13- 3/5- WLC 33
Q. 33. Was the covenant of grace always administered after one and the same manner?
A. The covenant of grace was not always administered after the same manner, but the administrations of it under the Old Testament were different from those under the New.
A. The covenant of grace was not always administered after the same manner, but the administrations of it under the Old Testament were different from those under the New.
Thoughts: The same God works with different people in different ways. We who have lived after the Messiah has come have an advantage over those who were looking for His coming in the time of the Old Testament. Yet, we see only through a mirror dimly- one day we will see face to face. There is a progression in revelation. What this part of our creeds tell us is that the kernel of truth remains the same- the person, holiness and love of God. God does not lie- or change His mind in scripture- though sometimes we may misunderstand or misinterpret His Word. But the application and revealing changes with time. This, however, does not mean that what is written by God’s Spirit in the past is not true- it just is administered differently. For example, the passages regarding the sacrifices for sin in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the one sacrifice for Christ. The dietary and purity laws have become secondary to the ability of Christ to make us clean. The legal laws peculiar to the nation of Israel do not apply either. Yet there are principles in these laws from which we can learn. Sacrifices teach us of the need to be forgiven when we fail. Purity laws teach us to listen and point to the purity of heart that is needed to see God. National laws point to the need for order and the importance of not syncretizing beliefs. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet he recognizes we change as we perceive His Son.
Prayer: Help us, O Lord to see the on and His coming in our lives.
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