The following study is in no way  meant to be a detailed analysis of the subject, nor is it  meant  to answer all of the questions that  could  be  asked concerning  the  agreements and promises that God made  with  the Patriarchs,  national Israel of the past or future, those  called to participate in the first resurrection, or the rest of humanity  after the return of Christ. This would be impossible, because the scriptures  leave  out too  many details to do this. This study  is only meant to be  an overview of the subject that shows the logic and  continuity of God's plan for the  salvation of  humanity.

From the time of Adam and Eve to the prophetic times of the  future, the Bible records that God has and will make many different agreements and promises with many different individuals, tribes, and nations.  Contained within  some of these agreements  and  promises  is  all of the knowledge that is necessary for a person to understand  the plan of salvation for humanity. Moreover, when one studies the  Bible,  it becomes apparent that it is  separated  into  two distinct   divisions  concerning the methods  and  procedures  by which a person may secure salvation.

When most people think of these two divisions, they think of  them in  terms  of  the old and new covenants; however,  this  is  not technically correct and it leads to many misconceptions  concerning God's overall plan for the salvation of humanity.

A  good  overview of the many different agreements  and  promises contained in God's plan for the salvation  of humanity will help one to understand the continuity of this plan and how these various agreements and promises  are  structured in order to accomplish salvation.

In God's plan, there are four major  agreements that concern how to obtain salvation. Each of these agreements is unique  and pertains to the following time frames and groupings of people:

• The Patriarchs: From the time of Adam to the exodus of  Israel from Egypt.
• National Israel: From the formation of national Israel to  the advent of the Messiah.
• The children of the New Creation: From the advent of the Messiah to the  first resurrection (i.e., the Gospel age).
• National  Israel and other Nations: From the  reformation  of national Israel after the return of the Messiah to the end of the plan for the salvation of humanity.

In  order to understand the agreements with the  patriarchs,  national Israel and the  elect of God of all ages, it is  important to understand each agreement in the context of the four different  ages in which salvation is offered to humanity.

The first age of salvation existed from the time of Adam until the  agreement between God and Israel at Mount Sinai. During this time, individuals  were  offered salvation through a  sacrificial  system and obedience to God's law. Very little is known about God's worship system during this time period; however, the scriptures do record that  individuals kept God's law, offered sacrifices, and  prayed to God.  A few individuals had personal contact  with the Creator God,  and there  were  preachers of righteousness and priests  of  God  who taught  his law and way of life to people who wanted to worship him.

The  second age of salvation began at Mount Sinai and ended  with the  death  and resurrection of Christ in 30  A.D..  During  this time,  the nation of Israel was offered salvation through  obedience to the law of God and a sacrificial system that was  officiated over by a priesthood at the place where God and the power of his presence resided.

Individuals  were given various attributes and functions  of  the holy  spirit  to help them obey God and grow spiritually.  A  few individuals had personal contact with the Creator God, while the nation as  a whole  only  had  access to the Creator God  through  prayer  and formal worship at the tabernacle/temple.

The third age of salvation began on the Day of Pentecost in 30 A.D.. During this age, which will last until Christ returns to rule the earth,  individuals are offered salvation through belief  in  God the Father  and his son Jesus Christ, repentance,  and  baptism.

Those  under this agreement have the holy spirit given  to  them, the  law of God placed in their minds and spirits, the  spirit  of the Father and the Son merged with their spirit; thereby, they are transformed into sons of God. See our study paper concerning sons of the New Creation.

During this age, no animal sacrifices are required for the atonement of spiritual sin, because the Creator God (Jesus Christ)  himself gave his  life  as the supreme sacrifice to pay the penalty  for the spiritual sins of humanity.

The  sons of God during this age are a temple of God where  God's holy spirit resides. These individuals have direct access to  God the Father and Jesus Christ and worship the Father in spirit and truth. See Jn.4:19-24.

The fourth and final age of salvation will begin after the return  of Christ  and  the  establishment of the kingdom of  God  on  the earth.

After Christ's  return, the descendants of Israel will be brought  to the land of their inheritance where they will be formed  into a  world power to fulfill their national destiny. It is  at  this time  that  God will formalize a second agreement  with  national Israel.

During  this future age, the nation of Israel will  again  assume its  responsibility of  being an example of God's way of life  to the world, and the city of Jerusalem will again become the  focal point  of the worship of God, because this is where  Jesus Christ will administer God's government and religion to the nations of the world in an  effort to  convert humanity to the ways of his Father. See Deut.30:1-6; Mic.4:1-7; Joel 3:16-21; Zech.8:1-3.

This age will last until the Father's kingdom is presented to him by Jesus Christ. See 1.Cor.15:24-28.

During  this age, salvation will be offered through  obedience  to  the  law of God and a sacrificial system similar to the way it was offered to  ancient Israel. The sacrificial system  will  be  officiated over by a priesthood at a new temple in  Jerusalem where  Jesus Christ (the Creator God) in his glorified  form and the power of his presence will reside.

Individuals  who want to have salvation will be given the  holy spirit and they will have God's laws placed in their minds and spirits  to help  them  grow  spiritually. These individuals  will  not  have direct  access  to God the Father, but they will  worship  the  Father through  the sacrificial system and through Jesus Christ, the  God who will rule the whole earth from Jerusalem.

In order to clear up the misunderstandings that people have about the two covenants that God has made with national Israel (i.e., the old  and the new) and the new covenant and testament that he makes with the people he calls to participate in the first resurrection, it is important to understand the difference  between  a covenant and a testament.

A  covenant is an agreement or contract between two or more  parties that is governed by a set of rules and has  terms,  conditions, and benefits for each party.

A testament is a record of decisions that people made while still alive  concerning the distribution of their property  after  their death.  A testament can only be enforced after the death  of  the one making the testament.

There was no death involved in the covenants, agreements, and promises between God, the Patriarchs, and national Israel. Therefore,  the first division of the Bible, which  is generally  called the Old  Testament, is not actually a testament, but it is a record  of these various agreements and promises and the  past, present, and future events, which pertain to God, the Patriarchs,  and national Israel concerning the  salvation  of humanity.

Biblical research shows that there are four distinct ages of salvation; however, how do each of  these ages  apply  to God's overall plan for the salvation of humanity?

Humanity was created with the ability to reason and weigh  alternate courses of physical and mental action. In other words, humanity was created with the ability to choose to do as they pleased, whether good or evil.

Before  God created humanity, he knew that they might choose  evil over good.  He also knew that after choosing evil  and seeing the results of such behavior, some might want to change their behavior and reconcile themselves to him. If any did want  to  repent and reconcile themselves to him,  there needed to be a method  by which  this could be done.  Therefore,  before  humanity's creation,   the sacrificial system  was formulated in order  to  give humanity  a way to place themselves back into contact and  right-standing with God.

Maintaining a harmonious relationship with God is a major part of the terms and conditions of any of God's agreements with  humanity.

It  is very important to understand the basic system and  principles  that God has set in place in order for people to establish and maintain a harmonious relationship with him. Moreover, it is important to know how the elect of God can use this system for their benefit, because it is  a good relationship with the Father that assures a person salvation.

See  our  study  paper concerning the  understanding of Genesis chapter 3 for more details concerning the first humans  and  the first agreement that would lead to salvation.

"Then  Abel  brought  the first lamb born of one  of  his  sheep, killed   it, and gave the best parts of it as an  offering.  The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, but he rejected Cain and his offering.  Cain became furious, and he scowled in  anger. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face? If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling, but because  you have done evil, sin is crouching at your  door.  It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it. Then Cain said to his brother Abel, Let's go out  in the fields. When they were out in the fields, Cain turned on his brother  and killed him" (Gen.4:4-8 GNB).                              

In verse 7, God told Cain that if he  had  done  the right  thing, he would be smiling. But, what had Cain done  wrong before he killed his brother?

"The  message you heard from the very beginning is this: we  must love  one another. We must not be like Cain; he belonged  to  the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because  the  things he himself did were  wrong,  and  the things his brother did were right" (1.Jn.3:11-12 GNB).                                        

Why  did  Cain murder his brother? The  scriptures indicate  that  Cain was jealous of Abel, because the  things Cain did were wrong and the things his brother Abel did  were right. But, what were the things that Abel did that were right?

"By  faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice  than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:and by it  he being dead  yet  speaks" (Heb.11:4 KJV).

The scriptures show that by faith  Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice to God than Cain.  This is what Abel did right  and Cain did wrong.  It  was  Abel's faith  in God's word that caused him to offer a better  sacrifice than  Cain.  It was through his faith that he won God's approval as  a righteous man,  because God himself approved of his  gifts.   By means of his faith, Abel still speaks although he is dead.

What made Abel's sacrifice more excellent than  Cain's?

"Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and  without shedding blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb.9:22 Para.).

Here,  we  see that without the shedding of  blood  there  is  no forgiveness  of sin. It is quite obvious that Cain and  Abel  had been  instructed on how to be put back in right-standing with  God through the sacrificial system.

It  is  also evident that Cain was not willing  to  follow  these instructions,  and  Abel was.  As it says in  Genesis  4:7,  Cain would have been smiling if he had given the proper sacrifice.  We know Abel offered the proper sacrifice (Heb.11:4), because he was put  back  in right-standing with God.

Genesis 4:4 tells us that Abel offered a firstling of his flock. Moreover, the animal  was  probably a goat or a lamb, which  symbolized  Christ and his crucifixion. Abel knew that someday  Christ would come to earth  and  offer  himself as a perfect  sacrifice,  and  through Christ, he could have his sins taken away forever. So, he offered the proper sacrifice and his sins were  set aside  by  God so that there could be a  harmonious  relationship between them.

The  basic idea of the law is that, as long as  people  faithfully observe  its precepts and principles, they are in a  position  of friendship with God and the door to his presence is open to them. However, it  is extremely difficult for people to keep  the  law perfectly. It is because breaches between people and God commonly occur that a sacrificial system exists within God's plan for the salvation of humanity.

We know that eternal and immortal life were offered to those  who lived  under the agreement with the Patriarchs, because  in   Hebrews  chapter eleven, there is a list of those who were  faithful to God prior to and after the Flood. Among those  mentioned  are Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah who all lived before the first agreement with national Israel.

How  did they secure salvation?  There is a simple answer.  These and others lived a life of faith and obedience to God in accordance with the agreement God had made with them.

After the Great Flood, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,  Moses, Moses'  father-in-law,  and others continued in  the  terms  and conditions  of  the  agreement that God had made with Adam and subsequent generations of people.

The first agreement was an exclusive agreement between God and the individuals who comprised national Israel. Moreover, this agreement  was open-ended.

The agreement was made exclusively  with the nation of Israel, but other people could participate in the agreement  if they met its terms and conditions.

The agreement  was made with the nation of Israel and each individual Israelite. See the books of Exodus, Leviticus,  Numbers,  and Deuteronomy for details of  the national and individual terms and conditions of the agreement.

The agreement  could be added to or subtracted from  by  God, but not by the Israelites (Ex.19:5-6).

• The Israelites were to obey God (Ex.19:5-6; chps.20-23).
• The Israelites were to worship only the Creator God (Ex.20:1-7, 25).
• God was to bless and protect the Israelites.

God provided physical benefits and the opportunity to participate in the first resurrection.

The  Israelites  would be his treasure as a  kingdom of  priests and an example of the benefits that would come from obedience to his way of life (Ex.19:5-6).

The agreement was a perpetual agreement that would last as long as national  Israel  kept their part of  the  agreement  (Ex.31:16; Lev.23:14,21,31,41; 24:5-8; Deut.28:15).

The  agreement was written in stone and in a book;  then, it was attested  to  orally and sealed with the blood of  a sacrificial animal (Ex.24:3; 24:12; 34:1-5; 24:8).

At  the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, two major things happened that concern the old and new agreement with national Israel:

1. The old agreement was canceled.

2. The  a new agreement was ratified with the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. This new agreement is now awaiting the re-gathering and re- establishment of Israel as a sovereign  nation after the return of Jesus Christ. It is at this time that the new agreement with national Israel will come into force.

The new  agreement will be made exclusively with the re-gathered tribes of Israel as a whole; it will be an exclusive agreement between God and the individuals who will comprise national Israel. Moreover it will be a closed agreement.

The agreement will be  made exclusively with re-gathered Israel (Ezk.20:33-38; 36:24-28), but other people will be allowed to participate in the agreement if they meet its terms and conditions.

The agreement allows both Israelites and non-Israelites to worship God  and  have the  opportunity for eternal life (Zech.14:16-19;  Acts  10:34-35; Rev.21:1-7, 24-27). Moreover, each person who comes under this agreement will be dealt with on a  personal level (Jn.6:44,65; Ezk.20:35).

The agreement  cannot be added to or subtracted from by either party (Heb.8:8-10; 10:16).

• Individuals must repent of past sins (Ezk.20:35; Acts 2:38).
• Individuals must worship the true God.
• Individuals must keep the terms and conditions of the agreement.
• God will give individuals called to salvation during this age of salvation spiritual tools  to help them perform their part of  the  agreement (Jer.31:31-33; Heb.8:8-10).

God will provide physical benefits and the opportunity to have eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

The  Israelites will be priests of God and an example to all nations of the benefits that come from obedience to God's  way of life.

The physical aspects of this agreement will last until the end of the harvest of humanity into the Kingdom and Family of God, but its spiritual aspects will last for eternity  (Heb.13:20; Jer.31:34,37; 32:40; Rev.21:3-7).

The following are some major differences between God's first  and  second agreements with national Israel:

• In the second agreement, the  Priesthood is the Zadok-Levitical Priesthood instead of the Aaronic-Levitical Priesthood (Ezk.44:15; 48:11).
• In the second agreement, animal sacrifice for the atonement of spiritual sin is no  longer necessary, because of the  perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb.10:4-18).
• Under the first agreement, only Israel was required to go to the place where God placed his name and worship him there. Under the new agreement, all nations are required to come to Jerusalem to worship in order  to  receive  blessings (Zech.14:16-19).
• Those individuals who fulfill their part of the agreement will have the spirit of God  dwelling within them (Acts 1:4-8; 2:38; Heb.8:10), and they will receive eternal life as sons of God (Rev.21:1-7; 22:14).

Those who are called to salvation during the gospel age have an agreement with God the Father that is different from the first and second  agreement with national Israel in many ways, because they have been given different promises, benefits, terms, and conditions that are a part of their special calling.

The agreement with the elect of God during the gospel age is made between God the Father and each individual  (whether he or she is an Israelite or non-Israelite) that he specifically calls to salvation (Jn.6:44,65; Acts 2:39,47).

The agreement  cannot be added to or subtracted from by either party (Heb.8:10;10:16-18).

• Individuals must repent of past sins, be baptized, and receive God's holy spirit (Acts 2:38).
• Individuals must worship and keep the terms and conditions  of the agreement (Heb.6:4-8).
• God gives those called to salvation during this age the  tools to  help them perform their part of the agreement  (Jer.31:31-33; Lk.24:49; Heb.8:8-10).

