Messianic Myths (5) New or Renewed Covenant? Why I Rejected the Latter Position

[Rebbe]

MESSIANIC MYTHS OF THE 21ST CENTURY (PART 5)

"NEW" COVENANT OR "RENEWED" COVENANT?
Why I Rejected the Renewed Covenant Position!

Copyright © BRI 2012,2018 All Rights Reserved Worldwide
by Les Aron Gosling, Messianic Lecturer (BRI/IMCF)

CAUTION: BRI/IMCF Yeshiva notes are not available to the general public. They are not for distribution. They are not for reproduction. The notes may also bear little or no resemblance to the actual recorded BRI/IMCF Yeshiva lecture.

Shalom Aleikhem!

Some Christians (and even some Messianics) become greatly confused because of the existence of a New Covenant "based upon better promises" seemingly in standing-contrast with the Sinai Covenant (and we must recall that the bedrock of the Sinai Covenant was the Mosaic Torah). Because of this latter fact, Christians seem unaware that you cannot have one without the other -- in other words if the Sinai Covenant goes, so does the Mosaic Torah.

It's a question that boils down to another question: Is there a NEW Covenant or is that contract which Yeshua made with his disciples a RENEWED Covenant? I say the latter consideration is a sham. There are a few people who recall that in my early period of ministry I "pushed" the argument for a renewed covenant, so they are a little confused. I wish to take some time and space to clarify my position so there is absolutely no misunderstanding on the issue.

Now, a few scholars (and students of the Bible) would argue with me over this assessment that differentiates "New" Covenant from a "Renewed" Covenant. Nevertheless, I believe this is the truth of the matter, and the following clarification is why I finally came to reject an earlier position which I rigidly held which was that the New Covenant was in reality a Renewed Covenant.

When I began to re-read Paul on this matter of covenants and justification, I re-assessed my entire position and deleted my original Teaching Exams 46-84. These particular exams (numbers 46-84) are no longer available on the BRI/IMCF International Internet Yeshiva Members Forum. At a later time I issued our new (more enlightened) view in the form of Covenant lectures in our Fundamentals section of this same Forum. I had been coming to our current position over a period of years but made no attempt to alter our original view until it could be proven conclusively that we needed to change on this issue and of course, this is how it should have been for "the holy Spirit leads us into all the truth," as Yeshua stated. The knowledge of God usually involves a progressive revelation. It is extremely doubtful that our present position on this matter of the New Covenant -- to which God the Father has Graciously led us -- will ever change.

Paul stated conclusively that he was, under the New Covenant, Torah observant (Romans 7.7,12,14,16,22,25; 2.12,13; 3.31; 10.5; 13.8-10). When I re-studied Romans my eyes fell especially on what he wrote in Romans 2.16 in which he referred to "my Gospel." Until that particular moment I had largely entertained a Paul who was continuing to labour under the restrictions and administration of the Sinai provisions (and many of today's Messianic believers in Yeshua continue to believe this as well). After all, it is apparent that the Jewish people of the Second Temple Period -- and the Jewish Christians who lived among them -- were subject to the rules of a Sanhedrin who largely regulated Jewish life exercising those Sinai provisions right up to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. But the little phrase "according to my Gospel" in reference in the same breath to "Yeshua the Messiah" radically altered my perception. So whatever that Torah was which Paul spoke of in his Letter to the Roman Christians -- written some 30 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ -- had to be oriented around the New (or a New) Covenant and not necessarily the Sinai Covenant.

Moving ahead a little, my research uncovered the existence (in Paul's mind) of "a Messianic Torah" in powerful contrast to that of Sinai and Moses. This fact that a "Messianic Torah" existed during the latter decades of the Second Temple Period is substantiated by Messianic texts that have come down to us from that day and age in Jewish sources. Most Messianic Christians of Jewish extraction would not realise that the Messiah according to rabbinic authorities, was to introduce HIS OWN TORAH when he finally arrived. Indeed, it is historical fact that the Jewish people of the Second Temple Period understood that when the Mashiach came he would have no hesitation in applying entirely NEW principles to the existing Torah, and adjusting the purity codes where he wished. In other words even God considered the Sinai Torah to be fluid rather than immutable. For, it is written:

"The Torah which a man learns in this world [the Mosaic or Sinai Torah] is vanity, IN COMPARISON OF THE TORAH OF THE MESSIAH" -- Midrash Kohelet (83.1).

