Born for a New Focus
by: The Collins Ministry
The Law proved that no-one was able to keep the 10 Commandments by themselves. The New Covenant is a new focus from self-effort to God’s empowering in us.
When Adam sinned, as the father of the human race, he moved out of God-dependence into independence. This has been Mankind’s central problem ever since – self-centred focus... going it alone without God.
A new focus for living
Through the Cross, Christ brings us back to a God centre. This is our focus.
“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God” Romans 8:5-7 (The Message).
The old focus is death
The central focus of our old life was ourselves. Everything was not only for us in our thinking, but it was also by us – by our own strength or ability things were accomplished. In trying to please God it was expressed in an unsuccessful struggle to obey His Commandments (read Romans chapter 7).
The purpose of the Law
This is why God gave the Law (the Old Covenant). It was to reveal that you and I could not keep even the lowest expression of His righteousness (Matthew 5:21-22;27-28).
“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come” (Romans 5:13;20).
When we see in a mirror that our face is dirty we don’t use the mirror to make it clean but we go to another source – water – for cleansing. So it is with the Gospel. The Law was like a mirror to show that our lives were not clean. But it is through the Water of Life, Jesus, we are made clean.
The Galatians mistake
Paul writes to the Galatian Christians, calling them “foolish” because, although they had come to God by faith in the work of Christ, they were trying to live as Christians by reverting to the old method of self-effort (read Galatians 3:1-3;15-29). Paul says they had “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
The focus on God daily
God’s enabling grace is constantly available to every believer. It is our faith and trust in Him every day that releases it.
“God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son…now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us” Romans 8:3-4 (The Message).
When Adam sinned, as the father of the human race, he moved out of God-dependence into independence. This has been Mankind’s central problem ever since – self-centred focus... going it alone without God.
A new focus for living
Through the Cross, Christ brings us back to a God centre. This is our focus.
“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God” Romans 8:5-7 (The Message).
The old focus is death
The central focus of our old life was ourselves. Everything was not only for us in our thinking, but it was also by us – by our own strength or ability things were accomplished. In trying to please God it was expressed in an unsuccessful struggle to obey His Commandments (read Romans chapter 7).
The purpose of the Law
This is why God gave the Law (the Old Covenant). It was to reveal that you and I could not keep even the lowest expression of His righteousness (Matthew 5:21-22;27-28).
“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come” (Romans 5:13;20).
When we see in a mirror that our face is dirty we don’t use the mirror to make it clean but we go to another source – water – for cleansing. So it is with the Gospel. The Law was like a mirror to show that our lives were not clean. But it is through the Water of Life, Jesus, we are made clean.
The Galatians mistake
Paul writes to the Galatian Christians, calling them “foolish” because, although they had come to God by faith in the work of Christ, they were trying to live as Christians by reverting to the old method of self-effort (read Galatians 3:1-3;15-29). Paul says they had “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
The focus on God daily
God’s enabling grace is constantly available to every believer. It is our faith and trust in Him every day that releases it.
“God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son…now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us” Romans 8:3-4 (The Message).
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