May 5th, 2011 by Geoff Volker
In the gospels the theme that Israel is not the real people of God is continued. In Matthew 8:5-13 Jesus heals the servant of the Roman centurion. The centurion only requests of Jesus to say the word and his servant would be healed. In response to such faith Jesus says,
I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus was stating that in the kingdom of heaven the Israelites, who are the picture of the people of God, will be thrown out of the kingdom. (more…)
March 28th, 2011 by Geoff Volker
In Galatians 4:21-31 we find the apostle Paul using an allegory to teach the Galatian believers about the true nature of Israel. Paul begins by saying that the mothers of Abraham’s children, Sarah and Hagar (Keturah and her children are not mentioned in this context), represent two covenants. He is referring to the Old and the New covenants. Hagar represents the Old or Mosaic Covenant, while Sarah represents the New Covenant. Hagar is described as the slave woman, while Sarah is described as the free woman. The covenant that Hagar represents is from Mount Sinai, which represents the present city of Jerusalem, and is said to bear children who are to be slaves. This is another way of saying that the Old Covenant was a works covenant and could only produce unbelievers. (more…)
March 17th, 2011 by Geoff Volker
As one who holds to New Covenant Theology (NCT) I am frequently asked this question, “Do you believe in replacement theology? When I hear other teachers who embrace NCT try to answer this question I hear them giving rather involved answers in order to avoid receiving the label of one who holds to replacement theology. My answer is quite clear, I do believe in replacement theology. In fact, I would go as far as saying that I do not think that anyone who holds to NCT could answer the question any other way. (more…)
April 19th, 2010 by Geoff Volker
When we say that the law of Christ is the New Covenant era version of the law of God we are saying that we are not under the Old Covenant era version of the law of God, the Mosaic Law. These two eras of law are also two different eras in terms of emphasis. (more…)
March 4th, 2010 by Geoff Volker
Within the study of New Covenant Theology there is emerging a difference of opinion over exactly what is the Law of Christ. It is the opinion of this writer that the Law of Christ is the version of God’s law that we are to obey in this New Covenant era. (more…)
December 4th, 2008 by Geoff Volker
I was doing some reading in Scripture and I came across Numbers 28. This is the chapter that describes the various offerings that must be done in the nation of Israel. There are the daily offerings, the Sabbath offerings, the monthly offerings, etc. Now, to be honest I normally do not find this portion of Scripture very stimulating. I typically race through it to get to something that it is more interesting or relevant. The detailed descriptions of the various offerings that were to be done by Israelites seem not only to be tedious reading but also a tedious way to live. So… how do we make sense of this section of Scripture. It is the word of God and therefore it is profitable for us to study (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The challenge is to find out how we are to view this passage so that we can find a proper application for our lives. (more…)
October 14th, 2008 by Geoff Volker
In Romans 9:22-29 the apostle Paul seems to be giving an explanation to the question of why did God make the non-elect if he had no intention of saving them. His answer is that the non-elect have a part to play in the salvation of the elect. When their role is over then hell will begin. As tough as this answer is my concern is not with Paul’s anwer but with his use of Old Testament scripture to make his point. He quotes Hosea 2:23 and Hosea 1:10 to show that God’s plan has all along been to populate the real people of God with mostly Gentiles. When one looks at the context of both passages from Hosea it is easy to see that the prophet is only talking about ethnic Israel. The Gentiles are not mentioned in the book. But, Paul seems, at least on the surface, to disregard the original context and give the passages a whole new meaning. How are we to understand Paul’s use of the Old Testament? (more…)
June 27th, 2007 by Geoff Volker
As I travel and teach for In-Depth Studies I am becoming increasingly aware that there is a common misunderstanding about the nature of the “law in the heart” as found in Hebrews 8:10, 10:16. This misunderstanding is not limited to folks who are new to NCT, but it also includes those who are teachers of NCT. Let me first begin with what, in my opinion, the law in the heart is not referring to. (more…)
December 5th, 2006 by Geoff Volker
Here is the next installment of the conference notes by Geoff Volker. How would you teach through Old Covenant case law? How do we handle those important and inspired parts of Scripture today? Check out Geoff’s answer. (more…)
December 4th, 2006 by Geoff Volker
Our conference begins tomorrow and goes the rest of the week. The topic is New Covenant Hermeneutics. I have already posted my notes and thoughts on the subject as it relates to interpreting the prophets and typology. The rest of this week I will be posting notes done by Geoff Volker and Mike Feather. Today I am posting Geoff’s notes on handling Old Testament Narrative. We all love the stories of the Old Testament but they can be rather difficult to teach on without moralizing or becoming fanciful in our application in the New Covenant era. In these notes, Geoff has attempted to give us some clear guidance on how to apply Old Testament narratives in a way that honors God and encourages His people. (more…)
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