A serious debates rages in Christendom over the doctrine of the New Covenant. On one side of the controversy are those such as Dispensationalist who contend the New Covenant is to be fulfilled in the future during a millennial reign with the nation of Israel. On the other side of the controversy are those within Reformed theology who insist the New Covenant is fulfilled in the church. The discussion can begin with a simple question: “What does the New Testament teach about the New Covenant with particular reference to its fulfillment?”

Seven passages of Scripture reveal the answer.

First, the communion cup is the outward symbol of the New Covenant. Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. By drinking from the communion cup, the apostles, who are the foundation of the New Testament expression of the Church with Christ as per Ephesians 2:20, have a part in the blood of Christ and the blessings which flow from that union. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”

Second, every Christian who follows the apostolic example in keeping with the Lord’s command and drinks from the union cup by faith has a part in the New Covenant with its blessings and rules. 1 Corinthians 11:25 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 ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Third, the apostle Paul identifies himself as a minister or servant of a new testament or covenant. 2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Paul could not have written this with honesty if the New Covenant is not fulfilled in the church but is still future.

Special note. The historical Scriptural basis for this passage is Jeremiah 31:31-34. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith 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. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Fifth, in Hebrews 8:1 and Hebrews 8:6-13 the resurrected and ascended Christ continues to serve as the Great High Priest for the church in fulfillment of the promise made to Israel in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Hebrews 8:1 and Hebrews 8:6-13 says: “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;…6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” It is obvious that the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah was inaugurated by Christ and is presently being fulfilled in the Church.

Special note. Dispensational teachers are still not convinced that Jeremiah 31:31-34 is fulfilled in the church as quoted in Hebrews 8. They contend that the language of Hebrews 8 merely teaches the old covenant was temporary and ineffectual and anticipates a new covenant that would be permanent and effectual in its outworking.

A Biblical Response. It is true that the author of Hebrews teaches from Jeremiah 31 that the old covenant was ineffectual and would be replaced. It is also true that the author of Hebrews presents Christ as the present and eternal Mediator of the New Covenant which has now replaced the old covenant as the Lord bestows permanent and effectual blessings on “they which are called”. Hebrews 9:14-15 14 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? 15 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. My own heart pleads with all Christians to see what Christ has done and what the Church now possesses, the new covenant in Christ.

Sixth, God promised in Hebrews 31:34 that He would remember our sins and iniquities no more. This covenantal language is said to be fulfilled through the sacrifice of Christ. Because of that promise and its fulfillment in Christ every Christian has bold confidence to enter into the holy place. Every member of the Church, Jew or Gentile comes to the Father because he or she is a partaker of the New Covenant and its blessings. Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, “sat down on the right hand of God”; 13 From henceforth expecting “till his enemies be made his footstool”. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

Special note. Conclusion: every passage in the New Testament presents the language of Jeremiah 31:31-34 as being a present reality in the church. This is what the New Testament teaches about the New Covenant.

The difficulty for some to accept the concept the promise of Jeremiah 31:31-34 applies to the church is because of a pre-suppositional commitment to a theological construct that makes a dramatic distinction between Israel and the church. The mantra seems to be that “Israel is Israel and the Church is the Church and never the two shall meet.”

There is a simple solution to the difficulty some have in uniting Israel and the Church and it is found in two points.

First, let the New Testament interpret the Old Testament no matter how surprising the interpretation might seem.

Second, when the New Testament explains the Old Testament, accept the progressive revelation.

There is much Biblical evidence to support the fact the New Testament teaches the Church is the New Israel, in a more spiritual way. A critical passage in uniting the Church with the true spiritual Israel of old is found in Romans 11.

Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

As the New Israel, the Church inherits the Old Testament promises, privileges and blessings associated with its New Covenant in Christ.

The New Covenant belongs to the Church as we have seen by comparing Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 8-10.

The Davidic Covenant belongs to the Church according to the following passages.

Luke 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool”. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Acts 15:12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

The Abrahamic Covenant belongs to the Church because of Christ.

