We all want good things from God, but how we receive His blessings has changed over time. Most Christians don’t realize that God deals with man through covenants, and that the covenant of the Law of Moses that was in place in the Old Testament is no longer in force; God has replaced it with the covenant of grace. A covenant is an irrevocable promise between two or more parties to carry out the terms agreed upon. To be blessed now, we must understand and live under the new covenant.

The old covenant was conditional on man fulfilling all of the law before he could get blessed; otherwise, he would be cursed. Unfortunately, the law was simply too perfect for imperfect man to keep. Breaking even one commandment meant a person was guilty of breaking them all. The law was given to focus on man’s flaws, and actually strengthened sin.

By contrast, being born again puts us under grace; under this covenant, the focus is on what we believe, not what we do. We’re declared righteous by faith in what Jesus did on the cross; the law isn’t meant for us to live by anymore. Christ is the end of the law for everyone who believes. Sin no longer has dominion over us if we’ve moved from living under the law to living under grace.

Accepting Jesus for ourselves means we can live under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, who helps us meet God’s moral standards in ways the law never could. Understanding which covenant we should be live under takes all pressure off us to rely on our self-efforts. We can now receive all of the blessings without any of the curses.

Prayer:

God, You showed mercy toward us by replacing the law with grace. We’re thankful that we’re now free from endless requirements to perform, and can focus instead on Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Hebrews 8:6-9

Hebrews 10:9, 10

Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 15

James 2:10

Romans 7:7

1 Corinthians 15:56

1 Timothy 1:9

Romans 10:4

Romans 6:14