There are many Christians, who become born again and begin to walk after the Spirit, but after a while something happens and they go back to the Old Covenant and begin to apply all kinds of rules, regulations, rituals, feasts, etc. in their lives. Why do Christians go back to the Old Covenant? What causes Christians to return to the Old Covenant?
God created man and His relationship with man was perfect
When God created man, the relationship between God and man was perfect. Adam was the son of God, who was created after the image of God. God walked with Adam (man) and they had a perfect relationship, just like God intended His relationship with man to be. Until the moment arrived, that Adam succumbed to the temptation in the flesh and became disobedient to the commandment of God and sinned. Due to his disobedience, the relationship between God and man was broken. Man fell from his position and lost his dominion and authority on the earth, which God had given to man.
The spirit of man died. Because of that man was no longer connected by the spirit to God, but man was connected by the flesh to the devil. Because of man’s obedience to the devil, sin (obedience to the will of the devil) entered, with the result that death, which is the wages of sin also entered and reigned in the flesh of man.
Man was no longer spiritual but became carnal and sense-ruled. And sin and death reigned in the flesh of man.
The devil (the kingdom of darkness) had taken the dominion and authority of man through lies and by sowing doubt. Because Adam believed and obeyed the lie of the devil above the truth of God, the fallen angel Lucifer; the devil became the father of fallen man.
Fallen man was put beneath the angels and became in bondage under the elements of the earth.
Fallen man got the same nature as his father; the fallen angel Lucifer (devil). Therefore the nature of the devil would be present in the flesh of everyone, who would be born of the seed of Adam (man).
Out of love for mankind, God found a way to have a relationship with mankind, until the Messiah would come and reconcile man back to God and restore the broken relationship between God and man.
The covenant with Abraham and his Seed
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16)
God established His covenant with Abraham and his Seed (Jesus). The circumcision in the flesh of every male would be a token of this covenant. The circumcision was for God a token of His covenant and His promises and for the people of God, it was a token of dedication to Him.
The circumcision in the flesh took place on the eighth day (Gen 17:10-11). Even if the eighth day was on a Sabbath day, the circumcision still took place.
The eighth day refers to the day of the New Covenant and the new creation, who is circumcised in Christ, by putting off the flesh in the baptism in water (Read also ‘What does the circumcision in Christ mean?’ and ‘The eighth day, the day of the new creation’).
The Torah
430 Years after the promise of God to Abraham and his Seed, God redeemed His people from the oppression of Pharaoh and led His people out of slavery into the promised land. God appointed Moses as His representative and gave His people the law of sin and death.
The law, which is written in the Torah (Gen-Deu) was given by God to His covenant people after the flesh; Israel, 50 days after Passover. The Torah, the written word of God, contained the instructions for the old carnal man, who was trapped in the sinful flesh.
Everyone, who would be born of the seed of Israel belonged to God’s covenant people, of which the men would be circumcised in the flesh on the eighth day according to the first covenant. Everyone, who belonged to God’s covenant people after the flesh, had to obey and keep the law of Moses to walk in righteousness.
The law of sin and death
Through the law of Moses God could have a relationship with the old man, who is sense ruled and walks after the flesh in which sin and death reigns. That’s why the law is called the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2)
Because of the fact that the law contained commandments, which were meant for the old man, who is sense ruled and has the nature of the devil and walks after the lusts and desire of the flesh, God said: “Thou shalt not…”.
Because the flesh is full of pride, envious, selfish, jealous and rebellious and has more love for himself then for God.
The flesh does all those things, that doesn’t please God and are an abomination to Him. The flesh goes after other gods, lies, cheats, steals, commits adultery and fornication, is unfaithful etc.
All the works and deeds, which God mentioned in the law of Moses and were an abomination to Him, were done by fallen man and the pagan people; Gentiles.
God didn’t want His people to be involved with their unclean works and heathen practices.
By giving the law, God not only made His will known to His people, but His people learned His way and to discern good and evil; righteousness and unrighteousness.
Through obedience to the Levitical priesthood, keeping the law with all its commandments, feasts, observances (circumcision), rituals, food laws and sacrificial laws, God could have a relationship with His carnal people, until Jesus would come and redeem man from the rulership, dominion and the yoke of the devil, who reigns in the flesh.
The ten commandments on tablets of stone
The Torah was given by God and meant for the old carnal man, who consists of a body and soul. Since the spirit of the old carnal man is dead, God, Who is Spirit, made His will known to His people by giving them His law.
God wrote the ten commandments on two tablets of stone, which represented the heart of the old man.
Why did God write His ten commandments on two tablets of stone? The commandments, which related to God and the first commandment ‘Love God above all, with all your heart, mind, soul and strength’ were written on the first tablet of stone. On the second tablet of stone, God wrote the commandments, which were related to the second commandment ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Mat 22:40).
The redemption of the flesh of the old man
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (Hebrew 8:10-13)
Throughout the whole Bible, God prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, the new covenant and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who would abide in the new man (a.o. Genesis 3:15, Psalms 22; 16:10, Isaiah 7:14; 53:4-12, Jeremiah 31:33-34; 32:40, Ezekiel 11:19-21; 34; 36:25-28; 37, Hebrew 8:10-13; 10:15-16).
Jesus the Christ would redeem man from their flesh, in which the sinful nature of the devil reigns.
