WHAT IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE NEW COVENANT?

Scholars, theologians, and religionists have been torn for centuries as to whether Peter and the other eleven apostles had one form of righteousness for the Jews and the apostle Paul had a different righteous for the Gentiles. The apostle Paul recognized and began dealing with this problem from the outset of his writings when he asked, "Is Christ divided?" (I Cor. 1: 12-13). Most assume that because the original twelve apostles and the original Jerusalem Church of God was right in the midst of the Jewish nation, with all the ramifications of temple worship, the Levitical priesthood still receiving tithes, animal sacrifices, that they had a Jewish form of righteousness; and God called Paul, as one out of due season, to be an apostle to the Gentiles to teach them a different form of righteousness. This assumption is drawn because of the first century church recorded in the book of Acts before 70 A.D. and the comparison with a totally different church after the year 170 A.D. A different church emerged after this lost century of church history that did not resemble in any way that original church. Can we, in the Twentieth Century, know what the righteousness of the New Covenant really is?

Zeal Not Enough

A zeal for God dominated the Israelitish history at different periods of time. Notice, the apostle Paul admits that the Jewish people had a zeal for God. But what kind of zeal? "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. For they being IGNORANT of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10: 2-3). Israel had a zeal of God but were without understanding of the New Covenant righteousness, which God promised would come (Jer. 31: 31-34).

Paul totally related to the MISguided zeal toward God, which the Jews displayed; because he had displayed that same zeal before his conversion (Acts 8: 1-3). Saul stood still and consented to the murder of Stephen, made havoc of the church, committing members of the church of God to prison, thinking he was doing God a great service. Zeal is a wonderful tool in God's work, but zeal "not according to knowledge" has brought untold wrath upon the heads of countless millions throughout history.

Saul continued his onslaught of New Covenant Christians in other cities (Acts 9: 1-2). But suddenly, Jesus Christ, for the first time reveals himself to Saul and will teach him over the next three years what the righteousness of the New Covenant really is. God chose Saul to bear His name among the Gentiles and teach them the real righteousness of the New Covenant because of his great zeal and education of His laws. His education was greatly beyond that of others his own age in the Jewish faith (Gal. 1: 14).

continued...