Each receives physical benefits, the opportunity to participate in the first resurrection, be king and priest in the Kingdom and Family of God, and be given immortal life as a son of God.

God shares eternity with his immortal spirit sons.

The agreement will last for eternity once the individual fulfills his part of the bargain (Heb.13:20).

The  agreement  is overtly committed to by  the  individual  upon being baptized in water.  God then seals the agreement by placing  his spirit into the individual's mind and spirit, and thereby, he  infuses his laws, precepts, and principles into that  person's thought process (Jer.31:31-33; Acts 2:38).

There  are  some major differences between the first  and  second agreements with national Israel and the agreement made with those in the gospel age:

• The Priesthood has been changed  from the physical Aaronic/Levitical priesthood to the spiritual Melchizedec-Christ Priesthood (Heb.4:15; 5:1-10; 6:20; 7:1-17).
• Animal  sacrifice for the atonement of spiritual sin and physical defilement is no longer necessary under this  agreement because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb.10:4-18).
• The temple worship system is not necessary for people  under this  agreement because the spirit of God dwells within them  and they are a temple of God (Acts 1:1-8; 2:38; 2:1-4; 1.Cor.3:16-17; 6:19; Heb.8:10).
• Individuals other than Israelites are also called to participate in this agreement (Gal.3:26-29; Eph.2:11,13,19).
• Individuals called during the gospel age have direct access to God the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ  (Eph.2:18; Heb.4:15-16).

Individuals who fulfill their part of the agreement will receive the following rewards for fulfilling their calling and diligent service to God the Father and Jesus Christ:

• They will be eternal and immortal spirit-beings   (1.Thes.4:13-17; 1.Cor.15:1-58; Rev.20:4-6; 22:14).
• They will be co-heirs of all things with  Jesus Christ (Rom.8:17; Eph.3:6).
• They will be  Kings and Priests  in the  Kingdom  of  God (Rev.2:26; 3:21; 5:10; 20:4-6).

They will  be immortal sons of God in the Family  of  God (Rom.8:14,16-17; 1.Cor.15:39-54; 1.Jn.3:1-2).

After  God  delivered the Israelites from  the  slavery  and bondage  of  Egypt, he offered them an agreement.  Although  this agreement  superseded prior agreements made with the Patriarchs, it contained  many of the terms, conditions,  and  promises  from these agreements.

Any  agreement or  contract between two or more parties has terms  and conditions for the performance of  the agreement.  The terms and conditions of the agreement  between God and the nation of Israel were very specific:

"Now  therefore,  if you will obey my voice indeed, and  keep  my covenant,  then you shall be a peculiar treasure to me above  all people:  for  all the earth is mine: And you  shall be  to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation . . ." (Ex.19:5-6 KJV).

Notice   that God did not place any limitations on what he  might ask the Israelites to do in the future. He asked them to agree to an  open-ended contract that could be  amended  in the  future. Moreover, God says that if they would obey him, he would  do certain things for their benefit.

"And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded  him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people to the Lord" (Ex.19:7-8 KJV).

After hearing that the people had agreed to honor the basic terms and conditions of this proposed agreement  (Ex.19:4-8), God  gave the  Ten  Commandments  and other laws  to  the  Israelites. See Ex.20:1-17; 24:1-15.

In any agreement or contract there must be benefits for each party  of the agreement or contract (i.e., each party  must  receive something in return for their effort to fulfill their part of the agreement).

Under  this  agreement the Israelites  would  receive  tremendous physical and spiritual blessings. God promised health, happiness, wealth,   physical protection, and many other fantastic  physical benefits to the Israelites for their obedience.

"And it shall come to pass, if you shall adhere diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and do all of my  commandments  which I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth" (v1).  

"And you shall be blessed in the city  and in the field. And  you shall be blessed with children, with produce from the earth, with offspring of cattle, with increase of cattle and flocks of sheep. And blessed with your basket and store. And blessed when you come in and go out" (vs.2-6).

"The  Lord will cause you to conquer your enemies in battle.  You will be blessed in storehouses and in all that you do in the land the  Lord gives you. You will be holy to the Lord and the  people of earth shall fear you because you are called the people of God. The  Lord will give you rain in season, you shall lend  to  other nations and not have to borrow. You shall be the head and not the tail, you shall be above all others, if you adhere to my commandments" (vs.7-13).

"You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy  nation" (Ex.19:6 Para.).  

Eternal  and  immortal life was also offered to those  who  lived under  the  first  agreement with national Israel.  Jesus  is  an example  of one who secured eternal and immortal life under  this agreement.   How  did  he secure salvation?  There  is  a  simple answer.  He deserved eternal life because he had faith that, if he fulfilled his part of the agreement, the Father would fulfill his part. Jesus fulfilled his part by not violating any of the physical  or spiritual laws of the agreement between God and  national Israel:

"You shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a  man do, he shall live in [by] them: I am the  Lord"  (Lev.18:5 KJV).  

"All  who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it  is written:  "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do  everything  written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live  by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The  man who does these things will live by them" (Gal.3:10-12 NIV).

Under this agreement, if a person kept every point of the law, he could  secure  eternal  and immortal life. To  practice  the  law perfectly  was extremely difficult, but it was  possible  because Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life by faith. By  meeting  all  the righteous demands of the law, Christ secured eternal and immortal life.

"Moses  describes  in this way the righteousness that is  by  the law: "The man who does these things [the commandments,  statutes, and laws] will live by them" (Rom.10:5 NIV).

As  with  the agreement that God made with  the  Patriarchs,  the first  agreement with national Israel also included animal sacrifice as the method  by which God's people could maintain a harmonious relationship  with him. Furthermore, some of these sacrifices also  pictured the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah, as did the agreement with the Patriarchs. Additionally, as in the agreement with the Patriarchs, none of these  animal sacrifices  could  totally remove or forgive sin. For  those  who lived before the advent of the Messiah, there  was  no  total removal  or forgiveness of sins; such forgiveness could only be given after the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah. See our study papers about the Day of Atonement.

Hebrews 11:1-40 shows us that many who lived before and many who lived during the first agreement with national Israel will  participate in  the  first resurrection and be granted eternal  and immortal life. Hebrews  11 says that Abel, Enoch, Noah,  Abraham,  Sarah, Isaac,  Jacob, King David and others will be in the Kingdom. But, how did all of these people who lived under these two different agreements  with God qualify to  enter the Kingdom of God and have eternal and immortal life?  The answer is that all of these people kept the laws of God and they practiced the  sacrificial system, and for this reason, the  sacrifice  of Jesus Christ is retroactively applied to them:

"These people were  all  commended for their faith, yet  none  of  them received  what  had been promised:  God  had  provided  something better  for  us so that with us they should also be made perfect" (Heb.11:39-40 Para.).

The people mentioned in Hebrews 11 who lived before the  first  agreement with national Israel and those  who  lived under the first agreement all followed the instructions of  the specific  agreement that  God had made with them. Therefore, they were able to  maintain a good relationship with him. These individuals had faith in what God had revealed to them about his plan for their salvation; they knew that someday the Messiah would come and offer  himself as a perfect sacrifice to remove and forgive their sins and  give them  eternal life.  This is the  reason that these  individuals will be in the first resurrection.

"What  then?   The people of Israel did not find what  they  were looking  for.   It was only the small group that  God  chose  who found it: the rest grew deaf to God's call" (Rom.11:7 GNB).

God offered salvation to the people of  ancient Israel; however,  few responded to this call, and very few seized the awesome  opportunity  to gain eternal and immortal  life  in  the Family and Kingdom of God.  Those who are called to  salvation during  the gospel age also have the opportunity to  reign in the Kingdom of God as  kings  and  priests along with  those who answered God's call under previous agreements.  See Rev.5:9-10; 20:4-6.

Although  the promises of eternal life and immortality were  given before and during the first agreement with Israel, it was  very difficult to obtain under the  terms and conditions of those agreements.  This is why a second agreement with Israel was  necessary and why those called to salvation after the advent of Christ and before  his second coming have a different  agreement. Those called  to salvation under the terms and conditions of these  new agreements can more easily obtain the  goal of salvation.

The  difficulty of gaining eternal life before and during  the first agreement with national Israel may also be the reason  that many  of those who did qualify will hold very high  positions  of authority in the Kingdom of God.  For example, King  David  will reign as king over all of Israel after the return of Christ.

It  is very easy for us to see the benefits that  the  Israelites would  gain from the first agreement. But, what possible   benefit could  the  Creator  God and his Father gain  from  giving  these blessings? One of the benefits that they receive is the great pleasure from giving:

"Jesus said, Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure [delight] to give you the kingdom" (Lk.12:32 KJV).

God  the Father and Jesus Christ are loving and giving beings  who  gain pleasure from sharing what they have with  others. This is  by  no means  the only benefit they  will get from this  agreement.  The Father's  primary reason for having humanity created was  to  increase his spiritual family. He is doing this through the process of  converting the hearts and minds of physical people so that they will want to  live according to his laws and way of life. And eventually, he will transform  them into his eternal spirit sons.

The  first  condition  that God insisted on before  revealing anything  further  about the agreement that he  would  make  with Israel was an unconditional surrender to his will by the  Israelites. "If you will obey my voice and keep my  agreement,  then you  shall  be  a special treasure to  me  above all  people" (Ex.19:5).  This  is also the first condition  of  any  agreement that God has made with any people, in any age,  concerning the  granting of salvation.

Upon hearing the voice of God from Mount Sinai, the people became so frightened that they  asked Moses to speak to God and tell them  what  he  said.  From that time on, God revealed to Moses everything that would be in the  agreement with Israel.

Remember the only reason God spoke through Moses was that the people  were afraid  to listen to him directly  (Ex.20:19).  Also remember that God had already given the people the Ten Commandments  before he began to speak through Moses.  Therefore, the Ten Commandments are definitely a part of the agreement.

In  Exodus  chapters 20 and 21, Moses was on Mount  Sinai  with God;  then, in chapter 24 verse 3, Moses came down from  the  mountain. This is important to note,  because after Moses came down,  he  told the Israelites everything that God had  told  him (See Ex.chp.20-24:3); this included instructions to build an altar and to offer sacrifices. In chapters 21, 22, and 23,  God  gave the  civil laws (judgments) to Israel, which  included  the laws  pertaining  to servants, manslaughter, murder, kidnapping, theft,  property damage, witchcraft, slander, and land rest.   In chapter 25, God told Israel how they were to worship him.

"And  Moses came and told the people all the words of  the  Lord, and  all  the  judgments: and all the people  answered  with  one voice,  and said,  All the words which the Lord has said will  we do" (Ex.24:3 Para.).

The fact that Moses relayed God's  commandments,  statutes,  and judgments to the Israelites (Ex.chps.20-24) is also shown in the Book of  Hebrews:

"For  when Moses had spoken every precept to all the  people  according  to  the law, he took the blood of calves and  of  goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both  the book, and all the people" (Heb.9:19 KJV).

If a contract is important, it is normally written or recorded on something permanent so that there will be no question as to  what was agreed upon. Moses told  the  people everything that God had said to him; then, he wrote these things in a book:  

"And  Moses came and told the people all the words of  the  Lord, and  all  the  judgments: and all the people  answered  with  one voice,  and said, All the words which the Lord has said will  we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in  the morning, and built  an altar under the hill, and  twelve pillars,  according  to the twelve tribes of  Israel" (Ex.24:3-4 KJV).

After  recording the terms and conditions in a book,  Moses  prepared  an  altar as God had instructed (Ex.20:24-26;  24:4); then, he read the agreement to the people and the nation of Israel formally agreed to do every thing that God asked of  them:  

"All  that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses  returned the words of the people to the Lord" (Ex.19:8 KJV).

"And  Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the  people,  and said,  Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has  made with you concerning all these words" (Ex.24:8 Para.).

"When  Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law  to  all the  people,  he took the blood of calves, together  with  water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all  the  people. He said, 'This is the blood  of  the  covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.' In the same way, he  sprinkled  with the blood both the tabernacle and everything  used  in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly  everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood  there is no forgiveness" (Heb.9:19-22 NIV).

The formal ratification of the first  agreement between God and the nation of Israel was sealed with the blood  of an  animal. This ratification and sealing of the  agreement  with blood  is important to note because the second agreement was  also ratified and sealed with blood—the blood of the Creator God in human form. See Matt.26:26-28; 1.Cor.11:25; Heb.13:20.

It  is important to remember that the  benefits  of the  agreements and promises between God and the Patriarchs  are still in force. Even though a new agreement was made with national  Israel concerning their relationship and responsibilities  to God, the unconditional agreements and promises that God made  to the Patriarchs will still be honored by him.

"And the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there:  and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and  commandments  which  I  have  written;  that  you  may teach  them" (Ex.24:12 Para.).

The  next few chapters of Exodus contain the instructions  that  Moses received in his first forty days on Mount Sinai. Exodus  chapters 25 through 27 give the instructions on how to build the tabernacle and  how to pay for it. Exodus chapters 28 and 29  have  the instructions  on  how  to sanctify Aaron and his  sons  for  the priesthood.

In  Exodus 32:15-30, Moses came down from the  mountain  carrying the  tables of stone that were written on by the very hand of God, and  to his  utter  dismay, he found the people worshiping  a golden  calf. Overcome  with anger, Moses broke the tables containing  the  Ten Commandments, and after strongly reprimanding the people,  Moses went  to God  to make an atonement for the people and to ask  him to have mercy upon them.

God does not forget or break his word. While instructing Moses in the  law, God reminded Moses of the promises that he had made  to the Patriarchs:  

"And the Lord said to Moses, Depart, and go up hence, you and the people which you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land  which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,  saying, To your seed will I give it" (Ex.33:1 KJV).

Exodus chapter 34 shows that  Moses went back up to Mount Sinai, and  God wrote the laws on tables of stone again:

"And the Lord said to Moses, Cut you two tables of stone like  to the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which you broke" (Ex.34:1 KJV).  

After  coming down from the mountain, Moses gathered  Israel  together and said, "These  are the words which the Lord has commanded,  that  you should do them" (Ex.35:1 KJV).

Israel  had  agreed  to the Ten   Commandments  (Ex.chp.20),  the judgments  (Ex.chps.21-23), and the  statutes   (Ex.chp.23). Moreover, there  is no doubt what the agreement was and what was expected of  both parties. The Israelites were to obey  the  commandments, statutes,  and judgments, and God  would make  them  a  kingdom  of priests and be their benefactor and protector.

Many believe or have been taught that there was  something  wrong  with the first agreement that God made with national Israel.  But was  it a bad agreement? Was it poorly written and administered? Were the terms and conditions of the agreement impossible to fulfill?

A  major error being taught today is that before Jesus  Christ and the giving of the holy spirit, man could not obey the laws of God; however, this is not true.

Abel,  Enoch,  Noah, Abraham, Lot, King David,  and  many  others spoken  of in the scriptures were considered righteous  individuals, because they obeyed God and kept  his  commandments, statutes, judgments, and sacrificial laws.  The scriptures clearly show that, before the giving of the holy  spirit on  the  Feast of Pentecost, many were able to obey God. Notice what is said about two of these individuals:  

"There  was  in the days of Herod, the king of Judea,  a  certain priest  named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife  was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And  they were  both righteous before God, walking in all the  commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Lk.1:5-6 KJV).  

