The Gospel of Peace by James B. Richards

Author:James B. Richards [Richards, James B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: [h]
Publisher: Impact International Publications
Published: 1998-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

12

THE COVENANT OF PEACE

Isaiah 53 graphically describes the exchange that took place on the cross. It depicts the terrible suffering that Jesus endured for our sake. Then chapter 54 begins to explain the New Covenant that will go into effect as a result of that exchange.

Isaiah 54:78 says this, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Before God could have fellowship with man, He had to settle the sin problem. Sin had to be judged. Righteousness demands the judgment of sin.

God, in His great love for man, judged the sin of the world in Jesus. Because His wrath and righteous judgment have already taken place, man is now free to enter into a peaceful relationship with a holy God. Before His wrath was appeased, the consequence of sin was the main thing that kept men walking upright.

The fear of penalty may change one's actions, but it will not change one's heart. The heart is changed by love. Since God is a heart God (l Samuel 16:7), He desires a relationship. Now that judgment has been satisfied, God can love us into a heart relationship.

Romans 2:4 says it is "the goodness of God that leadeth to repentance..." The word "repentance," contrary to popular teaching, is not a grieving or weeping. It may include those elements, but that is not repentance. In fact, the Bible talks about two kinds of repentance. One is an afterthought because of consequences. This is what the Bible speaks of when it says that Judas repented himself before committing suicide (Matthew 27:3).

The repentance that God requires is a change of mind. Judas did not change his mind about his sin; he was sorry for the results. The judgement message may make one dread the results, but it will not change the heart. If we have a loving relationship with a loving God that relationship will draw us into a change of mind. It will bring us to the place where we do not desire to sin.

I so enjoy and depend on my loving, heavenly Father that I do not want to sin. His goodness is too precious to disrupt it with sin. This is not to say I never sin, but this is the motivation for staying out of sin. Likewise, this is the motivation for repentance.

Isaiah 54:9 goes on to say, "For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." In His covenant with Noah, God swore that He would never judge the earth by water again. He then set the rainbow in the sky as a seal to that covenant. God has faithfully kept that promise.

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