WRITTEN IN HEARTS AND MINDS

Hebrews 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that He had said before, 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; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

God's word, the Bible, was written by men that were inspired by the Holy Ghost, most often referred to as the Holy Spirit of God. These inspired writings bring to us, orwitness to us,all truths that God desires all men and women of the world to hear, understand, and obey. The truth found in the verses preceding the lesson text is witnessed to us by God's word. They establish and confirm that, the atoning blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, makes all perfect, that are sanctified. The sanctified are those that are in Christ Jesus, those called to be saints, those that are in the church of God, that was established by Jesus Christ (See 1 Cor. 1:2). The fact that they are made perfect does not mean becoming perfectly sinless, as was Jesus, but that, from a repentant heart, all Christians can have a conscience free from the guilt of sin.

This wonderful blessing of having one's sins forgiven, also means being reconciled to God, and having the hope of eternal life in heaven. This truth is contained in the New Covenant, which God established through His Son, Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews confirmed this by quoting the central meaning of a prophecy that He had said before. From the prophecy of Jeremiah we have this inspired writing concerning the New Covenant between God and mankind. He wrote, 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. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, 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 (Jer. 31:33-34).

The New Covenant is to be made after those days. In the 31st verse we had just been told that the New Covenant would be made by God with the Jewish people in the days to come. Looking back it is easy to realize that these future days would be the Christian Dispensation, which was established with the coming of the Messiah, and culminating with His ascension into heaven where He reigns as Monarch over the kingdom of God. The New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant that was made with Israel at Mount Sinai, and given to them by the hand of Moses. The New Covenant law would be delivered to God's children in a different way than the old law. The Ten Commandments of the Old Covenant were symbolically written on "tables of stone" (See Ex. 31:18, Deut. 4:13; 9:11; 10:4). The remainder of the Old Testament was probably written with ink on some form of papyrus.

Unlike the Old, the New Covenant would be written in their inward parts, ...(and) in their hearts. Notice how Paul stated this truth to the members of the body of Christ at Corinth. He wrote, Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart (2 Cor. 3:3). No doubt, the Old and New Testaments both contained God's will. Both are designed to develop and maintain a close, loving relationship with God that would lead to eternal life in heaven. God desires that all mankind become, and remain, His faithful, obedient children.

However, under the Old Covenant, God's law was expressed, and obedience was expected, through external evidences of obedience. Spiritual, ritualistic rites were core requirements in order to demonstrate one's love toward God. On the other hand, God's New Covenant law requires free-will expressions of love for God and for mankind. New Testament law requires that Christians demonstrate their love for God through devoted, spiritual worship that glorifies and praises Him as our heavenly Father. However, it also requires that Christians demonstrate love for God through heartfelt deeds of kindness to all mankind. Christian hearts must be moved to lovingly serve family, friends, and neighbors. It is necessary that all New Testament children of God search for, and recognize the physical and spiritual needs of all people, and to fill that need to the best of their abilities. In order to bear spiritual fruit for God and serve His Son, Jesus Christ, this New Testament tenet must be etched in the mind and engrained in every Christian heart. To those that obey His will, this is God's promise: their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.