An  important  point of law to understand  is that an  agreement is invalid if it is impossible  for either party to perform  the things agreed to. Would God make a contract that  he could  not  fulfill? Would he have made a  contract  with  Israel knowing  that   they  could not  fulfill  their  commitment?  The answer to these questions is no. God made  the  contract  with  Israel because he knew it was possible for  them  to fulfill their part.

The  agreements with both the Patriarchs and national Israel  were written  so  that both could become  and  remain  righteous before God and maintain a harmonious relationship with him.

Maintaining  a condition of righteousness before God would be  an impossibility without the sacrificial system, because without the sacrifices there would be no way to put human beings back in right-standing with God.  However,  if a person repented of sin and offered  the proper sacrifice prescribed under the law, a person would be  put back  in  right-standing with God. This is  another reason that   Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and  many others will participate in the first resurrection.

We know from history that the nation of Israel as a whole  failed to keep their part of the agreement, so God canceled it:

"For  if  that first agreement had been   faultless,  then  there would have been no need to make a second one.  For finding  fault with  them  [i.e., the people], he said, Behold, the  days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new agreement with the house of Israel  and with the house of Judah: Not according to  the  first agreement   that I made with their ancestors in the day   when  I led them by the hand  out of Egypt; because they did not continue in  my agreement,  and I did not regard them,  said  the  Lord"  (Heb.8:7-9).

As a nation, Israel went through periods of obedience and disobedience.   God was extremely merciful to his chosen  people; he  blessed them for their obedience  and forgave them for  their disobedience. The problem was that Israel's periods of  disobedience far outweighed their periods of obedience. By  the time the prophet Jeremiah came to warn them, the  Israelites  had totally disregarded  the intent of the agreement they  had  with God and they had failed to fulfill their national commitment:  

"And  I saw, when for all the causes whereby  backsliding  Israel committed adultery I had put her away,  and given her  a bill  of divorce;  yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but  went and played  the harlot also.  And it came to  pass  through  the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks" (Jer.3:8-9 KJV).

Notice  that  God divorced the nation of  Israel  for  committing spiritual  adultery.  In Jeremiah chapter 5, the same  accusation is  leveled at the nation of Judah because of their  failure  to perform their part of the agreement; therefore, the first  agreement with national Israel was no longer workable.

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Hear   you the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; And say to them, This says the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeys not the words of this covenant, Which I  commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them from out of the land of  Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice,  and  do them,  according to  all which I command you: so shall you be  my people, and I will be your God:  

"That  I may perform the oath which I have sworn to  your   fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey . . .. Hear you the words of this covenant, and do them. . ..Yet they obeyed  not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in  the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all  the words of this covenant,  which I commanded them  to  do; but they did them not.  

It is important to understand here that Israel not only broke the commandments  of God but also they refused to obey  the  sacrificial laws.   Therefore,  it is evident they disobeyed  the  whole law—the commandments,  statutes, judgments, and  the  sacrificial system.

"But  it shall come to pass, if you will not pay attention to   the voice of the Lord your God, to do all his commandments and  his statutes that I command you  this day; that  all  these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you" (Deut.28:15 Para.).

If national Israel refused to keep their agreement with God, they  would  not only miss out on these wonderful blessings  but also receive terrible curses instead. In Deuteronomy 30:15-19, the Creator sums up the choices he had given them:

"But  if  your heart turn away, so that you will  not  hear,  but shall  be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve  them;  I denounce  to you  this day, that you shall surely perish,  and that you  shall not prolong your days upon the land,  where  you pass over Jordan to go to possess it.  

"I  call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that  I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:  therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live" (KJV).

It  was God's earnest desire that his chosen people would  choose life over death. But, history shows that this did not happen; therefore,  a unified nation of Israel under the care and  protection of God no longer exists.

The  Creator God  brought the Israelites out of Egypt because  he had a job for them to do and a purpose for their existence as  a nation.  These people were called to be a nation of priests   who would represent God and his plan for the salvation of humanity to the world.

After  Christ's  return to establish the Kingdom of God upon  the earth,  the descendants of Israel will be brought to the land  of their  inheritance. There, they will be formed into a world  power to fulfill their national destiny.

During  this future age, the nation of Israel will  again  assume its  responsibility of  being an example of God's way of life  to the  world.  The city of Jerusalem will again  become  the  focal point  for the worship of God. It is from Jerusalem that Jesus Christ will administer his Father's  government and religion to the nations  of  the  world  while  offering  the  opportunity  for  salvation  to  them.  See Deut.30:1-6; Mic.4:1-7; Joel 3:16-21; Zech.8:1-3.

With  the return of Christ, much of the  literal, prophetic,  and symbolic  meaning  of the sacrificial system  and  the  commanded observances  and  holy  convocations will  have  been  fulfilled. However, the prophecies clearly show that under the new agreement with  national  Israel,  there will be a  sacrificial  system  of worship  along with commanded observances and festivals, which was also done  under  the first agreement with national  Israel.  See  our study  papers concerning the worship system after the  return  of Christ.

Many people wonder if the prophecies concerning the future of national Israel are simply analogies, or if  they have some other meaning that has not yet been discovered.

The following biblical facts will help clarify God's  new agreement with national Israel:

• With the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., all laws  that were practiced through the Levitical Priesthood and the  sacrificial system  were suspended.
• Many scriptures show that after Christ's return, all  peoples of   earth will eventually come under the rule of the  government of God.
• The prophecies of Ezekiel and Zechariah clearly show  that  a temple  worship  system with a priesthood and  animal  sacrifices will  exist  during Christ's rule on earth.  See  Ezk. chps.40-46; Zech.14:16-20.
• During the rule of Christ, the temple  system will be  officiated over by the male descendants of Zadok who is descended  from Eleazar, Aaron's third son.
• The sacrifices will be performed  similarly to the  way  they were performed under the first agreement with Israel.
• The commanded observances and holy convocations will  be  observed, but  they will be significantly changed to  fit  the  people, times,  and  circumstances  of the new  agreement with  national Israel and the rest of humanity.
• The new agreement with national Israel is not only made  with Israelites, although there are specific areas of the agreement that apply only to them. The new agreement also contains promises which apply to all humanity as the plan of God progresses through the centuries toward its ultimate completion.

Although the Bible gives few details regarding the new system  of worship that will be performed at the new temple in Jerusalem, it is  not  silent when it comes to documenting the  fact  that  the laws, precepts,  and principles that God has  ordained  for  the purpose  of  worshiping him and regulating human behavior will still be in effect during Christ's rule.

Because very  few details are  given about  God's  worship  system after  the  return of Christ, it seems that  the  prophecies concerning it are primarily given to show the continuity of God's  plan for the salvation of humanity after the  return  of  Jesus Christ.

It is logical to assume that, at the appropriate time, God will reveal all  of  the  necessary details concerning  this  future  worship system,  just  as he gave all of the necessary details  and instructions to Moses concerning his worship system for ancient Israel.

It is important to note that, although the bulk of this study concerns the cancellation of the first agreement with  national Israel and the establishment of a  new  agreement with  them, much of what is said also applies to the righteous Patriarchs and those called to salvation during the gospel age.

Although  national Israel disobeyed God and did not  fulfill  the purpose for which they had been freed from the bondage and  slavery of Egypt, he has no intention of casting them aside and using another people. Keep in mind  that  centuries  before Israel  became a nation, God made unconditional promises  to the  Patriarchs. Moreover, some of these promises were also made to their  descendants, who include  the Israelites.

"That  in  blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying  I  will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand  which is  on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.  And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth  be blessed  because  you  have obeyed my  voice"  (Gen.22:17-18 Para.).

The  promises to Abraham assured him multitudes  of  descendants and that, through these descendants  and Christ, all the inhabitants of the world would be blessed.

Even though Israel failed to live up to their national  agreement with  God, they still have an opportunity for national  greatness and  salvation  because of God's unconditional  promises  to  the Patriarchs. See 2.Chron.6:14; Psa.89:34; Zech.2:10-12.

"For  you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The  Lord  your God  has chosen you to be his own treasure out of all the  people on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love on you or choose  you because you were more in number than any people,  for you  were the fewest of all peoples. But because the  Lord  loved you, and because he kept the oath which he swore to your fathers, the  Lord  has caused you to go out with a strong hand,  and  redeemed you  from the house of slaves, from the hand  of  Pharaoh king  of Egypt. Because of this, know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those who  love him, and to those who keep his commands, to a  thousand generations" (Deut.7:6-9 Para.).

"O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heaven, nor  in the earth; which keeps covenant, and shows mercy to  your servants, that   walk  before  you  with  all   their hearts" (2.Chron.6:14 Para.).

"He will ever be mindful of his covenant" (Psa.111:5 KJV).  

Because  of  his prior commitments to the  Patriarchs,  God  will continue to work with the nation of Israel until his purpose  for humanity is finished.

"Behold,  the  days come, says the Lord, that I will make  a  new agreement with the house of Israel, and with the house of  Judah: Not according to the agreement that I made with their fathers, in the day  that  I took them out of the land of  Egypt;  which  my agreement  they broke, although I was a husband to  them,  says the Lord"  (Jer.31:31-32 Para.).

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There  shall come  out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away  ungodliness from  Jacob [Israel]: For this is my covenant to them [Israel], when I shall take away their sins." (Rom.11:26-27 KJV).

There is no doubt that God promised to make a new agreement  with national  Israel. It is also clear from the scriptures  that  the first agreement with national Israel has been canceled, and  that Jesus Christ has initiated a new agreement with them. Although a united  national Israel containing all of the twelve tribes has been promised, it does not exist today. So, at what time in the future  will this new agreement be formalized  with them?

The  prophet Ezekiel speaks of a future time when Israel will  be gathered  out of the nations and the wicked will be purged  from among them:

"And  I will purge out from among you the rebels, and  them  that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where  they  sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land  of Israel: and you shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezk.20:38 KJV).  

"As  a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he  is  among his  sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my  sheep,  and will  deliver them out of all places where they have  been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out  from the  people, and gather them from the countries, and  will  bring them to their own land, . . ." (Ezk.34:12-13 KJV).

It is logical to assume that a formal presentation of the new  agreement  with national Israel cannot be made until they are again  a nation.  Therefore, it seems that this  formal  presentation will occur at some point shortly after the return of Jesus Christ as conquering King and the gathering of national Israel.

"For  if  that first agreement had been   faultless,  then  there would have been no need to make a second one.  For finding  fault with  them  [i.e., the people], he said, Behold, the  days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new agreement with the house of Israel  and with the house of Judah. Not according to  the  first agreement   that I made with their ancestors in the day   when  I led them by the hand  out of Egypt; because they did not continue in  my agreement,  and I did not regard them,  said  the  Lord" (Heb.8:7-9 Para.).

The first agreement with national Israel did not work. If it  had worked,  there would have been no need for another  agreement  to replace it.  

The  major  fault  was not with the agreement; it  was  with  the people who were under the agreement. The terms and conditions  of the agreement could be performed—God could perform his part and a number of individuals did perform their part.  However,  it was extremely difficult for individuals to perform their part  of the agreement, because the  people did not have the desire to worship God correctly.  Therefore, God canceled the  first agreement and made a provision in the second  one  to change what was wrong with it—the people.

"Wherefore  when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice  and offering  you  do not want, but a body have you prepared  me:  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure" (vs.5-6).

God  the Father was not interested in the killing of animals  just for the sake of killing. He had no pleasure in the death of these animals  and he would not have required that they be sacrificed if it were not  for the necessity to atone for the sins of humanity and  to teach the lesson that the penalty for the violation of God's law is death (Rom.6:23).

"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of  me,) to do your will, O God. Above when he  said,  Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin you do  not want, neither had pleasure in them; which are offered by the law" (vs.7-8).

It would have been much  better if the people with whom God wanted to have a relationship had been able to live before him in obedience to his basic laws of behavior; however, this was not the case. Adam and Eve were not able to live in obedience to God nor were their descendants. Therefore,  the sacrificial system was necessary in order to put people back into right-standing  with God so that they could have a harmonious  relationship with him.

"Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O God.  He takes  away the  first,  that  he may establish the second.   By  who's  will [i.e., the Father's will] we are sanctified through the offering of  the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (vs.9-10 quoted  Psalm 40:6-8).

The writer to the Hebrews points out three very important things in verses nine and ten:

1. Christ is now the perfect sacrifice and through him, the first agreement with national Israel has been canceled  and a far better one has been made.

2. The sacrifice of Christ purges away the sin of those whom the Father calls during the gospel age of salvation and sets them apart for a holy purpose.

3. The sacrifice of Christ eliminates the necessity  to  perform animal sacrifices to atone for spiritual sins.

While speaking of God's first agreement with national Israel, the writer  to the Hebrews says that the ministry of Christ  is  more excellent  than  that of the priesthood  who  offered  sacrifices that were only prophetic of what was to  come  from heaven. Additionally, he says that Christ (the Creator God) has instituted a better agreement than the first one. See Heb.8:5.

"But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by  how  much also  he is the mediator of a better agreement, which was  established upon better promises" (Heb.8:6 KJV).

The  new agreement is better than the  old one  because  it  is based on better  promises  (i.e., better terms,  conditions, and benefits). Moreover, these  promises are far better than those given in the first agreement  with national Israel.

Although there are many differences between the first and  second agreements  with  national Israel, the following five  major  changes make the second agreement much better than the first one:

• A perfect sacrifice
• A perfect high priest
• The forgiveness of sin
• The law placed within the child of God
• The indwelling of the holy spirit

"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not  the very  image of the things, can never with those sacrifices  which they  offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.   For  then would they not have ceased  to  be  offered?  because  that the worshipers once purged should have had no  more conscience  of sins.  But in those sacrifices there is  a remembrance  again  made of sins every year.  For it is  not  possible that  the blood  of bulls and of goats should  take  away  sins" (Heb.10:1-4 KJV).  

The sacrifices had to be  given  year  after year  yet they  could never save the people from  their sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.  The reason for this is that an inferior being cannot pay the penalty for a superior being's violation of the law:  a human life is superior to that of an animal life. Humans were created  inferior to the angels, but with the potential to become superior to them; neither animals nor  angels  have this  potential.

The  inadequacy of the  sacrifices  is  another reason  the  first agreement is inferior to the new  one. Animal sacrifice  could only provide a temporary stay of  execution  for the violator of God's law. Under the sacrificial system, before the  advent  of the Messiah, the penalty for a violation of  the law could only be temporarily set aside by the blood of a sacrificial animal.  Therefore, there was a  need for a perfect sacrifice and  a  new agreement.

"If  therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,  (for under  it  the people received the law,) what  further  need  was there  that  another priest should rise after the order  of Melchizedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?  For   the priesthood   being changed, there is made of necessity a  change also of the law.  For he of whom these things are spoken pertains to  another tribe, of which  no man gave attendance at the  altar" (vs.11-13).  

