Mastodawn

Paul’s Warning Every Man Should Hear: You’re Not Under the Law—You’re Under Grace

2,362 words, 12 minutes read time.

Why This Truth Hits Home for Me—and Why It Should for You

Brother, I’ve been hinting at this idea for a while now in my writings, and it’s time to lay it out plain. This isn’t some side note or pet theory—it’s something that makes up a core part of my faith. For years, through stories of redemption, grace breaking through broken lives, reflections on what it really means to walk with Christ, and digging deep into Scripture, I’ve kept coming back to this truth: the Law of Moses, including those so-called “Ten Commandments,” was Israel’s national contract, not a universal burden for every believer. It was conditional, tied to their covenant at Sinai, and Gentiles like us were never signed on. Paul drops the hammer on it—”you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14)—and that shift from performance to freedom has anchored my walk more than anything else.

Digging Deeper: What the Law of Moses Really Is

Let’s pause right here and go a lot deeper into this, because if we’re going to talk man-to-man about freedom in Christ, we need to nail down what the Law of Moses actually is. This isn’t just background noise—it’s the foundation that makes Paul’s warning hit like a gut punch. The Law of Moses, or the Mosaic Covenant, isn’t some vague set of good ideas or eternal principles floating out there for anyone to grab. No, it’s a specific, historical agreement God made with the nation of Israel after He delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

Think about the context: these people had been crushed under Pharaoh’s boot for generations, building pyramids with their blood and sweat. God steps in with miracles—plagues, parted seas, manna from heaven—not because they earned it, but by sheer grace. Then, at Mount Sinai, He offers them a covenant: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5–6). They agree—not once, but multiple times: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8; 24:3,7). It’s voluntary, but it’s binding on them and their descendants as a nation.

What exactly is this Law? It’s the Torah—the instructions, statutes, commandments, and ordinances laid out primarily in Exodus through Deuteronomy. We’re talking 613 mitzvot in Jewish counting: moral guidelines like “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), ceremonial rituals like sacrifices and festivals (Leviticus 23), civil laws for justice in their society (Exodus 21–23), and even dietary rules (Leviticus 11). It’s often divided into categories—moral, ceremonial, civil—but the Bible doesn’t slice it that way; it’s one cohesive covenant package. And here’s the key: it came with promises. Obey, and you’d get blessings like fruitful land, protection from enemies, and prosperity (Deuteronomy 28:1–14). Disobey, and curses like drought, defeat, and exile (Deuteronomy 28:15–68). This wasn’t about individual salvation by works; it was national—tied to their life in the Promised Land, their role as God’s witnesses to the nations.

The structure echoes ancient suzerain-vassal treaties common in the Near East: a powerful king (God) offers protection and identity to a weaker people (Israel) in exchange for loyalty. God sets the terms, recalls His deliverance (the historical prologue), lays out the stipulations (the laws), calls witnesses (heaven and earth), and spells out blessings and curses. It’s a contract, brother—solemn, enforceable, and exclusive to Israel.

Why Gentiles Aren’t Under It: We Were Never Part of the Deal

Now, why aren’t Gentiles under this? Simple: we weren’t part of the deal. The covenant was explicitly “between me and the people of Israel” (Exodus 19:3; Leviticus 26:46). Paul hammers this home: “the covenants… the giving of the law… belong to the Israelites” (Romans 9:4). Gentiles were outsiders—”excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

Sure, non-Jews could join as proselytes, getting circumcised and adopting the whole Law (Exodus 12:48–49), but it was never mandatory for the rest of us. God had already given universal principles earlier, like the Noahide laws in Genesis 9—basic stuff like don’t murder, don’t eat blood with life in it, establish courts of justice, no idolatry, no blasphemy, no sexual immorality, and no theft or kidnapping. These apply to all humanity as descendants of Noah. But the Mosaic Law was Israel’s unique yoke, designed to set them apart as a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). Gentiles were accountable to God through conscience and natural revelation (Romans 1:18–20; 2:14–15), but not this specific covenant.

