I love the entire Bible, the Old Testament and the New. The old helps us to understand the character of God throughout our complete history. We are able to learn lessons from key figures of the old covenant and understand how God feels about their actions as individuals and as a nation. It helps us to understand how things were before we, as gentiles, were grafted into the plan of salvation. It is a snapshot into our biblical past, highlighting God in a way that we would not be aware of otherwise. But the thing I like most about the Old Testament is that it helps us to better appreciate the way things are by examining how things were. Because those who lived in Old Testament times had to live according to the letter. But today, ushered in by the New Testament, we have the privilege of living according to the Spirit. Paul puts it this way in Second Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 6, which says:
“He has made us competent as ministers of the new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
By examining the Old Testament, we understand that God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had to live by the law. And with the law, or the letter, they were able to learn what pleases and what angers God through words written on stone and parchment. Rules, guidelines and practices were outlined so that the people would know how to relate to God, how to obey God and how to please God. They learned how to have their sins forgiven, how to treat one another and how to worship a Holy God. Paul reminds us that as good as what God provided them in the Old Testament was, what Jesus provides us in the New Testament is better. Because now we do not live under the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. We celebrate this life every time we participate in communion and every time we celebrate Easter. But I would encourage you to remember, and give thanks to God, as often as you are able for the gift that he gave us through his Son. Because it is through him that we have life.
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You and I can be like Paul. Through God, we can become competent as ministers of this new covenant; a covenant that is better than what preceded it. We can share this good news even as the Spirit continues to educate us about himself and about his word. I encourage you to be ministers of the gospel. If you don’t know what that looks like for you, I would challenge you to pray and allow the Holy Spirit to show you. We can do nothing effectively in our own strength. But when Jesus ascended to be with the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit through whom we can do all things. He will give you the words to speak. He will guide you to the places you should go. And he can go before you to create an atmosphere that is most conducive for the work has called you to do. Our job is to be willing and to be bold. Because if we are, God can make us competent as ministers of the new covenant.
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