Discovering the New Covenant by Greg Taylor - exAdventist Outreach

DISCOVERING THE NEW COVENANT
He goes on in verse 11 to point out that we are saved by
grace, not the Law. 1
At this point it is necessary to highlight the fact that the
entrance sign of becoming a Jew was the sign of
circumcision. A male was not considered a full Son of Israel
until he was circumcised. Once one was circumcised, he was
then required to keep all of the laws. This included the
Sabbath which was the continuing sign of allegiance to the
Old Covenant 2 as we will soon see. Obviously the sign of
circumcision was not clearly visible, but the continuing sign
of the Sabbath was very obvious. Both men and women
participated in this sign. Failure to keep Sabbath was
punishable by death. (Ex. 31:14) The Sabbath sign, however,
was not expected of those who were not orthodox Jews. The
entrance sign of circumcision was a prerequisite sign for
entrance into the Jewish community. Once one had become
circumcised, he was then under obligation to keep the rest of
the Law, including the Sabbath.
This can be understood today with baptism and church
membership. Each church has a set of standards or core
expectations that are part of that community of believers.
Once one is baptized and makes the decision to become a
member of that community, he/she is then expected to live in
accordance with these core expectations. However, if one
has not taken the prerequisite step and been baptized or has
not chosen membership, there is no obligation to these
values or standards. Circumcision was the entrance
commitment for membership into the Jewish community.
1 Notice the use of the word yoke attached to the Law. This is the same
way Paul referenced the Law in Galatians 5:1 calling it a yoke of
bondage. Interestingly, Jesus instructs His followers to take His yoke
upon them because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Jesus is a
light yoke, the Law is a yoke of bondage. See Matthew 11:28-30.
2 Dale Ratzlaff, Sabbath in Crisis (Glendale, AZ, 1990) pp 180-182 for
expanded discussion.
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