A New Relationship with God
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
Religion or Relationship?
There has been increased criticism of Christianity and the church over the past decade or so. Some of it may seem justified based on an oft-quoted saying attributed to Gandhi: "I love your Christ, but I dislike your Christianity."
As with many cultural trends, people often take great liberty with the truth, and then opinions get mixed in, seasoned with a measure of ignorance.
The quote appears to be a distillation of Gandhi's thoughts where a veteran missionary to India acknowledged that the example of Christians may not match the life and nature of the One they claim to follow.
But, in a sense, all of this misses the more important issue. Christianity may be a major world religion, but its originator—Jesus Christ—had something very different in mind than commitment to religion. He didn’t call people to a religious experience, but to follow Him.
Christianity is not just a religious dogma or philosophy to follow or believe. Jesus always intended for His followers to be in a relationship with Him by faith. This may seem too simplistic, but it’s what separates the Christian faith from all other religions.
Scripture Text
If nothing had been wrong with the first promise, no one would look for another one. But God found something wrong with his people and said to them,
“The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new promise to Israel and Judah. It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, so I ignored them, says the Lord. [vss 7-9]
But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ All of them from the least important to the most important will all know me because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.”
God made this new promise and showed that the first promise was outdated. What is outdated and aging will soon disappear. [vss 10-13] (Hebrews 8:7-13 GW)
[Context– Hebrews 8]
Key Phrase —
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Dig Deeper Into the Text—
What does God say is coming and why does He say this?
What did God find wrong with His people (Israel)? What did they do?
What are two important things we are told about this new promise of God?
How is this new promise better than the promise of the Old Covenant Law?
Things to Consider—
Too often, people minimize the Christian faith to a prescribed moral code and acceptable behaviors, but that’s a religious regimen, not a relationship of faith.
The Old Covenant or Mosaic Law, inscribed upon tablets of stone, was a relationship with God based on required obedience to specific moral, civil, health, and religious laws. God promised great blessings for those who kept this covenant promise.
But His people failed to keep this covenant, so God established a new promise and a new relationship through Jesus Christ by faith. God called His people to follow Him by faith and gave them His grace to do this.
Jesus established this new promise by giving Himself as the perfect reconciling sacrifice upon the cross and guaranteed it when He rose from the grave. It is a personal promise based on relationship, not on obedience or good behavior. It is a relationship of faith and confident trust.
This new promise is called the New Covenant (or Testament). It replaces the Old Covenant Law because it is better, more powerful, and more personal. It is written in our hearts, our inner beings, rather than on tablets of stone.
God promised this through the prophet Jeremiah, then fulfilled this promise by His Son, Jesus Christ. God calls everyone to accept His invitation into a new relationship with Him based on our trust in Him.
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
Do you understand the difference between the Old and New Covenants?
Are you aware of how different a relationship by faith is in contrast to religion?
Can you see how much more personal this new relationship with God is?
Have you personally experienced the Spirit of God writing the truth of God in your heart?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
