Genesis 37 - Another Covenant
God's word is from Genesis 8:20 to 9:1. And let's read a bit more from the Bible.
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though[a] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Continuing from 9:13 to 15.
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” Amen”
Noahic Covenant: Distinction Between Two Covenants
The fact that Noah made a covenant with God is a story you know very well. However, the fact that there were two covenants is perhaps a fact we easily overlook.
First Covenant: Covenant of Grace (Ark Covenant)
In chapter 6, God had already made a covenant with Noah. At that time, He said this: “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” In this verse, God clearly stated that He would establish a covenant. Then what kind of covenant was it? It was a covenant concerning the ark of salvation, where Noah, his family, and the animals would board the ark built, and He would save them. We call this covenant the covenant of grace. Because it begins not with any condition, but with the verse stating that God bestowed grace upon Noah. The statement that Noah was righteous is a word that came about precisely because he had received grace. Noah's obedience to God's word was also possible because he was one who had received grace. That is why we call this the covenant of grace.
Background of the Second Covenant: Sacrifice and God's Unchanging Will
And that covenant reaches its climax in the scene of offering sacrifice. God smelled the pleasing aroma of the sacrifice. That word means God accepted the sacrifice. Therefore, when we read that passage, we might sometimes think this way: ‘Ah, because God smelled and accepted the sacrifice, He responded to it, and that response was God promising never again to destroy people with a flood.’ So we easily conclude that we must offer proper worship, and offering worship well is the way God responds to our worship.
However, what the Bible tells us is not so. And the reason God makes a covenant with us appears in the latter part of today's text. ‘I will not destroy the earth with a flood, because the inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.’ This was revealed as the reason for the covenant.
"Because the Human Heart is Evil": Reason for Preservation
This passage seems clear in meaning when read, but upon a little reflection, it becomes very strange. Okay, first, He destroyed the world with a flood. It was because humans were evil. But after the flood ended, God is saying He will never again destroy with a flood, and the reason is that humans are still evil. Then one could see it this way: Since humans are evil anyway, whether judged or not, the result will always be the same, so perhaps God is sparing them from judgment. Or one might think that after carrying out such judgment, so many people died, and His heart ached so much that He now intends never again to carry out a judgment that destroys people.
However, the pattern of this story is actually completely different from this. Because we are evil, God says He will not destroy this world. What this means is, because humans are evil, God had to save us. And for that salvation, this world had to be maintained until the Messiah came. This is why Noah's ark, although great, could not achieve true salvation.
Immutability of Human Nature
All people, including Noah, continued to have thoughts and plans that were evil from childhood. Even after passing through Noah's flood, humans were still evil. So Noah was saved by the ark, but he did not possess complete salvation. Although the floodwaters all receded, complete salvation had not come. Humans still needed the offspring of the woman. They looked forward to the One to come, the Messiah.
Here we learn a truly great truth. We think of this terrifying nature that humans possess merely as human nature, or perhaps a weakness, but according to the biblical record, it was something that wouldn't change even if the world turned upside down. To that extent, something we can take pride in is that our nature never changes, whether there's a flood or we see lightning strike and the sea turn upside down. We are people who remain unresolved even if the world turns upside down. Even if everything disappears due to the flood, we are still evil beings. Only the One who will save us, the One to come, the Cross, can solve this human problem. The Bible shows that we have no way to solve this ourselves.
Covenant of Grace: Covenant for the Church
Therefore, the story of Noah's ark becomes the covenant of grace. However, that is not the only covenant. We can see that this covenant of grace is given within the church, that is, to the people who have received God's salvation. God saved us, and through the covenant of grace, He saved the chosen people of God. Therefore, the church is a community living by the covenant of grace.
Sermon on the Mount and Difficulty of Worldly Application
Simply put, the words Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount are all words concerning God's people. Therefore, those words cannot be applied equally in the world. To put it simply, it's like this: Suppose you suffered a huge loss and experienced injustice. But if you happened to meet the person who caused the loss, what would you do? It is natural to grab that person, go to the police station or court, and get compensation for my damage. However, according to the Bible, we should say, ‘What you took last time was not all my property. Here is the rest of my property, take this too.’ Because if someone strikes you on the right cheek, you must turn the other cheek also. Therefore, we can see that these words are not meant to be applied everywhere in living life in the world.
