THE MAIN POINT

THE MAIN POINT

 

I like the way Paul begins the eighth chapter of his letter to the Hebrew church in Jerusalem. We know from reading (Rom 10:1-3) that he had such a burden for his Jewish brethren, that although Peter was definitely the "apostle to the Jews", it would seem that they made a deal that if Peter would let him write a letter to the Jews then he in turn would allow Peter to write to the Jews in the churches Paul had established in Galatia, which he did. So, he starts with "Here is the main point", and proceeds to explain to these Jewish believers who had recently left the "Law of Moses" to follow Jesus their Messiah. Paul spent this whole chapter explaining how Jesus was the real "High Priest", who had come to replace the "Old Covenant" that Moses had established, with the "New Covenant" promised by Jeremiah in (Jer 31:31-34). He says in verses 7-9 "If the first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people He said the day is coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them says the Lord". This a very serious scripture, whether you are a Jewish person or a Gentile follower of Jesus! Paul said that "in Christ" we are all one, and that this scripture applies equally to both Jew and Gentile.

 

The fact that God has replaced the OT "Law of Moses" with a completely "New Covenant" is vital for us all to understand. Even as followers of Christ, most of us have established "traditions" based on the teachings of the denomination we belong to. They may vary on certain points, depending on the church you attend, but they are still traditions. In (Mark 7:8, 13) we read about Jesus rebuking the Jewish leaders about allowing their traditions to over rule the Word of God. And I believe there is a danger in our churches of allowing this very same thing happening! Many church traditions are based completely or partly, on man made doctrines, and not really on the scriptures taken in context. They are often based on a single verse taken out of its proper context, and hence becomes error. Let us search the scriptures carefully like the Bereans did in (Acts 17:11)!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer.