The Gospel Chart (From the Gospel Centered Life by Thune & Walker)

This simple chart helps explain how the Gospel of Jesus works in our hearts and minds. It is relevant to both non-Christians and Christians. 

This is taken from a Christian study series called “The Gospel Centered Life” which I highly recommend doing as a student or teacher.  

There are 3 parts to it:

1) The upward line indicates a growing awareness of just how holy (or perfect, or pure) God is. It’s not that God becomes more holy, it’s just that we are beginning to understand it better. 

2) The downward line represents a growing awareness of our own personal sinfulness.  A realization of our utter inability to please God in our own efforts or good works. Again, it’s not that we become more sinful, we just understand it better. 

3) As you can see these two lines grow apart as we gain awareness of each topic That would be depressing if it were not for the middle where we see the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross not only bridges this gap but it grows larger and more lovely as the lines diverge. The cross becomes our only hope.

The Cross Chart from the Gospel Centered Life by Robert H. Thune and Will Walker, 

Copyright 2009, New Growth Press.

The authors of the study cite Colossians 1:5-6 as the ground for their work:

“…the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.”

The idea here being that the Gospel isn’t just “...the door, but the path we are to walk every day of the Christian life”. 

The authors continue: “It is not just the means of our salvation, but the means of our transformation. It is not simply deliverance from sin’s penalty, but release from sin’s power… The gospel changes everything!”

As always if you have any questions about this chart or this series let me know. 

See a PDF preview here.

8 Facts about the New Covenant

Definition of a Covenant

A covenant is defined as: “A written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.” Websters

A Biblical covenant is more specifically: “A contract between God and man drawn up by God and presented to man.  Man can either accept it or reject it, but he cannot change it.” (The Covenants, page 2) 

There are about 9 covenants in the Bible but the New Testament focuses largely on the “Old” and the “New”. For more information about covenants in the Bible see 6 Facts about God’s Covenants. 

Instituted by Christ 

The New Covenant was instituted by Jesus Christ Himself at the Last Supper before His crucifixion and resurrection. 

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:19-20

It was by Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection that the New Covenant is made possible to Christians today. The New Covenant is essentially the Gospel properly  and fully understood. 

The Eucharist/ Lord Supper - by Nheyob, cropped by Tahc 

Prophesied in the Old Testament

God foretold the New Covenant in Jeremiah chapter 31 when He declared:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares 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.

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34

The Old Covenant

The Old Covenant is essentially the Law given to Moses (Exodus 24, Hebrews). A summarization of it is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). It is not that we don’t try to keep the Law anymore but now it is “written in our hearts” as Jeremiah told us. 

It is now a matter of faith in God’s grace, the promises of the New Covenant and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about our holiness. Trying to please God by our own works and attempts to keep the Law (apart from faith and grace) is called “Legalism”. Legalism can be actions or, more subtly, an attitude.

“…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” Galatians 2:16

The Book of Hebrews

The letter to the Hebrews is crucial in understanding the differences between the Old and New covenants. This letter was written to Jews scattered about.  Some of them believed in Jesus but it was hard for them to break off from the Old Covenant and enter fully into the new one. Paul encourages them about the “better” way of Jesus Christ and His New Covenant. 

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15

The Galatians

The book of Galatians speaks much about the New Covenant as opposed to the Old Covenant. The Galatians were Christian believers who had been seduced by those who would keep the Law by works. The Church at Galatia seemed to understand that they were justified (or saved) by faith and grace but they had been failing to see that the only way they could be sanctified (made holy in Christian living) was also by faith and grace – i.e. the New Covenant.

Paul, the author, is very direct with the Galatians:

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-3

 Christians often struggle under legalism like a yoke of bondage

The Importance of the New Covenant

The New Covenant is the way that God has chosen to relate to us today as believers in Jesus Christ. Yet so many of us live by the Old Covenant under a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). We fail to see all that holiness and power and liberty that is available to us through the promises of the New Covenant.   

Andrew Murray wrote about this in his book “The Believer’s New Covenant” which has been of supreme importance in my life. He writes:  

“I would admonish all believers who long to know to the utmost what the grace of God can work in them, to study carefully the question as to whether… that our being in the bondage of the Old Covenant is the reason for our failure, and whether a clear insight into the possibility of an entire change in our relation to God (via the New Covenant) is not what is needed to give us the help we seek."

My Personal Experience

I struggled for many years not understanding God’s grace given in the New Covenant. To this day I still fail and crawl back to the works of the Law (or the "Do it myself" attitude)  in order to please God. But I believe God taught me the beauty of this “new” covenant while reading Andrew Murray one day (see 5 Thoughts on Grace).

