 | We have learnt about the laws given by God to the people of Israel
through Moses, on Mount Sinai. |
| God entered into a covenant with man out of his own will and grace. |
| Man has no right to change it or weaken it. Man may accept it or
reject it. |
| Jeremiah 31:31-34 says that God will make a new covenant. The result
of that new covenant is that God will not remember our sins and He will forgive our
inequities. |
| The people had promised that they will obey all the commandments of
God (Exodus 19:8), but St. Paul says that no man is justified by the works of the law
(Galatians 2:16). |
| Men are justified by God’s grace through faith. "And by
that God’s will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus
Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10). This is the new covenant. |
| Jesus told Nicodemus, the man who came to him by night, that a man
should be "born anew", or "born again". |
| The terms "Born anew" and the "Kingdom of God"
are difficult to understand, so Jesus told a familiar example to the Jews so that they can
understand the meaning. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so
must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14). Those who were bitten by the serpent
got life by looking on the brazen serpent. Similarly, those who believe in Christ will
have eternal life. It was not the result of merely looking at the serpent, that they were
given life. But, it was due to complete faith and obedience to God’s condition.
Similarly, those who believe in Him will be given eternal life. "And this is what He
has promised us, eternal life" (1 John 2:25). |
| The conviction that we have got promise of eternal life, and that we
have been justified are the basic elements of Christian life. |
| St. Paul says "For as by one man’s disobedience, many were
made sinners, so by one man’s obedience, many will be made righteous" (Romans
5:19). |
| A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law (Romans
3:28). Those who have faith in Jesus Christ are considered just and righteous by God.
David refers to such a blessed man. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no inequity and in whose
spirit there is no deceit (Psalms 32:1-2). Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). |
| Man need not be afraid of the coming judgement because we have
promise of the eternal life and justification for those who have faith. |
| The angels who told about the birth of Christ said, "Be not
afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come all the
people" (Luke 2:10). Birth of Christ is a good news to those who are afraid of death
and judgement. |
| Jesus is the mediator in the New Testament. It is God’s grace
that made this covenant, but the death of Christ and his resurrection is the center of it. |
| God sent the Son into the world to die on the cross so that the
world might be saved through him and gain eternal life and thus establish the New
Testament covenant. This is the only way for the salvation of man. Books of
the New Testament
Historical Books
 | Matthew |
| Mark |
| Luke |
| John |
| The Acts |
Instructive Books
Letters of Paul
| Romans |
| Corinthians |
| Corinthians |
| Galatians |
| Ephesians |
| Philippians |
| Colossians |
| Thessalonians |
| Thessalonians |
| Timothy |
| Timothy |
| Titus |
| Philemon |
| Hebrews |
Universal Letters
| James |
| Peter |
| Peter |
| John |
| John |
| John |
| Jude |
Prophetic Book
| Revelation |
|
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