This is a truly interesting fact. We usually think that if we learn something in church, we can go out into the world and use everything we learned as is, but we cannot use all the truths of the Bible exactly as they are out in the world. It is true that we possess the spirit of those biblical words, but it is very difficult to apply those words directly to all matters in the world. Especially things like the Sermon on the Mount are difficult to live by exactly as written. The Ten Commandments are even harder. Because in the Ten Commandments, besides prohibiting idols, keeping the Sabbath is also commanded. Although we might be able to keep this, we cannot force it upon worldly people.
Second Covenant: Covenant of the Land (Rainbow Covenant)
This covenant of grace is clearly given to God's people, but then, how should we, who are saved by the covenant of grace, live in this world? This is indeed the question that we, the people of God, should ask today. And in today's text, another covenant appears.
Recipient of the Covenant: All Living Creatures
This is the content of today's text, 9:9-10. “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.” Continuing in verse 11: “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” This word already appeared in chapter 8. However, in today's text, the recipient of this covenant is clearly recorded. We might easily think of it as a covenant between Noah and God, but the covenant in today's text is a covenant God made not only with Noah but with the world. We tend to think of a covenant as something made between God and us, but the covenant in today's text is one God made with all living beings in the world.
Content of the Covenant: Promise of World Preservation
This covenant was God's promise concerning all creation on earth. And He gave the rainbow as its sign. Although Noah is, of course, at the head of all creation, so this is sometimes called the Noahic covenant, strictly speaking, since it is a covenant made with all things on earth, it could be called the ‘covenant of the land’, or ‘covenant with the world’, or ‘rainbow covenant’. The characteristic of this covenant is that it is given to all living creatures, and its foremost content is that He will never again destroy with a flood. Then does this mean God will judge with something other than a flood in the future? That's not it either. Because in 8:21-22, these words appear: “Never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” That is, it means He will never again destroy with a flood. Continuing in verse 22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This statement is not just talking about the flood. It means the years will continue, includes the earth continuing to rotate as it is, and means everything will continue unchangingly as it is. The statement that seedtime and harvest will also continue is a promise that if work is done, the result of the work will follow accordingly. That is, it means all affairs of this world will continue without any problem until the end, and as long as the earth exists, all these things will continue without change.
Rainbow: Sign of the Covenant (End of War)
And God gives the rainbow as its sign. Then was this rainbow created for the first time at this moment? That probably wasn't the case. A rainbow would have always appeared in the sky after rain. But God is using that rainbow and making it a sign of the covenant. And this rainbow establishes a covenant with us in a somewhat special way. Everyone, think about circumcision for a moment. When God made the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, how did He command? He had all the men in his household receive circumcision. Every individual belonging to the covenant received circumcision. But the rainbow is a bit different. This is not given to individuals, but because it is a covenant made with the world, it is a covenant given to the world. Then what meaning does it contain? For what reason did He choose the rainbow?
This word 'rainbow' is the Hebrew word for 'bow'. It is mainly used in the context of war. But you probably know well how this bow is used. A bow is for drawing the string and shooting an arrow. That is, it means war is happening. It shows the image of standing the bow and fighting in ancient society. However, when the war ends, the string that was tied is loosened, and the bow is laid down loosely on the ground. This is the sign that the war has ended. That is, when the bow used in war is laid down, the war ends. Now let's think about this rainbow. What does the rainbow look like? It has the shape of a bow, but it's not the shape of standing it up to shoot, but a shape lying down. That is, the shape of this rainbow symbolizes that the war has ceased.
God's Declaration of Reconciliation
God is stating that His war, which would destroy the whole world and abandon everything, has ceased. This cannot be anything but a truly amazing word. It is God's declaration: ‘You continue to practice evil, but from now on, I will never again destroy you.’ As mentioned before, it is God's will: ‘I must do this so that I can save you.’ We are beings who are enemies among enemies of God. We were not just beings living well after leaving God, but after leaving God, we became kings ourselves and were beings committing all kinds of evil that words cannot fully express. We were beings constantly opposing God, treating God like an enemy, living according to our own desires. Everyone, if you don't quite understand the existence of humans opposing God, just recall the person you hate most in your heart. Did you give that person a Christmas present? Do you think, 'Since this is the person I hate most, I should treat them even better'? It must surely be a very difficult thing.