History proves it: Israel struggled under it. The prophets rail against their failures, leading to exile. It revealed sin, but couldn’t fix the heart (Romans 3:20; 7:7–12). That’s why a New Covenant was promised (Jeremiah 31:31–34), one written on hearts, not stone—fulfilled in Christ.

This belief shapes everything for me. Growing up, I saw guys buckling under legalism—trying to “keep the Law” to feel worthy, only to burn out. But Scripture freed me: the Law was good, holy, and just (Romans 7:12), but it was temporary for Israel, a “guardian until Christ came” (Galatians 3:24). For Gentiles, imposing it now is like trying to drive a tank through a modern battlefield when you’ve got air support—it’s the wrong tool for the fight. Grace through Jesus changes the game.

Most guys hear the Ten Commandments preached like they’re the unbreakable code: post them up, memorize them, live by them or you’re slipping. It feels right—strong, disciplined, masculine even. But digging into Scripture, especially how Jesus fulfills and Paul explains, shows something tougher and more liberating. The Hebrew calls them Aseret HaDibrot—the Ten Statements, Ten Sayings, Ten Declarations, or even Ten Utterances—not cold mitzvot commands from the root for “command.” From davar meaning word, speech, or thing, these were majestic divine declarations God spoke directly at Sinai, revealing His character and framing Israel’s identity in covenant—like a father laying out heart-level expectations for his sons after yanking them from slavery. Not a checklist to earn favor, but relational words protecting the bond, categorizing the broader 613 mitzvot without making these the “only” or “top” ones. Jewish tradition even dialed back emphasizing them in daily prayer to avoid folks thinking they trumped the full Torah.

This matters because clinging to the old framework as binding law can chain us to performance Christianity—always proving we’re good enough. But grace says the work’s done. You’re accepted first, then you live from that strength. I’m going to walk you through three hard truths straight from the Bible that back this up. First, the Mosaic Covenant was Israel’s exclusive contract—Gentiles were never bound by it. Second, Jesus fulfilled the Law completely, shifting us from obligation to relationship. Third, Paul’s teaching releases us into the freedom of grace so we can live like men who are secure, not scrambling.

The Mosaic Covenant Was Israel’s Exclusive Contract—Gentiles Were Never Bound by It

Let’s cut through the fog. God didn’t hand the Law to humanity like a global rulebook. He gave it to Israel after redeeming them from Egypt by pure grace—no works on their part earned the exodus. At Sinai, He says, “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5–6). Israel agrees voluntarily: “All that the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 19:8; 24:3,7). It’s bilateral, conditional—blessings for obedience, curses for rebellion (Deuteronomy 28; Leviticus 26). The structure echoes ancient treaties: a sovereign king offers protection and identity to a vassal people in exchange for loyalty.

Paul makes it crystal: the covenants, the law, the promises belonged to Israel (Romans 9:4). Gentiles were “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” (Ephesians 2:12). We had conscience bearing witness (Romans 2:14–15), but no Mosaic yoke.

This exploded at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Judaizers demanded Gentile believers get circumcised and keep Moses’ Law to be saved. The apostles pushed back hard. Peter: “Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). James: don’t burden them; just practical guidelines for fellowship (Acts 15:19–20). Salvation? By grace through faith—no add-ons from the old contract (Acts 15:11).

For a man grinding through responsibility, this is gold. You’re not renegotiating terms you never agreed to. The contract wasn’t yours. Freedom starts there—no scrambling to measure up.

Jesus Fulfilled the Law, Shifting Us from Obligation to Relationship

Jesus enters as the true Israel. He doesn’t abolish the Law—He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Fulfill means complete the purpose: live it perfectly, bear its curse, accomplish what it pointed to. Sacrifices shadowed His death; festivals His redemptive work; the system a tutor leading to faith in Him (Galatians 3:24; Hebrews 10:1).

He sums it up: love God fully and love neighbor as self—on these hang the Law and Prophets (Matthew 22:37–40). Not new rules, but the heart motive exposed. He declares foods clean (Mark 7:19), heals on Sabbath calling it mercy (Mark 2:27; Matthew 12:7 quoting Hosea 6:6). The moral essence reflects God’s character, but Jesus accomplishes what Israel couldn’t—taking the curse (“Cursed is everyone hanged on a tree,” Galatians 3:13) so the Abrahamic blessing hits Gentiles by faith (Galatians 3:14).

