Parable of the new and the old

Parable of the new and the old

 

In Matthew 13:52, Jesus said, “Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” He told five parables about heaven. The first is the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, the second is the parable of the pearl of great price, the third is the parable of the net thrown into the sea, the fourth is the parable of the good householder, and the fifth is the parable of the new and the old.

The new refers to the words of the new covenant, and the old refers to the law of the old covenant. Only those who can accurately unravel and interpret the Law and the New Covenant can become disciples of heaven. When Jesus asked, “Do you understand all this?” the disciples answered, “Yes.” Jesus then compared you, his disciples, to “scribes who have become disciples of the kingdom of heaven,” and said that by learning about the kingdom of heaven well, you can skillfully bring out the old and the new in the Word and teach it abundantly. In order to read the Bible and evangelize to others, believers must be familiar with the law and the gospel and apply them well according to the situation.

However, many churches today have difficulty distinguishing between the new and the old. This is said in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 』Here, alcohol means wine. Wine is the word of God. When you're drunk, you start talking and talking in gibberish. If a believer does not know how to distinguish between the old and the new, it is not by the Holy Spirit. So the Bible tells us only to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Bible says not to get drunk even in this world.

The old one is the law, which binds sinners. So, Jesus Christ came to the world and died as a ransom on the cross. So, believers must now bring in new things instead of old things. The new thing is the new covenant, the resurrection life of heaven. The new covenant is explained in terms of blood and flesh. To die with Jesus is to drink the blood, and to be resurrected with Christ is to eat the flesh of Jesus. Those who do not eat the flesh of Jesus do not participate in the resurrection of Christ. Those who do not believe in the present resurrection are those who keep the flesh of Jesus without eating it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 『Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When something becomes new, the relationship with God is restored. In chapter 5 verse 21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.』There are two types of faith. It is the faith of being called and the faith of being chosen.

Those who are called “realize and are thankful that Jesus died for them, and think that they have achieved salvation on their own.” However, the chosen one becomes the faith of those who realize that Jesus died on the cross for me and that that death is my death. And they become those who believe in the present resurrection through union with the resurrection of Christ. That is why the Bible says they are new creatures. This faith is a gift from God to the new person.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people received the Old Covenant in the wilderness, but in the New Testament, new people who are born again receive the New Covenant. In 2 Corinthians 3:3, “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.』This is said to a new person who has been resurrected and reborn in the present. In chapter 3 verse 6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit givesth life.』

The Bible says that many are called, but few are chosen. Because those who are called are not born again. This is because they are the ones who have not prepared the wedding garment (clothes of righteousness: resurrection). In chapter 3 verse 14, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail unkened away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.』 The towel is the law. It is covered like a curtain in the sanctuary, so sinners cannot see it. When Christ died, the veil was rent. For those who are in Jesus Christ, the veil is removed. “Like a veil being torn, the Holy of Holies enters the hearts of saints who died on the cross with Jesus, and the saints who believe in the present resurrection.”

I see churches teaching that if believers believe in Jesus, they are in the new covenant. However, if a believer is not in Jesus Christ, he has never received the new covenant. There is a difference between a believer believing in Jesus and a believer being in Jesus. Those who are called know that they are saved through Christ, but they are not those who have entered Christ. In order for him to enter into Christ, he must receive the sign of the new covenant. The mark of the new covenant must be paid for. Dying on the cross with Jesus. And those who die united on the cross are resurrected with Christ and become those who enter into Christ.