Of course, there are times when we deeply hate someone in our hearts for a long time. There are times when someone arises whom we dislike so much and don't even want to meet. It would certainly not be easy to approach that person first, confess that I hated you in my heart, and ask for forgiveness. The first place I lived when I came to America was ‘Whittier’. I lived there for a short time. At that time, twin brothers lived just one block down from the house where I lived. Not in the same house, but the two brothers lived right next door to each other. They were brothers who had lived there for 30-40 years, and since I lived right next to them, I knew these two gentlemen well. But these two brothers reportedly spent a full 28 years without seeing each other's faces. They reportedly spent 28 years as brothers in the same neighborhood without any interaction at all. When I learned this fact, I was so surprised how such a thing could be possible. I didn't even feel like asking the reason. So much time had passed that it would have been awkward even to approach and speak first.
The relationship between God and us was an enmity like this. It wasn't a relationship where if God pointed out our faults, we could go to God and ask for forgiveness. Yet God promises us, like this: ‘I will not destroy you, and because you are evil, I will save you.’ This is truly the gospel. That event happened to us.
Covenant of Common Grace
Just as the covenant of grace happened to us, now, while we live on this earth, God shows the rainbow to all creation, including Noah, and makes another covenant. And within this covenant, God promises that He will cease hostilities and will not destroy the world until the last day comes. The pandemic is frightening, but we will certainly not perish because of it. Nuclear war is also frightening. It is a truly terrifying thing that could cause us much difficulty and suffering, and it should never happen, but even that cannot destroy this world. Earthquakes, or any other natural disasters, cannot be the end. There can be many things that trouble us, but according to the Bible, those are not the end for us. Our end is Christ coming to this earth. Because God clearly states that until the day Christ comes to this earth, more than all those things, this world will not perish but will be preserved and protected, we should not worry about whether this earth will be destroyed while living here, but rather worry, think, and contemplate how to live a valuable and meaningful life on this earth that God preserves for us.
Everyone, the statement that God's holy war against this world will no longer exist is a covenant that includes the meaning that He has permitted all created things to us from now on. This is also called "common grace" that God gives, contrasting it with the grace that is God's covenant of salvation. The air we breathe, the warm sun, and the cool rain are all included here. Jesus also spoke about this in Matthew.
Universality of Common Grace (Rain on the Righteous and Unrighteous)
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” This is clearly a statement about the rainbow covenant. The Lord is saying He gives rain not only to the righteous but to everyone.
Believers and Suffering: Beyond Misunderstanding
Of course, this statement also implies that numerous hardships, disasters, and pains can happen without distinction between believers and non-believers. A believer is not a believer because they can avoid all calamities encountered on this earth. Sometimes we think that way. I mentioned this as an illustration before, but once there was a large fire along the 91 freeway. Many areas in the adjacent neighborhood caught fire, but coincidentally, the fire passed right by the church. So I read a newspaper article that the church suffered no damage at all. At that time, people said, ‘Indeed, the church is different somehow,’ and spoke of this as God's special protection.
Of course, God's providence and work were involved, and such a thing must have happened because it was God's will. And it is undoubtedly something to be thankful for. However, thinking that such a thing happened because the church is special is wrong. Because even among the many in the world who do not believe in Jesus at the moment, according to God's will and plan, He can lead them to Jesus, and they can become people who carry out God's work. Therefore, this is not something that can be thought about and interpreted with simple logic.
However, an event exactly opposite to this happened again a few years later. There was a big fire in Malibu. At that time, the neighborhoods where people lived were fine, but only the church burned down completely. Okay, now let's think about it. In your opinion, which is the better outcome? Is it that the neighborhoods where non-believers live all burn down, and only the church survives? Or is it that even if the church burns down and disappears, the adjacent houses are all safe, giving them a chance to believe in Jesus?
Meaning of Suffering: Discovering True Hope
As we live, these ambiguous problems arise for us. However, because God's grace and providence cannot be measured by our wisdom, such things can happen. Therefore, when you face some difficult situation, simply judging it as a problem with your faith is actually a very arrogant attitude. We can all face such ambiguous suffering, and in such difficulties, what God desires from us is to realize what truly holds onto our lives and to know what we should hope for in our lives. In times of suffering, we must live a life examining what gives us strength and what the true value of our life is, and only at such times can we clearly reveal that we are people satisfied with Christ Jesus.
What is a Blessed Life?
If we could live a life where all suffering passes us by, would that really be a decent life? What would happen if, while you live, everything happens exactly as you wish without any difficulties? First, you would stop praying. You would find absolutely no reason to pray. Naturally. What else would happen? You would probably gradually feel less need to believe in Jesus earnestly. You would stop remembering the Lord. You would no longer need the cross either. These are things that can happen in a life where everything happens as desired. Do you still want such a life? My life has difficulties and pains, but because of them, my pride is broken, and I came to look to God - who then is the blessed person? Is it the life with suffering? Or the life where everything works out as one desires? Still, if you had to choose one, it would be hard, wouldn't it? Our heart desires our life to flow without suffering. Mine is the same.
Believers Living Under Two Covenants
However, through the rainbow covenant in this text today, we come to know. The fact is that the fundamental principle by which God leads this world includes the rainbow covenant. And within that covenant, chosen believers are also included. That is why believers, like everyone else, are experiencing this difficult time of the pandemic together.
If so, what difference is there between believers and non-believers living through the same time like this? Today, we will try to trace that difference.
First, the rainbow covenant is a covenant for the history of salvation, where God preserves and protects this earth so that He can accomplish His work of salvation, despite human evil. That is, the reason this world is maintained and preserved is perhaps because the Lord is waiting for the time until the number of God's people is complete. In other words, the reason this world is preserved is not because the world itself is the purpose, but because the completion of the kingdom of God is the purpose. Therefore, this covenant becomes a covenant to protect and preserve all creatures in this world. However, for believers, this carries another meaning besides this. That is, besides being preserved and protected in the world, it means that through this time, our salvation is accomplished, and we come to be able to look towards the final kingdom.
Therefore, the believer possesses both of these covenants together. That is, besides the rainbow covenant, also called the covenant of the land, which is given equally to all creatures, they also simultaneously possess the covenant of grace explained just now.
Importance of Balance: Guarding Against Extremism (Monastery vs. Secularization)
However, sometimes we believers lean only towards this covenant of grace. Thus, when the fact of God saving us is emphasized more, believers living on this earth become very interested in how to live as people believing in Jesus, and naturally try to practice those words exactly. But that process is very difficult. How can one turn the other cheek after being struck on the right, and how can one go the extra mile when compelled to go one? So believers couldn't help but flee to the mountains, saying they couldn't live like that for even a day. The monastic movement that occurred in Christian history was an event that revealed this aspect. It doesn't mean the monastic movement itself was unconditionally bad. Distinguishing oneself for prayer and a pious life and practicing asceticism in a monastery on a mountain is not unconditionally bad in itself, but if the basis of such a life is the thought that living together in a secluded place, not on this earth but in a place where only a pious life can be pursued, is the only way I can live a pious life, it can be said that this is actually somewhat detached from the truth the Bible intends to convey. Thus, although monastic movements or the Amish have aspects worthy of religious respect, the reason they came to live lives disconnected from the world like this is because they emphasized only the covenant of grace and became biased.
However, conversely, if only the rainbow covenant, or the covenant of the land, is emphasized, the widespread secularization we see in the world today emerges. Numerous idols appear on this earth. To put it more simply, it's similar to this: Watching dramas or TV shows itself is clearly not a sin, but because of it, you lose time to read the Bible or pray. If we think that while living in this world, it's good to keep the faith, but we also need to moderately blend in with the world, eventually we tend to lean more and more towards the world, and eventually, it often becomes entrenched and turns into an idol. That is precisely what becomes a temptation, and can be seen as the process of secularization.
Sphere Sovereignty and Cultural Mandate (Pros and Cons of Neo-Calvinism)
Then, among those who knew that, there were those who faced the problem head-on, and in the eyes of such people, the fact that there were wealthy people living as excellent believers in church but acting as vicious employers or greedy individuals pursuing only their own interests in society came to be seen as fundamentally wrong. That is, they saw believers living according to the covenant of grace in church but living according to their own greed when they went out into the world. I think this is the biggest reason why many churches today are criticized.
So theologians and believers who realized this came to think that what the Bible truly tells us is that God's people, who have received the covenant of grace, must conquer this world according to that word. So they thought of this world as a place that must be torn down piece by piece with the word of God. Therefore, they believed that the kingdom of God must be established in every sphere of the world. It could be science, philosophy, politics, and in all these, believers should not remain passive but actively go out, tear them down, and work so that the kingdom of Christ might be established from them. It cannot be anything but a heart-stirring story.
