Monday, September 23, 2024
“No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16,17 KJV).
What is our Lord Jesus Christ teaching here?
If the Lord Jesus Christ were literally and physically walking this Earth today, the sanctimonious people in works-religion would still ask, “Why do You and Your disciples not participate in our ceremonies, rites, and rituals?” As during His earthly ministry, so these critics of Christ and detractors of His believers would still smugly cling to their religious traditions. We know this because even when we share the truths of God’s pure Word with them, they stubbornly hold fast to what they have heard all their lives—even if they recognize the plentiful deficiencies in what they do and realize the enormous gaps in what they believe.
To this very day, Christendom tends to lean toward Old Testament practices when they should believe the Dispensation of the Grace of God given to them through the Apostle Paul, Romans through Philemon (Ephesians 3:1,2). They have their sacrifices and prayers, priesthoods and “houses of God,” candles and altars, robes and tithes, holy days and feasts, water ceremonies and confessions, and so on. It is unthinkable to them to admit all of this is erroneous and useless, so they just keep on with it because it ensures their self-righteousness remains intact. Christ Jesus’ finished crosswork as sufficient payment for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4) is “too offensive,” for it bears record of the fact God is not impressed with their good works. To “come to the Saviour by faith” insinuates they need to be saved from sin, and that would mean their religious goodness cannot save them. In accordance with today’s Scripture, their righteousness and God’s righteousness are incompatible.
Before it is eternally too late for them, may they, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ… and… be saved” (Acts 16:31)!
333 Words of Grace 