This flips the script for leadership. Law demanded performance for blessing. Jesus gives blessing first—then calls us to respond in love. It’s like a brother who takes the hit in the fight, wins the battle, then hands you the victory and says, “Now live free—no more proving.” Acceptance comes before action.

Paul’s Teaching Releases Us from the Law’s Yoke into the Freedom of Grace

Paul, the apostle sent specifically to Gentiles like us, doesn’t pull punches. He lays it out raw and clear. In Galatians 3:23–25 he says the law functioned as a guardian—a temporary overseer—until Christ came; now that faith has arrived, “we are no longer under a guardian.” Straight talk in Romans 6:14: “you are not under law but under grace.” Ephesians 2:14–15 shows Christ Himself “broke down the dividing wall of hostility” by abolishing “the law of commandments expressed in ordinances,” forging one new humanity out of Jew and Gentile. Colossians 2:16–17 drives it home: don’t let anyone judge you over food and drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths—these were shadows pointing forward; the substance is Christ.

Does this mean we throw morality overboard? Not even close. Paul insists love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14—”the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'”). We live by the Spirit now, producing fruit that no external code could ever manufacture—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). We’re under the “law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21)—bearing one another’s burdens, restoring gently, walking in love—not grinding under Mosaic obligation.

This is warrior ground, brother. The world screams at you to grind harder, achieve more, prove your worth every single day. Grace flips the script: rest in what’s already finished. Fight temptation not to earn security, but from the security you’ve already got. Lead your home, your wife, your kids from a place of deep acceptance instead of insecurity. Serve others without keeping score, because your standing isn’t on the line anymore. The old yoke is shattered; the new life runs on resurrection power—the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you.

Conclusion: Grace Over Law—Stand Firm in the Liberty You’ve Been Given

Brother, this core truth—grace over law, fulfillment in Christ—has shaped my faith through every story I’ve written, every trial I’ve faced. Paul’s warning isn’t optional; it’s liberation. You’re not under the Law. You’re under grace. That changes the fight entirely.

If this hits you square in the chest—maybe you’re worn out from performance Christianity, or you’re hungry for the kind of freedom that lets you breathe and lead without constant fear of falling short—take the next step. Drop a comment below and tell me where law vs. grace is hitting you hardest right now. Subscribe to get more no-fluff, straight-talk studies delivered right to your inbox—built for men who want truth that actually strengthens the spine. Or shoot me a direct message; let’s talk it out brother-to-brother, no judgment, just real conversation.

Stand firm therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free (Galatians 5:1). The yoke is broken. The fight is different now. He’s got you—and He’s not letting go.

Call to Action

If this study encouraged you, don’t just scroll on. Subscribe for more bible studies, share a comment about what God is teaching you, or reach out and tell me what you’re reflecting on today. Let’s grow in faith together.

D. Bryan King

Sources

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

#613Mitzvot #Acts15 #AseretHaDibrot #bibleStudyForMen #biblicalGrace #blessingsAndCursesDeuteronomy28 #ChristBrokeDividingWall #ChristianFreedom #ChristianMenEncouragement #Colossians21617 #conditionalCovenant #Ephesians212 #Ephesians21415 #freedomFromLegalism #freedomInChrist #fruitOfTheSpirit #fulfilledInChrist #Galatians3 #Galatians51 #Galatians514 #GentilesAndTheLaw #GentilesNotBound #graceChristianity #graceOverPerformance #graceThroughFaith #graceVsLaw #HebrewTenCommandments #Jeremiah313134 #JerusalemCouncil #JesusFulfilledTheLaw #lawAsGuardian #lawOfChrist #LawOfMoses #legalismVsGrace #loveFulfillsTheLaw #Matthew517 #menSBibleStudy #MosaicCovenant #MosaicLawForIsrael #newCovenant #noLongerUnderLaw #NoahideLaws #notUnderLawButUnderGrace #PaulApostleToGentiles #PaulSWarning #PaulSTeachingOnLaw #performanceChristianity #Romans614 #Romans94 #SinaiCovenant #SpiritLedLife #standFirmGalatians51 #standFirmInLiberty #TenCommandments #TenDeclarations #TenStatements #warriorFaith #yokeOfTheLaw

