The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.1
Thus, the need to learn the fear of the LORD; the entire OT was written as a progressive teaching on God’s holiness and man’s pathetic sinfulness. The complex “ceremonial” laws2 were enacted to explicitly show that sinful people cannot be in God’s presence without cleansing. Yet the law was helpless in saving man. It was added precisely because of transgression. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. . . until the coming faith would be revealed.3 When Jesus Christ was revealed, nailed to the cross, and surrendered his breath, all three Gospels mentions that the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.3 Ushering in the New Covenant—that of grace. Jesus is the fulfilment of the law.5 Only Jesus qualified as the unblemished sacrifice for man’s transgression. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!6
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.7 Although love is freely given, our sin cost the life of God’s Beloved Son. Our sinfulness for his righteousness. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespass, . . .8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.9 He lavished this grace upon us, making known to us the mystery of his will.10
Love is free; but trust is earned. Expect a season of preparation and pruning. There will be trials to tests the genuineness of our faith.11 For without faith it is impossible to please God.12
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”13
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.14 Whereas previously our minds were hardened and everything was veiled.15 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.16 Among the mature we impart wisdom, a secret and hidden wisdom of God.17–these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.18 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.19 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.20 But we have the mind of Christ.21
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.22
Notes:
1. Psalm 25:14
2. The Book of Leviticus
3. Galatians 3:16-28
4. Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45
5. Matthew 5:17-20
6. John 1:29
7. John 3:16
8. Ephesians 1:7
9. Ephesians 2:8-9
10. Ephesians 1:9
11. 1 Peter 1:6-7
12. Hebrews 11:6
13. Isaiah 58:13-14
14. John 15:15
15. 2 Corinthians 3:12-14
16. John 8:47
17. 1 Corinthians 2:6-7
18. 1 Corinthians 2:10a
19. 1 Corinthians 2:12
20. 1 Corinthians 2:14
21. 1 Corinthians 2:16b
22. Ephesians 1:3-6
