Article, Audio, Covenant Theology, Shane Becker
The Future of New Covenant Theology
Here is the audio and associated notes from the Think Tank in New York.
To download any files right click on the associated text and select ‘Save Target As . . .’
Session 1 NCT Journey (Joe Krygier)
Part 1 of 1
Session 2 Holy Spirit Dynamics in the New Covenant Community
(Moe Bergeron)
Part 1 of 3
Part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3
Notes
Session 3 A Re-examination of Atonement in the New Covenant
(Reid Ferguson)
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Session 4 Christ as a Covenant for the People (Chad Bresson)
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Session 5 A New Covenant Approach to Biblical Counseling (Joe Krygier)
Part 1 of 1
Session 6 The Future of NCT (Ed Trefzger)
Part 1 of 1
Master Files: http://www.fbceny.org/audio/cherith/
05 Jun 2008 Shane Becker
Thanks, Shane!!!
[...] http://liftedveil.org/the-future-of-nct/ [...]
Glad to have found this page via google.
I am not able to find info on the Kaya(?) church that you mentioned. I looked for it via the search.
Thanks … NCT is good stuff! I am glad to see that more and more people are coming to understand it.
In Christ,
~ Raj
“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.” ~Psalm 50v.2
Hi Raj,
Go to audio number 4 from here:
http://liftedveil.org/christs-glorious-covenants/
Shane.
There seems to be a division in NCT over the nature and scope of the Law of Christ. The John Reisinger crowd, of which I am a part, says that the Law of Christ is found explicitly and exclusively in the pages of the NT. Another faction says that the Law of Christ is essentially the entire canon of Scripture and that we just need to figure out a way to identify which laws in the old covenant, or before, are binding on the NC believer.
What about this?
Basic Points.
1. Moses says a new law giver will come, namely Jesus.
2. Christ has fulfilled all OT law.
3. Therefore the ‘law of Christ’ is found in the pages of the N.T. The NT identifies and ‘figures out’ which of the OC laws are carried over into the N.T.
4. Most importantly though is that the observance of law is entirely different in the NC. This “identifying” and “figuring out” which OT laws that are still ‘binding’, smacks of outward observance. We do not outwardly observe even NC laws as Jews observed OC ones. For the NC is a dispensation of relationship, and obedience is enabled through this relationship i.e. “walking in the Spirit”. This is synonomous with being ‘under Christ’s law’. As we love Christ and others we are keeping Christ’s law. Trying to obey even Christ’s law by fleshly means will result in frustration and will not profit us. This is in essence the Galatian error to which the Westminster Confession of Faith belongs, telling us that Christians are still bound to the moral law of the 10 Commandments.
Good points Paul,
Thanks.
Ron,
I love John Reisinger and have worked hard to promote his material and work. I also have a lot of respect for IDS and Geoff Volker. And the rigorous academic work Gary Long has much strengthened and deepened my understanding. Zaspel and Wells have been very helpful in their works (and Tom Wells personally has helped me more than he will ever know in his work “Christian Take Heart”).
I love the team of men that form “The Earth Stove Society” and their emphasis on Christ as Covenant. I feel most closely aligned with them. (Interestingly, it is men, and Moe Bergeron his web master in particular, of this group that have largely promoted the works of Reisinger. It is also interesting to note that John Reisinger’s most recent book is dedicated to Joe Krygier and a previous one was dedicated to John “Jack” Jeffrey another member of the earth stove society. I am a part of the Earth Stove Society and am also the web master for IDS Canada.).
Are these factions? I hope not. I think that is still too strong a word. These various groups and men all largely fellowship with and love and respect each other. They promote a lot of each others work also.
Branches? Yes, I think that is a better term - all connected, not divided, not serving different purposes or developing and independent system for understanding God’s word.
There are some factious individuals that come with a “I’m of Paul” or “I’m of Apollos” type attitude. I believe that is the exception within the community.
Personally, I do have a concern with those within NCT that tend to treat the New Covenant as a New Old Covenant and the Law of Christ as a reissued Decalogue with a new set of commands. It isn’t. They are wrong. They are the exceptions and not what I find among the main NCT writers.
