Some Christians today are struggling in their faith not because of their lack of devotion but rather because they have mixed two covenants altogether. They are exerting much effort where there is least profit.
Moses gave the Israelites the Law at Mount Sinai. The Law was never meant to save anybody but rather it was meant to expose our sinfulness nature and our sinfulness (Rom. 3:20; 4:15; 5:13, 20; 7:1-23; 1 Cor. 15:56). The Apostle Paul states that the Law was our schoolmaster meant to whip us to the point where we are brought to Christ (Gal. 3:21-26;Rom. 3:9-31). Paul knew of this experience; He cried out in Romans 7:22-25,
“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Jesus has taught that no one takes old wine and puts into new wineskines or else the skins will burst neither do you take new wine and put in in old wineskines otherwise the wine will spoil. The wine represents the old and new covenants and the wineskins represents the regenerate and unregenerate person. If anyone be in Christ he/she is a new creature (new wineskin) and therefore what they need is the new wine which is the new covenant of Grace and not the old wine of the old covenant represented by the Law
When you mix the two you have a problem because both systems were meant to be mutually exclusive in their functions and applications. The Law is meant to bring us to Christ, and thereby Grace not only saves us but works in us that which is good. Thus none can boast because the whole work is wrought by God (1 Cor. 1:30-31; Eph. 2:8-10).
Being under grace means that what we receive from God is unmerited (unneared, undeserved) and also that God not only takes the initiative but He does the whole work and so we just rest (Heb. 4:3, 9-10) and partake of the benefits of this mind-blowing agreement (covenant). Consider Jeremiah 31:31-34 & Hebrews 8:1-13. It’s not based on my performance but rather Christ’s flawless obedience (Rom. 5:14-21).
To be under the Law means that what we receive from God or the enemy, whether it’s life or death, sin or righteousness, blessing or curses, health or sickness is dependent on our performance. And therein lies the problem. Not only are we supposed to uphold our end of the bargain but we are expected to do so flawlessly (James 2:10) and not just in our actions but in our thoughts, motives, intentions and priorities. No one (apart from Jesus Christ) has or ever will be able to be Justified before a holy God by the deeds of the Law. In this burdensome covenant, the pressure is on you to keep impossible standards and obviously there is no rest but rather religion, tension, hypocrisy, guilt, judgement, condemnation, uncertainty and of course fear. Why would want this old wine? Don’t make the mistake the Israelites made that caused their carcasses to fall in the desert. They were religious alright but their problem was unbelief i.e. a reluctance to accept what God’s Word said about them (Hebrews 3:7-19).
By now you can see clearly that God’s laws were not meant to save but to condemn us so that we are left hands up, completely in despair. Now that does not mean that our Heavenly Father is a sadist because we know He has loved the whole world He sent His only begotten Son who paid the penalty for our sin and whosoever believes in Him (can you imagine it’s as simple as that) does not perish in sin but rather has eternal life.
When you are born again, in your new wineskin nature, do not go after the old wine of the Law but rather partake of the new wine of Grace. Rest in Christ’s perfect, finished work for you. Believe that He paid it all and expect Him to work in you that which is good. That is grace. It’s not a license for sin, rather it is the power to overcome sin because it’s not by our might nor by our power but by the Spirit of the Lord.
Ben-David Ministries 