New Covenant Nuggets – Page 2

What is the wrath of God

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ~ Romans 1:18

As I was studying for this week’s Bible study on Romans 1:18, I found a definition of wrath that I hope will forever change your thinking when you read the word wrath in the Bible

Wrath is “orge” in Greek meaning passion. But it’s the root of this word that I really like… it is “orego” which means stretching oneself out in order to touch or grasp something.

It is a beautiful picture of Jesus stretching Himself out (on the Cross) in order to grasp us.

It also means to yearn after, to desire, to stretch toward (to pull towards)

The Father in His love for us, desired us and stretched toward us (through Jesus), pulling us to Himself. (1 Cor 5:19 -reconciling us to Himself)

That’s the wrath of God in the New Covenant.

God did not forget His righteous judgments….. He simply judged all humanity in Jesus righteous.

God’s judgments were all satisfied in the passion….in the “wrath” of Jesus Christ….as He stretched Himself out on the Cross drawing ALL men to Himself and as the Father was personally present in Christ on the cross reconciling the world to Himself.

God’s seasons

I take an online Hebrew class every Monday afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, I was working on my vocabulary flashcards and I came across the word “season or time” which is “et” or עת in Hebrew. And it got me thinking about it’s meaning.

Most of the prophetic words I hear are about seasons. Season of miracles, season of favor, season of restoration, time of breakthrough, etc. Almost all of these use Old Testament Scriptures to confirm them. And the focus is on “doing.” For example, God will release favor in our lives if we’re faithful to do all He has said.

I love the prophetic. There have been times I’ve received prophetic words in my life that confirmed what the Spirit of God had already spoken to me regarding His direction or things concerning my destiny. And it gave me the boldness to act on it… to walk it out.

I don’t have an issue with “seasons” per se. But the problem with seasons is it keeps us focused on a timeframe. One of the aspects of me and my husband’s business is farming. Farming is seasonal….. even in California where we farm year round. We still have seasonal crops. If we’re not careful, we catch ourselves using “catch phrases” that box us into ways of thinking in particular seasons. For instance, cherry season is financially great, apple season we can finally rest, summer fruit season is BUSY, December – January is our leanest season, etc. While all of that seems to be true in the “natural,” it can keep us boxed into certain expectations or limitations. Keeping us walking in by sight and not by faith.

Prophetic “seasons” can do the same. They keep us future focused on what Jesus is going to do, instead of what Jesus has already done. They keep us looking at just one thing for the “season” such as God’s favor instead of looking at the FULL finished work of Christ in our lives and the truth that He has given us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness NOW.

So while I was studying for Hebrew and noticed the word season is “et” or עת in Hebrew. It is made up of the letters “ayin” and “tav”.

“ע” which is ayin in Hebrew is the idea of seeing and watching as well as knowledge. ayin (Gen 6:8) referring to the eyes of the Lord. a word describing an eye…or insight or seeing or perceiving with God’s perspective.

“ת” which is tav in Hebrew meaning cross or the sign of the covenant.

I love that! God’s seasons in our life are all comprised of seeing things from His perspective, and that perspective is Jesus and His finished work (Heb 1:1-3). In every season of my life, I should expect to the finished work of the cross to be in operation in my life. No matter what a natural season may look like in my life, it is still a season of favor, abundance, health, goodness, grace, wisdom, breakthrough, prosperity, sonship, freedom, deliverance, etc.

Luke 4:19 Jesus declared it a “year of God’s favor or a year of Jubilee.” Year is a cycle of time… a season. The root word for Jubilee in Hebrew is yabal, which means “to flow.” Jesus provided a continual flow for us in every season of our life. We don’t just have a season of favor, a season of peace, or a time of abundance. We have a lifetime of continual fulfillment…. of the ALL things that He provided for us for life and godliness.

