Expert: Phillip Senn - 12/22/2008

Question
Phillip,

I was interested in your answer to
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Christianity-Christian-Living-1401/2008/8/Def-Old-Cov...

and was wondering how Galatians 4 applies. It does seem that your answer was correct - that the two covenants are not based on matters of time (like most seem to teach) but on the condition of the heart. Hagar and Sarah were contemporaries and yet they "are" the two covenants - side by side in time and yet each with entirely different motives and outcomes. The one (Hagar) represented man's way and attempt to fulfil God's promise, while Sarah represented man believing that God would fulfil His promise in His own way.

Answer
Every covenant has something that causes its effect. The law could never make anything perfect, in that it required the function of man being able to perform perfectly his role in "keeping the covenant".

However, the covenant that God made with Israel, which is not after the flesh (ie. man's ability to perform), but is after the spirit (I will perform it, saith the lord).

Jesus perfectly performed the law of God, and then became our substitute on the cross. He took all of our sin upon himself and died in our place, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Our only response to God's covenant to make us His children, to write His law in our hearts, to forgive us our sins, is not to attempt to be made perfect through the flesh, but to trust in His promise. We are the children of God through faith in His promise, not through our ability to perform in a certain way.

Some would say that we have to perform according to the commandments of God, but that would be placing us back under the bondage of the law. We have been called to liberty, and not the law.

Some then would say, "well if I believed that, I would be out doing whatever I want". Paul makes it abundantly clear that we should not use this liberty as a cloak of unrighteousness, but as children of God, we have a responsibility to live righteously in His sight. We have crucified the flesh (put out the bondwoman).

The righteous life that we seek to live is no longer the means whereby we seek to become the children of God, but we simply seek to live in a manner that God has re-created us to live... "unto good works" (Eph. 2:10).