The Two Covenants (Part 2 of 2)

Brother Roger L. Decker

Establishing a Foundation

We want to focus on verse 17 of our Scripture text: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Reviewing some thoughts to establish a foundation for this message is necessary. In verse 17 we find that two mediators were mentioned. The word mediator simply means "a go-between, a reconciler." The Law was given by Moses, but grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.

Two names that stand out in the Old Testament are Moses and Abraham. Those names were brought up many times to challenge the authority of Jesus Christ. You will notice that when Matthew wrote the Gospel, which was written to the Jews, he began with the lineage of Christ, tying it back to Abraham. Had he been unable to tie Jesus Christ to Abraham, his Gospel would have been to no avail.

Abraham stood out for the lineage, and Moses for the Law. Moses was gifted in many ways: he was an orator, a historian, a leader, a patriarch, and a prophet. He lived very close to God. When God called Moses to go to Egypt to speak to the pharaoh, he was eighty years old, and his brother Aaron was eighty-three.

In many ways, Moses was a type of Jesus Christ. Speaking of Jesus, Matthew 11:29 says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Moses also was a meek man. We read in Numbers 12:3, "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)"

Moses was born into a very poor family, and so was Jesus. As soon as Moses was born, he was in danger of the wrath of pharaoh. Likewise, as soon as Jesus was born, He was under the wrath of King Herod. Both Moses and Jesus had miraculous deliverances. God appointed Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt, which was a type of sin. God appointed Jesus to deliver all men from sin. Moses led Israel through the Red Sea, and Christ leads the new Israel through the sea of tribulation.

What really attached Moses to Christ? We find in Hebrews, Chapter 11, that Moses was a man of faith. Verses 23-27 tell us: "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." Again, verse 25 says, "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." The word season means "temporary." The word pleasure, as it is used here, means "sensual appetites, lust." It does not mean happiness, and that is because there is no happiness in sin. There might be pleasure, but that pleasure is only temporary.

The Law Without Christ

When the Law is mentioned, our minds go to Moses, because the Law was given by Moses; they are inseparable. As we look at the Law, or the Old Covenant, the Bible says it was added. Why add something that you cannot keep? It was added because of sin. Galatians 3:19 says, "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." God revealed Himself and His holiness to His people through the Law. They could see what He liked and disliked. The Law was given to bring a consciousness of sin, to make people aware of their sins.

Often people sin freely until they come around where the Law is given. Today people still do not like the law, whether it is the law of God or the law of man. The flesh rebels against the Law. The Law brought sin to life, or made it active. It brought sin to the surface in that it showed man what was really on the inside.

In Romans, Chapter 7, the Apostle Paul laid out his experience before conversion. The first verse lets you know what he was writing about and to whom he was writing. He said, "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,)." Though some religious organizations teach that Paul was speaking of his experience after conversion, because they want to make an excuse for sin, he was not speaking of his life after conversion. He was dealing with his life before Jesus Christ throughout the entirety of this chapter. Then, in Chapter 8, he was dealing with the New Covenant; he was getting into the law of Jesus Christ. One is a law of condemnation; the other is a law of life through Jesus Christ.

Verses 5-14 read: "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: [Notice that the Apostle Paul was very careful about what he wrote. He put himself in there. He in no way came against the Jewish nation, because he knew how highly the Jews esteemed the Law; therefore, he put himself in there as a testimony.] for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

"For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived [or became active], and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful [those things in the heart needed to come to the surface]. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

The Apostle Paul began by saying, "For when we were in the flesh . . ." This simply means that in the flesh, though we believed the Law, the motions of sin (or the passions and desires of sin) without the grace of God, excited our members. The motions of sin got excited when they were stirred by the Law of God. Those passions were aroused by the commandments. When a commandment or the Law tells the flesh not to do something, without the grace of God, the flesh is stirred worse than if there were no Law. Why stir it up? To reveal your need of a Savior, a Deliverer.