Intentional Faith Dec 18

From Shadows to Substance

Holding Fast to the Better Hope
Thru the Bible in a Year

As we move together through Hebrews 6–9, we are invited into a conversation that is both deeply theological and quietly pastoral. The letter to the Hebrews was written to believers who carried the weight of a long religious memory. They had been raised in Judaism, shaped by sacrifices, priesthood, covenants, and sacred spaces. These ceremonial practices were not mere habits; they were formative, identity-defining rhythms. The writer of Hebrews does not dismiss these practices, nor does he ridicule them. Instead, he honors their purpose while gently, firmly guiding believers forward—away from reliance on shadows and toward confidence in the substance found in Christ.

Hebrews 6:1–19 pauses the theological argument to address the spiritual condition of the readers. It is, as many commentators have noted, a pastoral interruption. The author calls the community toward consecration, urging them not to remain forever at the starting line of faith. The language of “moving on to maturity” is not harsh but hopeful. It recognizes that faith is meant to grow. At the same time, the passage speaks soberly about the danger of rejection. To turn away after receiving enlightenment is not a casual decision; it carries lasting consequences. Yet the tone quickly shifts to encouragement. God, we are told, does not forget the work and love shown by the saints. Their labor matters. Their perseverance is seen. The exhortation is clear: keep following Christ with earnestness, anchored by hope rather than paralyzed by fear.

That anchor image is crucial. The writer describes hope as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). This is not optimism rooted in circumstances but assurance grounded in God’s character and promise. The anchor holds because it is secured not in human effort but in Christ Himself, who has gone before us. Even before the discussion turns explicitly back to priesthood, the groundwork is laid: Christian perseverance rests on who Christ is and where He stands on our behalf.

Beginning in Hebrews 6:20 and extending through 8:5, the focus returns to Christ as High Priest. Here the mysterious figure of Melchizedek becomes central. For Jewish believers, this comparison would have been startling and illuminating. Melchizedek appears briefly in Genesis, yet the author of Hebrews sees in him a divinely intended pattern. Repeatedly—seven times—the text emphasizes that Christ’s priesthood follows this older, greater order. Melchizedek represents righteousness and peace, timelessness and continuity. Unlike Aaron’s priesthood, which was bound to genealogy, mortality, and repetition, Christ’s priesthood is eternal and unbroken.

The contrast is carefully drawn. Aaron’s descendants served faithfully, yet their ministry was limited. They could not bring perfection, because death interrupted their service and sin required endless sacrifice. Christ, by contrast, lives forever. His priesthood does not pass to another. He does not minister in a copy or shadow, but in the true reality. F.F. Bruce observes that the Levitical priests “stood daily at their service,” while Christ “sat down,” signaling completion and authority. The difference is not one of degree, but of kind. What was partial has given way to what is whole.

This naturally leads into the discussion of covenants in Hebrews 8:6–9:28. Christ is described as the mediator of a new covenant, one founded on better promises. The reason for this new covenant is not that the old was malicious or misguided, but that it was insufficient to address the deeper problem of the human heart. The law could instruct and restrain, but it could not transform. The new covenant, promised in Jeremiah and fulfilled in Christ, addresses this directly. God’s law is written on hearts, not merely tablets. Forgiveness is decisive, not provisional.

The contrasts the author draws are vivid and instructive. Under the old covenant, worship centered on an earthly tabernacle—a sacred space carefully constructed but ultimately temporary. Under the new covenant, Christ ministers in the true tabernacle, the heavenly reality to which the earthly one pointed. Under the old covenant, animal sacrifices were offered repeatedly, their blood symbolically cleansing but never fully effective. Under the new covenant, Christ offers Himself once for all. His blood is efficacious. It accomplishes what it signifies.