After a spiritual breakdown in my early twenties, the concept of grace slowly began to sink into my heart. Not just for my justification but also for my sanctification (i.e. becoming more like Jesus, striving for holiness, evangelism and living the Christian life more and more effectively). I kid you not, as this truth slowly saturated into my heart and mind, I felt a powerful force was lifted off of me… chains of bondage were shattered and I was free. I understood (or at least began to understand) grace.

May the rich blessings of the New Covenant be yours by faith and grace.

6 Facts about God’s Covenants

This blog is meant to be a brief introduction to the covenants of God in the Bible and to hopefully spur on further study by the reader. 

Much of the information of this article is taken from the book, The Covenants, by Conner and Malmin (1983).

What is a covenant in general? 

“… a mutual understanding between two or more parties, each binding himself (or herself) to fulfill specified obligations…”. This can pertain to social, business, legal or other kinds of contracts. 

The Covenants explains, “The word covenant is a word that has lost its meaning and significance in present society. In Bible times the word covenant involved promise, commitment, faithfulness and loyalty even unto death.”

What is a Biblical covenant specifically?  

The Hebrew word Beriyth is defined as “a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh) It signifies “cutting” of an animal sacrifice (see Genesis 15:17).  There are two words in the Greek and only one (Diatheke – a disposition, arrangement, testament or will) is used to describe the covenants of God. 

“In every case in Scripture when a covenant was instituted between God and man, God is seen as the initiator. Man did not come to God with a proposal seeking God’s approval, rather God came to man declaring His will and seeking man’s adherence. 

A covenant is a contract between God and man drawn up by God and presented to man.  Man can either accept it or reject it, but he cannot change it.” (The Covenants, page 2) 

Why study the covenants of God in the Bible?  

To more fully understand God and how He relates to us and to better read the flow of Scripture, His message to us. 

“Through many years of studying that inexhaustible Book called the Bible, believers have discovered many streams of truth. However, there is a deep vast river, a mainstream of revelation, which flows though God’s Word. This mainstream is the flow of God’s ongoing covenantal revelation.” (The Covenants, Foreword) 

What are the elements of a covenant in the Bible?  

There are at least three basic elements of God’s covenants:

1) The Words of the covenant    2) The Blood of the covenant   3) The Seal of the covenant 

Using the New Covenant as an example we see that God the Father originated (or worded) it (John 17:2,6), God the Son provided the shed blood for it upon the cross (Mat 26:26-29) and God the Holy Spirit is the seal upon it (2 Cor 1:22). 

What are the different types of Bible covenants? 

There are a few distinctions when reading through the covenants of the Bible. 

Some are eternal while some are temporal. Some are to all people while some are to Israel only. Some are conditional on man’s obedience to God while others are unconditional – based on faith in God’s promise alone. 

How many covenants are there in the Bible?

There is certainly debate amongst Bible scholars about the exact number of God’s covenants. In the book we are following along with though, the authors have discerned nine different covenants. They are the covenants of:

> Eden (What God originally intended before the entrance of sin – Genesis 1-2)

> Adam and Eve (After the entrance of sin, God pronounces judgment and blessing and the first promise of the Messiah – Jesus. Genesis 3)

> Noah (After the great flood, it’s seal or token is the rainbow – Genesis 6-9)

> Abraham (Also known as the Covenant of Grace – Genesis 12-22)

> Moses (The Law or the Old Covenant – Exodus 19-40)

> Palestine (The Promised Land – Deuteronomy 27-33)

> David (God promises both a natural succession to David’s throne and spiritual one – Jesus. 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 89, 132)

> The New Covenant (Instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper before His death on the cross – Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 26, Hebrews 8)

> The Everlasting Covenant (Or the Covenant of Redemption. A comprehensive covenant of the story of redemption, made in the counsels of the Holy Trinity. Various Scriptures) 

“The New Covenant (the end) makes possible the Edenic Covenant (the beginning) and all other covenants are but links in the covenantal chain.” (The Covenants, page 12) 

Earning God's Favour - 7 Signs of Legalism

What is legalism?  Ligonier ministries offers a helpful definition: 

“Legalism exists when people attempt to secure righteousness in God’s sight by good works. Legalists believe that they can earn or merit God’s approval by performing the requirements of the law.” 

This is true but legalism is more than that.  

John Newton wrote, “Our sins are many, but His mercies are more: our sins are great, but His righteousness is greater: we are weak, but He is power. Most of our complaints are owing to unbelief, and the remainder of a legal spirit.” 

That’s right – legalism is also a spirit or attitude of the human heart. 