The Purpose of the Law

What is the object of the Law? It reveals your need of a Savior to deliver you from the body of the flesh. The fact is, you must have control of the members of the flesh. Without the Spirit of God, one is going to act as the flesh acts, and then when one comes under the law of God, it reveals that person's sinful condition and need. Only conviction through the drawing power of the Holy Spirit will bring an individual to a place of fully surrendering his members to Jesus Christ.

With salvation we do not need the Law. Why is that? The Law is not against righteousness but against sinners. First Timothy 1:9-10 reads: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." That is the purpose of the Law. You cannot be a child of God and be involved in any of those things. This is the reason a Christian is not under the Law but under grace, not grace to sin but grace not to sin. Romans 6:14-18 says: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."

The Word of God is very plain concerning this topic. If someone tries to draw you back under the Law, they are trying to draw you back into sin, or into living after the flesh. As a Christian, you are on a much higher plane than those under the Mosaic Law. The Law was not made for a righteous man, but for the ungodly and the sinners, or for the unholy. It was given by Moses to make sin exceedingly sinful so man could see his need of a deliverer through Jesus Christ.

The Law is not against righteousness but against sin. That is the reason sinners do not want to hear the Word of God. In the services when a man of God begins to preach along a certain line, some people get fidgety. They get up, go out in the vestibule and stand around and talk or go outside. They do not want to hear the Law. They do not want to hear any rules or regulations. On the other hand, those who are righteous can raise their hands and say, "Amen, brother."

Romans 7:7 says, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." The Law did not produce sin, but rather the Law made sin manifest.

I will use the illustration of light shining through a window. What does that light reveal? It shows little particles of dust. The light does not produce the dust; the dust is already there. The light just reveals it. That is what the Law did. It did not produce sin; it just showed sin and made it exceedingly sinful.

Paul said he had not known sin but by the Law. A heart that is dark and corrupt cannot discern the will of God. If God had not revealed himself by His Law, people could have put darkness for light and sin for acts of holiness. Jeremiah 17:9-10 reads: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

When Sin Is Revealed

When the heart is left to itself, it will become its own source of measure; but the Law is like a straight edge, and everything must line up with it. It makes sin appear exceedingly sinful. That is the reason we are not to measure ourselves by ourselves. The measuring rod is Jesus Christ. Romans 7:8 says, "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead." He was saying that sin was revealed by the commandment. The Law did not bring forth sin; it just revealed what was there and excited that sin. Paul was saying, "It showed what was evil and forbade it, and that is when sin came to the surface. Sin rose in disobedience." The Gospel will reveal the true condition that one is in. What does the flesh do? It raises up and excites that sin, and it becomes exceedingly sinful. Paul was saying, "The Law showed me what was evil, and sin caused me to rebel and excited me to disobey."

Romans 7:9 says, "For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." When knowledge came, sin became excited and caused the flesh to rebel even more. The flesh will rebel against the commandments of God. Why is that? There is no power in the flesh to live a holy, consistent life for the Lord. Rebellion against the known law of God opens your eyes to sin. You can really see what sin is all about when your passions get excited; then you can see how sin got you in such bondage. You would like to walk freely and do the things of God, but you cannot. Something became excited and drew you away from the things of God, and that was sin.

Rebellion against a known law of God opens your eyes to sin. Almost everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve. The serpent, one of the most subtle of all creatures that God created, beguiled the woman. We read in Genesis 3:6-7: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

The Scripture says "the eyes of them both were opened." A law was given to Adam and Eve in the garden. It was not the law of the commandments; nevertheless, it was a law. The law was given by God for their dispensation of time. In the garden they had the best environment that anyone could have. So, you see, it is not the environment that keeps sin away. God told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve never should have entered into conversation with the devil and partaken of the forbidden fruit. The Bible says her eyes were opened.

