OBEDIENCE TO JESUS – THE NEW COVENANT
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Gehoorsaamheid aan Jesus – die Nuwe Verbond”
Someone wrote to me as follows:
"I am looking for word on the following topic:
What does absolute obedience to the Word and to Jesus entail? ”
I want to start by saying: For me, "absolute obedience to the Word and to Jesus" is really just absolute obedience to Jesus.
I read in the Word:
JOHN 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.JOHN 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Therefore, when I answer now, I answer against that background.
Let me then begin by answering the first part of the question to me namely, how I believe, what absolute obedience to the Word really means.
To me personally, absolute obedience to the Word that is written to Jesus’ followers means to make it relevant in my own life to the best of my ability.
I'm going to shock you now by saying that today there are very few Christian theologians who are still absolutely obedient to the Word and because denominations' doctrine is compiled by their theologians, there are also many denominations that are not absolutely obedient to the Word, or in other words to Jesus.
The tendency, or is it now the fashion of the day, is to point to this or that in the Word and say that it no longer applies to us, the man of today, or the modern man today .
How terribly arrogant and great in himself man has become.
For he take the New Testament that was inscribed by Jesus Himself who had it written for us as His Word, and amends and changes it to what he wants, to get it, as he thinks, how our Lord should have written it for today – but that same man will never allow you to change his own will / testament, simply because it is just unheard of to even think in that direction.
Our Lord's New Testament is exactly that – a Testament but also a New Covenant / agreement with every person who accepts Him as their personal Lord and Saviour.
Therefore, Paul could also use the example of a will to substantiate what he says when he wrote:
GAL 3:15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.
This passage reads as follows in the Amplified Bible:
GAL 3:15 To speak in terms of human relations, brethren, (if) even a man makes a last will and testament (a merely human covenant), no one sets it aside or makes it void or adds to it when once it has been drawn up and signed (ratified, confirmed).
Because the New Testament is exactly that: A New Testament but also a New Covenant drawn up by Jesus Christ Himself:
MAT 26:27-28
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.The Amplified read as follows:
27 And then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you;
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which (ratifies the agreement and) is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
You can also read these words of Jesus in Mark 14:24 and LUK 22:20 and Paul repeats these words of Jesus in 1COR 11:25.
The writer to the Hebrews points out to us very clearly that you and I are now heirs of what was written by Jesus Christ in this New Testament, which is also a New Covenant, and written down for Christians of all times.
HEB 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Amplified Version:
HEB 9:15 (Christ, the Messiah) is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of an (entirely) new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfilment of the promised everlasting inheritance – since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the (old) first agreement.
Can you see now, how foolishly arrogant it is to scratch off left, right and centre what we do not like in Jesus' New Testament, proclaiming that it no longer applies to us, because it does no longer fall satisfyingly on our and some people in our congregation's ears?
Or add all sorts of stuff in their doctrine to apply their kind of gospel on us today, because that is what people want to hear.
Therefore, for me, absolute obedience to the Word is to live to the best of my human ability according to this New Testament of Jesus, as He set it up for us.
Now I would like to share with you about the second part in the question to me namely; what do absolute obedience to Jesus entails.
Actually, I could also have said, that I now want to share with you how I should live out this New Covenant of our Lord with us, but I treat the subject as the question was put to me.
We read:
MAT 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
It means to me personally, that in whatever circumstances our Lord allows me to live in this life, it will be for me in the first place, that I will live to the praise and glorifying of His Holy Name and that includes, that I may place absolutely nothing above Jesus in my life and where I fail in a moment of weakness, I will immediately confess my sin and work on not doing it again.
It means, secondly, that I will live the life He has given me to the best of my ability in compassionate love with my fellow man, that is, every human being with whom I may come in contact.
In my journey here on earth as I follow Jesus, sometimes in difficult circumstances, I must remember that He did not hold back anything to make it possible for me to be with Him in Heaven, not even His life:
PHIL 2:6-8
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So, what do I say is absolute obedience to Jesus?
Someone once asked the same question just in other words to Jesus Himself:
MAT 22:36-40
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
To then summarize the question to me, namely: "What does absolute obedience to the word and to Jesus" entails?
In my love for Jesus I may not put anyone or anything above Him and in obedience I must live to the best of my ability according to what He wrote to me in His New Testament – while I, to the best of my ability in fellow man love trying to live with all the people around me:
ROM 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
I underline everything I have written in this writing so far with the following from our Lord's precious Word:
ROM 13:9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
ROM 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Greetings,
Sakkie