That I am absolutely correct in this assessment that the Torah is not immutable and unchangeable can be seen in the admission by the apostle to the nations (Rav Shaul) where he refers to his recognition of the authority of the above Midrash (which was in circulation in his day) in stating that his own Rabbinic ministry was based squarely on Torah -- but it was the Torah OF MESSIAH! Very few have noticed this admission. Notice it now, in two references:

1 Corinthians 9.21 "With those who live outside the framework of Torah, I put myself in the position of someone outside the Torah in order to win those outside the Torah -- although I myself am not outside the framework of God's Torah but within the framework of Torah AS UPHELD BY THE MESSIAH!"

Galatians 6.2 "Bear you one another's burdens, AND SO FULFIL THE TORAH OF MESSIAH."

As the Ten Commandments formed the bedrock of the Sinai Covenant, so the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Messiah (His standard of righteousness as reflected in the Ten Commandments) forms the bedrock of the New Covenant. Consider too, that the blood of the covenant was splashed over the Israelites at Sinai, and in our age of Grace the blood of the Mashiach is the MAIN issue for each and every one of those who believe in (have FAITH in) Yeshua as their Lord and Saviour.

Apart from the Ten Commandments, are there other regulations which are appropriate for modern Messianic believers to live by? This is one reason I resort to the scroll of Genesis (the first volume of the Sinai Torah but which records God's will for humankind PRIOR to the giving of the Mosaic Torah centuries later at Sinai). If God desired people to live a certain way in the days of Abraham, and before that time, then those laws, rules, statutes and judgments would have been revealed in Genesis. It is there that we find the Sabbath day revealed, the food regulations revealed, and some other judgments of God which were LATER incorporated into the Sinai Covenant. The writings of the NT corpus also substantiate these earlier regulations, PLUS modifications made to the Ten Commandments (but I have outlined all of these in the Covenant lectures in my Fundamentals lectures on the IMCF site mentioned above). As a prime example of such a modification take note of the original commandment about honouring your parents. In the NT corpus this is modified to be obedience to one's parents but only "in the Lord." And as a further adjunct to this commandment we are told to "not discourage our children." The commandment thus is expanded to become in a balanced way more specifically "family friendly."

In brief, I was forced to finally concede that when God DIVORCED both Israel and Judah the Sinai Covenant was annulled -- cancelled, repealed, abolished, nullified, negated, abrogated. Yet God still attempted to woo His ex-wife back to Him. When He "came to his own, his own received him not" (John 1.11) -- and they finally got rid of the husband by murdering Him. Death brings an utter end to any marriage contract (Romans 7.1-6).

It's finished. It's over. It was a marriage contract which no longer has an existence. The marriage is negated. Anybody who has been divorced knows that a marriage (and the contract upon which it was based) is through, totalled, demolished, ruined, dynamited, torpedoed, spent, washed-up, done-for, OVER! It has CEASED to exist; it is CONCLUDED.

Though I lost large numbers of students over my new position and our finances plunged I held tenaciously to the proposition that the Sinai Torah is now Superseded by "The Torah of the Messiah." I repeat -- the Jewish Messiah, according to rabbinic authorities, was to introduce HIS OWN TORAH when he finally arrived. The Torah of Messiah would supersede the Torah of Moses.

We are apparently the only Messianic organisation that understands any of this matter concerning commandment modification and we are also unique in our appreciation of the "Torah of the Messiah" and we make no apology for being this way in the Truth.

I trust this clarifies a few things for those Messianic believers (and other Christians) who have been a little perplexed by the content matter included in some of my writings.

Kol Tuv to all who ENJOY God and who wallow in His/Her loving embrace.

Rebbe