When sin is revealed, it becomes exceedingly sinful, and you know that you have disobeyed God. With it comes two things: first, you become ashamed of yourself; second, you fear that God is going to bring you into judgment. Verses 9-10 state: "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [God did not have to call Adam before. He could converse freely with him; but after Adam sinned, he was afraid. Sin brings fear and shame.] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." Genesis 2:25 tells us that "they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." However, after they disobeyed God, they were ashamed and afraid of God. Sin, when it becomes exceedingly sinful, will open a person's eyes to fear and shame. When one has disobeyed God, He could bring that person into judgment at any time.

One fear that Adam and Eve had was that what God said was really true. In so many words, God said, "The day that you partake of this, you will surely die." Once they disobeyed God's command, that became a reality. They were willingly separated from God, and spiritual death became a reality. Friend, sin separates you from God. You can pray all you want and go through all kinds of ceremonial rituals when you are in sin, but God will not be impressed. What happened to Adam and Eve? Adam said, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid [it never troubled him before], because I was naked; and I hid myself." He was naked before, but he did not hide himself. Also, he had no fear of God before, but disobedience brought fear and shame. It made sin exceedingly sinful.

Is Sin Warring in Your Members?

Going back to Romans 7:15, we find that the Apostle Paul wrote, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." The Amplified Bible makes this verse a little clearer. It says, "For I do not understand my own actions I am baffled, bewildered. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns]."

Then, in verse 19 he wrote, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." This verse from the Amplified Bible states, "For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing." This is the testimony of an individual who has sin active in his life. Such a person does not have control over his members as he ought. Friend, you will never have control of your members until you are full of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit must quicken those members; it is He who brings life. The Law was administration of death, but the Gospel brought life and immortality. You cannot have the life of God until you believe the Gospel, repent, and forsake your sins. The testimony that you just read is not the testimony of a child of God. Paul was teaching that without the Gospel you can try to make yourself good, but the end result will be nothing but failure. Again, he was speaking of those under the Law. Despite the good that they do, they find evil present with them. The evil they do not want to do, that is what they do. Evil is stronger than their desire to do that which is right. Evil is stronger than the mind, stronger than physical strength, stronger than good intentions, and stronger than desires.

What did Paul say was working in Romans, Chapter 7? Verse 17 tells us, "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." The Apostle Paul studied under Gamaliel, so he knew the Law. That is the reason he was so good in the discussions he had at Ephesus and other places where God used him in such mighty ways. He was a teacher of the Law, but without Jesus Christ he was void of victory in his soul. All that the Law did was stir him up. He had a desire to do good and not evil, but he found that he was one miserable failure. Though he was from the elite tribe of Benjamin, of the Jewish faith, and a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he still could not keep the Law of God.

Do you have a desire to do that which is right, but you find that you have no control in your life? You have to realize that something in you is stronger than the natural man, and that is sin. Perhaps you would to God there were some things you did not do. Well, you have to realize, as the Apostle Paul tells you, that it is not you that does it, but sin that dwells in you.

What happens to a man or a woman in that condition? The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:23, "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." He said in verse 24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" In other words, he was saying, "How am I ever going to get deliverance? I am doing the best I can to keep the Law, but the Law stirs up my passions and desires." On the road to Damascus, Paul was still a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and he was set to wipe out every Christian, yet he thought he was doing God's will.

Paul said in verse 25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul had a desire to do what was right, but he found that the flesh kept him captivated under the law of sin, and then he thanked God through Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:1-2 he wrote: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

I want you to notice one thing in closing. When we talk about the Spirit of God, we are talking about life. When we talk about the Law, we are talking about sin and death. Again, verse 2 reads, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Under the Law, Paul was under the law of sin and death, the Old Covenant. Without the Spirit of God active in your life, you are still under that law. Whenever the commandments or the Gospel goes forth, you will find that something gets stirred within you and keeps you from coming to Christ or receiving the Spirit of life. That is sin warring in your members, but Jesus Christ came to set you free from the law of sin and death.

(Cassette C-4563A)

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