Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 21
April 23, 1970
NUMBER 50, PAGE 3

"Will And Testament"

J. W. Middleton

I suspect that most persons who claim to believe the Bible to be the word of God, will also admit that a will and a testament are the same. And that they are in force after the death of the Testator — Hebrews 9:16, 17. But some will ask — Was not the Old Testament given by God the Father, and was it not his will? The answer to this is a definite YES. But what kind of a testament, or covenant was this Testament? Was it to stand forever, for all peoples, or was it given to the seed of Abraham, and to them alone? Certainly it was to them for a specific purpose, and when that purpose had been accomplished, it was taken away.

The Old Testament was not meant to be a permanent arrangement between God and Man. For the law could not provide a way of salvation, since no man had, or has lived in perfection except Jesus Christ. So since man could not, and cannot atone for his own sins, then he was condemned by the Law, and not justified by it. Our God was not, and is not wanting to condemn man, but wants to save him. And yet, the Old Covenant was not without the shedding of blood, for the blood that was shed, sanctifying the Old Covenant, was the blood of animals, which could not take away sin. This, then, was a type of the New Covenant, which was the Testament and Will under which we live, which cost the Son of God his blood upon the cross. Jesus was just as much the Son of God as if he had not been flesh, and he was just as much the son of man, as if he had not been the Son of God. He was deity in the flesh. Since he was the Son of God, then the Father dwelt in him. Since he was made flesh, then man could, and can come to him, for God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. Man can meet God, in Christ, and cannot meet him anywhere else except in Christ.

This brings up the next thought concerning the Will, or Testament. Forgiveness of a person's sins is promised certain conditions. While Jesus was yet alive, he could, and did forgive the sin of one person, and then when he was on the cross, he told the thief that he should be with him that day in Paradise. His will, Testament that is now for us to obey, was not in force until after his death upon the cross. So many times, I have had, even preachers, bring up the argument of the thief on the cross, as a proof text that no one has to be baptized today in order to be saved.

The place I note where it is said that Jesus forgave the sins of a man is in Matt. 9:2. But could he forgive the sins of a person today, without that person doing the will of God, as it is revealed in the New Testament? He could not, for it is impossible for God to lie, and he has specified certain conditions that must be met in order for an alien sinner to receive the remission of his sins. Is it enough, then, for a sinner, though honest he may be; to do some of the things that the Lord has commanded an alien to do, and leave off some of the provisions, and yet say that he is a child of God, and that God has saved him, for Christ's sake!

Can an heir, in temporal things, receive his inheritance before he meets the conditions that have been set forth in the will of the one deceased? He cannot. The details of the will must be known, and then the heir must qualify according to the things required. And so it is with one who seeks salvation from his sins. He cannot, or at least he has no right to think that he is a Christian until he has fulfilled all the requirements which the Lord has stipulated in his Will and Testament. Just because the Bible says that we are saved by faith, does not mean that this is the only requirement for the forgiveness of sins. For the Bible also says that we are saved by HOPE, but does this mean that there is no other condition to be met? The Bible also says that we are saved by baptism, but does this imply that this is the only requirement? Certainly not. It is also stated that "Except ye repent, ye shall also likewise perish." Then is repentance the only thing that one has to do in order to be saved? Not at all. But just as the heir to a material estate has to comply with the conditions as laid down by the one who makes the will, so also man cannot receive that inheritance which is incorruptible, and that fadeth not away when he falls short of the obedience as commanded by the Lord. Just because all the conditions of salvation may not be found in one sentence, or in one paragraph, or for that matter, even in the same letter, does not nullify the necessity of, or the fact that each thing mentioned by the Lord and, or the apostles is just as essential to complete obedience, and hence, to the forgiveness of sins as any other stated condition. The Lord did not speak superfluously when he said what must be done in order to the remission of sins.

Bridgeport, Texas