FEB 9

Hebrews 8:6-7
Memorise Hebrews 7:22
“…Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises…”

Hebrews 8:6-7 states that there were deficiencies with the first covenant under the Mosaic Law. The main problem was not with God, but with man, for because of his sin, he was unable to keep the covenant perfectly. Through Jesus Christ, we have a second covenant, which was better in that this covenant rests solely on God’s ability to keep the promises of the covenant. These two verses mention two different epochs in history. How theologians subdivide history into various epochs has given rise to different theological systems.

Over several centuries after the Reformation, true believers became divided into two groups; those who hold to Covenant Theology and those who hold to Dispensational Theology. These are the two major theological systems held by the body of true believers today. Of course not every church and Christian can be neatly slotted into these two categories, and there will be variations within both, but by and large, these are the two main prevailing systems that theologians would subscribe to. Covenant theology has been around since the time of Augustine in the 4th century and was further developed and systematised by John Calvin and the other Reformers in the 17th century. Dispensational theology was set forth through the teachings of John Darby in the 19th century, and was made popular by the C. I. Scofield Reference Bible. Why do God’s people hold to different beliefs? Mind you, these two groups still hold to the basic fundamental doctrines that make one a Christian. However, when it comes to the harder doctrines, they differ. Why does this happen? Shouldn’t all true believers believe the same thing?

The fact is God leaves some of His doctrines harder to be understood. Finding the truth about these doctrines requires humility, prayer and hard work dividing God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit. Naturally, some will approach the Word incorrectly, with the wrong spirit, with man’s wisdom, pride or some other deficiencies and hence resulting in error. However, God never leaves His Word without witness. There is always a correct doctrine given among men. We have to study these doctrines and compare them against God’s Word and if they are found to be true, we can adopt them for our own.

Thought: The complete Word of God is the only way to determine the correctness of doctrines.
Prayer: Father, give me wisdom to discern true from false wisdom.