“…the inveterate yet subtle proclivity to seek to leverage Christ’s favor with our behavior.”  (Dane Ortlund)

We must always be on guard against this sly but persistent attitude. There are many signs of legalism I’m sure but here are 7 that I have gathered together from my reading of Scripture and from my own Christian life experience.  

Adding Rules to God’s Word

This is one of the most dangerous aspects of legalism - when we begin to treat human traditions or opinions as equal to the clear Word of God. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees harshly for this in Mark 7:7 – “…in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

Focusing on the Letter of the Law 

The letter of the law refers to obeying the words only while ignoring what was truly meant by those words – i.e. “the spirit of the law”.  The Pharisees were known for focusing only on the letter while ignoring the spirit (see Mark 7:1-13). Jesus gives us many amazing examples of the spirit of the Law during his Sermon on the Mount.

 Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 3:6 tells us that the letter kills: “…who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  

Lack of Grace

What is grace? It is a theological term for how God views us and treats us. In its simplest form it means “unmerited favour”; in other words, receiving something we never earned and quite frankly don’t deserve. The 19th century writer, Andrew Murray, defined grace this way: “The redeeming work of Christ and the righteousness He won for us, equally with the work of the Spirit in us and the power of the new life He brings, are spoken of as “grace”.  

When we aren’t allowing God’s grace to seep into all areas of our life, we often find ourselves struggling, angry and bitter.  Another tell-tale sign of a lack of grace is that we begin to judge others harshly.  

One last note though. Relying on grace to become more holy (Sanctification) does not mean that we never make an effort. As Dallas Willard reminds us – “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”

Lack of Faith 

Or “unbelief” as Newton put it.  It is absolutely imperative to understand the New Covenant we are under.  The Law is referred to as the Old Covenant whereas the New Covenant is established by Christ and his work on Calvary. This new covenant tells us we must rely in faith on the promise of God to provide a Saviour. We are no longer under the Law.  

Speaking of the Abrahamic covenant of righteousness by faith, Paul says in Galatians 3:17 “This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.” The covenant of grace actually came long before the covenant of the Law did.

The Law was “… added because of transgressions, until the offspring (Jesus) should come to whom the promise had been made…” (Gal 3:19).  We must remember that salvation is not about our performance but rather our faith in God’s promise. 

Too Much Asceticism 

Asceticism means “severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.” This may sound holy at first but it can be abused. Colossians 2:16-23 talks much about asceticism and ends with this - 

“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col 2:23)

As Roman 6:8 says - “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Ultimately it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we shall gain any mastery over our flesh and our sin.

Being Dominated by Sin

It is of the utmost importance that we control our flesh and do our best to put an end to our daily sin habits. The Bible tells us to mortify (or put to death) these things (see above). However, trying to do so in our strength often fails. Why? Perhaps it is because we are maintaining that “legal spirit”.  Romans 6:14 tells us – “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”  

Paul later says - “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…  if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Gal 5:16,18)

Spiritual Pride 

Nothing is so insidious or abhorrent to God than spiritual pride. A person may seem to have it all together and be obeying all the rules - all the while having this poison hidden in their heart.  And we are reminded in 1 Samuel 16:7 - “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

I was blind to the spiritual pride in my life for a long time and to this day still struggle with it. It can destroy a person. We must pray often that God will keep us from spiritual pride which is all too often a symptom of that “legal spirit”. 

Check out the companion article to this -  She Travels Outside of Karma: 5 Thoughts on Grace

The Image of the Invisible God (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus)

 The Image of the Invisible God (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus)

One of the great struggles of my life is to consistently have the right view of who God is in my mind. To be fair my health issues of depression and OCD compound the problem but, really, I think we all have this struggle to some degree.

After all, we know that the Devil is a liar and will take any and all opportunities to steal our joy and peace in God. One of the best ways to do that is to skew our view of who God is. To try and make Him out to be merciless, ungracious or unloving – even a tyrant. 

So how do we maintain a Biblical view of the God of the New Covenant? The God who indeed hates sin but is also abounding in mercy, grace and love?

The short answer? Look to Jesus.

The Scriptures are abundantly clear that if we want to know what God is really like then we must come to Jesus. Colossians tells that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). “He is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4) and “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature…” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

God the Father instructs us likewise. When Peter began babbling on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father spoke and said “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Mat 17:2-8). And when the disciples asked Jesus about the Father He said “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

So when we are confused or in doubt about who God is – look and listen to Jesus. Read the prophecies about Him, read His own words, read what the Apostles said about Him, pray to Him and simply...

 “Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace”

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..” (Heb 12:2a)