We call those who prominently advocated this ‘Neo-Calvinists’. In English, it's called ‘neo-Calvinism’. People we respect like ‘Abraham Kuyper’ or ‘Herman Bavinck’ are those who advocated these ideas and laid their foundations. They were from the Netherlands, and Abraham Kuyper even served as the prime minister of that country. That is, he actually did the work of governing that country.
Limitations of the Christian Worldview Movement
Thus, this effort to lead the world with Christian spirit and values inadvertently resulted in leaning towards the intention of trying to create a theocratic state. That is, trying to practically create the kingdom of God on this earth. This form of theocratic state existed in Old Testament times. The Davidic dynasty was precisely a theocratic state. God's word was the law of that nation. Currently, we can find such forms in Islamic countries. In those countries, the Quran is the law. Similarly, if believers also came to think of subjugating all these things to Christianity, the world ends up becoming the object of our conquest. This kind of faith, which aims to preach the gospel and, through that gospel, create a nation where Christians hold vested interests in world politics, education, and all administration, can be different from the worldview spoken of in the Bible.
People sometimes call this the Christian worldview movement. Such a worldview, on the one hand, has clear advantages. It is a particularly attractive idea for young people. Because they had experienced being oppressed by the world. Christian young people living in the world, because they always experienced being oppressed by the world, had never had the opportunity to unfold Christian values in their own lives. When believing young people first enter a company, they experience being unconditionally dragged to company dinners, attending unwanted drinking parties, and being unable to get promoted or even manage company life properly without catering to their superiors' whims, and in such situations, the thought naturally arises that it would be good if there were companies with a Christian spirit. And indeed, such Christian companies were born. However, if you ask whether the results of these Christian companies were always good, there were many more cases where they were not. Even Christian companies ultimately had to operate for profit, and we could often see much exploitation and oppression occurring for this purpose. It was too often the case that companies known for doing much mission work failed to treat the people actually working in their company well. As such things gradually came to light, the actions of Christians began to be criticized by the world instead. We can now easily find such phenomena in various fields.
Thus, people began to doubt whether raising the banner of Christianity and having Christians ascend to high positions to change the world was really the truth the Bible speaks of. There is certainly a part here that aligns to some extent with the truth the Bible intends to convey. Pursuing the goal of establishing God's kingdom in every sphere of this earth was not unconditionally bad in itself, but problems arose in the method of achieving it. And that can be seen as a problem that occurred because they tried to cover the rainbow covenant, equally given by God, with the covenant of grace, among the two covenants we are examining today.
Believer's Participation in the World: Light and Salt as Sojourners
Rather, the Bible says we possess these two covenants simultaneously. And the reason is not that the purpose is for believers to change the world with the power of Christianity, but rather to remember that the world is not our ultimate home, but we are sojourners, and despite that, to let us know that we must live as light and salt. That is, it shows how we believers must strive for God's general righteousness and mercy, pursued by the rainbow covenant, to be well implemented on this earth. Therefore, believers are people who do not give up on worldly things, while simultaneously remembering that this earth is not our purpose.
Believers Living Under Two Covenants
Therefore, believers always live simultaneously within these two covenants. The world is absolutely not a holy community, nor can it become one. Therefore, we can absolutely not expect the holy laws spoken of in the Bible in the world. We cannot expect the world to tolerate the truths of the Bible that we advocate and know for our sake. If such things happen even a little, it is of course something to be thankful for, but there are far more instances in the world where it is not the case. Trials and tribulations that occur in the world happen equally to us, and various worldly joys and pleasures also happen to us believers. In that sense, even regarding modern science, we believers neither ignore nor blindly follow it. And in all things, we must always remember that we are between these two covenants. This is precisely the different way believers perceive and approach God's justice and mercy, which are the same for everyone.
Therefore, all believers must have a sense of being sojourners concerning this world. The Bible calls us believers sojourners in the world. Not simply travelers walking a road, but sojourners who are the light and salt of the world, and also pilgrims. This is the way we live on this earth.