"For  it is evident that our Lord  sprang out of Judah; of  which tribe  Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.  And it is  yet far  more evident: for that after the similitude  of Melchizedec there arises another priest, Who is made, not after the law of  a carnal commandment,  but  after the power of  an  endless  life" (vs.14-16).

Under  the first agreement with national Israel, the High  Priest was to act as a bridge between God and his people. Because the high priest himself was guilty of sin and under the death penalty, he was also in need of a perfect sacrifice and a perfect high priest to intervene to God on his behalf.

Because of the imperfection of the sacrifices and the High Priest of  Israel, no human could pass beyond the Creator God  and  into the  presence of God the Father. But why not? The reason  is because  the Father dwells in heaven, and any human who is  allowed to  come  into his presence must be totally  sinless,  holy,  and righteous.  No  human could qualify or had the  authority  to  go before him prior to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, because all people were  under the death penalty for the violation of  the  Father's law before the advent of Christ.

Hebrews 7:11-16 shows a change in the conditions of the agreement with  Israel. This change allows the elect of  God  during  the gospel  age  of salvation to go directly before  God  the  Father without going to a physical priest and having him speak to  God on  their behalf, which was done under the first agreement  with  ancient Israel.

"Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:  'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for  me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have  come to do your will, O God . . ..He sets aside the  first  to establish  the second . . .. Day by day every priest stands and  performs  his religious duties; again and again he offers  the  same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this  priest had  offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down  at the right hand of God" (Heb.10:5-12 NIV).

Jesus Christ is now the High Priest who sits at the right hand of God  the Father in heaven. Furthermore,  because of his sacrifice  and  the new agreement,  there is a new, life-giving way to gain access to the very presence of God the Father.

"Having  therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the  holiest by  the  blood of Jesus, By a new and living way,  which  he  has consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; And  having a high priest over the house of  God"  (Heb.10:19-21 KJV).

"But  now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how  much also  he is the mediator of a better agreement, which was  established upon better promises" (Heb.8:6 KJV).

Through  his  sacrifice, Jesus Christ is now  the  immortal  high priest  and  the mediator of the new and better  agreement, which is built upon new and better promises from God the Father to his people.

"And so all Israel shall be saved:  as it is written, There shall come  out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away  ungodliness from  Jacob:  For this is my covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins" (Rom.11:26-27 KJV).

Until  the Messiah came and offered himself as a  perfect  sacrifice,  all of Israel and the rest of humanity were lost and doomed to death, because there was no adequate sacrifice to pay for the sins of  humanity. Therefore, if the Messiah had not come, or if he had failed in his mission to offer himself as the perfect  sacrifice, all of  humanity  would be doomed because they would have no way to be saved  from eternal death.

"And  every priest stands daily ministering and  offering  oftentimes  the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:  But this  man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.10:11-12 KJV).

"If the plan that leads to doom was glorious, much more  glorious is the plan that makes men right with God" (2.Cor.3:9 LBP).

The  first agreement failed because of the inherent  weakness  of the  human spirit, which resists the law and will of God.  The  new agreement  with national Israel offers Jesus Christ as its atoning power and the transformation of the  human spirit through the power of the Father's holy spirit.

The  reason  that the first agreement with the nation  of  Israel could lead to death as well as life was because of a problem with the  people, not the agreement. Therefore, God corrected  this problem with a new and better agreement.

Although  the  law  revealed what sin was  and  the  sacrificial system  showed how to have sin temporarily set aside,  the  flesh was  weak  and the people found it difficult to  keep  the  law. Because they knew what sin was but were not able to keep the  law, they  had no hope of being saved from eternal death, because  the penalty for breaking the law is death (Rom.6:23).

"And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments  before  the Lord our God, as he has  commanded  us" (Deut.6:25 Para.).

"For  whoever  shall keep the whole law, and yet  offend  in  one point, is guilty of breaking the whole law" (Jms.2:10 Para.).

When speaking of the benefits of the new agreement over the  old, the  apostle  James said that, if a person who is  seeking  to  be justified before God by keeping the law breaks any one of  these laws, that person is guilty of breaking all of the law.

Humans can forgive, but they have great difficulty forgetting  an offense against them. However, the Father's forgiveness is  total—he will not only totally forgive our sin but also totally forget our sin:

"He has not dealt with us according to our sins;  or  punished us according  to our lawlessness.  For as the heaven is  high  above the  earth, so great is his mercy toward those who fear him.   As far as the east is from the west, this is how far he has  removed our transgressions from us" (Psa.103:10-12 KJV).

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their  sins and their lawlessness I will not remember" (Heb.8:12 Para.).

A  person who is forgiven  under the terms and conditions  of  the  new agreement will never have to worry about being punished for  past violations  of  God's  law, because their sin is gone as  if  it had never existed.

The  violation of God's law requires that the violator be put  to death  (Ezk.18:4,20; Rom.6:23). Under all of the  old  agreements, the  Creator God allowed the life of an animal to be  substituted for the life of the violator, in order to temporarily set people's sins aside.

In  order to form a new and better agreement  (Heb.8:1-10),  this same Creator God came to earth as a human and sacrificed his  own life  as  a substitute for the lives of those  who  violated  his Father's law. His sacrifice enabled the sins of humanity to be forgiven (Isa.43:11; 45:21). See our study  paper  concerning Christ's last Passover and his sacrifice for humanity.

It  is through Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice and  intercessory authority  with the Father that everyone who agrees to be a part of the new  agreement can have their sins forgiven and forgotten by  the Father.  See Psa.103:8-13; Isa.1:18-19 and our study paper  concerning salvation.

The  writer to the Hebrews confirms that the sacrifice of  Christ  is the ultimate and final  sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin:

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the  mediator of the new testament, that by means of  death,  for the redemption of the transgressions that were under  the  first testament,  they  which are called might receive the promise  of eternal inheritance" (Heb.9:14-15 KJV).

The  perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ removes the  sins of those under the new agreement. And because of Christ's perfect  sacrifice, the Father forgets those  sins forever, so that his  children can stand before him as  righteous individuals. Once Christ made the  perfect sacrifice, there was no longer a need for any  other sacrifice to be made for  the  atonement  of  spiritual sins.

"But this shall be the agreement that I will make with the  house of Israel; After those days, says the Lord, I will put my law in their  inward  parts, and write it in their hearts; and  will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer.31:33 Para.).

"For  this is the covenant [agreement] that I will make with  the house  of Israel after those days, says 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"  (Heb.8:10 KJV).

"This  is  the  covenant that I will make with them  after  those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their  minds  will I write them;  And their sins  and  iniquities will I remember no more.  Now where remission of these is,  there is no more offering for sin" (Heb.10:16-18 KJV).

Because people  who lived before  the second agreement was made did not have the law of  God as a part of their mental and  spiritual  make-up,  they found it very difficult to obey and worship God properly. For this reason, God decided that  he  would form  a new agreement and include a provision to change what  was wrong with people by placing his laws in their minds and spirits.

God has only one set of laws that show people how to behave toward each other and how they should worship him. Therefore, the law being spoken of in Jeremiah chapter 31  and Hebrews chapters  8 and 10 is the same law that he gave  to  the nation of Israel as a part of the first agreement with  them.  This is the law that is written in the hearts and minds of people under the new agreement. In other words, God will write  these laws in their very being and thereby make the  law a part  of the thinking process of individuals he calls  to  salvation.

After the return of the Messiah, anyone who agrees to the terms and conditions of the new agreement will have no excuse for not being able to fulfill their part of this agreement. Moreover, they will have no excuses for not being able  to  successfully obtain salvation, because under the new agreement, each person has the tools to guarantee success if they use the tools properly.

The  most  important tool that God gives people to help  them  in their  effort to please him and obtain salvation is the  holy spirit. Understanding  the importance of this tool, King David asked God not  to take his holy spirit from him. David knew that this was the tool that  God gave him to help him obtain salvation and secure eternal and immortal life:

"Create  in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit  in me.  Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your  holy spirit  from  me. Restore to me the joy of  your salvation;  and uphold me with your free spirit" (Psa.51:10-12 KJV).

Prior  to  and during the first agreement with  national  Israel,  various  attributes and functions of the holy spirit  were  given to  a  few people; however, there were limitations placed on  the  kinds  of attributes, functions, qualities, and power, that were given. The scriptures also show that many of these individuals who had  this spirit power within them will be in the first resurrection.

The  holy spirit that David had is the  same power that is  given to  those who are called during the gospel age of salvation and to  those  who  will  live under the new agreement with national  Israel in order to help  them secure eternal life. See Lk.11:9-13;  Rom.8:26-27; Eph.4:21-32;  6:17-18, and our study paper about the  spirit of God.

A  careful  study of the scriptures reveals that all  of  the terms  and  conditions that were in God's first  agreement  with national Israel are a part of the new agreement. The only  exceptions are those items specifically changed or superseded  by Christ's sacrifice (among these are the Passover observance and the  temple worship system).  Many other things such as keeping the commandments, the annual observances and festivals, and health laws are  a part of the terms of the new agreement, and the  people of God today and those in the future are bound by the new agreement to keep these terms.

Under  the  new agreement with national Israel, there  is  a better method by which a person can secure salvation and  eternal life.   This  new method will succeed where the  old  one  failed because it has a perfect sacrifice, a perfect High  Priest,  the forgiveness of sin, the law placed within our minds and spirits, and the indwelling of the holy spirit.

The  way  to salvation is a growth process that requires  an  ongoing effort in order to receive eternal and immortal life:

"Wherefore,  my  beloved, as you have always obeyed,  not  as  in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out  your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to   will and to do his good pleasure"  (Phil.2:12-13 KJV). See also Gal.6:3-10.

The  overall  plan of God for the salvation of humanity  has  not changed  from the foundation of the world. Part of this  plan  is that  humans must come into conformity with his laws   of  behavior.  A fundamental teaching in the Bible is that one  must  put forth a serious, heartfelt effort to change from the disobedience of God's law to the obedience of his law before being granted  salvation.  This type of change  takes time, effort, and life  experience.

During  the  reign of Christ, and under the  new  agreement  with national  Israel and humanity as a whole, people will live  in  a world  of  peace and prosperity. During this future age, God  the  Father will offer the opportunity of salvation to all people.  However, it  will  be  the responsibility of each individual  to  make  an ongoing  effort to live a righteous life and   develop  spiritual maturity in order to secure eternal life.

The new agreement with national Israel, the elect of God, and the rest  of humanity concerning how to obtain salvation  will  never fade  away; it will continue to exist after the return of  Jesus Christ until God's plan for the salvation of humanity  is  finished:

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our  Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant [agreement], Make you perfect in every good work  to do his will, working in you that which is  well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Heb.13:20-21 KJV). See Matt.26:27-28; Lk.22:20.

After the return of Jesus Christ,  all people will have an opportunity to receive the spirit of God, which will give them the spiritual strength  to successfully obey God (Jer.50:19-20 Para.).

Today, before the return of Christ, the New Covenant brings with  it an  opportunity  to be among the first of humanity to be  made  a son of God the Father just as  Jesus Christ is.  The New Covenant offers an eternal inheritance of the earth and the universe,  plus a spiritual inheritance so fantastic that it  cannot even be comprehended by the human mind.  All of this and more is  offered by God the Father to those he offers salvation under the new agreement in this age of human existence.

After  the Israelites  left Egypt and were camped at the  foot of Mount Sinai, they made an agreement with God to do whatever he told them. In return for this obedience God promised to give them tremendous blessings.

Moses  wrote this agreement in a book, read the agreement to  the people,  and  again they agreed to do whatever  God  required  of them.  Then, Moses sprinkled the book and the people  with animal blood; thereby, he ratified and sealed the agreement.

The  blood that was sprinkled upon the people and the  agreement was  symbolic  of the blood of Jesus Christ, which  would  forgive their sins and ratify and seal the new agreement between God the Father,  national  Israel,  and the rest of  humanity.  See  Acts 20:28; Eph.1:5-7; Col.1:12-14, 20; Heb.10:19-22.

"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,  saying, Drink you all of it; For this is my blood of the new  testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins" (Matt.26:27-28 KJV). See Also Eph.1:7.

"This  cup is the new agreement in my blood, that  is  being poured out for you"  (Lk.22:20).

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had  supped, saying,  This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do  you, as  often  as you drink it, in remembrance  of  me"  (1.Cor.11:25 KJV).

The  first agreement that God made  at Mount Sinai with  national Israel   was canceled  on the Passover in 30 A.D. with the  death and  resurrection  of Jesus Christ. The events  surrounding  this Passover  and the death and resurrection of humanity's  Redeemer also ratified a new agreement with Israel and the rest of humanity.  In  this same year  on the Feast of Pentecost,  many  of  the various  terms,  conditions, and promises of the  new  agreement began to go into effect for all of those called to salvation  during the gospel age:

"By calling this covenant  "new," he has made the first one obsolete;  and  what  is  obsolete and aging  will  soon  disappear" (Heb.8:13 NIV).

Some feel that the elect of God who have been called to salvation after the advent of Christ (i.e., those called during the  gospel age)  are under the new agreement with national Israel.  However, this is not entirely true, because the agreement that was established on Pentecost in 30 A.D. is not the agreement that will be made  with national Israel after the return of Christ; it is  a special version of that new agreement. One of the more notable differences is that the agreement with the elect has a testament attached to it and the promise of a better resurrection:

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had  supped, saying,  This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do  you, as  often  as you drink it, in remembrance  of  me" (1.Cor.11:25 KJV).

"Who through faith subdued  kingdoms, wrought  righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths  of lions,  Quenched  the violence of fire, escaped the edge  of  the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in  fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens. Women received their  dead raised  to  life again: and others were tortured,  not  accepting deliverance;  that  they might  obtain  a  better  resurrection" (Heb.11:33-35 KJV).

It is during the gospel age that God began to call all people to have equal status  with an  Israelite in regard to the call to salvation, regardless  of their race or national origin:

"Then  Peter  opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth  I  perceive that  God is no respecter of individuals: But of every nation  he that fears him, and does righteously, is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35 Para.).

"For  you 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 you   are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ's, then are you  Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal.3:26-29 KJV).

 "Wherefore remember,  that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,  who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;   That at that time  you were  without  Christ,  being  aliens from  the  commonwealth  of Israel,  and strangers from the covenants of promise,  having  no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus  you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of  Christ" (Eph.2:11-13 KJV).

"For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. Now  therefore  you  are no more strangers  and  foreigners,  but fellowcitizens  with  the saints, and of the  household of  God" (Eph.2:18-19 KJV).

Through the sacrifice of Christ, it is possible for those who are called to  salvation  during the gospel age to have  access to  God  the Father  and receive tremendous  blessings above and beyond those that are offered under the new agreement with national Israel and the  rest  of  humanity after the return  of  Jesus  Christ.