God promised to put a new spirit within man and take the heart of stone out of the old man and give a new heart of flesh, in which the laws of God would be written upon. This promise was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the new creation and has received the nature of God, therefore the will of God is written upon the heart of the new man.
The law was the school teacher for the old man
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:23-29)
The law and all the commandments of God, which are written in the Torah were a schoolmaster for the old man. So that the old man, who is sense-ruled and lives after the flesh, would know the will of God and His way and by keeping the law, man would serve God and walk in righteousness.
The Torah was meant for the flesh of the old man. But since the flesh is crucified in Christ, through regeneration, the flesh doesn’t live anymore but is death, and therefore the Torah no longer applies to the new man, who lives after the Spirit.
The new man is holy and righteous through Jesus Christ
God has given to everyone the ability to be redeemed from the flesh of the old man, with all its lusts, desires, iniquity and sin, by faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work at the cross, and by becoming born again in Christ, so that the old creation will become a new creation; a son of God.
The new creation is no longer a servant but has become a son of God, who is made holy and righteous by the perfect work of Jesus Christ and His blood.
The new man, who is born of the Seed of God and has become a spirit, shall walk after the Spirit and shall no longer be ruled by his senses, feelings, emotions, lusts, and desires, which reign in the flesh.
God’s will become the will of the new creation because the new creation is born of Him and has His nature.
Because of that, the new man shall fulfill the law, just like Jesus, Who is the living Word of God and fulfilled the law by walking after the Spirit, after the will of God.
The relationship between God and man restored in Christ
The perfect relationship, which God had in the beginning with Adam was restored in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ man was reconciled to God and God could have a relationship through the Holy Spirit with the new man; His son.
The Torah can no longer be applied to the new man, who walks after the Spirit. Since the Torah was meant for the old man, who walks after the flesh and died in Jesus Christ.
The only thing of the Torah that is still valid and still applies is the will of God, which has been made known to us by His commandments through Jesus; the Word and the habitation of the Holy Spirit.
The new creation is free of condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1)
A born again Christian, who has been made holy and righteous in Christ and walks in His commandments after the Spirit, doesn’t live in fear under condemnation, which is present in the flesh. The person has been made free from the law of sin and death, which works in the flesh, by putting off the flesh and by walking after the Spirit and the law of the Spirit.
As long as the flesh stays dead, there is no condemnation. But as soon as the person returns to the kingdom of darkness and do the works of the old carnal man and lives after the flesh in sin, the law of sin and death becomes active again and the person shall live with fear, feelings of guilt and condemnation.
50 Days after Passover, God made His will known in both covenants
In the Old Covenant, God made His will known to His people 50 days after Passover, by giving the Torah to His carnal covenant people, who belonged to the carnal generation of fallen man; the old man (The feast Shavuot).
In the new covenant, God made His will known to His people 50 days after Passover, by giving His Holy Spirit to His spiritual covenant people, who belonged to the spiritual generation of the new man (Read also ’Did you know….. 50 Days after Passover’)
The new man is born of God and has become a son of God and lives in freedom after the Spirit in obedience to Christ. Since the new man has become a son of God, the Spirit of the sonship lives inside the new man, who calls Abba Father (Rom 8:15, Gal 4:4-7).
Why do Christians go back to the Old Covenant?
However, there are many Christians, who are born again and have become a new creation and start right, but slowly go back to the Old Covenant and to all its rules, regulations, rituals, feasts, laws and apply them in the New Covenant to the new creation. But that’s not how God has intended it to be.
All the feasts, rituals, sacrifices, rules, regulations and the priesthood, that belonged to the Old Covenant, don’t belong in the New Covenant. There is a reason why it is called the Old Covenant.
If the New Covenant is a better covenant and has replaced the Old Covenant, why do so many believers go back to the Old Covenant and apply the feasts, rules, regulations, observances, rituals, which were meant for God’s carnal people Israel, in their lives? Then they should also keep the sacrificial laws and resume the sacrificing of animals.
Paul warned the believers many times and asked the church what had come on their way and why they went from the Spirit to the flesh and went from the New Covenant to the rules and regulations of the Old Covenant (a.o. Gal 2; 3:1-5).
The only thing, which has not changed is the moral part of the law, which are the commandments of God, that represents His will and His nature.
The will of God is the same in both the law of sin and death, which refers to – and works in the flesh of the old carnal man, as in the law of Spirit, which refers and works in the spirit of the new man, the same.
If you don’t read and study the Old Testament from the Spirit and the mind of Christ but from the flesh and the carnal mind, there is a big change that you will be tempted and misled and go back to the Old Covenant and put a yoke upon yourself by keeping all observances, rituals, feasts and apply them to your life, while they are never meant for you, who have become a new creation, but were meant for the old carnal creations, who belonged by natural birth to God’s covenant people Israël.
The true sons of God walk in the New Covenant and establishes the law
In the New Covenant, it’s all about you being circumcised in Jesus Christ and that you have become a new creation in Christ (Romans 8:9-17, Colossians 2:9-12, Galatians 6:15, Titus 3:5-7).
If you have become a new creation in Christ and the Spirit of Christ lives inside of you, then you belong to Him and you shall keep His commandments and walk after the Word and the Spirit and establish the law.
The believers, who are led by the Spirit of God and lives after the will of the Father in righteousness, they are the true sons of God.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
