Words mean different things to different people.
Take the word lockdown for instance. In New Zealand, lockdown means everybody stays home. But in other places – and I’m looking at you New South Wales – lockdown means something different.
The same is true when we come to the Bible: one word can mean different things to different people.
Consider the word obedience. What does this word mean to you?
If you have an old covenant mindset, obedience means keeping the Ten Commandments. But if you have a new covenant mindset, obedience means heeding Jesus.
Ditto for the word repentance.
Under the old covenant, repentance means turning from sin, but in the new covenant, repentance means changing your mind and turning to God.
In nearly 12 years of writing Escape to Reality, I have learned that there is enormous confusion about the old and new covenants. Because many people don’t know what makes the new covenant new, they are stuck with the inferior definitions of the old.
Think of it as the difference between two languages. Those who speak old covenant are speaking a language of petition and longing, while those who speak new covenant are speaking a language of thanksgiving and praise.
If you want to enjoy the superior realities of the new covenant, you need to learn to speak the new covenant language of Jesus. To help you do that, I have started working on something called the Grace Glossary. (A glossary is a dictionary of words limited to one subject.)
The beginnings of the new Grace Glossary can be found here:
www.thegracecommentary.com/glossary
If you find the Grace Glossary useful, please tell your friends.
Grace and peace,
Paul
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Paul,
I have been pondering Mathew 11:28-29. How do you interpret those verses looking through your grace lens? Is Jesus saying we are to take on His yoke of suffering and His grace will carry us through it? Sounds a lot like ‘works’. Or, is Jesus saying that the yoke He is giving us is not one of suffering, but rather a less burdensome yoke, which would be the yoke of keeping our faith, and He will help us do that? To me that sounds like grace upon grace, and is the kind I need.
I follow your e-mails, and appreciate your writings, but don’t recall you speaking on these verses – hope you are able to reply.
Hi Al, you can find my thoughts on that passage in the Grace Commentary.