I still read prophetic words that come across my path about seasons, but now I read them as a reminder of what Jesus has done and what is already mine. Not dependent upon what I do, but mine by inheritance. I read them as God highlighting certain things that are part of the finished work so that I can grow in my knowledge of them. Gain more understanding of these things so that I can walk in victory.

What did the finished work of the Cross provide? That’s your season! Walk in the revelation of it. Walk in the victory of it.

~ Robin

Led by the Spirit

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ~ Galatians 5:18

I love this verse!

This verse begins with the conjunction if. If is a conditional word, which seems to imply that if I do something, then something will happen. But not all Greek conditions work like that.

If” in the Greek is the word “ei” and it is a first class conditional conjunction or a simple condition conjunction. It is based on the assumption of reality that invites the reader into the conversation, rather than just lecturing to him.

Because I had always read “conditional conjunctions” as “if and then” statements, my focus was constant introspection. Making sure I was always allowing Holy Spirit to lead me. Not straying from that leading. So that He wouldn’t have to tug and pull to get my cooperation. It was self-works on my part.

But Paul was inviting the reader into a dialogue… encouraging them to come to the conclusion of what was already true about their new life IN CHRIST.

When he said to the Galatians “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law”, the audience would most likely respond along these lines: “If we’re led by the Spirit of God? He dwells in us! Of course, He leads us! And since that’s true, this means that we are not under Law.” Remarkable!”

So our response should be….. because the Spirit dwells in me, I’m led by Him, and therefore I’m free from the bondage of the law.

The other thing I like about this verse is the word led. The word “led” is the Greek word ago, which described the act of leading about an animal, such as a cow or a goat, at the end of a rope. The owner would wrap a rope around the animal’s neck and then “tug” and “pull” until the animal started to follow him. When the animal decided to cooperate and follow that gentle tug, it could then be gently “led” to where its owner wanted it to go.

Although the New Testament is written in Greek, Paul was Jewish and had a Hebraic way of thinking. Tugging and pulling at my heart until I cooperate so that He can gently lead me where He wants me to go is not a very accurate picture of how Holy Spirit leads us. It’s not the Hebraic mindset of leading.

The Hebrew word for lead is “nachal” meaning to lead or to rest. The more literal meaning of this word is a combination of both of these ideas — leading to a place of rest.

I love that! It is to lead one to a place of rest. Striving and bondage describe the yoke of the law – the yoke of the works of the flesh. Rest describes the yoke of Jesus – the yoke of grace. That is a more accurate description of Holy Spirit’s leading. He leads us to a place of rest.

Verse 18 really is an identity verse… telling us who we are and what our new life in the Spirit looks like

But the Spirit has led you to a place of rest, a refreshing place, free from the law and its fearful bondage.

So in verse 16 and 17, Paul told us that walking by the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts (the desires of the flesh) and that the flesh opposes the desires of the Spirit. But before you can begin to feel like “oh man, I better make sure I’m ALWAYS walking in the Spirit or my flesh will take over”… or “I better DO this or else.” Before you can camp out in that condemning thought of “if and then,” he reminds us of who we are IN CHRIST and what the benefit of being IN CHRIST means in your new life….

But the Spirit has led you to a place of rest, a refreshing place, free from the law and its fearful bondage. Freedom from carrying out the desires of the flesh. He leads us to rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Oh, what freedom is released in that one simple statement. The more I’m understanding and resting in the finished work of Jesus, the more I’m seeing Scriptures more clearly. I’m no longer seeing them as rules and conditions or things I must do in order to please my Father and receive all He has for me. But rather as freedom. Freedom to live this new life IN HIM and as an expression OF HIM.

~ Robin

We are His house

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. ~ Psalm 27:4

That’s a beautiful psalm but that was an Old Covenant cry of the heart — to dwell in the house of the Lord forever

The New Covenant reality is that we ARE the house of the Lord!! He dwells in us forever and we dwell in Him forever!

Learn to think and walk in the New Covenant realities. The language of the Gospel of Christ is CO…. we are in co-union with Him.