In Granite or Ingrained? What the Old and New Covenant Reveal about the Gospel, the Law, and the Sabbath

Title......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Dedication......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 10
What Drew Me to This Study......Page 12
A Preview of What I Found......Page 14
The Definition and Nature of the Covenant(s)......Page 16
The Everlasting Covenant......Page 17
“The Everlasting Covenant”......Page 21
The Everlasting Gospel......Page 22
Summary......Page 23
Chapter 2: The Universality of the Covenant(s)......Page 24
The Universality and Mission-Directed Purpose of God’s Covenant(s) Throughout the Old Testament Era......Page 25
The Universality and Mission-Directed Purpose of God’s Covenant in the New Testament Era......Page 28
What Might Have Been12......Page 29
Summary......Page 31
Chapter 3: How God Defined the New Covenant......Page 33
The DNA of the Everlasting Gospel Expressed in the New Covenant......Page 34
Why This Particular Order?......Page 37
Tracing the New Covenant DNA Through Salvation History......Page 38
Summary......Page 39
Chapter 4: New Covenant DNA in the Old Covenant......Page 40
New Covenant DNA Marker 1—Sanctification......Page 41
New Covenant DNA Marker 2—Reconciliation......Page 43
New Covenant DNA Marker 3—Mission......Page 44
New Covenant DNA Marker 4—Justification......Page 46
Sinai Covenant a Covenant of Grace and Pure Gospel......Page 49
Law Given Through Moses/Grace and Truth Came Through Jesus......Page 51
Summary......Page 53
Chapter 5: How the Old and New Covenants Differ......Page 55
A Different Response Anticipated......Page 56
Like the New Commandment to Love, which Wasn’t New......Page 57
A New and More Powerful Revelation......Page 58
Making It New and Real to Us......Page 59
New Ceremonies......Page 60
Jesus Came in the Middle......Page 61
Floodlight on the Law......Page 62
Everlasting Covenant Personified......Page 63
Cosmically New......Page 64
The Holy Spirit’s New Ministry......Page 65
Summary......Page 67
Chapter 6: The Two Covenants in History and Experience......Page 70
The Historical Old Covenant......Page 71
The Historical New Covenant......Page 72
The Experiential Old Covenant......Page 73
The Experiential New Covenant......Page 74
Gospel-Bearing Historical Old Covenant, but Legalistic Old Covenant Experience, at Sinai......Page 76
Summary......Page 78
The First Covenant is Obsolete......Page 80
Personal and National Examples of Old Covenant / New Covenant Experiences......Page 81
Not Under the Law’s (Schoolmaster’s) Supervision......Page 87
Not Under Law but Under Grace......Page 93
Died to the Law......Page 95
Law Not Based on Faith......Page 97
The End of the Law......Page 99
The Power of Sin is the Law......Page 100
The Ministry of Death Versus the Ministry of the Spirit......Page 102
Law for Sinners Only......Page 111
Perfection Demanded by the Covenant(s) Supplied in New Covenant Experience......Page 112
New Covenant Experience in Old Covenant History......Page 114
Old Covenant Experience in New Covenant History......Page 117
Summary......Page 119
The Nature of Biblical Law......Page 120
The Covenant Book—Love As the Basis of Law......Page 121
Obedience—the Service and Allegiance of Love......Page 123
New Testament Commands......Page 127
Meant to Be Taken Seriously......Page 130
Moral Bar Raised to the Heavens......Page 133
A Righteousness Revealed Apart from Law......Page 134
New Covenant Freedom vs. the Yoke that Neither We nor Our Fathers Could Bear......Page 135
The Unbearable Yoke......Page 136
Summary......Page 139
Circumcision......Page 140
The Spiritual Meaning of Circumcision......Page 142
Circumcision in the New Testament......Page 144
Residual Glow of Creation......Page 146
Sign of the Creation Covenant......Page 147
Sign That God Makes Us Holy......Page 148
For Israel Only?......Page 149
Change of Wills?......Page 151
Literal and Spiritual Israel......Page 155
Regarding Every Day Alike......Page 156
A Shadow of Things to Come......Page 157
Observing Special Days......Page 158
The Sabbath’s Relationship to Circumcision and the Lord’s Supper......Page 160
Jerusalem Council Directives......Page 162
Testimony for the Ten Commandments and the Sabbath in the Book of Revelation......Page 164
The Sabbath—God’s Enduring Covenant Sign......Page 167
Responses to Several Practical Concerns Regarding the Spiritual Effect of Sabbath Observance......Page 168
Summary......Page 169
The Spiritual Rest Offered God’s Covenant People......Page 171
The Sabbath—Sign of Covenant Rest......Page 172
The “Rest” Israel Did Experience, and the “Rest” They Didn’t......Page 173
What the Bible Says......Page 176
Summary......Page 183
Chapter 11: Ten Timeless Truths......Page 185
1. Adam was created within God’s everlasting covenant of love with God’s law written on his heart.......Page 186
4. God’s everlasting-covenant response to sin was the covenant of redemption.......Page 187
6. God has prepared every heart to receive the gospel and be reconciled to Him as a new covenant believer.......Page 188
9. The Holy Spirit is the divine agent in the sanctification of believers.......Page 189
10. Every believer has been called to share in God’s mission to seek the lost.......Page 190
Chapter 12: Living the Covenants......Page 192
New Covenant Experience1......Page 193
New Covenant Experience2......Page 194
Old Covenant Experience......Page 195
Benediction......Page 196
Appendix A: Comparisons of the Old and New Covenants as Presented in Hebrews 7–10......Page 197
1. Hebrews 7–10 focuses on two historical covenants divided by Jesus’s victorious life and sacrificial death, and discusses the obsolete role of the ceremonial ritual system of the first covenant now that the new has come.......Page 200
2. The everlasting, new covenant gospel spans both Old and New Testament historical eras, and believers living in both eras were saved by that one unchanging gospel.......Page 204
3. Hebrews reveals the reality and nature of the two historical covenants, and presents the new covenant as a better covenant than the first covenant.......Page 206
Romans 2:12......Page 209
Romans 3:19......Page 210
Romans 6:14–15......Page 211
1 Corinthians 9:20–21......Page 212
Galatians 3:23......Page 213
Galatians 4:21......Page 214
Galatians 5:18......Page 215
A Suggested Model of the Plan of Salvation from an Experiential “Under Law” / “Under Grace” Perspective......Page 216
Paul warns against observing sacred days with a legalistic motivation.......Page 223
The Sabbath(s) of Colossians 2:16–17 is/are ceremonial while the Sabbath of Creation is permanent.......Page 224
The Covenant of Redemption / Covenant of Grace......Page 228
The Historical Old and New Covenants—Old and New Testament Periods......Page 229
Table 2: Historical Old and New Covenants......Page 230
Table 3: Old and New Covenant Experiences......Page 232
Commands against the following practices:......Page 234
Commands on how to relate to specific kinds of people:......Page 235
Commands addressed to the following groups of people:......Page 236
Commands admonishing us to:......Page 237
Chapter 1......Page 240
Chapter 2......Page 242
Chapter 3......Page 245
Chapter 4......Page 246
Chapter 5......Page 248
Chapter 6......Page 250
Chapter 7......Page 251
Chapter 8......Page 256
Chapter 9......Page 260
Chapter 10......Page 267
Appendix A......Page 269
Appendix B......Page 270