Luke 1:54-55 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Luke 1:72-73 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The promise of being a special nation once given to national Israel now belongs to the Church.

Exodus 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

How is it possible for the Church to be spiritual Israel thereby receiving the status of being children of Abraham and inheriting the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants while being the object of the New Covenant and recognized as an holy nation? The answer is found in Romans 9:6. “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”

In the divine economy it is the person who is a racial Jew that makes a person a true “Israelite” nor it is the person who is a religious Jew like the Pharisees who is a true “Israelite” because “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” Only those who have the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the true Israel of God.

Every person today, every Jew or Gentile who believes in God and receives Jesus Christ as Savior and the promised Messiah can claim the blessings associated with spiritual Israel according to Old Testament predictions and New Testament or New Covenant fulfillment.

The teaching does not stand which says “Israel is Israel and the Church is the Church and never the two shall meet.”

Dispensational teaching denies for the Church what the New Testament affirms and affirms for Israel what the New Covenant denies.

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies as evidenced by the fact that I usually read some 10 books at any given time. (However, I’m not sure if this is testimony to my love for reading or the fact that I am too impatient to complete one book before I start the next.) Nevertheless, I am confident that my reading style is not anomalous. I can almost guarantee that most folks follow the same reading pattern that I do - a little bit of this topic and a little bit of that one. And like most folks who enjoy reading theological works, I enjoy a wide array of topics including soteriology, Christology, ecclesiology and any other “-ology”…And with all of this theological reading taking place in my home (and in countless other homes) it brings to mind a very important question that I believe everyone should consider. If you have time to read theological treatises, technical manuals or any array of miscellaneous writings, have you also found the time to read completely through the books of the Bible? Have you had the time to read through the prophets (minor or major)? Or what about the books of Moses? 

Think for a moment about the list of books you are currently reading. If asked, would the Bible be at the top of your list….would it even make the list? Sure, we can all find time to read books elucidating the differences between infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism, or the eschatological differences within the Protestant community, but have we ever taken the time to read what God has said about these issues and much more? If we have time to read the words of men, should we not also have time to read the very words of God?

The next time you find it difficult to find time to read God’s Word, perhaps it would do you well to remember the Christian faithful who lived centuries ago who endured persecution for possessing a Bible or for reading Scripture in their native tongue. The Council of Toulouse (1229), and the Council of Tarragona (1234) are just two examples of ecclesiastical abuse that forbid the laity to possess or to read the Bible in the vernacular. Countless Christian faithful have been put to death or have suffered unspeakable physical torture for doing the very thing that so many of us today take for granted. There was a time when Christians had to engage secretly in their devotion to God’s Word. But by the grace of God, we know of such abuses only through the annals of history. Let’s not take for granted what so many throughout history have suffered for, lest our privileges be taken away.

If you have a sincere desire to meditate upon Scripture but lack the patience to do so, simply ask the Lord and He promises to answer:

Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psalm 37:3-5 

If we put forth the effort, the Lord will grant us the patience and faithfulness to do what we know we ought to do. So the next time someone raises an objection or asks the reason for the hope that is in you, you should be equipped to answer with certainty because you will know what God’s Word says - with a little effort. So go find your Bible, dust off the cover and diligently meditate upon His words….and I’ll do the same.

During the final weeks of May, I had the joy of traveling in Israel and Egypt. This particular journey was not made as part of the ministry of Redeeming Grace Ministries but was privately funded for a personal experience. Flying into Tel Aviv, a bus was taken to Jerusalem where I would stay for a week. Each day brought a visit to several traditional biblical sites beginning with the adventures of sitting on the side of the Mount of Olives looking over the Holy City of Peace. It is a majestic site and a moving moment to sit at a place so familiar to the Lord. It was from Bethphage near the Mount of Olives that Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey and was hailed as the king of the Jews. It was as the Lord sat on the Mount of Olives that His disciples came to Him and asked Him questions concerning the end of the age. Jesus answered their questions and predicted the destruction of Jerusalem giving many signs of the time that would precede that now historical event. Great tribulation was to come upon Israel and it did. Prophecy was fulfilled and the great tribulation is now a historical reality. 

