Is Our Faith Showing? And Did You Know?
Two For The Price Of One.
The first thought is very short. The second one is not as short but may be of more interest.
Is our faith showing? But Did You Know?
Luke 5:32 Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
I am going to say we all have friends, some of whom are not Christians. We have not been taught how to “let our faith,” our light, be evident around non-Christians.
If our faith is little and our light dim, maybe we should limit our friendship with other stronger, faithful Christians with light shining brightly. If we don’t, we may be the ones that are pulled away from following Jesus. We may “fall away.”
BUT, ON TO THE MAIN THOUGHT.
The statement above is part of Jesus’ comment after He had called Levi to “follow him.” Levi had invited many publicans and others to a great feast at his house, including Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees and their scribes murmured to Jesus’ disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with the publicans and sinners?”
Jesus answered them with the statement given above: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus answered with two parables. The first parable uses a new garment and an old garment with a hole in it.
Jesus says it doesn’t work to cut a piece of cloth out of the new garment and try to repair a hole in the old garment. Jesus is saying, don’t try to patch up the old garment or the Old Covenant with part of a New Covenant. Just put on the new garment. Live under the New Covenant.
The other part of this same thought deals with old wineskins and new wineskins. Jesus says a person can’t put new wine in an old wine skin, or it will break. The new wine is to be put in new wineskin. The new wine represents the new covenant. The new wine or the New Covenant can’t be mixed with or put into the Old Covenant. The new wine should be put into a new wineskin.
Jesus is teaching that the Old Covenant is passing away and the New Covenant is coming.
Finished writing on 3/31/2024
Larry E. Whittington
More writings here: larryewhittington.substack.com/