Jesus' Witnesses

This morning I am doing some reflecting on God's word and felt like reading from the book of Daniel 9:9-12 NIV:

[9] "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; [10] we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets."

[11]" All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. [12] You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem".

What caught my eye this morning was verse 11 where he writes, "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you."  As I read those words the question popped into my mind, were there any such curses and sworn judgements written in the new covenant, the one established by Jesus? I certainly can't think of any.

Scripture is very clear that Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and established a new covenant through His death and resurrection.  Thus, none of us in the "Christian" church are under the old covenant with its curses and sworn judgments for we follow the one who established the New Covenant.  There are those who wrongly bring the curses and sworn judgments from the old covenant into the new, and this is not correct.

My good friend Vince Staggs writes the following yesterday on his Facebook feed- "I think Jesus' followers are going to have to settle, once and for all, which covenant—Old or New—is now in effect for humanity. We can’t afford to be of two minds about this. Here's my understanding: When Hebrews was written the Old Covenant was obsolete and “ready to disappear” (8:13). Not long after God ended that covenant in spectacular fashion with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, permanently ending the Jewish priesthood and animal sacrifices.  

The Law brings wrath (Rom 4:15). But Jesus fulfilled that Law and became the atoning sacrifice “not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2). The Law was about blessings and curses; Jesus redeemed us from the Law’s curse, becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13). Whereas 3,000 people died the day the Law was given, 3,000 were saved with the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. Now, instead of cursing the wicked with drought, God sends rain on both the righteous *and* the unrighteous, showing kindness to wicked and ungrateful people. He’s not counting humanity’s sins against us (2 Cor 5:19). (If he is, why do so many mass murderers live to ripe old ages: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.?) 

I don't think God is judging cities, much less nations. Jesus is the one entrusted with all judgment, and he wasn’t sent to judge—on the contrary, God sent him to *save* the world. The last city destroyed in judgment was Jerusalem in 70AD, destroyed in the final fulfillment of the Old Covenant as God invoked the curses specified in the Law on those who refused the safety of the New Covenant (including Jesus’ warnings to flee the city when they saw Rome surrounding it with armies, which the Christians did). This doesn’t mean there isn’t an appointed day (singular) of judgment at Jesus’ final return, but I believe we live in the favorable year of the Lord."

As we examine our lives it is right to repent, to change the way we think and act, as we are confronted with God's truth as demonstrated and fulfilled by Jesus.  There are many times in my life that I have come to recognize that my thoughts or ways of thinking were not in line with His revealed truth, and I have changed.  I don't do this because I fear His judgment or curse, but rather because I want to fully embrace and experience the intimacy and blessing of walking in unity with Him.  HE is the greatest treasure that has been given to us and my goal is to experience as much of His goodness as is humanly possible.

As people groups and Nations, it is also right for us to change the way we think and act (repent) towards God and His beautiful Son and Holy Spirit.  Again we are note called to do this out of fear, but rather as a result of our loving relationship.  We are called to let our light shine to all men, that they might see and be drawn to the one who loves them from before the creation of the world.  When we mis-characterize who God is, or what He is like through our words or actions, we affect others who do not know Him.  I think it is time for many of us to repent of how we represent Jesus to the world.  We were told to go and spread the Kingdom of God, to make disciples of all nations, to be witnesses for Him to all the world.

In the Catholic Church, today (Nov. 1st) is the Feast of All Saints, when we celebrate the lives of many who were faithful in being witnesses of Jesus through their life and death.  Let us reflect on our lives and also accept this call and let us be true witnesses to Him who has loved us before the creation of the world.

Amen and Amen!