The Salt of the Covenant

In a recent Spiritual Snack, “The Fire of the Holy Spirit,” I explained one example of how Paul wove powerful symbolism from the Old Covenant law into his letters and, no doubt even more so, his teaching. Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee and an expert in the law. That’s why the fact that Jesus is the Messiah was so powerful to him: he already knew the Law and the Prophets inside and out, so that, when God opened his understanding, he was overwhelmed by the depth and intricacy of God’s plan. Because of this, I have no doubt that Paul used the law to teach the Gentiles, since this was, in effect, how he was taught. For this reason, I believe that many references in his and other New Testament writings that appear to have a connection to the Old Covenant law are deliberate.

The aforementioned article examined how the fire of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us can be compared to the fire on the altar of the God’s temple. Today, I want to look at another reference in Paul’s writing that caught my attention in a similar way

Unfulfilled Aspects of God’s Law: Trumpets

The previous article (What Does God Want?) touched on the fact that God’s law must be fulfilled – that’s why Christ is our sacrifice, so that the laws concerning sacrifice can be satisfied. I’d like to further develop this principle that God’s Law (all of it) is in effect today because it must be fulfilled. A fundamental scripture to this concept is found in the sermon on the mount, where Christ said:

Matthew 5:17

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Most Christian denominations teach that Christ fulfilled the entire Law, making it unnecessary for Christians today to observe God’s laws, such as the Sabbath and Holy Days. However, this interpretation is not consistent with the above verse, which clearly says that the law must be in effect today because heaven and earth have not passed away and because not everything has been accomplished. Unfortunately, many people read this verse and disregard all of that, latching on to the word “fulfill,” and say that the entire Law has been “fulfilled” once for all by Christ, making it unnecessary for us to follow it. Even with this reckless overlooking of what is actually being said, they are still wrong – Christ has not fulfilled the entire Law… yet.

What Does God Want?

Hosea 6:6 

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” 

We are given record of Christ quoting the first half of this verse on two occasions: both times He was speaking to Pharisees, and both times He emphasized that we need to understand what “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” means. Some people believe that Christ was speaking against the Law in saying this, indicating that God is not (or was not) pleased with observances of the Law, such as the sacrifices and burnt offerings mentioned. This is one of many scriptures that people twist to try to invalidate God’s law.