THE NEW COVENANT: THE RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE Part 2
A New Heart in a New Creation
This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will imprint My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind, I will inscribe them [producing an inward change],”
He then says,
“And their sins and their lawless acts
I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].”
Hebrews 10:16-17 (Amplified)
As we recall from our last blog, because of Adam’s disobedience, sin came into the world, and everyone was born dead/sinners. Our Father once called His creation “Good.” He later repented. Genesis 6:5-8 in the Amplified Bible says,
The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 The Lord regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy (annihilate) mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only man but the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because it [deeply] grieves Me [to see mankind’s sin], and I regret that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Even though Our Father regretted He created mankind, the Bible said Noah found “Grace in the Eyes of God.” Grace means he found favor, pleasure, and kindness from God. Noah and his family were saved from the flood that destroyed the earth.
In the Old Testament, there are many stories of our Father reaching out to man to bring Him back to Himself. We read about the children of Israel, God’s chosen people. He chose Moses to write His laws to guide and protect them from their enemies.
The Laws of God were impossible to keep, as we find in James Chapter 2:8-10, Amplified says,
8 If, however, you are [really] fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, if you have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit],” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality [prejudice, favoritism], you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as offenders.
10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles in one point, he has become of [breaking] all of it.
The Law requires that if you keep 612 laws and break just one of them, you are guilty of breaking them ALL. So, you can see there was no way to please a Holy God. The Law of God, even though it was good, still left man guilty, helpless, and hopeless. So, sacrifices had to be made to wash over sin.
Looking in the Mirror, The Law Leaves Man Guilty, Helpless, and Hopeless.
The Old Sinful Heart
King David, a man after God’s own heart, sinned continually. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, King David repented to God and prayed in Psalm 51:10, two things: Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.
Without a clean heart and a right spirit, we would continue in our sinful folly.
Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord, saw the wickedness of man continually. God was constantly appealing to man to repent and return to Him. The Lord said through Jeremiah, 17:9-10 Amplified.
9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is extremely sick; who can understand it fully and know its secret motives?
10 “I, the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the heart, to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”
God desired a relationship with His people, but with a sinful heart, man would always disappoint Him in meeting His desires.
The New Holy Heart
God promised the children of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel something very magnificent! In Ezekiel 36:26-27, Amplified states.
26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them.
God promised man a new heart and a new spirit because man could not achieve this feat on his own. In the first Adam, we were born dead with sinful and wicked hearts. However, in the last Adam, Jesus Christ, we were made alive and received a righteous and Holy heart. When we give our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, the Bible calls us a NEW CREATURE and NEW CREATION! The Amplified Bible states:
I Corinthians 15:45 – So, it is written [in Scripture], “The first man, Adam, became a “Living Soul,” (an individual);” the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit [restoring the dead to life].
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a New Creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Looking in the Mirror of God’s Grace, it Reflects the New Creature In Christ!
We never have to be ashamed or feel hopeless of looking in the mirror again! The old man with his sinful heart is gone; behold the New Creation of God abiding in the heart of God, Jesus Christ!
We exchanged our old sinful heart for the NEW Heart of Christ because we are His NEW Creation!
Enjoy Christ, Enjoy (ZOE) Our Life!