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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Judaic-Christian Salvation, #4
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. (Hebrews 8:9)
According to modern Christian tradition the new covenant is no better than the old in that neither can produce the behavior the Lord is seeking. God has given up on mankind and has developed a covenant that accepts the sinner as he is, that brings him to Paradise as he is, that showers blessings on him in order to demonstrate God's "unconditional" love.
It is a come-as-you-are party. But notice:
And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:12,13)
The old covenant is better, in God's sight, than the modern interpretation of the new covenant. For there are many Jews who walk in righteousness by striving to obey the Law. Numerous Jews really are righteous. Many Christians also walk in righteousness because they fear God. But they practice righteousness in spite of Christian theology, not because of it.
The true nature of salvation. The topic of this essay is the true nature of the Judaic-Christian salvation. The current definition of salvation presented by Christian preachers and teachers is escape from Hell and eternal residence in Paradise. We escape Hell when we die and go to Heaven and make our eternal home there by confessing Christ as Savior. When we confess Christ as Savior our sins are forgiven so God will bring us to Heaven and not cast us into Hell when we die.
This is not what is taught in the Scriptures, Old Testament or New Testament.
It is true that the Divine salvation can be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What, then, is wrong with the current definition?
The Scriptures do not teach that Heaven is man's eternal home. Nowhere in the Scriptures is Heaven presented as man's eternal home. Man is on earth in the first chapter of the Scriptures and man is on the new earth in the last chapter of the Scriptures.
Nowhere in the Scriptures, New Testament or Old Testament, is it stated that our reason for accepting Jesus is to escape Hell, or that if a person does not accept Jesus he is cast into Hell. Whenever the Scriptures speak of Hell, or of the Lake of Fire, the cause is unrighteous, unholy conduct.
The rich man was cast into Hell because he was selfish. The goat nations will be led away into Gehenna because they would not nourish the Lord's brothers. The wicked will be cast into the Lake of Fire because of their conduct. This is the clear teaching of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
To be continued.