| Author | Message | ||
| Pegg Registered user Username: Pegg Post Number: 26 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hello All! I almost don't know what it is that I want to ask you. I have been struggling ever since God changed my belief system. (I praise Him!) Let me try to explain. Until He brought it to my attention I had never considered the implications of an Old and New Covenant. To find out what that meant, I began to study the NT. (Before that - although I have gone through the motions all my life - I had only recently begun to study the Bible. I had begun my study at the beginning - seemed logical to me at the time.) My heart is thrilled by the Free Gift of grace! My spirit is so very light because He has credited His righteousness to my account! The peace of knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells in me and I can trust Him to "Guide me into all Truth" (personalization mine) is indescribable, especially since I had given up on trying to live up to the checklist. Why then should I strugggle? I've asked it myself so many times. What on earth do I feel sad? Today I read Deut. 4-5. Now I think I can finially begin to put it into words. Here's my best try. I have learned that the Old Covenant is finished (Hebrews 8:13) I also understand that that the OC was directed to the nation of Isreal (Deut. 5:2 among a ton of other very clear places). Praise God because He has given us a "Better Covenant"!(Hebrews 7:22) But the Old Covenant was full of promises that I have been directed to all of my life, and which I love. For just one example of hundreds: "...Be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you." (Deut. 6:3) These promises are so precious. I have wanted to have their benefits all of my life. I have tried very hard to earn them. I knew I wasn't good enough, but I was assured that if I would just keep working hard enough, eventually I would be able to deserve the promised blessing. It was one long frustration, but a hopeful one, because I believed that in the end, if I would just look enough to Jesus, I would succeed and receive the blessing. Now, I am grateful to be released from the striving. But, unexplainably, something inside of me is sad, because it seems logical that if the Old Covenant is finished, then the conditional blessings that it contained are finished, as well. I go back and forth between being sad because these promises are gone and feeling betrayed because I was encouraged to work so hard for them when they were never meant for me in the first place. Does this make any sense? Does anyone else experience this the way I do? Do I have the theology wrong? Are the promises seperate from the law part of the covenant? I thank you in advance for your kind insights. Let's Just Keep On Searching! Pegg | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 2615 Registered: 3-2004  |
I have been going through something similar. Right now I am angry at God because I asked Him to do something for me, which was for my health and he did not do it. Although I am angry, I do know that God is still in charge and His will, will be done. I have to say that He is always awesome. Diana | ||
| Raven Registered user Username: Raven Post Number: 490 Registered: 7-2004  |
That's kind of a sad picture of God to think we have to work hard to earn His blessings. I wonder if that was part of the purpose of the Old Covenant/promised blessings scenario--to show people how hopeless and tiring it is to strive to earn anything. What about the verses in the Gospels that say the sun shines on the just and the unjust, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Or the ones that assure us we will have trouble in this life. Jesus didn't promise much in the way of earthly blessings, but promised to be with us through everything. It's interesting the Old Covenant blessings (which I think were specifically for Israel and directly connected to the Old Covenant) seemed mostly (if not all) to pertain to earthly blessings, which is really nothing in the grand scheme of things. As believers, we're guaranteed eternal life as a gift, and that Jesus will never leave us! That's not to say believers can't expect blessings, but I don't think those blessings are ever the result of any striving, but simply gracious gifts, sometimes as a result of asking in prayer. God is our Father! Do we have to earn blessings from our earthly father? I suppose in some cases that would be a Yes, but God is our perfect heavenly Father who tenderly cares for us in His wisdom. (Message edited by Raven on June 17, 2006) | ||
| Pegg Registered user Username: Pegg Post Number: 28 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hello Diana! Yes, I know what you mean! Often when I ask Him for something I find myself thinking that If I "had faith like a grain of mustard seed..." Even as I ask Him I am evaluating my faith. "Yes I have it! Yes I do! Yes I have enough! You know I do!!!" Then if He doesn't say "Yes" to me I begin to berate myself. I know I don't have much faith. I asked for the wrong thing. I am selfish. On and on. I know it is an insult to think this way of Him (My own daddy would never act that way to me - Why do I think my Heavenly Father would???) I am sorry to know about the struggle that you have with your health. I will pray that God will give you just the blessing that He thinks you need most. Just Keep On Searching! Pegg | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 4179 Registered: 12-2003  |