Hebrews 9 makes clear that repetition itself was a sign of incompleteness. If the sacrifices had truly dealt with sin, they would not have needed to be repeated year after year. Christ’s single offering, however, decisively addresses sin and opens the way into God’s presence. As the text declares, “He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). What was anticipated has arrived. What was promised has been fulfilled.

For those of us walking through Scripture today, this section of Hebrews calls us to examine where we place our confidence. It is possible, even for sincere believers, to cling to religious patterns while missing the freedom and assurance Christ provides. The original readers were tempted to retreat to familiar systems under pressure. We may be tempted to rely on habits, performance, or spiritual busyness instead of resting in Christ’s finished work. Hebrews gently but firmly redirects our gaze.

The message is not to abandon discipline or reverence, but to anchor both in Christ. Our obedience flows from what He has done, not from anxiety about what remains undone. Our hope is secured not by repetition, but by trust in the One who lives forever to intercede for us. This is not a call to spiritual complacency, but to mature confidence.

As you continue this year-long journey through the Bible, remember that God’s Word is forming you, even when the themes feel complex or demanding. Hebrews asks us to think deeply, but it also invites us to rest securely. The same God who established the patterns of old has brought them to fulfillment in His Son. His purposes are coherent, faithful, and complete.

Thank you for your commitment to studying the Word of God. Scripture assures us that God’s Word will not return void, but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it. Each day you remain in the text, you are being shaped more than you realize.

For further study, you may find this resource helpful:
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Hebrews

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND REPOST, SO OTHERS MAY KNOW

#biblicalTheology #dailyBibleReading #HebrewsStudy #newCovenant #OldAndNewTestament #PriesthoodOfChrist

LaurenRELarkin.com Nov 4

No Place with What Was

https://youtu.be/5yF-pRdRTqU

“‘Dear Lord God, I wish to preach in your honor. I wish to speak about you, glorify you, praise your name. Although I can’t do this well of myself, I pray that you may make it good.’”[1]

Introduction

We get accustomed to the way things are. At times it feels like we’re in a groove; at others, it feels like we’re in a rut; in both there’s comfort. This comfort is built on knowing what’s coming, being able to predict what each day will look like. Our calendars and task-lists look the same from week to week, even when there’s a surprise event added or something expected subtracted. There’s a real comfort in the familiarity of the day to day.

One of the problems of this familiarity and comfort is that it can blind us to the new. A bigger problem is when this familiarity and comfort causes us to reject the new. When you have a system down, a routine established, it can be hard to see and receive something new, something disruptive, something that slices through that (either beloved or dreaded) monotony. To maintain our comfort, to keep moving in that groove, embedding down another layer of that rut, we will shut down and run from anything new that is trying to intervene because we see it as a threat. The something new will send our nervous systems into a frazzled state, propelling us to lurch and lunge backward to what was. Rather than finding ourselves curious (yet cautious) and intrigued (though skeptical), we raise our defenses against that which is breaking in and, In the meantime, try our best to swim back to comfortable and familiar shores.

However, God isn’t back there. God is ahead in the something new.

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Jeremiah exhorts the Judeans in exile to look forward. What was is going to be overthrown, pulled down, uprooted, destroyed; it has no place with what is to come in God coming to God’s people.[2] And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord (v28). Jeremiah promises God’s people that God will be close to them, so close that their tendencies to toward evil will become tendencies to good. All that was will be destroyed; God beckons Judah and Israel to look to the rising of the sun of a new day and onto new terrain, to build and plant anew.

Jeremiah then promises that retribution will fall on the one who sins. In those days they shall no longer say: “‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge,’” (v29). No longer, says God, will one person’s sins be the downfall of the group; accountability will be placed on each person’s shoulders. But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. The Judeans and Israelites are to look forward to the day that will come where only the guilty one will be punished rather than the group at the expense of the guilty one.[3] The accountability here becomes personal and individual; future exile is being excluded. Why? Because God will be closer than ever before.

