SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/27/2016
11:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Introduction
to John 3:22-36
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John 3:22-36
Message of
the verses: “22 After these things Jesus and His
disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them
and baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there
was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized- 24 for John had not yet been thrown
into prison. 25 Therefore
there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about
purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was
with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing
and all are coming to Him." 27 John answered and said, "A man can
receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 “You yourselves
are my witnesses that I said, ’I am not the Christ,’ but, ’I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 “He who has
the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and
hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been
made full. 30 “He
must increase, but I must decrease. 31 “He who comes from above is above
all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who
comes from heaven is above all. 32 “What He has seen and heard, of that He
testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 “He who has received His
testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 “For He whom God has
sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 “The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36 “He who believes in the Son has
eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath
of God abides on him."”
In his opening comments on his introduction to this
chapter John MacArthur gives a precise explanation of what the Law of God was
and how Israel misunderstood it, he writes:
“For centuries the children of Israel lived under the burdensome
covenant God made with their fathers at Mount Sinai. As well as being God’s absolute law of
righteousness, reflecting His own holy nature, it contained also the unique
marks of their national identify as God’s chosen people (Deut. 7:6; 14:2). Thus, it set them apart from their pagan
neighbors by its detailed social and ceremonial regulations. Yet almost from the beginning they
misunderstood and abused the moral and spiritual elements of that
covenant. It was mean to reveal their
sin and abysmal failure to obey God, but they turned it into a source of
arrogant pride, as well as a false hope for salvation. The old covenant’s central pillars were
holiness and love for God and man (Mark 12:28-31). But by Jesus’ day, Israel’s adherence to that
covenant had degenerated into an external form of superficial morality, mechanical
ceremony, legalistic ritualism, and extraneous tradition.
“Israel also erred by assuming that the old covenant
was the means to salvation, when that was never God’s intent. His purpose was to confront sinners with a reflection
of His absolute holiness, demand that they keep the law perfectly, and leave
them facing their inability to keep it.
That would point them to either divine judgment or the opportunity to
repent, trust His grace, and receive the forgiveness He offered, provided in
the new covenant (Jer. 31:34) to be ratified by the death of Christ. In the words of the apostle Paul, ‘The Law
has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith
(Gal. 3:24 ). The old covenant was
unable to justify anyone. However, it
pointed to the coming Savior, through whom sinners could be ‘reconciled to God’
(Rom. 5:10).”
Let us now take a look at the new covenant that
Jeremiah wrote of about 600 years before the Lord Jesus came to earth. Jeremiah 31:31-34 “31 “Behold, days are
coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with
their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land
of Egypt, My covenant
which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the
LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of
Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I
will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "They
will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying,
’Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will
remember no more."”
In the reading from the book of Hebrews we know that
the Old Covenant could never be the final hope, as He promised salvation in the
new covenant which he promised in the above statement from Jeremiah. Hebrews 8:13 says “When He said, "A new
covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” Now even though the Old Covenant did not show
us the way of salvation, but showed us the glory of the Lord, there was glory
inherent in it as Isaiah ways “The LORD was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the law great and glorious Isaiah 42:21).” Paul also reminded the Corinthians in 2 Cor.
3:7-11 “7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that
the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the
glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more
with glory? 9 For
if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in
glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because
of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was with glory,
much more that which remains is in glory.”
We see that the apostle noted in verses 7 and 11, “the glory of the old
covenant was not permanent, but fading; it was intended to give way to the new,”
writes John MacArthur.”
Now there is a reason as to why we are talking about
both the old and new covenants and it will be made clearer in our next SD on
the introduction to this section from John’s gospel, but we must continue to
look at the covenants so we can better understand this portion of
Scripture.
Scripture makes it clear that the new covenant is
not just a revision of the old covenant, but something brand new and it is
completely different, and the reason is that it alone provides salvation. As we look at the covenants in the Old
Testament, the Noahic, Abrahamic, Priestly, Davidic, or Mosaic covenants
salvation is not in them. MacArthur
writes “The writer of Hebrews emphasized its distinctiveness by describing it
with the Greek word kainos, which
refers to something new in kind, not subsequent in time (Heb. 8:13).”
The following list of Scripture verses compiled by
John MacArthur shows how the new covenant is superior to the old: “A better mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ
(Heb. 8:6); it offers a better hope based on better promises, most notably that
of complete forgiveness (Jer. 31:34; cf. Heb. 10:4); it grants all believers
direct access to God without the need for priests; it is gracious (Heb. 8:9) in
that its blessings will never be forfeited by disobedience (through
disobedience brings chastening [Heb. 12:4-11]); it is internal, written not on
tablets of stone (2 Cor. 3:7; Ex. 31:18), but on the heart (Jer. 31:33; Heb.
8:10); it brings spiritual life, not spiritual death (2 Cor. 3:6; cf. vv. 7, 9;
Rom. 8:2-3); it results in righteousness, not condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9); it is
clear and straightforward, unlike the old covenant types, pictures, symbols,
and mysteries; and it is energized by the liberating power of the Holy Spirit
(2 Cor. 3:17-18).”
In our next SD we will look at the transition from
John the Baptist’s ministry to that of Jesus Christ, which is the theme of the
section we are now looking at.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: As I look at the differences between the Old
Covenant and the New Covenant I am thankful to be living during the time of the
New Covenant.
My Steps of Faith
for Today:
Remember what John the Baptist says in this section, “I must decrease,
but He must increase.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Berea” (Acts 17:10-11).
Today’s Bible question: “Who was the prophetess during the time of
Josiah?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/27/2016 12:13 PM
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