Much  of  what  is written by the apostles  about  the  agreement between  the Father, Jesus Christ and those called  to  salvation during  the  gospel  age is written in the context  of  the  new agreement  with  national Israel. Moreover,  it  is within the framework of the agreement with national Israel that many of the terms and  conditions  of the agreement with the elect are stated. However, the agreement that the Father makes  with those who are called to salvation during  the gospel age and others who will participate in the first resurrection is unique and it is different from the first and second covenant with national Israel in many ways.

The  apostle  Paul understood  the uniqueness of  this  agreement with  those who are called during the gospel age. Notice what  he says while speaking of those who had seen Christ and been personally taught by him:

"And  last of all, even as one born out of time, he was seen  of me. For I am least of the apostles" (1.Cor.15:8-9 Para.).

When Paul  says that he was born out of time (i.e.,prematurely), he was not speaking of his physical birth; he was speaking about his spiritual birth and the second agreement that God  had  made with national Israel. Paul knew that  the second  agreement  with regathered Israel would  go  into  effect after  the return of Jesus Christ as King of kings and that  his calling to salvation during the gospel age was a special gift, which was not given to all Israelites at that time.

Paul was taken out of his former life and given the awesome opportunity to be an apostle of Christ. If  this  had not happened, he would have  died  and  been  resurrected  in the great resurrection of national  Israel  after the  return of Christ (Ezk. chp.37). And he would have  had  his opportunity for salvation under far different circumstances.

"Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O God.  He takes  away the  first,  that he may establish the second.  By which  we  are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ  once for all" (Heb.10:9-10 Para.).

Although what the writer to the Hebrews is speaking about pertains primarily to  the new agreement with national Israel, it also pertains to the  agreement  that  is  made with those who are called to salvation  during  the gospel age.

First the writer to the Hebrews reveals that through Christ's  perfect sacrifice, the  first agreement with national Israel  is  canceled  in favor of a far better one. Then he says that those whom the Father calls to salvation during the gospel age are set apart through the sacrifice of Christ for a holy purpose, and the need  to  perform animal sacrifices to atone for spiritual sin has been eliminated by the sacrifice of Christ.

"For  by  one  offering he has perfected forever  them  that  are sanctified" (Heb.10:14 KJV).

In  the Book of Hebrews chapter eleven, there is a long  list  of righteous individuals who died without receiving God's promises:

"Who [these people] through faith subdued  kingdoms, wrought  righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths  of lions,  Quenched  the violence of fire, escaped the edge  of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in  fight, turned  to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received  their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not  accepting  deliverance; that they might obtain a  better  resurrection" (Heb.11:33-35 KJV).

The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews chronicles these righteous individuals  and their deeds of faith as they lived and  died  in obedience  to God. Verse 35 shows that they did all this in  order to obtain a better resurrection.

Is one resurrection better than another? The answer is YES!  The reason that these individuals are promised a better  resurrection than  other people is because their agreement with God is different from the agreements with national Israel.  The thing  that  makes their agreement unique has to  do with  the awesome  opportunity  that they have been given in regard to  the responsibilities  and rewards that they have been called to  participate  in. When one reviews the rewards and opportunities  for service  to humanity that will exist in God's kingdom  for  those called  to participate  in the first  resurrection,  it  becomes obvious that the first resurrection is the best and most  desirable one.

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,  received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect"  (Heb.11:39-40 KJV). See also Heb.11:13.

There  are  people who will participate in the first resurrection who were  called  to salvation before and during the first agreement with  national Israel  as  well  as people who are called after  the advent  of Christ.

There  are four basic reasons why God called people before the advent  of the Messiah to participate in  the first resurrection. Moreover, these same reasons apply to those he calls after the advent of the Messiah to participate in the first resurrection.

1. They are to prepare a people to help Jesus Christ rule the world  upon his return:

"And  has  made us to our God kings and priests: and  we  shall reign  on  the  earth"  (Rev.5:10 KJV).  See  also  1.Thes.3:13; Rev.3:21; 20:4-6.

2. They are to preach the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God:

"And  this  gospel of the kingdom shall be preached  in  all  the world  for  a witness to all nations; and then  shall  the  end come" (Matt. 24:14 KJV).

3. They are to preach the message of repentance:

"Go  you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in  the name  of  the  Father, and of the Son, and of  the  holy  spirit: Teaching  them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you . . ." (Matt.28:19-20 KJV).

4. They are to grow in grace and knowledge (2.Pet.3:18) and learn to perfect  the ways of God in order to be able to fulfill the  purpose for which they were called:

One of the major responsibilities of those in the first resurrection  is to assist in the conversion of humanity. God the  Father and  Jesus Christ want everyone to obtain  salvation  (1.Tim.2:4; 2.Pet.3:9).  For  this task, some are called to be  trained and prepared through trials, tests, study of God's word, and prayer in order to grow  in grace  and  knowledge, so that they will be able  to fulfill an office  of a king-priest to rule and teach God's truth  to  those who have never heard or understood the way to salvation.

Those  in the first resurrection (i.e., the elect of God  of  all ages) will be the examples, leaders, and teachers of the ways  of God  for the rest of humanity who have never had  an  opportunity for salvation.

Those  who  participate in the first resurrection  are  also  the inheritors  of the Kingdom of God and many other  blessings  that are not available to the rest of humanity:

"When  the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all  the  holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his  glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep  from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but  the goats  on the left. Then shall the King [Jesus] say to them  on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father [God the  Father], inherit  the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of  the world" (Matt.25:31-34 KJV). See also Jms.2:5.

Those  in  the  first resurrection will inherit  the  Kingdom  of Heaven as a part of their reward: "Blessed are the poor in  spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:3 KJV, see also v5).

The elect of God  will inherit his Kingdom and receive  many other rewards for  their faithfulness and obedience to God.

Not only will the righteous inherit the Kingdom, but also they will inherit all things. What a tremendous reward to inherit the Kingdom and to be joint-heirs with Jesus of all  that  will ever exist.

"He  that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will  be  his God, and he shall be my son" (Rev.21:7 KJV). See also  Heb.1:1-2, 5-8.

See  our study papers about the  first  resurrection, heaven,  the  reward of the saved, and immortality  for  details about the rewards of those called to the first resurrection.

What  are the requirements necessary to become an heir, and  what does a person have to do to acquire the inheritance?   

"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into  Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The  time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel"  (Mk.1:14-15 KJV).

The first things that must happen before a  person can become  an heir  is  that a person must be called of God to  become  an  heir (Jn.6:44,65). After  this call, a person must believe  the gospel concerning Christ and the Kingdom of God, ask the  Father for  forgiveness for violating his law, and stop  violating it.

"Then  Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to  you,  Except you  eat  the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his  blood,  you have no life in you" (Jn.6:53 KJV).

This verse shows that we must go through Jesus Christ  to receive eternal life at the resurrection.  

Acts  2:38 tells us that after one repents, one must be  baptized for the forgiveness of sin and the receiving of the holy  spirit.  Therefore, a person must believe in Christ, repent of one's sin, be baptized, and then receive the holy spirit. When one accomplishes these things  one becomes a son and heir of God and is authorized to receive an inheritance at the  resurrection of the just (Rom.8:11-14).

"Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one  of you  in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of  sins,  and you shall receive the gift of the holy spirit" (Acts 2:38 KJV).

During  the gospel age of salvation, the baptismal ceremony and its various steps is the process by which people make and ratify an eternal agreement between themselves, God the Father, and Jesus Christ.  Upon  completion of the final ritual  of  the  baptismal ceremony, a person receives the holy spirit and becomes a son of God the Father and a  brother of Jesus Christ in the holy and divine Family of God.

The  baptized person is then committed to an endeavor  that  will then lead to eternal life as a member of the family and government  of God (Rev.3:5,21; 5:10; 20:4-6). However, it will lead them to eternal death if  this commitment  is  not kept (Lk.9:62; Heb.6:4-6; 10:26-27;  Rev.20:13-15; 21:8). God the Father and Jesus Christ have committed  themselves to help the newly begotten son with the very power that  sustains the  universe and all that exists. See Matt.6:25-34;  Heb.13:5-6; Jn.14:12-14. See our study paper about repentance,  baptism, the new creation, and spiritual maturity.

Paul reminds the elect at Rome of their baptism  and  their sinless condition before God:

"What  shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin,  that  grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin,  live any longer therein? Know  you  not, that so many of us as were baptized  into  Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (vs.1-3).

"Therefore  we are buried with him by baptism to  death:   that like  as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory  of  the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:" (vs.4-5).

When  a person is raised out of the baptismal water, that  person is symbolically and literally raised to a new life. The repentant person has become pure and sinless and is no longer under the  penalty  of death  for  violating  God's law. The spirit and  body  have  been purged of all sin and defilement:

"Knowing  this, that our old man is crucified with him, that  the body  of  sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we  should  not serve  sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we  be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live  with  him: Knowing  that Christ being raised from the dead  dies  no  more; death has no more dominion over him" (vs.6-9).

"For in that he died, he died to sin once: but in that he  lives, he  lives to God. Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be  dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ  our Lord" (Rom.6:10-11 Para.). See also Rom.7:6; Heb.9:13-14.

As  Christ  is dead to sin, so are those who  have  God's  spirit dwelling within them. They are free from sin and its penalty and they can look forward to being an immortal spirit-being that  can never die:

"For  in baptism you see how your old, evil nature died with  him and  was buried with him; and then you came up out of death  with him  into a new life because you trusted the Word of the  mighty God who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead in sins,  and your  sinful desires were not yet cut away. Then he gave  you  a share  in the very life of Christ, for he forgave all your  sins, and  blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of  his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of  sins and  destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross"  (Col.2:12-14 LBP). See also Col.3:1- 4.

Although baptism is symbolic of a physical death and a  resurrection  to a new life, it is much more. During  this  ceremony, the  person being baptized is washed clean and purged of all  sin by  the power of God's spirit through the  sacrifice  of  Christ. And the baptized person becomes devoid of sin and stands righteous before God.

Under the first agreement with national Israel, the washing  with water was as an act of purification. During the gospel age, it  is the  baptismal water and the blood of Jesus Christ  that  picture and perform this purification. In fact, it is through the sacrificial  blood of Jesus that we are washed clean and  forgiven  of our sins and purged of all defilement that would prevent us  from coming before the Father to receive his spirit.

Paul, Titus, and John all spoke about the washing away of sin through  pure water, the blood of Jesus, and the cleansing power of  God's spirit:

"Let  us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of  faith, having  our  hearts sprinkled from an evil  conscience,  and  our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb.10:22 KJV).

"Or  do  you not know that the unjust ones will not  inherit  the Kingdom  of God? Do not be led astray, neither  fornicators, nor idolaters,  nor  adulterers, nor abusers,  nor homosexuals, nor thieves,  nor  covetous ones, nor drunkards,  nor  revilers, nor plunderers shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And some of you were these  things, but you are washed; but you were  sanctified;  but you were justified in the nature of the Lord Jesus, and  in  the spirit of our God" (1.Cor.6:9-11 Para.).

"But  when  the kindness and love of God our  Savior  toward  man appeared,  not by works in righteousness which we had  done,  but according  to his mercy he has saved us, through the washing  of regeneration and the renewal of the holy spirit, which he  poured out  on  us richly through Jesus Christ, our  Savior"  (Tit.3:4-6 Para.).

"And  from  Jesus Christ, who is the faithful  witness,  and  the first  begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings  of  the earth. To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Rev.1:5 KJV). See also Rom.5:9; Eph.2:13;  Heb.13:12; 1.Jn.1:1-7; 3:5-6; Rev.5:9; 7:13-14.

Under  the first agreement with national Israel,  the  priesthood, the people, and all things that came into close contact with  God had  to  be purified and kept clean, because God will  not  dwell where there  is  sin  (Lev.19:2;  1.Pet.1:15-16) or impurity (Ex.29:36-46; Deut.23:14; 1.Cor.3:17).

God  has not changed. Under the new agreement, he  still  requires that  all  things that come into close contact with him  be  free from all sin and impurity:

"And  what agreement has the temple of God with idols?   for  you are  the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will  dwell in  them,  and walk in them; and I will be their  God, and  they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and  be you  separate, says the Lord, and touch not the  unclean  thing; and  I  will receive you,  And will be a Father to you,  and  you shall be  my  sons  and  daughters,  says  the  Lord  Almighty" (2.Cor.6:16-18 KJV).

God  the  Father will not allow his spirit to inhabit  an  impure place—a  physical as well as a spiritual change  takes  place during  the baptismal ceremony. In the baptismal water, God  purifies  the body through the power of his spirit so that  his  holy spirit   can  dwell  within  the  person's  physical body (See 1.Tim.5:22;  Tit.1:15-16; Heb.10:14-22;  1.Pet.1:22;  1.Jn.3:1-3; 4:4):

"Don't  you  know that you yourselves are God's temple  and  that God's  spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple,  God will  destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" (1.Cor.3:16-17 NIV).

"Haven't  you yet learned that your body is the home of the  holy spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you?  Your own body does  not  belong to you.  For God has bought you with  a  great price.   So  use every part of  your body to give glory  back  to God, because he owns it" (1.Cor.6:19-20 LPB).

The body of a child of God is a temple of God; it  is God's Holy Place where his spirit dwells.

God will not allow his spirit to inhabit a sinful person;  therefore,  the  first step toward salvation is to repent in order to  rid  one's  mind (God's  Holy Place) of all sin.  The second step is to  sincerely ask  God the Father to forgive our sins through the sacrifice  of Jesus  Christ. The third step is to be immersed in water for  the washing  away  of  sin through the blood of Christ  and  for  the purifying of the physical body, which will become a temple  where God will place his spirit.

After   people are made sinless and pure through Christ's  sacrifice,  God the Father can ratify his agreement with them  by placing his spirit within them.

Upon receiving the holy spirit, the baptized person becomes a son of  God  and an eternal agreement between the  person,  God  the Father,  and  Jesus  Christ has been  ratified  and  sealed.  See Rom.8:16-19; Jer.31:31-33; Heb.8:8-11.

Notice  what John the Baptist says about being baptized with  the spirit:

"I indeed have baptized you with water:  but he shall baptize you with the holy spirit" (Mk.1:8 KJV).

"And  I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with  water, the same said to me, Upon whom you shall see the spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on him, the same  is  he   which baptizes with the  holy  spirit" (Jn.1:33 KJV). See  also  Lk.3:16;  Acts 11:15-16.

"If  you love me, keep my commandments. And I will  petition  the Father, and he will give you another comforter that he may remain with  you  forever  the spirit of truth, whom  the world cannot receive  because it does not see him, nor know him. But you  know him,  for he abides with you, and shall be in  you"  (Jn.14:15-17 Para.). See Jn.16:13-14.

"For  as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the  sons of God"  (Rom.8:14 KJV).

Paul also says that only those who have the spirit of God are his sons.  The holy spirit is so important that having or not  having it is the difference between having or not having salvation. See Rom.8:9; Jn.14:21-24.

Under the terms and conditions of the agreement with the elect of God  during  the gospel age,  the children of God are  given  the Father's  holy spirit, which imparts various attributes and  powers. The  elect of God also have the spirit of  the  Father  and Christ dwelling within them.

