2. We must discover the redemptive-historical significance within the Old Testament. (1) Salvation Begins with Faith in God's Covenant

 

2. We must discover the redemptive-historical significance within the Old Testament.

 

(1) Salvation Begins with Faith in God's Covenant

 

Ordinary people view Christians through the same lens as Buddhism. Consequently, they assume that Christians are exemplary and morally praiseworthy. When Christians engage in wrongful behavior, people respond with cynicism, saying, "Those are the ones who call themselves Christians."

While this is not entirely wrong, it is not entirely right either, as Christianity deals with the issue of sin against God, not with dictating how one should live in the world. Nevertheless, immoral Christians inevitably face criticism because ordinary people view them through the lens of moral ethics.

Furthermore, there are many who scoff, asking, "You have to live a good life in this world to go to heaven; does it make sense to say that simply believing in Jesus leads to heaven?" However, it seems that people think this way regarding "living a good life" based on their own standards or moral ethics. Therefore, criticism regarding the Christian concept of forgiveness can arise by asking: "It is said that if a sinner believes in Jesus, their sins are forgiven through His blood; does this mean that the victim, who suffered due to sins committed in the world, is unconditionally forgiven regardless of their fate? If so, from whom do the victims receive comfort?"

There was a similar story in a movie. A murderer hears in prison that believing in Jesus leads to forgiveness of sins, and upon repenting, believes that he has been forgiven despite being incarcerated. However, the victim's family makes a firm resolution to forgive the murderer and guide him toward rehabilitation; they meet him in prison and offer to forgive his sins. Yet, the murderer claims that he has already been forgiven by God. Consequently, the victim's family becomes enraged, unable to forgive him, and criticizes Christianity for forgiving such a person.

While the words and actions of Christians who speak of the issue of sin in a simplistic manner are problematic, we also discover that the way people view sin is significantly different from the definition of sin found in the Bible.

For example, laws exist in every country, and whether one is a citizen or a foreigner, breaking those laws constitutes a crime and results in punishment. No matter how much they confess their sins to God and receive forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, the sins they committed remain valid. Whether they go to prison or pay a fine remains to be seen, they will be punished according to the outcome of the trial. Sometimes, they may even face a situation where the perpetrator must compensate the victim for the damages inflicted. This is the fundamental principle regarding worldly sin.

However, the sin spoken of in the Bible is defined under the premise that God is spiritually the Father of all people and people are His children; therefore, sin is when children forget, reject, or oppose the Father.

The Bible contains the Ten Commandments, among which is the commandment not to murder. Even if someone commits murder and goes to prison, and even if that person has no connection to Christianity, they cannot be forgiven by God. That murderer would not believe such a thing. From God's perspective, the sin of murder is not merely about causing harm to others; it is considered a sin that challenges Him.

Since all people are lives given by God, from God's perspective, it is a tremendous sin for a creature to harm the life of another. Therefore, the concept of sin in Christianity refers not only to spiritually disrespectful behavior toward God but also to the root cause of that sin. The Bible identifies that root of sin as greed. It means that the form of sin is the behavior that manifests based on greed.

Thus, a victim forgiving the perpetrator is an act of forgiveness for the act itself, and punishment is also a punishment for that act. Of course, when administering punishment, various circumstances regarding the situation in which the sin was committed will be considered.

However, as long as greed exists in people's hearts, the conditions for committing sin always remain; therefore, even if the sin has not manifested as a result in the form of behavior, God views that person as a sinner.

Regarding the scene in the movie where the murderer is said to have been forgiven by God—although strictly speaking it is a part of the film that differs from reality—the proper order would be for the perpetrator to offer words of comfort and ask for forgiveness from the victim. This is the beginning of repentance. Forgiveness without repentance is merely a meaningless story. In the human world, the problem of sin begins in this way and will eventually be resolved as time passes. However, from God's perspective, the sinner's sin remains exactly as it is and applies to Him. This means that the sins committed by humans grieve God's heart.

The Bible states that the atoning blood resulting from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the power to forgive sin. From God's standpoint, no one can escape from sin, yet through the blood shed by the atoning death of Jesus Christ, one can receive forgiveness. When viewed through the Bible, this is what God has ordained; the power of the atoning blood will come upon those who believe, while those who do not believe become those who have no connection with Jesus.