In traveling to the various biblical sites there was no chronological pattern. As time and opportunity presented itself the holy sites were visited. There was a visit to the mountain side where Jesus gave the beatitudes. There Scripture was read from Matthew 5:1-8. “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”. There was opportunity to go to the top of Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah contested with the false prophets of Baal and the Lord consumed their sacrifice. Today, there is a thriving city of 25,000 people living on Mount Carmel which is to say that this site and all the biblical sites in Israel are transformed by modern society. Some of the mystique associated with the rugged terrain of the biblical narrative is lost. This is certainly true of the Valley of Megiddo where great biblical battles were fought and where many people mistakenly believe the last battle of the world will be fought as well. The land is surrounded by traffic lights, honking horns and a major highway. But, there it is to look out over and remember the Scriptures and the blood that has been spilt on that fertile soil. The same mystique is lost on the scene looking over the field where Joshua made the sun stand still. It is a rugged barren piece of land today as it was during Joshua’s time except that a major highway now runs through the field from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

I mention the loss of the mystic idealism in order to prepare other visitors to the Holy Land. Many of the places the heart would like to see intact such as Golgotha and the birth place of Christ and the place where they buried Him are all covered by churches. The churches themselves are historic, majestic and beautiful but they cover the sites and so the pristine memory is diminished as well. But if a person closes his eyes and remembers the Scriptures a sense of the sacred can be experienced. My own heart was surprisingly moved in a special way when I knelt to touch the slab where church tradition says the body of Christ was taken from the cross and prepared for burial on this spot. As I knelt and bowed in reverence I remembered that Christ died for me. Christ was buried for me. On that spot I made my confession with the saints of all the ages whispering quietly, I believe Jesus “Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell [the grave]; The third day he rose again from the dead.” I believe. 

As special as that moment was, I was horrified by what transpired at the Wailing Wall. The Wailing Wall is the portion of ancient Jerusalem that the Romans left standing when they destroyed the city in AD 70. The purpose for leaving the wall standing when the rest was dismantled was to show succeeding generations how difficult it was to conquer Jerusalem for the stones in the wall are enormous, each one weighing between two tons and eight tons. Today, the Western or Wailing Wall is a symbol of Israel’s dreams of restored glory and a place to pray. Millions come each year to the Wailing Wall to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, to study the Scriptures, to chant and pray or leave notes slipped inside the stones. I went to the Wailing Wall to pray. No sooner had I stepped back from the Wall when a Rabbi walked up to me. In broken English he asked my name. He asked where I was from. He said, “Let me pray for you.” We went back to the Wall. He opened his book of Psalms and uttered a prayer in Hebrew. No sooner did he finish than he looked up at me, rubbed his fingers together and said, “Money for the prayer”. I was astonished and frankly disgusted. “I do not pay money for prayers” I said. “And you should be ashamed.” 

I walked away from the Rabbi and paused after a few steps to watch an orthodox Jew bowing and reciting the Scriptures. As I stood there a second man walked up to me. He suddenly took my right hand and began to tie a red string around my wrist while asking my name. By his side was a Rabbi. “The Rabbi will pray for you”, he said and before I could protest the Rabbi was uttering something. “Now”, said the young man. “Please give a contribution to the Rabbi.” Within minutes at one of the most holy places in Israel I had been prayed over twice without request with a view to money being extracted. Is it any wonder that Jesus one day took a whip and drove the money changers from the Temple area? Is it any wonder Jesus cried out, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves”? (Mark 11:17). I tell you there is a need for someone to make some new “Jesus whips” and use them again today on those who are targeting God’s people. There are many other ways religious people, even of the Christian faith, are making merchandise out of God’s people in the Holy Land, but the general point is that it is an abomination. 