Those called to salvation prior to the advent of the Messiah  did not have the Father's or Christ's spirit placed in them,  because the  Father  had  not been revealed  (See  Matt.11:27;  Lk.10:22; Jn.8:19), and the Creator God had not yet become the Messiah. Moreover, these people did not receive the spirit of  sonship   (Rom.8:14-15) nor  did  they have the law of God placed within their minds  and spirits (See Jer.31:33; Heb.8:8-10). See our study about the spirit of God for a complete explanation of the holy spirit,  the Father's spirit, the spirit of Christ, and the spirit of Sonship.

Under the new agreement, those to whom the Father gives the  holy spirit  (his spirit power), his spirit, and the spirit of  Christ are  in a condition of sinlessness and purity as they live out their physical  lives. See our study paper about  the spirit of God.

"But this shall be the covenant [agreement] that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says  the Lord, I will put my  law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer.31:33 Para.).  See also Ezk.36:27.

"For  this is the covenant [agreement] that I will make with  the house  of Israel after those days, says 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"  (Heb.8:10 KJV).

Those  called to salvation after Christ's death and  resurrection are  the  first to have the law of God placed within  their  very being through the power of the Father's holy spirit.

"Forasmuch  as you are manifestly declared to be the  epistle  of Christ  ministered by us, written not with ink,   but   with  the spirit  of  the living God; not on tables of stone,  but  in the fleshly tables of the heart"  (2.Cor.3:3 KJV).

When  people receive the holy spirit, the laws of God are made  a part  of  their very nature and being, which makes it possible  to  be conscious  of the difference between  righteous  and unrighteous concepts  and behavior. Having these laws as a constant  part  of the  consciousness alerts a child of God to the right  spiritual path that  should be followed as one experiences life  with its various trials and temptations.

Another  important function of the holy spirit is to transform  a person  into a  son of God. When this function of the  spirit  of God  is applied to a person, that person is transformed into a son of God and made a member of the Family of God. This transformation places  a person at the starting point of eternal and immortal life.  This is the time of spiritual conception from which we can grow toward spiritual maturity and perfection into an immortal spirit-being.

In his letter to the Church at Rome, Paul draws upon the  example of the Roman adoption system to illustrate how a person becomes a son of God:

"For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the  sons of  God.  For you did not receive a spirit of  slavery  again  to fear,  but  you received a spirit of adoption by  which  we cry, Abba! Father! The spirit itself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God" (Rom.8:14-16 Para.).

Roman adoption was extremely difficult to accomplish, because  the Roman father was the absolute controlling power over the  family. No matter how old a son became, he was still the absolute possession  and  under the absolute control of his  father.  This  made adoption  into another family a very serious and difficult  thing to  accomplish.  Moreover, even when a father did agree to an adoption, there were a number of symbolic  ceremonies  and rituals, which required the presence of many witnesses, that had to take place before  any adoption was considered legal and binding under Roman law.

Once  a son was legally adopted into his new family, he lost  all rights  to his old family and gained the rights of  a  legitimate son in his new family. By law, his old life was completely  wiped away (e.g., all debts were canceled). He was regarded as a  completely  new  and different person who was entering a  new  life upon  which  the old life had no meaning or importance.  Under Roman law, he was considered the son of his new father.

Paul  says the holy spirit is the witness  of the  adoption  into the  Family of God whereby the past life is wiped away—it  is gone. All debts are canceled, and the new son of God begins a  new life in the God family with all the rights of sonship.

Upon  receiving the spirit of God, a person is  literally  transformed from the original human creation into a new and  different being.  The  old  person, which only had the spirit of  man,  ceases  to exist and a new person who has the spirit of God dwelling within is born. See Jn.3:3-7; 2.Cor.5:17. See our study paper about the sons of the new creation.

Although a child of God still appears to be human, a transformation has  taken place. Anyone who has received the holy spirit is different  from other humans. A person with the holy spirit is a son of God, with the genetic imprint of the God family. Although a child is not yet an immortal spirit-being, they are still a child of God and a member  of the  Father's  spiritual family, and at some time in  the future they will shed the body of flesh and receive an immortal spirit  body. See 1.Cor.15:51-54; 1.Thes.4:13-17; Rev.20:6. Those  who respond to God's call to salvation, repent, are  baptized, and receive his spirit can look  forward  to  tremendous rewards and happiness forever as an immortal being in the  Family of God.

"And  Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the  people,  and said,  Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has  made with you concerning all these words" (Ex.24:8 Para.).

"When  Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law  to  all the  people,  he took the blood of calves, together  with  water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all  the  people. He said, 'This is the blood  of  the  covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.' In the same way, he  sprinkled  with the blood both the tabernacle and everything  used  in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly  everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood  there is no forgiveness" (Heb.9:19-22 NIV).

The formal ratification of the first  agreement between God and the nation of Israel was sealed with the blood  of an  animal. This ratification and sealing of the  agreement  with blood is important to note, because the second agreement is  also ratified and sealed with blood—the blood of the Creator God in human form. See Matt.26:26-28; 1.Cor.11:25; Heb.13:20.

Just as the Creator God sealed his agreements with the Patriarchs and the Israelites with blood, he has sealed the new agreement with  blood.  However, the new agreement is not sealed  with  the blood of an animal; the new agreement is sealed with the blood of the Creator God himself who became Jesus Christ.

Contrary to what many believe, baptism is not for the purpose  of binding a person to a group of people or to one particular physical organization or another. Baptism is a person's acceptance  of the terms  and conditions of the new agreement between  God  the Father, his chosen people, and  the God Family.

Baptism  is the making of an agreement between a person, God  the Father,  and Jesus Christ. Baptism is the induction of a  person into the holy and divine Family of God.  Baptism is a step toward becoming a god-being in the Kingdom and Family of God.  No earthly organization of humans can offer this grand and awesome privilege—only the Father can bind a person to himself and place a person into his Family  (Jn.6:44-45).

The  allegiance  one makes at baptism is to God  the  Father  and Jesus Christ, not to any other.  Baptism  is a very serious  step to  take.  From the moment one is baptized and receives the  holy spirit, a commitment of gigantic proportions has been made by the baptized person, by God the Father, and by Jesus Christ.

At  Christ's death, his will and testament began to go  into  effect, and after his resurrection he commissioned his followers to execute and administer his will and testament:

"Go  you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in  the name  of  the  Father, and of the Son, and of  the  holy  spirit: Teaching  them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the  world  [age]. Amen" (Matt.28:19-20 KJV).

This  is  the  most important job the Father has  ever  given  to anyone other than his Son Jesus Christ. The Father's children are the   administrators of Jesus Christ's will and testament  today and they  will  continue to  administer it after his return,  when  the  Kingdom of God is established on earth.

Every time a child of God explains the hope of the salvation that is in the meaning of Jesus Christ's life, crucifixion, and resurrection  to  anyone,  that person is having the  will  of  Christ administered to them. However, it is the responsibility of  each person  who  receives  this knowledge to respond in  a  positive manner in order to become an heir of Christ's will and testament.

Yes, it is true that if you will believe in Christ (believe that  his sacrificial  blood will remove sins), repent from breaking  God's law,  be baptized, and live according to God's laws and  ways  of life, you can also become an heir of Christ  and  receive eternal life.   

The apostle Paul also tells us that the administrators of the new and better agreement of God are the elect children of God:

"He has made us competent as  ministers of a new covenant—not of  the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills,  but  the spirit gives life" (v6). See also 1.Cor.15:3.

The  old way of obtaining salvation—by trying to perfectly  keep the law—ends in death, because everyone has sinned (Rom.3:23; Gal.3:22). However,  through  a  new agreement, the holy spirit imparts life because it is through  the power  of the holy spirit that one can have the desire  and  help required to successfully obey God. See Rom.8:11.

"Now  if the ministry that brought death, which was  engraved  in letters  on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites  could not  look  steadily at the face of Moses because  of  its glory, fading though it was" (v7).

The  old way to obtain salvation under the first  agreement  with national  Israel began with such glory that the people could  not bear  to look at Moses' face as he repeated the laws of   God  to them.

"Fading though it was, will not the ministry of the spirit be even  more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is  glorious,  how much more glorious is the ministry that  brings righteousness!" (vs.7-9). See Ex.34:27-35.

The glory that is made possible under the new agreement is  much greater than the glory that radiated from Moses' face after he had been  with  God. The glory that can be secured through  this new agreement  is  similar to the glory that emanates  from  God  the Father  and  Jesus Christ. The reason adherence to  the  new agreement will result in this type of glory is that, under  the new agreement, the children of God have the necessary tools (i.e., the holy spirit) to do the Father's will.

"For  what was glorious has no glory now in comparison  with  the surpassing  glory. And if what was fading away came with  glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" (vs.10-11).

The  laws of God  showed people their sins; however, the people who lived before  the  advent of Christ had great difficulty  keeping  the  law perfectly  because  of the weakness of the flesh. Therefore,  to them  the law led to death, because the penalty for breaking  the law of God is death (Rom.6:23).  

The  new  agreement is much more glorious because  it  has  Jesus Christ,  the  Righteous, to offer as its atoning  power.   If  we claim the promise of forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice  of Jesus Christ and truly believe that we are forgiven for our  sins through his sacrificial blood, we are justified or  declared righteous in the eyes of God the Father—our sins are  forgiven and forgotten.  We are then justified and put in contact with the Father by the death of his Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. chp.5):

"In fact, that first glory as it shone from Moses' face is  worth nothing  at all in comparison with the overwhelming glory of  the new  agreement. So if the old system that faded into nothing  was full of  heavenly  glory, the glory of God's new  plan  for  our salvation   is certainly  far  greater,  for it   is   eternal"  (2.Cor.3:10-11 LPB).

Why was the glory of the first agreement worth nothing when  compared  to  the  new agreement? The first agreement  has no value  because  it  only revealed  what sin was and there was no way found  under the first agreement to forgive sins.

When  the  first and second agreements with national  Israel  are compared,  the second one has an overwhelming glory,  because  it contains  the tools necessary for success that the first one  did not have.  These tools are as follows:

• The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ
• A spiritual High Priest who is able to understand human imperfections (Heb. chp.2)
• The holy spirit placed within the child of God, which creates the desire to obey God's commandments, statutes, and judgments 

The  majority  of people who attempt to  follow  God  today believe  that all or most of the law of God  was  canceled by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, although he says,

"Do not think that I am come  to destroy the law, or the  prophets:  I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt.5:17 Para.).

Christ says the same thing today that he said to the  professing righteous of his day concerning his Father's law:

"You  do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the  power  of God" (Matt.22:29 Para.).

Most  people  do  not understand the truth of  God  because  they refuse  to  obey  the laws that he created  for  their  benefit.  Obedience to these laws will bring an understanding of God's mind and purpose for humanity:

"O  how love I your law!  It is my meditation all the  day.   You through your commandments have made me wiser than my enemies: for they  are  ever with me.  I have more understanding than  all my teachers:  for your testimonies are my meditation.  I  understand more  than  the  ancients, because I keep  your  precepts"  (Psa.119:97-100 Para.). See our study papers about the law of Moses and of Galatians 3:19.  

A  careful  study of the scriptures will reveal that all  of  the terms and conditions that were in the old agreement with national Israel are a part of the new agreement. The  only  exception is those items specifically changed or superseded by  Christ's sacrifice  (among  these  are the Passover observance, and  the temple  worship system).  Many other things such as the  commandments, the annual observances and festivals, and the health laws are still a part of the new agreement and are binding upon the people of God today.

The rewards of the new agreement are far superior  to  the old one, and the penalties for non-compliance of the new agreement are more severe:  

"For  it is impossible for those who were once  enlightened,  and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of  the holy spirit, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of  the  world to come, If they shall fall away,  to  renew  them again to repentance; seeing they crucify  to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.  For the earth which drinks  in  the rain that comes often upon it, and  brings  forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God:  But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and  is near to cursing; whose end is to be burned" (Heb.6:4-8 KJV).

Once  this  agreement is entered into by God and  an  individual, there is no turning back.  

"For  if we sin willfully after that we have received the  knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (vs.26-27).  

"He  that  despised Moses' law died without mercy  under  two  or three  witnesses:   Of how much sorer  punishment,  suppose  you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God,  and  has  counted the blood of  the  covenant  [agreement], wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has  done  despite to the spirit of grace?"  (vs.28-29).

"For we know him that has said, Vengeance  belongs to me, I  will recompense  says  the Lord. And again, The Lord shall  judge  his people.   It  is a fearful thing to fall into the  hands of  the living God" (vs.30-31).

If people willfully refuse to honor their contract with God,  he cannot  bless them, but he must instead curse them under  the  terms and  conditions  of the contract. See Deut.30:15-19.

Today, before Christ's return, the new agreement brings with it an  opportunity  to be among the first of humanity to be  made  a part  of the Family of God as a son of God the Father, just as Jesus Christ is.  The new agreement offers immortality and an eternal inheritance  of the  earth  and  the universe, and a  spiritual  inheritance  so fantastic that it cannot even be comprehended by the human mind. All  of  this and more is offered by God the Father to  those  he calls and offers an agreement to in this age of human existence.

MAINTAINING A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

God  the Father's and Jesus Christ's purpose for creating humanity  is  so awesome  and exciting that it is almost beyond belief.   God  the Father who sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth over nineteen hundred years ago is in the process of expanding his family:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, . . ." (Jn.1:12 KJV).

"Behold,  what  manner of love the Father has bestowed  upon  us, that  we  should be called the sons of God: therefore  the  world knows  us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are  we  the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but  we know  that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him;  for  we shall  see him as he is" (1.Jn.3:1-2 KJV). See also  2.Cor.6:18; Heb.2:10; Rom.8:14,19.

God the Father has begun the greatest and grandest of all his plans;   he  is  creating  beings  just  like himself (Phil.3:21; 1.Jn.3:2) and he intends to share all he has created and all that he is yet to create throughout eternity with them.

There  would be no reason to strive to maintain a good  relationship with God unless there were benefits to be derived from  this relationship.  However, there are awesome eternal  benefits  that are offered through a good relationship with the  Sovereign  God (God the Father) and the Creator God (Jesus Christ).

"But  as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,  neither have  entered  into the heart of man, the things which  God  [the Father] has prepared for them that love him" (1.Cor.2:9 KJV).

Any  child  of God the Father who cannot  maintain  a  harmonious relationship with God the Father, and  Jesus  Christ cannot  continue to benefit from the father-son  relationship  in the present or in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important for  a child of God to know and understand how to establish  and maintain  a good and harmonious relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Because  of the extreme importance of the  relationship between  God and humanity, the Sovereign God and the Creator  God  designed  a  system that would allow such a  relationship  to  be established and maintained between them and  humanity.

In the following pages we will review some of God's early  agreements with humanity and the parts of these agreements that pertain to how a good  relationship with God was to be established and maintained. Moreover, in this study we will review how to establish and maintain a good relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ today under the new  agreement during the gospel age of salvation.   

