What Is the Bible – Part 4, The Covenant of Love by Example

What Is the Bible – Part 4, The Covenant of Love by Example December 23, 2022

Series: The Big Questions

What does it mean to be a Christian? It’s a place of example to others and service?

Christianity has two major holidays that represent the meaning of the Christian religion. The first, Christmas, is represented and celebrated as Jesus’ birth, ushered in by peach and goodwill toward others.

The second holiday, Easter, represents God’s love through the promise of the Kingdom of God and eternal life, and the forgiveness of sins so that there is no separation from God except by those who refuse God’s love and to love others through their actions.

Both are a new covenant of love. Implicit in the covenant is if… then…. If we will follow the ways of God and accept his grace, we are acceptable to God and the Kingdom of God.

Image Fifth Day of Christmas by Lawrence OP on Flickr
Image Fifth Day of Christmas by Lawrence OP on Flickr

Religion is situated in time, place, and culture. Everything about religion depends on the people who interpret it for their specific situations. This is true of Judaism, the Hindu religions, Christianity, Buddhism (which is not a religion but a practice. All religions are actually practices that look to specific divine origins. Each of these has many children divisions who interpret religion according to their needs.

Jesus’ was situated in the Jewish religion and culture of his time, and it had several branches including his Jewish followers. Nearly every thing Jesus said was targeted to Jews and has to be interpreted by the Judaism of that time.

The important thing is that the situatedness of religion, especially the tradition and ritual, don’t displace what is godly conduct, which is love of others.

Judaism – the fragmented foundation

The Judaism of Jesus’ time is nearly opaque to us. We walk around in dim light about the Judaism of that time trying to understand what was relevant to several different branches of Judaism and then to Christianity. Jesus spoke to all of the Jewish sects, which makes interpretation complex.

There were the Sadducees who were generally wealthy people who held important positions, especially in the Temple. They were responsible for the daily ritual sacrifices. The Pharisee sect emphasized legal issues and interpretation. The Sadducees and the Pharisees were the ruling class. They were leaders and decision makers of the Sanhedrin, which was the tribunal for religious (and civil) legal issues.

The Sadducees were more literal in their interpretation. The Pharisees were more progressive in their interpretations and included the “Traditions of the Fathers,” which Jesus spoke to occasionally but which are barely known to Christians.

The Scribes were a group that kept writings for communities and were looked to as interpreters of scripture. They tended to be more like the Pharisees in interpretation since the Word of God had to be situated – that is it had to work for the people and not be onerous and an affront to them. Things like killing children and stoning people may not have been accepted. Even today much of the stuff mentioned in religion is hush-hush because people don’t want to recognize it.

There were two other major sects. John the Baptist probably represented the Essenes. Besides having pockets of followers across the lands of Israel and Judea, they had a major enclave at the Dead Sea. They deposited scrolls for safe keeping in that area. Jesus’ teachings often reflect the Essene influence.

Many Jews looked to the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. From this and other groups came the Zealots. They made trouble for the nation’s Roman overseers and it was often in the form of armed rebellion. Continued resistance of the Zealots led to the complete destruction of Israel.

A time of change in Judaism

Driven by 300 years of information brought by the Babylonians, Greeks, and traders, there were new ideas in the minds of the Jewish people. Before that time there was no concept of people being anything more than mortal with limited lifetimes. Eternal life was a foreign concept. The Sadducees rejected these. The Pharisees wondered about them. Jesus had to speak about these ideas.

Jesus said that “the law and prophets,” which includes most of the entire Hebrew Bible, ended with John the Baptist. With his own body he ended the idea of sacrifice of animals for forgiveness of sin. He ended the idea that a priest was necessary for forgiveness. He ended the idea that a Temple was needed. – Luke 16:16 (NIV)

The ideas he brought to the Jews were that nothing stands between people and God, not religious law, not Temples, not sin and sacrifice, not priests, not anything. God is there for everyone, and forgiveness is there for the asking. Eternal life is available to everyone in the world who asks for forgiveness and follows the basic laws of God.

New ideas led to Christianity

Jesus gained a huge number of Jewish followers, but his ideas were not acceptable to the religious leaders of the time. Religious practice and tradition could not be usurped by reform this extensive. His twelve apostles had to flee from Jerusalem to areas that were not controlled by the Sanhedrin.

After his death Jesus directed his twelve apostles to take his words and ideas to the rest of the world. Some of his apostles went to Jewish enclaves in other lands and some went to those who had never known Judaism.

The intent wasn’t to make Jews of anyone or to ask anyone to follow Jewish Laws and traditions. Jesus commanded them, according to Matthew: “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” –  Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB).

According to Mark he commanded them: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” – Mark 15,16 (NASB)

What Jesus taught his apostles and other followers was the “Good News,” and this was to be taken to all people. The word “saved,” refers to bringing a better life and an eternal life.

The Kingdom of God, which is now and forever, is made up of all people who follow the ways of God and are forgiven.

Christianity

Christianity formed after Jesus’ time by the twelve apostles and those who followed them. There were some Jewish groups who accepted Christianity and remained Jewish in practice. But Christianity was not a new sect of Judaism and had no requirements to follow any Jewish practice of belief.

Jesus added perspective about Jewish Law. It’s a reflection of love and must be interpreted through the lens of love.

Jesus ushered in a new covenant of love spoken of by Jeremiah: ““I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”- Jeremiah 31:33,34 (NASB) Reflected in Romans 2:15, Hebrews 8:10, Hebrews 10:16, Romans 7:22

Basic Christianity

Unsullied by tradition and other forms of cultural situatedness of yesterday or today, basic Christianity emphasizes that the law is not taught but people know it already. Some might call this empathy and sympathy. Each person knows God and is capable of a personal relationship with God, so forgiveness of sin comes from simply asking (accompanied by rejection of bad actions), with no need for priests or temples.

Christians reflect goodwill toward all men, love for all and acting in love for all people, as demonstrated and taught by Jesus, who showed that his way is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. People who call on Jesus’ name as the example of people acceptable to God, or who demonstrate this way in their life without knowing Christ (Romans 2:15), will have a fulfilling and eternal life.

Essentially the Good News is:

  • Peace, goodwill, sins remembered no more. The law is in everyone’s heart (new covenant)
  • The Kingdom of God is here (God is no longer separated by doing wrong). God forgives.
  • The Kingdom of God is for everyone. Not just Jews, but everyone who loves.
  • Forgiveness of sins. No priest required, no Temple. Reconcile with those you hurt and ask forgiveness.
  • Meaningful activity, not useless or vanity. A full life in Christ. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10: 10 (NIV)

Takeaway

The early parts of the Bible brought law into mankind and then the nation of Israel. Law isn’t about obeying rules and regulations, it’s a reflection of love and putting into words the minimum requirements of love.

Today there are over 2000 Christian denominations whose interpretations and traditions vary. We need to follow the example of Jesus and view them through the lens of love without criticism.

Jesus didn’t reject any “religion.” The Jewish Traditions of the Fathers and the various sects of Judaism, he didn’t say they were wrong. He simply said view them through the lens of love. We need to do the same today about other denominations and religions.

Love is the teaching of most religions. It is the teaching that unites us all. Love is the thing that makes us acceptable to God.

 

Next: What Is the Bible – Part 5, Perspective

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The standard of belief and conduct for Christianity is love. God is love. We’re asked to be like God.

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About Dorian Scott Cole
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