22ND MARCH, 2022
Minister: Pst. Seyi Osanyinbi
Text: 2 Corinthians 3
Paul compares the glory of the Old Testament with the glory of the New Testament showing that they are not the same and that they were never designed to be the same. One would assume that there can never be another glory like that of Moses but in the New Testament, Paul talks about the superior glory that was revealed in Christ. The Old Testament was weak because it was based on weak foundations, like animal sacrifice. These foundations have no power to provide salvation but the New Testament glory offers a better promise and hope.
Comparing the promises of the Old Testament with those of the New Testament in the physical, one can be tempted to think of the Old Testament as better. The problem with us is that we are more comfortable with what we can see. The Old Testament comes from the outside to the inside while the New Testament comes from the inside to the outside. Unfortunately, the Church has not been able to decode how to operationalize the New Testament.
Romans 8:1ff
Except we understand what the New Testament glory is meant to accomplish, we will not understand why Paul refers to it as being more glorious. Moses was an example of a man of God with so much power but yet with weaknesses. In the Old Testament, commandments were written on tablets of stone; in the New Testament, they are written upon the hearts of men by the instrumentality of the ministers of the Gospel. Glory must be seen from God’s perspective; as far as God is concerned, glory is you meeting His expectations. These expectations are designed in such a way that no natural man can meet them by their own power.
We have dwelt so much on Jesus’ death without bothering about His resurrection, which is very strategic in our pursuit of God. The Old Testament era was powerful because of the Ark of the Covenant which represented the presence of God. The Old Testament was weak because of the limitations of the flesh. The flesh is not man’s natural body that can be seen and touched, it is the natural animalistic instinct of man.
The marital relationship between Adam and Eve was a type of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Before Christ came, the Church (Israel) was married to sin and the Old Testament could not help them. As such, Jesus became sin Himself so that He could save mankind. If the world is going to see glory in us, there must be the birthing of the Spirit. Unfortunately, we are easily distracted by the ephemeral and this is because we use the Old Testament template to execute the New Testament. The only responsibility that is required of us in the New Testament is to walk in the Spirit; every other thing is God’s responsibility (Romans 8:3-5).
Romans 8:7ff
Sin dwells in man. That is why he needs to die with Christ so that the sinful gene can be summarily dealt with. The power that raised Christ from the dead has never been demonstrated before except at the point of His resurrection. If that same power now dwells in us, it will produce eternal life. It produces in and for us the privilege of sonship in the order of the Second Adam. Anything that the Church is doing on earth that can be generated by human efforts is not glory. Until we learn the ways of God, we cannot see the expected glory. Creation is subject to decay until sons arise in glory.
1 Corinthians 15:42-58
The reason the Church is not doing well where she has been placed is that we see immortality as a futuristic concept. However, these things are prophetic realities and a generation must arise that believes in them.
Do not seek the wrong type of glory; your glory is your manifestation as a son. That is the collective destiny of all believers in Jesus Christ. Anything less than this is an illusion.