Communion With the Christ:: Pentecost: A New Life

"not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills

, but the Spirit gives life.”2Cor:3:6

Fifty days after the Lord God brought Israel out of Egypt, God , thru Moses, led Israel to the foot of Mount Sinai, and there on the Feast of First Fruits , which was part of the Holy Days enjoined under the Old Covenant, and what the Church calls Pentecost.

There, at the foot of the Holy Mount shrouded in fire and dark clouds, the Law, the Ten Commandments, which was the very focal point of the Old Covenant, was given, the Ten Commandments, which the Scripture tells us, was the very Covenant between God and Israel

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.” Ex: 34:27-28

Yet, it was at the giving of the Commandments, the very heart of the Sacred Covenant, came the death of 3000 of the people of Israel.

Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died” Ex: 32:27-28

This demonstrates what we find in St. Paul referring to the Old Covenant, the Law, as the ministry of death.

“Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone,”2Cor:3:6-7a

None Could Live up to It

The Law, given from the atop of Sinai as glorious as it was brought only death and condemnation. Regardless as to how hard as anyone struggled to keep it ,no matter how much “will” they attempted to put forth, they would inevitably fail and the Law would claim their lives and brought them only the realization that they, that is we all, were, and are , inadequate and would ultimately demand punishment.

Unable to perform up to the Holy standard that is set in the Law they found themselves under constant condemnation.

This Holy perfect Law would evoke within humanity and empower the very object that it so starkly defines and exposes. Sin!

The Apostle St. Paul address this very paradox in his letter to the Christian Church at Corinth 2000 years ago, but St. Paul also speaks to all believers in every age who have found themselves sincerely trying to keep the Law of God yet failing miserably and coming under nagging condemnation. What is more, the harder these believers try, so much stronger the grip of sin becomes and they, and we, succumb to it again and again.

There appears to them that the more effort they expend the greater the power sin is exerted over their lives.

St. Paul wrote of this Law-sin relationship to the Corinth Christians.

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”1Cor:15:56

The Law its self is the strength of sin, that is why when we struggle against sin the Law itself in complete Holy perfection demonstrates our complete imperfectness to live up to the Holy standard which gives sin the power to defeat us and we fail.

But our loving God who is merciful and has through his very Son Jesus Christ provided the means for each and all who will but freely receive it to be victorious over that which would claim our lives.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ". (57)

God in his grace had planned and provided a greater way, a more glorious way through his Holy Son Jesus. Jesus has done what no Law could ever do, Jesus has brought us life and union with him.

The Day of Pentecost inaugurated and now commemorates of that new way in the lives of humanity, for any who will freely receive what Jesus has accomplished for each and all.

This new way which brings life and freedom and healing of the very soul of humanity to any who will enter into participation with this a new way , a way which is so far above the old .

“Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”2Cor:3:1-18

The new way and Covenant in, and thru Jesus Christ, is far more glorious in the Spirit; for as St. Paul wrote of the very Spirit and essence of that new way –" the Lord is that Spirit”, that is , Jesus is the focal point and foundation of the new way of living.

That is, the Holy Spirit is Christ with us, and the evidence of Christ presence with the Apostolic Church was made manifest on that day of Pentecost 2000 years ago there is the streets of Jerusalem.

Christ With Us

Jesus spoke of his coming to them after his death and resurrection through the agency of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity , to be with believers conveying the very presences of Jesus in our lives to be their “Comforter”, expressing Jesus’ being with them and assuring us of the love of the Father to and for them.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—he Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Jhn:14:15-21

In the Sending of the “Comforter” , in the Greek the “Paraklatouios”, Jesus Himself is “come”, that is, Jesus is manifested in the lives of those who come to believe in him.

Pentecost commemorates, the present assurance of Jesus Christ with us.

The Holy Spirit manifested among the believers, there 2000 years ago and continues to do so throughout history which is Jesus himself among us, that we are joined in union with the Holy Trinity by and in Jesus.

This is what God has intended from eternity past, that he and we should be joined together in union and living the Spiritual life in relationship.

On Pentecost in the streets of Jerusalem 3000 were saved, that is they entered the accomplished salvation which Christ has provided, and Jesus’ was there among and in them.

On that Pentecost , the Apostolic Church was rejoicing in the Spirit, not celebrating the Law given centuries earlier at Sinai with its' the focus on the Law of Commandments.

In the Spirit not Under the Law

Pentecost is the entering into experiencing this new life in Christ, being a part of what God has accomplished in his Son Jesus – it is a release from the oppression of the performance-based religiosity of the Law to the glorious liberty of the grace-based life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

It is the life of freedom, the new life in the Spirit, it is the life of knowing that our Lord and Savior is with us and that we have a new life now and into Eternity

Benediction: May we each and all rejoice in the new life of the Spirit, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.