Pegg, I think I understand what you are describing. Part of what you are grieving is what has been your identity and your entire world view. Knowing who you are in Jesus (as opposed to who you are in relationship to the law/God) brings great joy, but there is also the grief of "losing" the things about yourself that you had honed and of which you felt proud. I think part of what you're explaining is similar to my grief when God moved my out of music performance, and I finally figured out He wanted me to have a completely new identity as His daughter instead of as a "musician". He gave me completely new work to do and immersed me in something I had never foreseenóbut it has been infinitely more rewarding than music performance. Nevertheless, I experienced deep grief over the loss. One thing to remember, Peggóthe promises God made to the patriarchsóAbraham, Isaac, and Jacobóall those are UNCONDITIONAL because they were God's unilateral promises. They did not depend upon any human promises as did the Mosaic covenant. Those promises to the patriarchs are all yours in Christ. Righteousness, faith, the blessings promises to their offspring, the SeedóJesusóall this is yours in Christ. Further, those promises in the Mosaic covenant are also yours in Christ because He fulfilled the Mosaic covenant. The blessing promised for obedience is yours in Christ, because His obedience is counted as your obedience. God's pleasure and approval of Jesus is yours when you are in Him. That is the miracle of the New Covenant; all those conditional promises are "Yes" in Christ. That being said, we can't take promises made to the nation (promises regarding the land, etc.) and glibly apply them to our land, etc. But the promises of righteousness and blessing are all ours in Christ. Our New Covenant "obedience" is to Jesus instead of to the law, and when we trust Him, His obedience and righteousness and peace and blessing are also ours. We are joint heirs with Him! (Read Romans 8) Diana, I am praying for you, too. Dear Father, you know the struggle Diana is facing, and what disappointment and anger she is feeling. Please be close to her and comfort and strengthen her. Thank you for her trust in Your awesomeness, and please help her to find rest in You even in this crisis. Please bring healing and resolution to her, and comfort her heart. Thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen | ||
| Pegg Registered user Username: Pegg Post Number: 29 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hello! Thank you Diana, Raven and Colleen for your comments. Interesting, Colleen, your insights about identity. I hadn't really thought much about that because I quit being active so long before I decided to "leave". I do know that during that time I often said that once a person has been an SDA he/she might leave, but would never be able to believe differently. I praise God for my very Christian friends who left before me and demonstrated that the miracle of Free Grace is open even to "former SDAs". I praise Him that my curiosity about how they could possibly adopt a new belief system led me to the Scripture and also to meet all of you here on this board. I am so grateful to God that I was wrong about my assumption. Going from being a runaway slave to a child of God is an amazing experience! I remain troubled about the promises situation. But I am encouraged because you have said that all of the promises are "Yes" in Jesus Christ. Perhaps I just have to be patient and study out each one. (Because all seem to agree that some are only for the nation of Isreal. How to tell?) I fear that I don't even know what is in the Bible and what is from EGW. I find studying any particular subject means starting from scratch, and I was not taught how to do that. The method I have come up with so far is very tedious. Thank you all for your caring and concern. I love this nurturing place. I post on a different board, but would never ask a personal question because of the hostile tone of some of the members. Let's Just Keep On Searching! Pegg | ||
| Mwh Registered user Username: Mwh Post Number: 69 Registered: 4-2006  |
The question about promises might be confusing when there is no distinction between the two covenants, like the promises and condition of the two are different (Overlaps there are). The new covenant as I read it has far better promises and condicion than the old one. I think the tapes on http://www.sendingthelight.com/, freely available as mp3's might be interesting to listen to concerning this issue. | ||
| Mrsbrian3 Registered user Username: Mrsbrian3 Post Number: 54 Registered: 8-2005 |
Good morning! We attended a concert Saturday night in the SDA church we attended until July 2005. It was kinda weird, but we were very blessed by the message in the music. About mid-way through the concert he played a clip from nooma.com. If you check out the site, it was the clip called "rain". I won't give it away, but it is powerful and it goes along with this thread on how God is in control and how He's with us no matter what. Kim | ||
| Lori Registered user Username: Lori Post Number: 44 Registered: 11-1999 |
Pegg, You might enjoy/benefit from reading the book "Our Covenant God" by Kay Arthur. Remember where the promises originated. The promises were given to Abraham. They were given to him BEFORE he was even circumcized. They were given to him because of his faith!!! They were given before the law. Romans 4:13, "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." The promises came before the law therefore their fulfillment is not based on the law but on faith!!! There are two immutable things: God and God's promises...... Hebrews 6:13 "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was not one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, I will surely bless you and give you many descendiants. And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.....because God wanted to maek the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Galatians 3:16- "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed." meaining one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise." The promises are dependent on the immutability of God; they are not dependent on man. They will be fulfilled. | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 1789 Registered: 3-2005 |
Kim, It is refreshing to hear that there is still grace manifested even in an SDA church. Stan | ||
| Mtnviscacha Registered user Username: Mtnviscacha Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2006 |
Hi Pegg, perhaps you are sad because a good and old friend of yours has died? (I am referring the the law given to Israel). But then I see that your eyes are now fixed on Jesus, in whom are all the promises, "Yes" (as Colleen mentioned above). |