Jeremiah then proclaims the coming of a new covenant and indicates there will be a break with the old one. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they…(v32). Something new is coming that will render each person responsible and dependent in their relationship with God. God does not say that the law of Moses (the one given in Exodus after the liberation from Egypt) will go away, but that God will put that law in each of their hearts.[4] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (v33). Keeping in mind that the law of Moses is a self-revelation of God, Jeremiah promises a time when God will be revealed in the heart of each of God’s people.[5] Thus God’s people will not be able to run or hide from God; they will—individually and corporately—know God intimately, being yoked to him by faith and love.

Jeremiah then says, No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more (v34). Jeremiah brings it back full circle to the comment above where every individual is held accountable for their own sins. Not only will each person be held responsible, but each person will be dependent on God’s mercy and forgiveness. Here, God is declaring that there is nothing that will divorce God from God’s people. Absolutely nothing. God is also indicating that there will be a time where sacrifices will no longer need to be made save the sacrifice of ourselves by faith working out in love. This is the basis of the new covenant that God promises to make with God’s people. And it is an everlasting covenant; one that no one can take away or break because it is being written on the heart of each person of Israel and Judah.[6] As God has been ever faithful in the promise to and covenant with Israel and Judah,[7] now Judah and Israel, by the indwelling spirit of God,[8] will be the ones who also keep the covenant and cling to the promise of God: I will be your God and you will be my people and we will be one.

Conclusion

God desires to do new things. We desire to go backwards, to cling to what was, to grasp at the sand of shores we are most familiar with. But God’s love propels God toward us even as we are desperate to go back to what was. Even as we are actively swimming away from the current of God’s momentum forward, God yolks God’s self to us, so desperately in love with us as God is. God promises Judah and Israel that they will have God’s spirit with them, forever, in their hearts, that God’s self-revelation will be written on their hearts forever sealing their union; and nothing can pluck one of God’s people from God’s hand of promise.

For us, as Christians, this being sealed as God’s own is done through the life and work, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. For us, this passage from Jeremiah points to the new covenant that comes in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This new covenant is defined by faith, faith that clings to the promises of God, accounting to God that which is God’s: truthfulness and trustworthiness. In and by faith, the law of God—to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors in the same—is written on our hearts. Our hearts become circumcised; formerly calcified, our hearts by faith, beat with a vim and vigor, signs of robust new creation and new life empowered by the Holy Spirit, signs of our representative incarnational presence, those who carry God with them in their heart and spirit.

We, ourselves, are new creations, born anew every morning by faith and God’s mercy. Therefore, we have no place with what was, the way back is barred, the comforting and familiar shores are forbidden to us. Daily, by faith and God’s mercy, we enter a divine journey into the new, faith whisking us into the dark clinging only to the light of the promise fulfilled in Christ. The new is nothing to run from, turn a blind eye toward, or reject; it is in the new and unfamiliar that the familiar and known voice of our God in Christ Jesus calls us. We are called to move forward into new life in union God, dependent on God’s mercy and forgiveness, leaning on our beloved, Christ, and comforted by the Comforter, even in the wake of chaos and unfamiliar. We are God’s people, and God is our God, forever.

[1] LW 54:157-158; Table Talk 1590.

[2] Marvin A. Sweeney, “Jeremiah,” The Jewish Study Bible Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation, eds. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler (Oxford: OUP, 2004), 990. “The prophet’s depiction of the future employs the verbs uproot, pull down, overthrow, destroy, build, and plant from his call narrative in 1.10 to portray both the punishments and the restoration of the people.”

[3] Sweeney, “Jeremiah,” 990. Proverb quoted, “…to illustrate his view that only the guilty should be punished for their own sins…” it is future oriented for Jeremiah.

[4] Sweeney, “Jeremiah,” 991. Promise of New Covenant, “…here it refers to the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian exile and the reconstruction of the Temple. According to this passage, it is not the content of the new covenant which will be different, but how it is learned.”

[5] Sweeney, “Jeremiah,” 991. “God places the Teaching, i.e., the Torah, in the inmost being or heart of the people so that the covenant cannot be broken again. This idea is developed in later Lurianic kabbalah, which maintains that all persons have a divine spark within. Since it is so inscribed, there will be no need for the Torah to be taught.”