If special moments were tempered by religious greed the overall experience of going to the various biblical cities and sites was still wonderful. It was good to go to Nazareth while passing by Jericho, entering Bethlehem though it is under the Palestinian control and circling the Sea of Galilee. It was a joy to visit the many holy sites such as the Garden of Gethsemane, walk through the Kidron Valley, and passing by the Valley of Gehenna. Israel is such a small nation it does not take long to cover it in modern equipment such as a bus or automobile. However, Israel is also a rocky, rugged terrain and a new appreciation was gained for those who walked from one place to another as Jesus and the disciples did. It is not an easy land to traverse on foot. 

After a week my stay in Israel came to an end. A plane was taken to fly to Cairo, a city of twenty million people with an unemployment figure at twelve percent. There were several social surprises in Egypt. 

First, the nation is a much poorer nation than I had thought. Tourism comprises one third of the economy which is good for it means the security around the tourist is very high. You will be safe in Egypt. 

Second, Egypt has no oil to export. It has enough oil to take care of the needs of the nation but it does not export oil. 

Third, Egypt is a very friendly nation. The people are gracious and have a servant’s mentality. They like to please. They also expect to be tipped and will go out of their way to solicit money but they are friendly. 

Fourth, Egypt is a moderate nation. The people are mostly Sunni and not Shiite which means they are not radical in the religious Islamic faith. As a moderate nation they have separated religion and state and so people have more social and religious freedoms than they would in more extreme Islamic nations such as Iraq or parts of Iran. 

One social custom is amusing if not a bit dangerous but the people drive without turning on their lights, even at night. Some turn them on but many do not because the drivers do not wish to disturb or distract drivers coming in an opposite direction. So, they are courteous to one another and do not turn on their headlights! 

Some of the main attractions in Egypt are of course the tombs of the Pharaohs and the museums. What a thrill it was to walk in the Valley of the Kings. I was also able to visit the awesome pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) in Gaza and look upon some of the great wonders of the ancient world. Of particular interest was being able to gaze upon the treasures of King Tut, the boy king with the golden sarcophagus and the mummified body of Ramses II who might have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Perhaps it was before Ramses II that Moses stood to say, “Thus saith the Lord, let my people go.” 

After visiting numerous pyramids and museums, after traveling to Alexandria, after beholding the temples in Luxor, Karnak and Sakkara, an overarching theme became crystal clear. The Egyptians wanted to live forever. The rulers thought about life after death and built the pyramids to house their bodies and other artifacts they would need to pass from this world to the next including massive ships they had buried with them. They worshipped nature in order to appease the gods. 

As the narratives unfolded and I saw the tributes to the various deities my spirit was saddened for according to divine revelation they had done what Paul speaks of in Romans 1. “When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:21-25). 

There is a way to have eternal life and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Eternal life is not something that can be found by building gigantic tombs or by worshipping creatures such as the Horus the Falcon head on a man’s body or honoring the scarab beetle as a god. This particular beetle was famous for his habit of rolling balls of dung along the ground and depositing them in its burrows. The female would lay her eggs in the ball of dung. When they hatched, the larvae would use the ball for food. When the dung was consumed the young beetles would emerge from the hole. Millions of amulets and stamp seals of stone or faience were fashioned in Egypt depicting the scarab beetle. What did it mean? It seemed to the ancient Egyptians that the young scarab beetles emerged spontaneously from the burrow were they were born. Therefore they were worshipped as "Khepera", which means "he was came forth." This creative aspect of the scarab was associated with the creator god Atum. The ray-like antenna on the beetle's head and its practice of dung-rolling caused the beetle to also carry solar symbolism. The scarab-beetle god Khepera was believed to push the setting sun along the sky in the same manner as the beetle with his ball of dung. In many artifacts, the scarab is depicted pushing the sun along its course in the sky. Such was the belief in ancient Egypt.   

