THE NEW COVENANT
1. Having brought Abraham's descendants out of Egypt, God made a covenant with them at mount Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6 and 24:4-8). This was a covenant between Israel and God alone (Amos 3:2 and Romans 9:4).
2. But Israel proved faithless generation after generation and broke the covenant. God determined to dissolve that covenant and he says in Jeremiah 31:31-32: "The days are coming...when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband..."
3. The NT writer to the Hebrews in 8:6-9 insists that the Mosaic or Sinaitic covenant was the first and that it was faulty (though its fault existed only in relation to sinful people). He said if that first covenant had been without fault there would have been no reason to establish a second. He goes on to say that the new covenant (which he calls a second) replaces the old covenant (which he calls the first). This is what the OT had prophesied and this is what Christ came to fulfil.
4. There had been a Mosaic church (Acts 7:38) but Christ would establish his church (Matthew 16:18). There had been an old covenant but Christ would bring in a new one. This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood is how Luke 22:20 puts it. There had been an old mediator (Moses) but Christ would be the new Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). There had been an old priesthood, tabernacle and sacrificial system which were set aside by Christ who made everything new (Hebrews, chapters 8¾10). There had been twelve patriarchs, the founders of the old Israel. Christ would choose twelve apostles who would be the fathers of the new Israel (Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:30).
5. The removal of the Mosaic covenant with all that that involved did not mean that God ceased to love Israel! They were still Abraham's seed and were loved. With the removal of the old covenant and the bringing in of the new there was a re-defining of the people of God. The Jewish national status under the Mosaic (old) covenant no longer existed. A new covenant was (and is) offered to the Jews by which they are the people of God. We are told that those who reject that new covenant in Christ are cut off from among the people (Deuteronomy 18:18-19 with Acts 3:22-23). Jews who persist in rejecting Jesus are not the people of God by the old covenant because that, as a national covenant, has been annulled (Hebrews 7:12 and 10:9-10). Nor are they the people of God by the new covenant since they have rejected (and do reject) the Messiah. (Still he pleads with them to turn to him and find both life and blessing because has not ceased to love Abraham's offspring!) See Romans 11:28-29.
THE NEW COMMUNITY BEGINS
6. The first disciples of Jesus Christ were Jews! Before he returned to his Father he insisted that the gospel be preached first to the Jews (Luke 24:47 and Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first public witness of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-47). His hearers were Jews from all over the world (2:5). When they were convicted of their sin with regard to the Messiah, about 3,000 men and women were baptized into his name for the forgiveness of their sins (2:37-38). Before too long the Church grew to 5,000 men and soon afterward there was a great multitude of the priests who obeyed the truth (6:7). The Church in Jerusalem and among Jews grew like wildfire.
7. Philip carried the message to the Samaritans (Acts 8) and they too were trustingly baptized in Christ's name (8:12,16). The Jerusalem Church approved of this outreach and sent Peter and John to indicate this.
A NEW OFFER TO UNCIRCUMCISED GENTILES
8. Up to this point the gospel was being preached to Jews and Samaritans (who were circumcised and had a commitment to the OT and Moses, however imperfectly they grasped truth). The message finally came to raw Gentiles. That story is told in Acts 10. It had been known that the good news was for all but only now did God reveal it was for all even if they didn't become Jews!
9. While Peter spoke of forgiveness and blessing in Christ, the Holy Spirit interrupted him and empowered the Gentile, his household and friends (Acts 10:44-48). Peter now realized that God offers salvation in Christ even to uncircumcised Gentiles. Others might refuse to baptize these people into the name of Christ because they were not circumcised but Peter granted them that privilege (10:47-48). Later when he was questioned about it, he plainly said he had no real option (11:16-17). Salvation was for the Jew and it was to go first to the Jew but it was for all men with or without the Jewish trappings!
THE NEW CRUCIFIXION
10. This new Community which was making its mark on the world was the Body of Jesus Christ; that is, it was the body of people in whom Jesus dwelled by his Spirit (Ephesians 1:22 and 2:13-22). He dwelled in and reached out to people through that Body. The new Body of the risen Lord is called the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18). Since Satan hated Christ he would hate his Body also and Christ warned his disciples of that truth (John 15:18-23). The destiny of the Church was to suffer like its Master¾and it did!
11. Saul led a persecution against the new Community and men and women died. Stephen, a prominent preacher in the Jerusalem area was stoned to death during this time. (Acts 7 has the story.) The young rabbi, Saul, pursued believers to distant cities. He walked as far as Damascus to bring these heretics to trial (Acts 9 and 22 and 26). Then he met the Lord of those disciples and was transformed!
12. The physical persecution of the Church began as a Jewish-inspired thing. Later it was to become a Roman pastime to burn Christians as torches in the gardens of the emperor and to feed them to lions. Later still, the persecution of Christians became Empire policy and for more that 200 years Christians were slaughtered and tortured while the world jeered; but like their Master, they knew death wouldn't destroy the Church (Matthew 16:18). His death was the door through which he ascended the throne of God and through their deaths a jeering world was made to wonder as the Church prospered. The Church was acting out the death, burial and resurrection of her Master!
13. Attacks on the Church took more than one form. There was false teaching and inner strife. The Church weathered the storms and to this day defends the truth that salvation is by grace through faith in the crucified but risen Lord and that it results in a life of Christ-imitating righteousness. Various heresies shook her for a while but she shrugged them off and still maintains her testimony which centres in Jesus Christ her Lord!
Great job! That's the end of lesson 5.
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