Some people who study the Bible believe that God did not  fully  understand the potential for evil and rebellion that was inherent within  the human creation. And that, when the first humans disobeyed the  instructions he gave them in the garden of Eden, he  hastily developed a plan to save them from their destructive nature. Then, when  the  nation of Israel rebelled at Mount  Sinai,  God again developed  a  new plan that included many new rules  and  regulations. Moreover, when this plan failed, he discarded it for yet another plan that included the sacrifice of himself. But this belief is very far from the truth.

Before  humanity was created, the potential of humanity was  well understood.  The Supreme Sovereign God (God the Father)  and  the Creator  God (Jesus Christ) knew that humanity had the potential to become rebellious.

They also knew that some people would want to have a good relationship with  them and accept the awesome opportunity for immortality  and eternal life that would be offered to them.

Therefore,  before the creation of humans, the Supreme  Sovereign God  and the Creator God had already formulated a  complete  plan for the salvation of humanity. From what is revealed about  this plan, it is obvious that all factors were considered  and all contingency  plans were well thought out and in place before the  creation of the earth and humanity. See Heb.4:3;  1.Pet.1:18-20; Rev.13:8; 17:8.

The desire of both God the Father and Jesus Christ to dwell  with their  creation and have a close relationship with them  is  well documented in both the Old and New Testaments.

One  of the very first things that we learn from the  first  four chapters  of  the Genesis account of early humanity is  that  the Creator  God wanted to have a close relationship with them  from the very beginning. And at the end of the Book of Revelation, we  see this same desire stated in the prophecy of the coming  of the Father to dwell on the earth.

"And  I  heard a great voice out of heaven  saying,  Behold,  the lodging  of  God is with men! And he will reside with  them,  and they  will be his people, and God himself will be with them, as their God" (v3).

After  this  announcement is made, God the Father  will  come  to dwell on earth with his children. What follows is a prophetic promise from God the Father to his faithful children who  have shown by their lives that they love him and want with  all  of their being to dwell with him forever:

"And  God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes;  and  death shall be no more, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (v4).

Only  after  all of  humanity has advanced beyond  this  physical existence and into the spirit realm of God the Father can  these conditions  exist.  Why will there no longer  be  tears,  sorrow, pain, or death?  None of these things will exist, because the things that were a part of the human experience will no longer exist.

"And  the  One  sitting on the throne said, Behold,  I  make  all things  new. . .  To the one thirsting, I will freely give  of  the fountain  of the water of life. The one overcoming  will inherit all  things, and I will be God to him, and he will be the son  to me" (vs.5-7).

This  prophecy shows that the plan of the Father  to have  an ongoing relationship with those who want to have a relationship with him has not changed from the beginning of humanity.

In  the  beginning,  the Creator God (the  God  who  became  Jesus Christ)  could walk and talk with the first two  humans,  because they were free from sin and lived in a state of purity within the garden that he had prepared for them. All of this  changed  when they  disobeyed  his instructions to not eat of the tree  of  the knowledge of good and evil.

Because  of their disobedience, God instituted the next phase  of his  plan  that  provided a way for humanity to  have  their  sin  temporarily  set  aside and their physical impurity  purged  from them so that he and they could fellowship together. See Gen.3:21; 4:3-4.

This basic plan that allowed people to maintain a good  relationship with their Creator has not changed from the time that it was instituted with Adam and Eve. At the time of the first  agreement with the nation of Israel, God required the same basic methods of atonement for sin and the purging away of physical defilement  as he always had. The only difference was that the first agreement with national Israel required that these things were to be administered in a formal way from a place of God's choosing and through an attending priesthood.

A change in the administration of the sacrificial system was made necessary because  God was going to dwell with the nation  of Israel  during this next phase of his plan for the  salvation  of humanity:

"And  let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among  them" (Ex.25:8 KJV). See also Deut.23:10-14.

God wanted to dwell among his people for the same reason that he wanted to have a close relationship  with Adam and Eve. God is extremely  interested  in giving  humans the help that they need to obtain the goal  he has  set  for them—the securing of eternal life  in  the Kingdom and Family of God.

From the time of the rebellion of the first humans and the institution  of the sacrificial system, there has only been one  method by which a person could establish and maintain a harmonious relationship with God. This method did not change with the advent  of the  Messiah  and the cancellation of the first  agreement  with national Israel, it did not change with the agreement made in  30 A.D.  with the elect and God the Father during the gospel age  of salvation, and it will not change after the return of Jesus Christ as the God-King who will rule the world from Jerusalem.

The basic  method by which a person establishes and maintains a harmonious relationship with God has always been the same; it is just the method of administration that has changed throughout the centuries, in order to  facilitate God's plan for the salvation of  different  people during different times and circumstances.

As  stated earlier, it is evident that both the Sovereign God  and the Creator God want to have a harmonious relationship with humanity in order to accomplish  their  goal  of expanding the Family of God.

Once someone is given the opportunity for a personal relationship with God, there are a number of things that must be done in order to firmly establish and maintain this personal contact and relationship with God.

A lawyer  asked Jesus the following question about the law of  God, and the  answer  he received shows the two primary  attitudes  and behaviors  that a person must have in order to have a good relationship with the Father:

"Master,  which  is the greatest commandment in  the  law?  Jesus answered  him,  You shall love the Lord your God  with  all  your heart,  and with all your life, and with all your mind. This  is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar to  the first.  You  shall love your neighbor as yourself. On  these  two commandments  hang all the law and the  prophets" (Matt.22:36-40 Para.).

The  first thing that is necessary if one wants to have a  good relationship  with  the Father is to love the  Father  with  all one's being. This kind of love is manifested in one's desire  and effort to fellowship with him and to please him through obedience to his law and the pursuit of his will in one's life.

The  second  thing that is necessary is to  understand  that  the Father loves all people and wants everyone to obtain salvation and become a part of his family. Because this is his goal, anyone who loves the Father must also have love and concern for other people.

Listed below are other foundational attitudes,  behaviors,  and other things that have always been required of  people in  order  for  them to show that they are  serious  about  their desire  to build and maintain a close personal relationship  with God:

• Acknowledge God as Sovereign over one's life.
• Seek to please God through one's thoughts and behavior.
• Learn and study God's laws and way of life in order  to  come into compliance with them.
• Fellowship with God through prayer, observance of his law, and   one's lifestyle.
• Repent of any violation of his law.
• Ask for forgiveness of any violation of his laws, precepts, and principles.
• Apply the proper sacrifice for the atonement of sin.

In the Book of Hebrews, chapter 11, there is a long  list of  individuals who have received God's approval  through the application of faith in his promises and way of life. See Heb.11:1-40.

"And these all, having received a witness through faith, received not the  promise: God having provided some better thing for  us, that  they  without  us should not be  made perfect" (Heb.11:39-40 Para.).

These people all had a good relationship with God through faith. However, how did they accomplish this?

Abel had faith that the sacrifices he offered would set his  sins aside and keep him  in a harmonious relationship with God.   Abel understood that the sacrifices were symbolic of the Messiah  and he looked forward to the time when the Messiah would come to provide the  perfect sacrifice, which would forgive and remove sin.

It  was  Abel's faith in the  sacrificial system of God  and  his obedience to God's laws that caused him to be listed in  Hebrews, chapter 11,  as one of those who will be made perfect along  with the elect children of God  who will be the first to live under a new and better agreement than the one God made with  national Israel.

When an in-depth study is made of the sacrificial system, it  becomes obvious that the individualsCfrom Adam to ChristCwho  had faith in God's promises and followed his instructions pertaining to his  sacrificial  system and his law have secured  eternal  life just like the elect of  God in the gospel age of salvation.

These  individuals  had absolute faith that God would  set  their sins  aside  and remove them forever when the  Messiah would come  to present himself as the supreme sacrifice.

Under  the first agreement with national Israel, the  Creator  required a priesthood to administer the sacrificial system in order to accomplish the atonement for spiritual sin and purge away  the people's physical defilement. This was required so that  he  could  dwell among  them and teach them his ways, that lead  to  immortal and eternal life in the Kingdom and Family of God:

"The  priest  was  a man whose function was  to  build  a  bridge  between men and God by means of the sacrificial system.  If a man broke  the law,  his fellowship with God was interrupted and  his access  to God was barred. By the offering of the correct  sacrifice,  that breach of the law was atoned for, and so the  fellowship  was  restored and the barrier removed" (Commentary  on Hebrews, by William Barclay, page 66).

"For the  life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given  it to  you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls:  for  it is  the blood that makes an atonement for your  soul" (Lev.17:11 KJV).

At  the institution of the first agreement with  national  Israel, the  people  accepted the laws of God as the condition  of  their special relationship with him.  A sacrifice  was made, and Moses  took half of the blood from the sacrifice,  put it  in basins, and threw half of it against the  altar.  After  the book  of the  law had been read and the   people  had signified their acceptance  of it, Moses took the blood from  the sacrifice and sprinkled it  on the people and declared that the covenant had been sealed and ratified:

"Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you  concerning with all these words" (Ex.24:8 KJV).

No ratification of any agreement  or reconciliation can occur between God and people without the shedding  of blood, because life is in  the blood and  life is the most precious possession of  any living creature. Therefore, the giving of a life emphasizes the seriousness of making and maintaining an agreement with God.

"For the  life of the flesh is in the blood. . ."  (Lev.17:11).  "For it  is  the life of all flesh; the blood of it is  for  the  life thereof. . ." (Lev.17:14).

In order for a person to atone for sin and maintain a  harmonious relationship  with God before the advent of Jesus  Christ,  the sacrificial  law required that, when a person sinned,  a  specific offering had to be made for that particular sin:

"Sin offerings are required in the following cases: If someone is officially  summoned to give evidence in court and does not  give information about something he has seen or heard, he must suffer the  consequences.  When a person is guilty, he must confess  the sin.   In this way the priest shall offer the sacrifice for  the man's sin, and he will be forgiven . . ." (Lev.5:1,5,13, GNB).

When  a person was guilty of sin, a confession had to be  made  and the proper sacrifice had to be brought to the place of sacrifice. Then,  the priest would offer the sacrifice and the sin would be atoned for, but not forgiven.

Under  the first agreement with national Israel, a  sinner  could have sin atoned for through the sacrificial system. When a person acknowledged  and repented of sin  and offered the  proper sacrifice,  the  sin was set aside and temporarily hidden  from  God's  sight, and the person was placed back into  right-standing with God.

1. Before the advent of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, was  there a method or process whereby individuals could have their spiritual sins totally forgiven?

2. Could  spiritual sins be totally forgiven  through animal sacrifices?

The answer to both questions is No. Before the advent of  Jesus Christ,  there  was no method or process by  which  spiritual sin could be totally forgiven. No amount of animal  sacrifices  could bring the forgiveness of spiritual sin  or remove  its penalty. However, the sacrifices did provide for  the setting aside of sins in order that people could maintain a  good relationship with God.

"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not  the very  image of the things, can never with those sacrifices  which they  offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.  For  then  would they not have ceased  to  be  offered? because  that the worshipers once purged should have had no  more conscience  of  sins. But in those sacrifices there is  a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb.10:1-4 KJV).

The sins of Israel were brought to remembrance every year on  the Day of Atonement because these sins were neither forgiven nor forgotten. The reason they could not be forgiven or forgotten was  that the  sacrifices  were not perfect; they had no power  to  forgive sins. Therefore, the record of sins still existed, and the people were still guilty of their sins.

Once  a year on the Day of Atonement, all accumulated sin (physical/ceremonial  defilement  and spiritual/moral  sin)  of  every individual  was atoned for; it was either purged away or set  aside. However, the sins were not forgiven. The punishment for these sins had not  been exacted. The penalty had not been paid, and each  individual was still guilty before God. Therefore, the  next year on the  Day  of  Atonement these same sins and  any  sins  committed during the previous year would be remembered and would have to be atoned for by the blood of bulls and goats. And these sins would  again be symbolically sent away from the nation of  Israel for  another  year.  See our study paper about the  Day  of Atonement for details of the atonement process.

The  atonement process had to be repeated over and over in  order for the Israelites to maintain a harmonious relationship with God under  the  terms and  conditions of the first agreement with ancient Israel. Only the life of the lawbreaker could pay the penalty for personal  sin. Animal life was only a substitute payment for  sin until payment could be made by the lawbreaker.

The sacrificial animals only  provided a temporary substitute for the life of those guilty of sin so that they could continue to fellowship with God, learn his way of life, and receive the other benefits of having his presence dwell among them.

The sacrifices for sin under the sacrificial system  did accomplish the purpose of placing individuals and the nation into harmony  with God so that he could dwell among them  and  commune with them. However, there was no forgiveness of spiritual sin or its penalty through the sacrifice of animals.

During  the  gospel age of salvation, the Father has  provided  a much  simpler and easier method by which his people can  maintain a good relationship with him.

First, people can have their sins totally forgiven  through   the sacrifice  of  Jesus Christ. Second, people can have  fellowship with God the Father through the authority of Jesus Christ who is  the spiritual  High Priest who sits at God the Father's right hand and intercedes on their behalf.

It  is  through Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice  and  priesthood that  the elect have access to the Father and are able to  establish  and maintain a harmonious relationship with him. And it  is because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ that the  elect are able to stand before the Father in a pure and sinless  condition.

"And  every  priest stands daily ministering  and  offering  many times  the same sacrifices, which can never take away  sins:  But this  man, after he had offered one sacrifice for  sins forever, sat down  on  the right hand of  God"  (Heb.10:11-12  KJV).  See Matt.26:27-28; Acts 2:38; Rom.3:23-25.

Under the agreement with the Patriarchs and ancient Israel,  sins were only set aside and covered from God's view after  repentance and the offering of the proper sacrifice. However, under the  new agreement, the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ has the power  to forgive  sin  and remove its record and  penalty  forever.  Never again  will it be necessary for anyone to offer an animal  sacrifice for the purpose of having spiritual sins set aside and  covered  from the Father's view. Through  the sacrifice  of Jesus Christ, all sin can be forgiven and  forgotten forever.

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against  us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing  it to  his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers,  he made a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing  over  them  in  it" (Col.2:14-15).

"Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,  to declare his righteousness for the  remission  of  sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Rom.3:25 KJV).

Notice  Paul's statement:  "for the remission  of sins  that  are   past."   Some references define this statement as "passing over of  sins  done in the past" (i.e., sins committed since the time of Adam).

The following explanation of Paul's statement is from William Barclay's "Commentary on Hebrews":

"It  is through him [Christ]  that there emerges a  new  covenant between God and man; and the purpose behind this new covenant  is that those who have been called might receive  the eternal inheritance  which  has been promised to them; but this  could  happen only  after a death had taken place, the purpose of which was  to rescue them from the consequence of the transgressions which had been committed under the conditions of the old covenant.

"For where there is a will, it is necessary that there should  be evidence  of the death of the testator before the will is  valid.  It is in the case of dead people that a will is confirmed,  since surely it cannot be operative when the testator is still alive.

