Dear Fellow Believers in Christ, (There is nothing more important than knowing the Eternal, Righteous, Holy Lamb of God)
Jesus Christ is our eternal Savior and redeemer. In His eternal purpose, the Father planned that we would be in Christ for eternal salvation, and Christ be in us for expression in this temporal earth walk. Everything that Christ has finished and completed by being the Father's spotless Lamb has fully satisfied the Father in every respect. Are we not under the eternal new covenant and not the temporal old covenant? Is not Jesus Christ ever living to be the Mediator of the New Covenant in us as us? Is not Christ now the only true righteousness? Is not Christ now the only true holiness? Is not eternal life a fact because we have the eternal Son living in us as Spirit rebirthed sons? Does not the Father gives His rebirthed sons love commandments and love choices? Why would I choose the temporal rather than the eternal? How can I live, teach, sing, or praise about my anything when I know the eternal, righteous, Holy and Worthy Lamb of God and His Amazing Grace? Let's look into the eternal in Christ with the Holy Spirit as the divine teacher and revealer.THE TEMPORAL AND THE ETERNAL
"While we do not ever consider the things which are ever seen, but the things which are not ever seen. For the things which are ever seen are temporal, but the things which are not ever seen are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18, Expanded Greek Translation – EGT).
First, Jesus Christ is the Eternal Sin Sacrifice, Savior and Redeemer
"And once then having been finished or completed, He at intervals became the author of eternal salvation to all who ever obey Him" (Hebr. 5:9, EGT). Jesus Christ suffered on this earth by everything he faced (Hebr. 5:8). The ultimate suffering of Jesus Christ was being the Father's Eternal Lamb and taking upon Himself the sin of all mankind, having never known sin Himself (II Cor. 5:21). Jesus Christ paid the sin-debt with His shed blood and broken body on the cross (Eph. 1:7; Hebr. 10:10). "Not with blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood he entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained the eternal redemption" (Hebr. 9:12).
Second, Jesus Christ is the Eternal Mediator and the Eternal High Priest
"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 reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance" (Hebr. 9:14,15). Christ is the eternal mediator redeemer of this new covenant, as He becomes the Father's spotless Lamb with His shed blood. Christ continues as the eternal mediator high priest. "Therefore He is also ever able to save to the uttermost those who are continually approaching to God through Him, always He is ever living to be ever interceding for them" (Hebr. 7:25, EGT). Jesus is our eternal mediator to God for us. Paul said, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5). We now have an eternal high priest mediator redeemer.
Third, The Shed Blood of Jesus Makes Us Eternally Righteous
"And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebr. 9:22). With temporal high priests of the Old Covenant there was strictly remission of sins, pushing them back for another year with blood of goats and calves in an earthly or temporal sanctuary. However, Christ has gone into the heavens to eternally purify the heavenly or eternal sanctuary with His own Blood of an eternal sacrifice and His continual and eternal presence, interceding to God in behalf of us (Hebr. 9:14,23-26). Christ IS our eternal righteousness. The Father has made Christ our righteousness (I Cor. 1:30). Everything that we have and do apart from Christ and Christ in us, is strictly temporal righteousness. To our Father, in light of the eternal sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus Christ, "all our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). Why would we teach, sing, or praise of anything less than Christ – Our Righteousness?
Fourth, The Offering of the Body of Jesus Makes Us Eternally Holy
Clearly the Word of God tells us that God the Father through Christ, "takes away the first covenant that He may establish the second covenant" (Hebr. 10:9, EGT). The Old temporal Covenant is replaced by the New eternal Covenant. That is a definite fact and clear statement. How does He do that? "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebr. 10:10). This is an eternal sanctification or holiness. The Word goes on to say, "For by one offering He has completed finished forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebr. 10:14, EGT). "Now where there is remission – full eternal forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin" (Hebr. 10:18). We just do not go back to the Old Covenant that has been replaced by the New. We now have "boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Hebr. 10:19). As rebirthed sons, we have "a new and living way which He consecrated for us" (Hebr. 10:20). The Father has made Christ our sanctification (I Cor. 1:30). Why would we teach, sing, or praise of anything less than Christ – Our Holiness?
Fifth, The Father's Eternal Purpose Is to Place Every Believer in Christ
Paul tells us that Our Father completed and finished everything, "according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). Christ is the eternal covenant person. Our Father's eternal purpose is to place Christ in every believer (Col. 1:27) for their temporal expression of His life, while at the same time placing them in Christ for His "eternal purpose" and "every spiritual blessing" (Eph. 1:3,4). John says, "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (I John 5:11,12). We have eternal life only, because we are in Christ and He is in us.
Sixth, Afflicitions are Working for Us an Exceeding Eternal Weight of Glory
Paul tells us, "Therefore we are not ever faint-hearted. Even though our outward man is ever perishing, yet the inward man is ever being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:16,17, EGT). It often appears on the outside that things are perishing. Remember that outside things are all temporal. However, on the inside the mind is being renewed day by day by the Holy Spirit, to and for Christ who lives in us. God is working all things together for good, to those who love him and are called to His eternal purpose, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:28,29).
Seventh, Why Choose the Temporal instead of by Christ and the Eternal?
Paul clearly tells us that we should not ever consider and live by the temporal or the seen things, but should ever consider and live by the eternal or unseen things (II Cor. 4:18). Seriously consider, Why would we choose to live by temporal things, instead of by Christ and what He has provided in the eternal? Why would we try to live an independent life aside from Christ, when our Father has made Christ to be the eternal everything that we need, living right inside of us to be it, instead of us doing it? Why hold a temporal Old Covenant up in the face of the Father, when Christ has paid so much with His shed blood and death on the cross for an eternal New Covenant? How can I live, teach, sing or praise about my anything, when I know the eternal, righteous, Holy and Worthy Lamb of God and His amazing grace?