The New Testament is mostly about leading a righteous, holy life. Read it and see for yourself. From Matthew through Revelation the Bible is full of commandments given by Christ and His Apostles. There is no hint in the New Testament of the kind of salvation we are presenting today, the magic of the profession of belief in Jesus as a means of shielding our behavior from God's eyes. It simply is not there! We have heard the traditions for so long we cannot see what the Book says!

Pronounce the formula! Then Divine grace steps in such that no change in your behavior is really necessary for your escape from Hell and entrance into Heaven.

As far as God's needs for a house, a place of rest, sons, brothers of Jesus, a bride for the Lamb, a royal priesthood, these are hardly mentioned in today's preaching. I guess the assumption is that if you say the magic formula all these are given to you by grace, that is, by imputation.

We Americans like devices that produce what we want with little or no effort. We would really enjoy an exercise machine that is operated by electricity and requires no effort at all on the part of the athlete. We would buy a pill that enables us to eat all we want and not become overweight.

But what about the new covenant, the Christian covenant?

We would prefer one that requires only a statement of belief and makes no other demands on our time, efforts, or pursuits. Is this a fact? We Americans are busy people!

Well, you can find such a program of salvation in most Evangelical churches. In fact, there are churches that poll the community to find out what kind of assembly the people want. How do you think Jesus feels about this way of arriving at the manner in which the service should be conducted?

The reason God gave us a new covenant is that He was dissatisfied with the old covenant, the Law of Moses.

Why was God dissatisfied with the old covenant?

Because the people kept on sinning and rebelling and God does not want sinful, rebellious people around Him. No sinful, rebellious person can have fellowship with God. Is that true?

So God gave a new covenant.

Why did God give us a new covenant, do you think?

God gave us a new covenant because the old covenant did not produce better people, which is the goal of every Divine covenant.

What does God say about the new covenant?

God says I will write my laws in their mind and on their heart.

The eternal moral law of God is written in our mind so we can understand it and on our heart so we will have the instinctive nature to do God's will.

Would you agree this is the new covenant?

If so, then our preaching today that believing in Christ is a ticket by means of which we escape Hell and go to Heaven, and this without a radical transformation of our personality and behavior, is not the new covenant.

To be continued.