My heart aches when I hear terms like ‘division’ and ‘factions’ used to describe differences among those that are learning and growing together.
It is overstating things.
Grace,
Shane.
To me, the Sermon on the Mount shows us the quantum leap from Mosaic law to Christ’s law. Rather than just a rehashing and expansion of the decalogue, we have in Jesus’ words a way of life that is beyond anything that was revealed to Moses. If scripture says that no one could keep the righteous demands of the OC law , how on earth can we keep Christ’s law as given on the Mount with “Every thought captive”?
Surely it is only as we “walk in the Spirit”, knowing we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness and filled with the Holy Spirit who “causes us to keep His commands” (Eze 36:27) is this possible.
As we walk with Him moment by moment we “put to death the deeds of the flesh” and He is able to “work in us”. There is nothing of ourselves in this. If we try by force of will or human endeavour to keep any law - OC or New, we will bring ourselves under the bondage of law and sin.
I think the Scriptures indicate that the Spirit isn’t even given in order to ‘help us’ fight sin because any thing from us even with aid becomes works. (Sanctification is not of our selves Gal 3:3 just as saving faith is not of our selves Eph 2:8). It is like when we know that the Spirit is given to regenerate us in order for us to repent and believe because we are dead to the things of the Spirit 1Cor 2:14. Even 99% Spirit and 1% us = no life. It is all of God or nothing. All the aid in the world will do us no good if any faith, repentance etc depends on us.
The same with sanctification, anything that comes from human effort is worthless. It must be Christ who works in and through us. The thought of the Spirit ‘aiding us’ so that we do ‘better’…just doesn’t seem to Scripturally ‘cut it’.
What then is our part in sanctification? What are our works? Well, just as we are to simply “believe in the one whom He has sent” for salvation, we are just to “put on Christ” that is to “walk in the Spirit”, pursue a relationship with Him that he began with us and to love Him as He first loved us, “abide in Him” Then the promise is given…”you will not carry out the desires of the flesh”. I believe that is what it means when He says “if you keep my commands you truly are my disciples”. For there is no way you could keep any of Christs’ commands and thus be His disciple if any of them were left up to you to keep, even with a lot of help from God. He has to do it. Thus the need for the NC in the first place. The Jews couldn’t do it even though God was a husband to them Jer 31:32. God has to do it for us.
The glory of the NC is that we are no longer under the tyranny of external creeds (OC and esp NT with its infinitely greater demands). “The letter kills but the Spirit gives life”,
“It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” thus we do indeed keep even the NC law because He first kept it then He keeps it through us as we offer ourselves up to Him. Even when we fail, because of our flesh, we have Jesus “who lives forever interceding for His saints”. “Blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”. This is where our power to be holy comes from and not from a regime of law adherence.
The way I see it is that the church, after such a great start with Luther (who saw so clearly the abrogation of the entire OC including the 10 Commandments), tended to revert back to Rome (with its mixing of OC & NC) until the English puritans (as great as they were in many respects) brought us back under law (for sanctification) with its inevitable bondage.
My presbyterian brethren (and 7th Day Adventist friends). Take off your ’system’ glasses and read your Bibles anew. “You who begun in the Spirit why are you seeking to be perfected in the flesh”?
Sorry I’m sounding so’preachy’ guys but as I’m in many ways new to some of these concepts - I’m really preaching to myself to help stabilise my own thinking. So if you don’t mind being a sounding board…all comments will be welcome as I continue to clarify my thoughts.
For me, NCT has become the reawakening of the reformation which for so long has fallen asleep.
Instead of “fight sin” in the 4th paragraph, it might be better read as “keep the law” (as our covenental brothers affirm).
Does it not concern you that in your first audio (NCT Journey) you mention a comparison chart by Donald Hochner who is a proponent of the heretical form of preterism as well as other hetrodox beliefs on hell and the trinity. He’s probably not the best person to link to even if his comparison of the three systems chart is sound.