Romans 6:1-2
Now, the 'old man' of chapter 6 and verse 6 is always preached in Christian Evangelical Churches as having to do with what a person did before they became religious. The 'new man' is also interpreted as having to do with someone who is now religiously doing what is good and what is right. In other words, "I used to smoke, drink, curse, chew, watch dirty movies, steal, lie, fight, and bite but now I don't do any of those old things. Now I am a new person. I pray, worship, fast, read my bible, pay tithes, do good things, and attend church.
However, what most of these people who believe that the 'old' stands for the bad they used to do, and the 'new' stands for the good they now do, what they don't tell you is how judgmental, bias, religiously mean, and hateful they have become. "Look at that sinner. He needs to get saved or God will send him to hell. All these worldly unbelievers will be punished for their sins. I am so glad that I am no longer like these wicked lost people." Friends, if our relationship with God were to be based on the bad and the good that we do, then we are still under the tree of good and evil (the law) and not under the tree of life in Christ.
The Jews, like Evangelical Christianity still believe that God relates to man on the basis of what they do and don't do. In other words, if you do good then God won't hold sin against you, but of you do bad, then God will hold it against you. Evangelical's doctrines are based on performance. 'Do good get good, do bad get beat'. Like Paul said. they have become a law unto themselves and have established their own righteousness and their relationship with God is based on morality rather than grace. As if morality has ever saved anyone.
The fact is that if we are going to believe that God rewards us for
the good we do, then God is also obligated to reward us for the bad
we do. We cannot quote and claim the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 and
only accept the blessings that will come upon us if we do good, and
ignore the curses that will also come upon a person when they do bad
as mentioned in the same 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. If we are going
to base our relationship with God on the good and bad,' then we remain
under the curse of the law because we are denying the finished work
of the cross.
Friends, the 'old' and the 'new' is making reference to what it was like under the Old Testament for us all, and what is now like under the New Testament of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. God did not save us from doing bad into doing good. If He did, then the work of the cross was a total failure. That would mean that we are still being judged and rewarded according to what we do or don't do, and if that be the case, then the whole world is going to hell. This 'old and new' religious doctrine that has for years been promoted by the pulpit, is due to a lack of understanding the difference between law and grace.
Because so much has been preached out of context by so many religions, today we have a religious society that continues to be deceived into thinking that it is what they do and don't do that keeps them in rightstanding with God. This is the biggest lie of hook, line and sinker that the pulpit has cast for people to swallow. Our relationship with God is now based on the perfect, finished work of Christ and we now have a relationship with God according to His righteousness and not ours. In God's eyes the entire world is seen as a pure, holy bride because of the perfect work of the cross.
We will see that in Romans chapter 7. The entire world is the bride of Jesus. All the way from the least to the greatest. There is no 'old' and 'new' with God. There is only "NEW" because it was Christ who brought us ALL into newness of life. We did not earn salvation. It did come because we changed from being bad to being good. To say, preach and believe such a thing is to deny what Christ did on the cross, and put our own righteousness above His. I am all for a person doing what is good and what is right. But for that person to believe and think that it is their good that keeps them right with God, is witchcraft.
Friends, Jesus crucified the 'Old' (testament) to His own body, and His shed blood has ushered in for us all a 'New' (Testament) of grace. This is what the 'old' and the 'new' stands for. It has nothing to do with what we do or don't do. I've covered this topic in many other of my articles, but I believe it is worth mentioning again here in this study. This will help us keep the letter of Paul to the Roman Jews from being pulled out of context and make us all clearly see and understand the difference between law and grace. Trust that everyone is getting something out of this.
to be continued at verse 7 of Romans chapter
6...
Grace N Peace
Eddie Narvaez