“THE TIME OF REFORMATION”
INTRODUCTION
A. (Heb.9:1-10) Notice the phrase “time of reformation”. What is this “time of reformation”?
B. Let’s see if we can find out?
a. definition - “straighten thoroughly; rectification; making straight, restoring to its natural & normal condition something which in some way protrudes or has got out of line, as broken or misshapen limbs; rectification”
b. contextual clues
a. 2 times the writer references God’s promise in Jeremiah’s prophecy (8:12; 10:17; Jer.31:31-34)
b. writer makes a contrast between the “old covenant” & the “new covenant” showing the superiority of the “new”
c. writer listed some of the observances & ordinances under the “old” & stated that these things were “imposed until the time of reformation”
d. the next 3 words answers our question – what is the “time of reformation”?
C. “But Christ came” (v11) - JESUS is the “reformation”!!! When Jesus came a great change took place in how God deals with restoring the human race.
I. GOD RECTIFIES MAN THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST
A. (Joh.1:17) Jesus is the great divide in human history. Please see the significance of the John’s statement.
a. Moses stands in history as the giver of law (principle of law for righteousness)
b. Jesus stands in history as the giver of grace & truth (principle of imputed righteousness)
a. if a person is going to be saved it will be totally by the grace of God (Eph.2:8)
b. If grace saves only to the extent that one is able to keep law, then none can be saved
c. grace is not a quality of law (Rom.3:21-24)
c. Jesus is the truth (Joh.18:38; 14:6; 5:39)
B. When Jesus came God brought an end to law as a basis for man becoming righteous (Rom.10:1-3).
a. instead of giving man another law, God gave us His Son
b. Jesus did not die on the cross to remove one law (“guardian”) only to put people under another one (Gal.3:23-27)
c. God rectifies people through His Son
II. PRINCIPLE OF LAW OR PRINCIPLE OF FAITH FOR RIGHTEOUNESS
A. What about the phrases “perfect law of liberty”, “royal law”, “law of Christ”, “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”, “not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ”.
a. the basic meaning of law is “a principle of action”
b. are we under the principle of keeping law for righteousness or are we under the principle of justification by faith? the latter
c. (Rom.6:14,15; 3:21; 10:3)
d. efforts through law keeping to justify is a rejection of grace (Gal.5:4)
B. To attempt to make the gospel similar to the kind of thing that Moses’ law was, is the perverting of the gospel (Gal.1:6-9).
C. “The time of reformation”, which is Christ coming into the world, simply means that the state of being righteous before God is not attained by rule keeping, but given as a free gift because of our faith in Jesus.
CONCLUSION
(Phil.3:3; Rom.5:1,2)