closer to Christ through Scripture,

prayer,

worship,

giving,

fellowship,

small groups,

mission work

and partaking regularly in Holy Communion.

And let us grow deeper in our faith so that we can share it with others. Amen!