The covenant God made with ancient Israel had a “fault.”  The fault involved the people with whom He made the covenant–they refused to obey His Law.  The first Law had His spiritual , moral Law written on two tablets of stone.  Obedience to that Law had to come from carnal flesh alone with no spiritual help from God.  His New Covenant maintained its focus on the same Law, but there was a difference.  The Old Covenant was written in stone.  However, through His prophets and apostles He made a location change: “this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel (all tribes) after those days (of His earthly ministry) says the Lord: I will put My LAWS (COMMANDMENTS) INTO THEIR MINDS AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS” (Jer. 31:33/ Heb. 8:10).  We do not know where the stone-etched Law resides today.  But those who belong to God know its spiritual location.  We have it written in our minds (hearts).

The Almighty promised through both His Old and New Testament ministers that His Law (commandments) would be the focus of the New Covenant.  This is the same Law that “stands for ever and ever” (Ps. 111:7,8).  However, this time God’s commandments would be written WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD, NOT ON TABLES OF STONE, BUT IN THE FLESLY TABLES OF THE HEART” (2 Cor. 3:3).

The New Covenant was made only with those who allow God’s Law to be written indelibly in their minds so that their every thought, word and act would reflect its commands–not suggestions or options.  That Ten Commandment Law is not written by human hand, but by the Spirit of the Living God which lives inside the Law-keeper.  The New Covenant Law was instituted on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the 120 or so disciples gathered in the upper room of a building in Jerusalem where they had gone to celebrate the Holy Day of Pentecost in private.  They were the sworn enemies of the Jewish leadership which would later arrange the martyrdoms of Stephen and many other Christians, including Jesus and the 12 apostles.

When the multitude of people who had gathered in Jerusalem for the holyday heard Jews speaking in their respective languages the asked the disciples what was happening.  Peter said: “… THIS (spiritual outpouring) IS THAT which was spoken by the Prophet Joel: ‘And it will come to pass in the last days (of this age), says God, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh ….'” (Acts 2:16-21).  In these present days leading up to the Lord’s return the Holy Spirit is available to those who seek the righteousness of the Lord for themselves.  That righteousness is manifested by those who walk in obedience to His Law.  Among the biological Israelites who are involved in His end-time church, the “fault” has been corrected.

The Holy Spirit is one of the “better promises” of the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6).  The Love of God which fulfills the Law is “shed abroad by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5).  The Apostle Paul was writing to the church of God in Rome which was peopled primarily by biological Gentiles who, by obeying the Law of God with faith in Him, had become spiritual Israelites.  The New Covenant Church (Gal. 1:1,2) is an Israelite institution called “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.  God’s true church is His spiritual Israel–His chosen people who have “power with God.”

As Joel prophesied and Peter reported, the New Covenant Law is written on the hearts of the House of Israel and the House of Judah.  Contrary to universal church opinion, the New Covenant was not created for those who remain spiritual Gentiles.  All of the promises of God were made to Israel (Rom. 9:4).  Jesus “came to confirm the promises God made to the (Israelite) fathers” (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)–Rom. 15:8.

Since the New Covenant and its better promises was made with Israil, what about the Gentiles?  Has God provided a way for them to receive the promises He made to Israel?  Indeed He did.  In Ephesians 2:11-13 Paul is writing to those who were “in time past GENTILES (living) in the flesh, who were then WITHOUT CHRIST, BEING ALIENS AND STRANGERS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL AND STRANGERS FROM THE  COVENANTS (PLURAL) OF PROMISE, HAVING NO HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD.”  In their pre-conversion state these biological Gentiles were also SPIRITUAL GENTILES (heathen).

Paul reminded them that they were no longer spiritual Gentiles: “But now that you are IN CHRIST JESUS, you who were in the past far off from Him have been made nigh to Him by His blood.”  It is only by being IN CHRIST (at one with Him through obedience to the Law) that Gentiles can be “no longer strangers and foreigners (from the New Covenant), but fellow citizens with the (spiritual Israelite–Law-keeping) saints” (Eph. 2:19).  Paul writes to the Gentile churches in Galatia: “And if you are Christ’s, THEN you are Abraham’s seed (no longer spiritual Gentiles) and heirs to the promise” of salvation.  Note that in this life God’s Church people are HEIRS of salvation.  An heir has the promise of something.  When the promise has been received, then one is an INHERITOR.  Now true saints are “heirs and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).  Christ and His Very Elect have not yet received their inheritance–the universe.  Until that happens God’s Very Elect are heirs–not yet inheritors of salvation, rebirth and control of the universe.  Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe.  Key word–Caretakers.

Gentiles must belong to Christ in order to become part of the spiritual commonwealth of Israel–God’s church.  In Romans 11:17,18 Paul pictures Christian Gentiles as broken-off branches of wild olive trees (religions) who have been grafted into God’s natural (Israelite) tree.  They must become part of the Spirit-begotten commonwealth of Israel in order to receive the promises God made to Spiritual Israel.  Sinning Israelites must also become spiritual Israelites by obeying His Law in order to receive eternal life.  In Hebrews 11 Paul reminds Israelites that they had been broken off from God’s natural tree because of their sins.  They must be grafted back onto His natural tree in order to receive the promises He made to the descendants of Abraham.

Who is Jesus Christ?  He is the One who has told us how to become part of God’s “natural tree” so that we can receive the promises He made to the Israelite fathers.  Jesus came to earth as a man in order to demonstrate that what man must do, man can do, for He (Christ) has done it as our example.  Let us therefore “walk as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and thereby receive the inheritance promised to us.  In order to receive Christ’s promises believers must walk as He walked and overcome Satan as He overcame him (Rev. 3:21).  Satan will use church people, family members and his fallen angels (devils/demons) against the true saint.  Read Persecution.  As Jesus warned, it is a hard slog, but the prize will be worth the effort.  L.J.