The worshiper under the old covenant had little to assist him in the struggle to overcome darkness and death. Under the new covenant we have the born-again experience, the body and blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the testimony of the Apostles to strengthen and guide us. Jesus is making intercession for us at the right hand of God. Through the atoning blood of Jesus we can enter past the veil and obtain assistance as we struggle to do what God has commanded.

None of this assistance was available under the old covenant.

Our efforts to obey the Apostles are not the new covenant but are the necessary approach to the new covenant.

The new covenant is the forming of Christ in us, and then the coming of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit into the transformed inner nature to dwell in us for eternity. This is eternal life, the Kingdom of God, and the final result of the working of the new covenant.

We are to take heed to the prophecies of the Scriptures until the Day Star, Christ, rises in our heart.

We have also a more sure word of prophecy [the Scriptures]; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (II Peter 1:19)

We must do what the Apostles have commanded until the new covenant comes to maturity in our inner nature. To say we are to do nothing until Jesus performs it in us is an interesting theory but certainly not in accordance with the admonitions of the Apostles.

The end of the Divine working is that we are crucified with Christ and Christ is living in us; the life we now live is no longer us but is Christ in us. As soon as Christ has come to maturity in us, then it is true that the Kingdom of God has come to maturity in us, the new covenant has come to maturity in us, eternal life has come to maturity in us. Now all the things and purposes of God through the coming ages are ours by inheritance.

Perfect righteousness now is ours. Christ in us always practices justice, always loves mercy, always walks humbly with God. That which never can be true of Adam is now eternally true of us.

Our efforts to please God have resulted in Christ being formed in us. Christ is eternal life. The eternal Life of Christ in us causes us to practice righteousness, which in turn leads to more eternal life—and so on and on as we grow in the image of Christ throughout eternity.

All of this takes place as we choose to yield ourselves servants to righteousness.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (Romans 6:19)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

Different goals. Different orientations. Different procedures. The new covenant is a better covenant founded on better promises.

To be continued.