Far better is the Biblical revelation which teaches that salvation is a gift of God and not of works. Salvation is given to all for the asking. Eternal life is provided to all for the receiving by faith alone in Christ alone. The quest for immortality characterized and defined the ancient Egyptians and the time of the pharaohs with their pyramids in particular. I would encourage everyone to go to Israel, go to Egypt and then go to the Scriptures to find Christ for all truth will converge in His person and work. The heart will find a resting place, not in the worship of nature nor in the sweat of the brow to build eternal monuments that will crumble in the dust one day but in Him who lives and abides for ever. Look to Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. You can touch Christ by faith and find eternity which is still the ultimate quest of the human heart.

Anyone who has spent any considerable time in the armed forces can appreciate what it is like to live the life of a nomad. During the last two years, I (or my family) have spent considerable time in Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Mississippi…and back to California. Despite the frequent relocations, the opportunity to experience new cultures and cultivate new relationships are priceless. The deepest and longest lasting friendships that I have developed over the years are with those from the churches of which I have been a part. And my latest experience is no different. For the past twelve months, I have had the privilege of attending Escondido Reformed Baptist Church in Southern California under the spiritual leadership of Dr. James Renihan and Brad Knepp. Each has a special calling and each has blessed me in a special way. If you ever happen to find yourself in the southern California area, I strongly encourage you to attend Escondido Reformed Baptist Church. You will not be disappointed.

I write this because it is once again time to relocate. My family and I are returning to Virginia - a much beloved commonwealth of mine. While some around me have expressed consternation over the frequent travels, I come at it from a different perspective. I look forward with great anticipation and hope of the possibilities of developing new and lasting friendships. Few people can make the claim that they have a church home in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Deep South, Gulf coast, and Southwest. Because of my job, I can positively make this claim. While it can grow wearisome at times, I know the Lord will continue to lead me to churches who love the doctrines of grace as much as I do…for now, the journey continues.

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:2-26).

I have told more than one audience that in thirty four years of public ministry I have never known a single act of Christian forgiveness from someone in the church who has become offended with me. If anyone has experienced an act of Christian forgiveness I would welcome reading your account. I have enjoyed reading the tract by Corrie Ten Boom of how she was able to forgive a death camp guard. If you have not read her story of this event let me encourage you to find it on the web or in one of her books. She is a wonderful role model. 

I have studied the doctrine of forgiveness, taught on it, and unilaterally extended forgiveness towards others in my heart according to gospel terms. I hold no ill will towards those who have written public letters against me, threatened me with loss of a reservoir of good feeling, tried to reduce my income to nothing, and who have promised to hurt me in ever way possible with years of relentless pursuit. What is to be expected of sinners but sin? Of course I do wish they would stop. I would rather be the object of love and affection but I know that spiritual economic and emotional terrorism are effective tools in the arsenal of the arch Enemy of the cross and those who will not forgive use these weapons of spiritual warfare. Still, I would cross the country at my expense to meet with any person at any time day or night with a view towards reconciliation provided there could be an honest dialogue. Often times when people actually talk to one another and not at each other they find new perceptions and thus new realities. Suddenly what they thought about a situation is not what happened once all the facts are known. 

Why do many Christians not forgive? Why do some feel justified in hunting down and exposing others whom they once called their brother or sister? Several reasons come to mind. 

First, some Christians have not developed a biblical philosophy of forgiveness. They have not throughly researched all the verses in the Bible that relate to this topic and so the Word of God is not rooted deeply in their heart. 

Second, there is a feeling of self righteousness which proves to be a powerful emotional spiritual aphrodisiac. Everyone loves to be "right". 

Third, some do not know the dark side of their own soul. When anger, hatred, rage and unkind words spring from the heart and lips some do not stop to consider how desperate every human heart is. A new temptation comes to suppress the truth of personal acts and emotions of unrighteousness thereby blocking the fruit of the Spirit being made manifest. The apostle Paul writes of this process in Romans 1. 

Finally, in some Christians there is a basic will to power. The need to assert one's will over another human and thus reduce them to a state of forced capitulation is older than the events recorded about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It reaches into eternity past when Lucifer said he would be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-14). 

What is the spiritual solution to having an unforgiving spirit? The answer is found in a parable Jesus told in Matthew 18:21-28. I recommend it for consideration, mediation and personal application. It is true we all need.