"That is why  even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.   For, after every commandment which the law lays down had been announced by Moses to all the people,  he took the blood of calves  and goats,  together with water  and scarlet and  hyssop, and sprinkled the book itself and all the people.   And as he did so,  he said: 'This is the blood of the covenant whose conditions God  commanded you to observe.

"In like manner he sprinkled with blood  the tabernacle also  and all  the instruments used in its worship.  Under  the  conditions which the law lays down, it is true to say that almost everything is cleansed by blood.  Without the shedding of blood there is  no forgiveness.

"As  we  have  seen,  the idea of the covenant is  basic  to  the thought  of the writer, by which he meant a relationship between God and man.The first covenant was dependent on man's keeping of  the law;  as soon as he broke the law  the  covenant  became ineffective. . ."

"Therefore,  the basic meaning of the new covenant,  which  Jesus inaugurated, is that men should have access to God or, to put  it another way, have fellowship with him.

"So  the writer to the Hebrews has a tremendous thought and  says that  the sacrifice  of Jesus Christ is retroactive.  That is  to say, it is effective to wipe out the sins of  men committed under the old covenant and to inaugurate the fellowship promised  under the new" (Commentary on Hebrews).

All  this seems very complicated but at its roots there  are  two great  eternal truths:

• It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ  that  a person's sins are forgiven and forgotten forever.
• It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that a  person may have fellowship with God the Father.

It  is  because  of the better terms and conditions  of  the  new agreement, which was instituted by Jesus Christ,  that a person  can now  easily maintain a good relationship with God the Father  and be assured that, when they ask forgiveness for their sins,  their  sins and the penalties for these sins will vanish as if they had never existed.

"If  therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,  (for under  it  the people received the law,) what  further  need  was there  that  another priest should rise after the order  of Melchizedec,  and not be called after the order of Aaron?  For   the priesthood   being changed, there is made of necessity a  change also of the law.  For he of whom these things are spoken pertains to another tribe, of which  no man gave attendance at the  altar.  For  it is evident that our Lord  sprang out of Judah;  of  which tribe  Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.  And it is  yet far  more evident: for that after the similitude  of Melchizedec there arises another priest, Who is made, not after the law of  a carnal commandment,  but  after the power of  an  endless  life" (Heb.7:11-16 KJV).

"Having therefore,  brethren,  boldness to enter into the holiest by  the  blood of Jesus, By a new and living way,  which  he  has consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; And  having a high priest over the house of  God"  (Heb.10:19-21 KJV).

Under  the first agreement with national Israel, the  High  Priest was to act as a bridge between God and his people. Because the High Priest  himself was under the death penalty, he was also in  need of a  perfect sacrifice to be offered for his sins in  order  to have these sins forgiven and their penalty removed. Moreover,  because  the  High Priest  of Israel was  not perfect, he and those he represented  could  never  pass beyond the Creator God  and  into  the presence  of God the Father. But why not? The reason  is that the  Father dwells in heaven, and anyone who is allowed  to come into  his presence must be totally sinless, holy, and  righteous. No  human  qualified or had the authority to  go  before  him prior  to  the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, because every human was under the death penalty for the violation of God's law before the advent of Christ.

The writer to the Hebrews shows a change in the conditions of the original agreement with Israel; this change allows  the elect  to go  directly  before God the Father without going to  a  physical priest. Under the first agreement with Israel the physical priest would speak to God on their behalf, but today this is not necessary.

Jesus Christ is now the High Priest who sits at the right hand of God  the Father in heaven. And because of Christ's sacrifice  and the new agreement,  there is a new and life-giving way opened for the elect of God to go into the very presence of God the Father:

"But  now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by  how  much also  he is the mediator of a better covenant [agreement],  which was established upon better promises" (Heb.8:6 KJV).

Through  his  sacrifice,  Jesus Christ has become  the  immortal  High Priest and the mediator of a new and better agreement that is built  on new  and better promises from God the Father to his people.  And since  Jesus  Christ  became the perfect sacrifice,  there  is  no longer a need for animal sacrifices to be made to atone for spiritual sin.

Before the advent of the Messiah, when people became physically defiled,  the only way they could be  restored to a  condition  of purity (holiness)  was  through  the  sacrificial  system.   See Lev.chps.8-16.

This  same  situation  still exists during the Gospel age today; however,  a person who has an eternal agreement with the  Father is in a continual state of purity (holiness) through the  atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Moreover, this person does not need to offer an animal sacrifice to remove physical defilement.

Another  point to be aware of is that, before the advent of  the Messiah,  a  person  who committed a spiritual sin  was  considered  spiritually defiled (impure and unholy)  before  God. Again, the only way to restore a person to a condition of spiritual purity was to offer the proper animal sacrifice. Today, anyone who has an  eternal agreement  with the Father is in a continual state  of spiritual purity (holiness) through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ  and they do not need to offer an animal sacrifice to remove  spiritual defilement.

Although a person could obtain a state of physical and spiritual purity (holiness) before the  advent of the Messiah, this  condition could not be maintained because there was no perfect  sacrifice that could totally eliminate physical and  spiritual defilement.

Then and today, the sacrifice of one's personal life in order  to become  holy is not possible because no human is  without  sin; however, a substitute sacrifice that is holy and perfect in every way (sinless)  may atone for the life of the  sinner. Through this kind of substitution,  a  person's  life  can be redeemed and given  back  to them.  Although  animal life is without sin, animals are neither perfect  spiritually  or of the same value as human life. Therefore, it  is  only God himself who can be this substitute sacrifice, which is what the Creator God actually became as the Messiah.

It  is  only  through the sacrificial blood of  the  Creator  God (Jesus  Christ) that any  human can be placed back into or  maintain  a  good  relationship with God the Father. The  sins  of  a person who is under the sacrificial blood of Jesus  Christ  are considered  to be non-existent as long as one's attitude is  correct  in seeking to please God. When sin is brought to  the  consciousness of a person under the blood of Christ, the only  thing that this person must do in order to eliminate this record of sin is to repent of the sin, acknowledge it to the Father, and  ask for  his forgiveness through the authority of Jesus Christ.  When this  is  done   the sin is wiped from the  person's  record  and vanishes as if it had never existed:

"Therefore  if  any man be in Christ, he is a new  creature:  old things  are passed away; behold, all things become new.  And  all things  are  of God, who has reconciled us to  himself by  Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; To  wit, that  God  was in Christ, reconciling the world to  himself,  not imputing  their trespasses to them; and has committed to  us  the word of reconciliation" (2.Cor.5:17-19 KJV).

It  is  obvious from the Bible that the elect of the  Father  are made  and kept holy through the blood of Christ's perfect  sacrifice,  just as the people who lived before the advent of the Messiah were made and kept holy by the blood of sacrificial animals.  It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we are  declared holy in the Father's eyes and can remain in a condition of holiness before the Father.

Much  can  be learned  from the sacrificial system  of  the  past that can  be applied to the present and will  surely  be taught  in  the  future when national Israel exists  as  a nation under God's rule again. Therefore, it is good to  research some  of the sacrifices that were offered under the first agreement with ancient Israel and the sacrifices that are offered  by the people of God during the gospel  age  of salvation.

Some of the sacrifices were  acts  of  praise, thankfulness,  and homage. Others showed a person's submission  to the  Holy  One of Israel, and others were symbolic of  gratitude  and devotion to him and dependence and confidence in him.

The burnt offering expressed one's individual surrender to  God's will.  It pictured the faithful Israelite giving a gift to  God.   In the burnt offering there is a method  whereby one could come  to present God  with something  that he  desired and  was pleased by. The burnt offering was not given to atone  for sin;  it was strictly a means by which an individual  could   express his love and devotion to God through an act of worship. See Lev.1:3-7.

The  meal offering was also a burnt offering. It was an  offering that was pleasing to God. It pictured the individual  in  perfect obedience to God and it had basically the same meaning as the burnt offering. Again, this offering had nothing to do with sin.  It was a  means by which one could worship God by bringing  something  to him  that he desired—something  valuable to the offerer—as an act of worship (Lev.2:1-6).

In  the  Burnt  or Meal offering, there was an  offering  that  was satisfying  to God. This offering was consumed by his  holy  fire upon his holy altar and its smoke ascended to him as a  pleasant smell. The burnt offerings were symbolic of the perfect  fulfillment  of the law's requirements.  God found satisfaction in these offerings, and declared them to be very good.

The  Peace  offering that was made by the general  population  of Israel  was also called the Fellowship offering and it was  offered for the following reasons:

• It  showed an individual's gratitude to God  for  his  bounteous blessings and mercies.
• It  was symbolic of God, man, and the High Priest  eating  and fellowshipping together as a family.
• It  pictured a family feast or a community  feast  where friends  and neighbors got together with God to  have  fellowship  (Lev.3:1-17).

The  offerings  and sacrifices that were to be made on  the  New Moon were considered fellowship offerings. These types of  offerings were partially consumed by fire as a sweet savor to God  and partially  eaten by the priesthood, which signified their  eating at the table of God.

The  eating of the fellowship offerings had  great  significance, both literally and symbolically, because the priests were  literally partaking of the Lord's food (i.e., partaking of the  Lord's table). Remember that the High Priest and the priesthood were  to be  the  bridge between God and the nation of  Israel. When  the priesthood ate  the sacred food offered to God, by extension,  the people were also eating at the table of God

The  Peace Offering was unique from the other offerings  in  that God, the  priest,  and the  offerer, ate together. This was the only offering in which  God, the  priest,  and  the offer  had something in common; they each partook of  the offering.

In  the  Peace  Offering, the offerer feasts with  God.  God,  the priesthood, and offerer all found satisfaction in this  offering, because of the common food that was shared among them.  God also found satisfaction in being honored by the one  making  the offering as well as in sharing  the offering with the  priesthood  and the one making the offering. This offering  also  shows that God desires and enjoys fellowship with his people.

The  Burnt, Meal, and Peace offerings  were all  freewill  offerings;  they were not offerings of necessity, but they were brought to God because an individual wanted to please God.  These offerings were  a way of showing gratitude toward God.

The  sin  offering was made for sins that were done in  ignorance.  It  was given to show God that one recognized  one's sinful condition and the inability to perfectly practice his law.  It pictured asking God to purge away all sins that were done in ignorance and to be made  pure and holy before him  (Lev.4:1-35).

This was not an offering during which an individual came and confessed his known sins, which was done in the trespass offering.

The  trespass  offering was to be  given when a person  was  conscious of personal sin that was knowingly committed.  It pictured one who was truly sorry  for having  sinned and was willing to confess this violation of  the law  of God and make restitution. If a person did this, God would set the sin aside and cover it from his view:

"And he shall make amends for the  harm that he has  done in  the holy  thing,  and shall add the fifth part thereto, and  give  it to  the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be  forgiven him" (Lev.5:16 Para.).

Under the  agreement  with ancient Israel, a  person  could  show gratitude  to  God through offerings and sacrifices.  And  if   a person  violated God's law knowingly or in ignorance and offered the proper sacrifice, access to God was again established and the person was placed in harmony with God.

No  offering could be made for capital crimes, such as murder  or adultery; the law demanded that the death penalty be administered for such crimes.

Since  Jesus  Christ offered his life as the  final  and  supreme sacrifice for the sins of humanity, there is no longer a need to make the sacrifices for spiritual sin. But, there is still a need for the forgiveness of sin when it is committed. The elect now go directly  to God the Father by the authority of Jesus Christ  to ask  for forgiveness of sin, and the Father forgives and  forgets their sins because of the supreme sacrifice of Christ.

When an elect child of God becomes aware of sin in their life, they must stop sinning and ask for forgiveness in order to continue to  maintain right-standing  with God.  If a child of God  refuses  to stop sinning,  the Father cannot forgive the sin nor give  the  person the gift of salvation.

A major and glorious difference between those who  were under the sacrificial  system before the advent of the Messiah and  those who  are  now under the new agreement is that the  elect  of  God today have the spirit of God dwelling within them. See Rom.8:9,14 and our  study paper about the spirit of God.

During  the gospel age of salvation the people of God  are  still required  to give sacrifices of thanksgiving in order  to  please God; however, the sacrifices are of a different nature from those given under the agreement with ancient Israel:

"Therefore,  I  urge you, brothers, in view of  God's  mercy,  to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, for  this is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to  the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  in order to prove what is the good, pleasing  and  perfect will of God" (Rom.12:1-2 Para.).

Today,  under the new agreement, children of God must be  living sacrifices  through being subject to the Father's law and way  of life. Thereby, they offer their life as a living  sacrifice to God. The offering of one's life in service to the Father is  a  thing that  is most pleasing to the Father, because it shows the  attitude of love for him and his way of life.

"Be  imitators  of God, as beloved children, and live a  life  of love, even as Christ loved us, and gave himself a fragrant offering and sacrifice to the Father. But among you there must not  be even a  hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of  impurity,  or greed,  because these things are improper for the elect  of  God. Nor  obscenity,  foolish talk or coarse joking which are  out  of place, but rather thanksgiving" (Eph.5:1-4 Para.).

Paul speaks of being a follower or imitator of God's  example  as a father and Christ's example of sacrificial love  in the context of being a living sacrifice.

In  his letter to the Philippians, Paul shows that sacrifice  goes beyond  one's attitude and behavior and into the giving of  one's physical  substance to those of the elect who are in  need.  Paul also shows  that this is acceptable to  God and that there is a reward to be gained by such an attitude and behavior.

"For  even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again  and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am  looking  for  what may be credited to your  account. I  have received  full  payment and even more; I am amply  supplied,  now that  I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.  They are  a  fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice,  pleasing to God" (Phil.4:16-18 NIV).

The writer to the Hebrews shows that, if one is to dedicate  one's life to the Father, one must be willing to do the things that are necessary  in  order to maintain a harmonious  relationship  with him. To maintain this sort of relationship one must set one's heart and mind on living  a life that  pleases him:

"The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most  Holy Place  as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned  outside  the camp.  And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate  to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go  to  him outside  the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here  we  do not  have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city  that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God  a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess  his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others,  for with such sacrifice God is pleased" (Heb.13:11-16 NIV). See  also 2.Pet.1:1-12; 1.Jn.3:16-22 and our study about how to  grow toward spiritual maturity and perfection.

This is how we maintain a harmonious relationship with  God  the Father  and his son Jesus Christ. It is through the sacrifice  of Jesus  Christ that we can be justified before the Father and  are allowed to bring the sacrifice of our life before him.

There  is obviously much more that could be said about  living  a life  of sacrifice to God the Father and how to live a life  that is  pleasing to him; nevertheless, the scriptures presented in this study show that  an ongoing  effort to please God will result in a harmonious  relationship between the Father and the one chosen to be his child.

Yes,  children of God do make mistakes and are not  perfect,  but the fact remains that as long as one maintains   a proper attitude before the Father, one will remain in a  harmonious relationship with him and receive the tremendous benefits  of the new agreement in this life and the life to come.

Yes, the New Covenant  is truly the better covenant; it is established on  better promises (Heb.8:6-10) and it has a  better  reward (Rev.20:4-6). Moreover,  this new covenant is now being offered by God  the Father to those he is calling to repentance  and  salvation.