[6] Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, Jeremiah: with Hebrew text and English Translation, ed. Rev. Dr. A Cohen. Soncino Books of the Bible. 6th Impression (London: Soncino Press, 1970), 211. “God will make a new covenant with Israel which, unlike the old, will be permanent, because it will be inscribed on their hearts. There is nothing here to suggest that the new covenant would differ in nature form the old. No new revelation is intended, nor was it needed. The prophet only makes the assertion that unlike the past, Israel will henceforth remain faithful to God, while He in turn will never reject him.”

[7] Freedman, Jeremiah, 212. “The implication is that God will be what He has always been in His relationship to Isreal; they, on the other hand, will now likewise permanently acknowledge Him and be His people. Permanence is the essence of the new covenant.”

[8] Freedman, Jeremiah, 211. “I will no longer be something external to them, but so deeply ingrained in their consciousness as to be part of them. This, indeed, is the aim of all religious teaching.”

#DeathToLife #HFreedman #Jeremiah #Jesus #Liberation #Life #Love #MarvinASweeney #NewCovenant #NewCreation

November 2nd 2025 Sermon

YouTube

Carmelite Quotes Aug 25, 2025

Quote of the day, 26 August: Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Beyond the images, the essential thing is the interior experience. St Teresa felt God tearing out her insides and burning her heart with the fire of Love. He tore out her heart of stone and gave her a new heart (Cf. Ezek 36:26). God introduced her to the New Covenant. The effect is to live according to the new covenant, not from the external law but from the will of God engraved in the heart. We should all ask for this divine gift.

The essential characteristic of the new covenant is its intimate nature: both the people as a whole and each individual come to live as “children of God”—in a relationship of obedience and communion with the Lord. But this happens no longer because they were born into a particular people or because they fulfill external laws.

Rather, it flows from the gift of a new heart, the gift of the Spirit (Ez 36:26-27). The Spirit of Jesus, animating us from within, enables us to live God’s will spontaneously, freely, and joyfully—from the inside out.

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Social media posts, 26 August 2024 and 22 March 2015

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: St. Teresa in ecstasy is an oil on canvas artwork painted by Swedish artist Ernst Josephson (1851–1906) after the painting by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. Both paintings of this same subject by Josephson and Piazzetta are found in the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm. Image credit: Erik Cornelius / Nationalmuseum (Public domain).

#BishopSilvioJoséBáez #fire #love #NewCovenant #StTeresaOfAvila #transverberation

Scott LaPierre Aug 18, 2025

Jesus the Last Adam: God’s Wrath, Our Redemption (1 Corinthians 15:45 and Luke 22:42-43)

https://www.scottlapierre.org/jesus-the-last-adam/

Jesus as the Last Adam is one of the most powerful truths in Scripture, as Christ came to save us from the consequences of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden.

#jesuslastadam #godswrath #ourredemption #1corinthians1545 #luke2242 #lukegospel #newcovenant #lastsupper #jesusredemption #biblicalteaching #christianfaith #biblestudy #pastorscottlapierre #jesussermon #christians #godslove

Cindy Jun 10, 2025

IMO #Israel engages in war under #OldTestament beliefs✡ They haven't accepted the lord☦ #JesusChrist

Under the #LawCovenant foes were sometimes #devotedtodestruction ~ what we're seeing in #Palestine #Gaza demonstates This very thing: COMPLETELY dissolving their enemies in EVERY sense of the word (people, animals, food, water, homes, possessions).

In part ~ Israel wants Land, God once said belongs to them: They NEED to #Repent #BeSaved #inJesusname @ once thru the #NewTestament #NewCovenant 🙏

Alive in Christ Apr 22, 2025

Explore the profound meaning of Maundy and Jesus' commandment to love! We delve into God's New Covenant, the struggle to listen, and the innate sense of right and wrong. Discover how Jesus' love, seen in his sacrifice, calls us to love one another. #MaundyThursday #JesusLove #NewCovenant #LoveOneAnother #FaithJourney #VirtualMeeting #GodsMessage #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #SpiritualGrowth