OT vs NT Faith

Welcome to the third day of fall everyone… at least that is what my calendar says today!  Personally, I am not so sure, as we had rain with thunder and lightning on the last day of summer from 4:00 AM until 2:00 in the afternoon, followed by a partially sunny, breezy and somewhat cool day that never made it into the 80’s!  Then the first two days of fall were saturated by almost non-stop severe thunder, lightning and tons of rain. 

But now today, and the entire week ahead is forecast to be warm and summer-like with blue skies and temperatures reaching into the high 80’s!  Go figure!  You know… I’ve lived on the west coast, the east coast and now in the middle of the country in Oklahoma, and if I’ve learned anything… it’s that you can never be quite sure of the reliability of the weather forecast… that’s one reason that I always keep an umbrella, a jacket and a hat in my car!

I began my morning Bible study today with a review of a scripture that I had been looking for a while.  The verse is a familiar one to many of us found in Psalm 118:24, where a triumphal statement “of jubilant thanksgiving was sung by worshippers in procession to the Temple”* as they declared,

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (NASB)

As I was slowly reading this verse, it suddenly dawned on me that this psalm was sung in thanksgiving to victorious events that had ALREADY occurred in the life of the Jewish nation.  By the time the psalmist wrote these words, there was probably a written record of the events that had happened and most likely physical evidence or mementoes of the victories that the Lord had provided for them.  The people could joyously celebrate these past memories because they had tangible proof that they had occurred!

What also dawned on me as I read this Old Testament verse, was that it describes a process for people living under the Jewish Law, that is different than the life of FAITH that is required of us as New Testament Christians.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is one of the best places to discover the paramount role that FAITH plays in our Christian walk.  Hebrews 11:6 sets the baseline foundation for our FAITH-life when the writer declares that,

“Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that HE is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (KJV) 

Then when we backup to the first verse of the chapter, we discover the Biblical definition of FAITH that says,

“Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot (yet) see.” (God’s Word ©) 

So, it’s easy to understand how the distinction between the FAITH based relationship that Christians can enjoy with the Lord Jesus Christ, and the strict following of the Do’s and Don’ts of the Old Covenant Law, is easily explained by these scriptures.

The writer of Hebrews simply teaches us that it is NOT possible to please God without exercising the kind of FAITH that assures us of the things we are expecting (as found in the Word of God)… that we do not immediately see… when we come to God with “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” that “availeth much.” (James 5:16 – KJV)

Jesus Himself explained how this all works to His disciples in Mark 11:22-24 and summed up this fundamental truth of our Christian FAITH by teaching,

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, WHEN YOU PRAY, (not after you see it manifested in your midst), believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:24 – KJV)

Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we New Testament Christians become adopted sons and daughters of the Living God… while the Old Testament Jews were considered servants of the almighty God.  That standing gives us the ability to have an entirely different relationship with God!  A relationship that He would like for us to develop into an intimate and deeply personal oneness with Him!**

It's just like how the relationship with our spouses and loved ones should be.  It is an ever-growing relationship that is built on love, trust, respect, honor and unity!  And it takes commitment, diligence, grace and a humble heart… and the results… Well, from what I have learned from my personal experience… It is WELL worth ALL the effort!

I’ll explain more about how this all works in future blog posts… but for now… Is there a request that you have made of the Lord?  Then I would suggest that you put your faith into action and show Him how much you trust Him by THANKING Him for that need being met… right now… before you see it come into physical existence in your life!

Have a great beginning of fall as you continue to EXPECT God’s BEST and enjoy the cooler days, the colorful leaves falling to the ground and the delight of Pumpkin Spice Lattes!  

 

*Psalm 118 footnotes from the NASB Ryrie Study Bible – 1978, page 910

**See: John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Ephesians 1:5, 3:19, 1 John 3:1-2, Revelation 21:7