God puts disclaimers or Conditional Promises through his word. He put one in the book of Exodus. The people of Israel had been delivered from the Egyptians and were about to receive directions from God on how to live their lives, but before that he gave them a disclaimer. "Now IF you obey me fully and keep my covenant, THEN out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priest and a holy nation." Exodus 19.5-6 The Story page 59
We need to know that every promise of God is CONDITIONAL. IF is about our actions and attitudes. Those attitudes and actions must be in line with the concept of OBEY ME FULLY. This is not based upon what we what to do but on what God has told us to do. It is based on the condition that it is fully done or completed. We do not get to choose or change the directions. We do not get to set the conditions they are directions given to us by God. People who think that they can vote to change the rules set up by God are only temporally fooling themselves. When they stand before God they will not get to argue that they had the majority vote in their favor. God's vote is the only one that will ultimately matter.
We also need to know that every promise of God is GUARANTEED. IF we do our part and meet the conditions set up by God THEN we can take God's promises to the bank. It is not that God does not want to do what he has promised it is that we more often than not refuse to do our part. That is when the disclaimer kicks in. It says IF you do, THEN God will. The opposite is also true, IF you don't THEN he won't. Expecting God to reward disobedience is foolishness to the max.
The OLD Standards or Rules
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. Remember that God gave his disclaimer to the Hebrews before he gave them the 10 commandments. This was not an afterthought or an 'Oh by the way,' on God's part. The Ten Commandments were not suggestions to the Hebrews. The problem with them is that they are only about external actions and easily corrupt the person who thinks by following them makes a person right with God. That was not never God's intent or purpose for them. (I will explain this shortly.)
The NEW Higher Standards
When interpreting scripture we need to remember three simple rules. 1. Scripture interprets scripture 2. The easy interprets the difficult 3. Nothing taken out of context and 4. Jesus is Boss! The last one is important to us here. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is God. When he spoke it was the final authoritative word on any matter. Jesus even spoke about upgrading the Ten Commandments to a higher standard. Don't remember reading that, well you may not have been paying attention because it is there. In Matthew the 5th chapter Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." Matthew 5.21-22 He quotes one of the Ten Commandments as something they may have heard about and then he used one of the most powerful words in the whole world. He said 'but.' Anything that comes after the ‘but’ in a sentence is the most important part of the sentence. A husband says he loves his wife's cooking and then says but, well she will be paying more attention to what comes next. Jesus says, "but I tell you." What is really important is next. Jesus is about to raise the standards. Murder is an outward action but Jesus says if you get angry with you brother you are subject to judgment. This is about the inner person. It is about thoughts and attitude. At least five more times in this chapter Jesus raised the standards above those of the Old Testament.
The Veil Exodus 34.33-35
Moses speaks to God and his face glows. Then he comes out and talks to the Hebrew people and they can see that his face is glowing. Then Moses put on a full face veil so they cannot see his face anymore. The glow of Moses' face is about external holiness. It represents the old standards and rules. These change you on the outside but they do not change you on the inside. Jesus knew that was true. He knew that was what was wrong with the Pharisees that he had to deal with everyday. He even confronted them about it. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the OUTSIDE of the cup and dish, but INSIDE they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the INSIDE of the cup and dish, and then the OUTSIDE also will be clean." Matthew 23.25.26 The Pharisees were masters at following the Old Testament law. They worked to be perfect on the outside but inside it was just the opposite. Jesus called them on it when he said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the OUTSIDE but on the INSIDE are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the OUTSIDE you appear to people as righteous but on the INSIDE you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matthew 25.27-28 No one has ever been set free by meeting all the conditions of the old standards. That is why Jesus knew it was necessary to raise the standards. We know that "through the law we become conscious of sin." Romans 3.20 The law does not make you right with God. The law is about external standards. By following the law the Pharisees were clean or proper on the outside but on the inside they were dirty, dead and sinful. The Pharisees were mad at Jesus. The old standards were the foundation of their life and Jesus was saying it was not enough.
The Power of the New Standards 2 Corinthians 3.12-18
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about the choice between the Old and the New standards. He focused on helping them understand the benefits or superior position of those who accepted Jesus' higher standards. "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." Paul was sure that believers in Christ as their personal savior could know that when they approached God it was not a beggars but as His children. The problem with the old standards and the law is that it causes you to live by external standards that fade or do not last. He wanted the believer to know that "We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away." The problem with those who remain under the old law standards is "their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read." This is the veil that separates them from God. They have no way of getting through to God. For them the veil "has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away" and they have not accepted Jesus who could and would remove it. The only way to really deal with the OUTSIDE is to get Jesus on the INSIDE. "Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts." The law does not set them free is only shows them how far from God they really are. The veil separates people from God, just like the veil in the tabernacle separated God and the people. There is good news. "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." They have direct contact with God. They now have unveiled faces because of this direct communication and the Spirit being part of their lives. "Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." This means a person has been changed on the INSIDE and that it will show on the OUTSIDE. In the end all believers are different because "we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit." The change comes from the INSIDE and shows on the OUTSIDE.
New Disclaimer New Covenant John 14.5-6
Thomas was having a discussion with Jesus. In the discussion Jesus wants them to take comfort in knowing who he is and what he is about to do for them. Thomas is confused about where Jesus is going and wants to know why this is all happening. Jesus comforts him by saying "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me." Now the disclaimer words are not written down but they are here just the same. IF you accept Jesus as the WAY.... IF you accept Jesus as the TRUTH... IF you accept Jesus as the LIFE... THEN you can make direct contact with the FATHER. The opposite is also true IF you do NOT accept Jesus as the WAY... IF you do NOT accept Jesus as the TRUTH.... IF you do NOT accept Jesus as the LIFE... THEN you CANNOT make contact with the FATHER. The NEW STANDARDS set by Jesus are not without conditional clauses. IF you do your part or meet the conditions THEN God will do his part that is GUARANTEED.
Removing the Veil Matthew 27.50-51, John 19.30
The curtain that was erected in the tabernacle that separated God from everyone else was not how he wanted it to be. It was necessary because of the sins of humanity. As Jesus was dying on the cross he cried out and declared "It is finished!" Most people miss the significance of this. They just see Jesus dying as the sacrifice for our sins. It was much more than that. Jesus died and "at that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom." This veil or curtain had grown from a thin layer to over two feet thick. It showed that God and humanity had been growing further and further apart. This veil was forty feet high and twenty feet wide. At the moment of Jesus death the veil that symbolized how far apart we were from God was removed. It is as if God reached down into the temple, grabbed this veil and ripped it apart. Jesus declared that the separation between God and humanity was finished, and to show it God torn the curtain apart. Now for those who would accept Jesus and his disclaimer or his conditional clause it was now possible to have full communion with God. No one or nothing including a veil between you and God.
The Temple of God 1 Corinthians 6.19-20
It was never God's plan to be separated from humanity. When he entered the tabernacle behind the veil it was a temporary arrangement until he could take care of the sin problem. God moved from the tent tabernacle to the stone temple but that is not how he wanted it to remain. The death of Jesus was God moving from the stone temple to a new temple. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor god with your body." God moved from tent to temple to you. That is if you meet the conditions that he has guaranteed to follow.
"We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory" takes on a whole new meaning when you realize that it is the Spirit of God living in you as his temple that the world is seeing. No longer is God hidden behind a veil but he is showing his presence to the world through his followers. You are the temple of God and his spirit shines through you.
