The
old covenant law contained many "shall nots" which had a purpose that
is now fulfilled. We are not under that old legislation anymore. Now
we are under the new covenant where God provides all for us as a gift
and we are free in Him. This covenant also contains some "shall nots" -
yet they are so different from the old "shall nots" - rather than
making me feel depressed and guilty, they make
me feel safe and warm and joyful in Him! They are focused on our
secure relationship with God rather than our erratic behavior, for the
New Covenant has a relationship focus and not a works focus. These are
the "shall nots" I have found in the new covenant. I only used Jesus'
words in John. I'm sure if I looked through the rest of the New
Testament, I could find many more! Anyway, here are those "shall nots"
that I found:
His promises to us in the New Covenant of grace:
1 - You SHALL NOT hunger, but shall be fully satisfied with Him (John 6:35).
2 - You SHALL NOT thirst, but shall have within His very Spirit as an ever-flowing fountain of eternal life (John 4:14).
3 - You SHALL NOT walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
4 - You SHALL NOT be a slave to sin or the devil's lies, but shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).
5 - You SHALL NOT perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16).
6 - You SHALL NOT be snatched from His hand, but shall be safe (John 10:27-8).
7 - You SHALL NOT come into judgment, but have already passed from death to life (John 5:24).
8 - You SHALL NOT follow a stranger, but shall know and follow your Shepherd (John 10:4-5).
9 - You SHALL NOT have your joy stolen, but shall rejoice with great joy (John 16:22).
10 - SHALL NOT be left desolate, but shall have the His Spirit with you always to comfort you (John 14:16-18)!
With His very Spirit inside us as our best friend and LIFE, holding us,
loving us, keeping us, living through us AS us, how can we go wrong? If God is for us, who can
be against us? We shall not be put to shame but will always be led in
triumph, love and grace! All as a gift through Jesus' work for us and
His wonderful grace, not ever through our efforts! What a wonderful
covenant the New Covenant is!