Those who have no connection with Jesus think that sin does not apply to them unless they violate what is established by the laws of the world. However, from God's perspective, since they were spiritually separated from God the Father in the past and currently have no relationship with God, He intends to prevent them from entering the Kingdom of God. This is spiritual original sin.

The atoning blood of Jesus Christ is a spiritual decision by God to forgive everything, regardless of whether one has forgotten God or lived a wrongful life in the world. Sins committed in the world deserve to be punished according to the laws of that kingdom. However, the point is that these worldly sins unwittingly cause wrong to God as well. It means that they spiritually grieve God's heart.

Nevertheless, God declares that He will forgive even sins committed against oneself, upon seeing the blood shed through the atoning death of Jesus. While worldly sins will be judged according to the laws of that kingdom, God does not unconditionally forgive them in that manner; rather, He forgives only if one realizes the spiritual wrongs committed against Him through worldly sin, repents, and turns to Him.

Therefore, God's forgiveness of sin carries significant spiritual meaning. It refers to the greed of the heart, the neglect of life, the contempt for God, and the denial of God's very existence. Thus, by realizing and turning back, one becomes able to receive forgiveness for all sins from God through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. This is what is meant by the statement that any sin can be forgiven.

In other words, since worldly sins are governed by worldly laws, one simply needs to be punished according to those laws and compensate the victim. This does not mean that God forgives even that. Rather, it means that God forgives the spiritual sins of the sinner committed against Himself through worldly sins. Of course, there are spiritual sins committed out of ignorance of God, not just those stemming from worldly sins, and these, too, can be forgiven.

A sinner's forgiveness is not determined by their actions, but is accomplished according to the covenant established by God. That covenant is the atoning death of Jesus Christ, and it involves believing that the sinner, united with His blood, also died on the cross. That is why it is said that a sinner can be freed from all sin by entering into the covenant. Those who do not do so are not people of the covenant, and therefore, the spiritual wrongs they commit against God will eventually be judged.

 

The first covenant with God appearing in the Old Testament is the covenant concerning the offspring of the woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15, which is the covenant between God and Adam. It is by believing in this covenant that the pioneers of faith have continued through the generations. And it continues with the Covenant with Noah, the Covenant with Abraham, the Covenant with Moses, the Covenant with David, and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.

The Covenants with Adam, Moses, and David were established with the people of Israel, and God fulfills these covenants unchangingly, regardless of whether the people obey or disobey. The core of the covenant is that obedience leads to grace, while disobedience leads to judgment. It feels akin to the principle of rewarding good and punishing evil.

The covenants of Abraham, Noah, and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ are generally covenants established between God and man, and they are not limited solely to the people of Israel. The Covenant with Abraham is a covenant concerning land and descendants. Ultimately, the land represents Canaan, symbolizing the Kingdom of God, and the man represents Jesus Christ.

The Covenant of Noah is a covenant established between God and Noah (the representative of humanity). After the Great Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again bring death to all life on this earth through a flood (Genesis 9).

God gave the rainbow as a sign of the covenant, promising that He would never again send a flood upon the whole world, and reminding us that He is capable of judging sin and will judge it. The covenant concerning Noah's flood symbolizes the death of the old self and the birth of a new self. This is being born again.

The New Covenant of Jesus Christ signifies a covenant established by the atoning blood. This is the covenant concerning the blood and flesh of the Passover Lamb. The core of salvation is not how people of faith lived in the world, but whether they kept the covenant in their hearts. Faith is not the faith I believe in, but becoming one with the covenant given by God.

The covenant established between God and humanity can be described as a marital relationship or the relationship between a father and a son. What matters is not the covenant found in stories of Israel's past, but the covenant established between God and the believer in the present moment. For a believer to believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus, who died on the cross and resurrected, has become one with the believer as a perfect entity of agreement and has entered into the covenant.

No matter how one lives in the world—whether one is morally respected, or appears truly good and great in the eyes of others—that is a story of the world. Spiritually, from God's perspective, such things have absolutely no influence; what matters is solely whether one is within the covenant or not. Just as a marital relationship is unconditionally one where no other conditions can influence it once it is within the covenant, and just as a parent and child become one once registered in the family register without any other conditions, the same applies here. It means that a covenant is a relationship established by agreement in this way.

Who established this agreement? The agreement was determined by God, and God is one of the two parties. Sinners become God's people simply by signing the agreement. To use the analogy of a marital relationship, they become His bride. Those who do not wish to do so do not sign. In a spiritual sense, they become those unrelated to the Kingdom of God.