Vocational Calling: Living with Biblical Values
Let me give a few examples. Let's assume there is a believer who works repairing shoes. Is there a special biblical way to fix shoes? Is there a method where if you fix shoes biblically well, God's miracle immediately appears? Such a thing cannot exist. If there is someone majoring in music, please answer. Does a biblical vocal method exist for singing? So is there a vocal method where if you sing according to that method, something biblical is achieved? Such a thing cannot exist. We only know how to sing accurately and well using the body structure we generally have and the vocal methods based on it. Then, between a believer and a non-believer, who sings better? The person with better skill sings better. Being a believer doesn't mean you sing better. A common misunderstanding we have is thinking that if we believe in Jesus well, we can sing better by God's grace. That's not true. The tenor Pavarotti doesn't sing well because he believed in Jesus well. He simply possessed the common grace given by God. Therefore, believers, like all other people, do the same work under the same conditions, but because believers know this earth is not the end, their perspective on such worldly things changes.
Political Participation: Pursuing Public Good and God's Justice
Perhaps the area where this is most evident is politics. If there is a Christian politician, we usually think that since they attend church well and believe in Jesus well, we believers should support such a Christian politician. Of course, it is undoubtedly welcome news if a good politician believes in Jesus well. It's a good thing. Then what is the goal of good politics? It is undoubtedly to make this world better. To make this world a better place to live. However, Christians are people for whom this world is not home. Therefore, Christian politicians inevitably have a very unique set of values.
Although this world is not their home, they are people who must live like light and salt for this world. Seen in that sense, it could be said that Christians too can become true politicians. If someone belonged only to this world, they themselves could not help but pursue selfish interests in this world. However, a truly Christian politician might be able to govern well, not seeking selfish gain but looking only to the kingdom of God. It seems too idealistic. But the problem is the fact that there is no one in the world who can do that. Such a person cannot exist. Even if they do, they are so rare that it makes it difficult. Because all people inherently, without realizing it, place their hope in this earth, and because of that, the world turning into an idol happens in an instant. How difficult must it be for a politician, while doing the natural work for the nation and people, not to stake their life on the world itself? Likewise, meeting a genuine politician who believes in Jesus is rarely an easy task.
Rather, it would be more realistic for us, from the standpoint of the rainbow covenant, to find ways to pursue the public good and God's justice and mercy for the public benefit. What we believers hope for through politics in this world is not to create a Christian nation. It is not to make the Ten Commandments into the constitution. Rather, it is to create a society where God's general justice is well manifested, and public order and good are well pursued. In that work, the reason and purpose of our lives as believers are very clear. There is no biblical way to repair shoes, but the person repairing shoes can have biblical values. Because if he is not just repairing shoes for the profit to live well himself, but serves neighbors and people, brings public benefit, and pursues God's glory, he is clearly living a life different from the world. How is that possible? Because this world is not everything to him. Because believers know that life does not end on this earth.
Guard Against Church Division: Prevent Political Idolization
Everyone, while we live day by day in this world within God's word, it clearly means living as people of the covenant, by the covenant of grace, but it also includes how we, as people of the rainbow covenant, should reveal God's justice and mercy on this earth. In that respect, you have a responsibility towards this society and this world. When you vote or express political opinions, whether it's in church or in the world, you must deliberate very carefully. And for that, besides needing a conscience of faith and correct knowledge and wisdom, you must also carefully examine how much the values the Bible speaks of, namely, true divine justice and divine mercy, are being implemented. Many people place importance on individuals, but you must not be too captivated by the individuals themselves. This applies equally to both America and Korea. We can learn much from past history. Hitler seemed extremely family-oriented and appeared to live a clean life. And the people close to him were also all family-oriented and kind people, so we cannot possibly understand how they committed such horrific acts. The tendency for individuals to pursue personal happiness often manifests in a direction different from pursuing public benefit and righteousness, so we must always carefully examine in our judgment how this public benefit and God's justice align. That is our responsibility. The same applies when dealing with the numerous fake news items easily encountered these days. We must absolutely not be deceived by them. These too are issues we ought to contemplate within God. Because the reason and purpose of our lives lie in God's glory, and therefore, although what is on this earth is not everything, at the same time, we must fulfill the role of light and salt.
However, our hearts must not be so biased by the political beliefs we hold that they become our idols. You must always remember that God is the Lord of this earth, God's will and kingdom are what we pursue, and this world is not everything, so there can absolutely be no dividing or classifying believers within the church based on political stances like conservative or liberal. You must surely remember this. You can, of course, hold political views. Based on your conscience of faith and knowledge, supporting a certain politician or party is not a bad thing. However, just because other members of the community support a different politician or party than oneself, condemning or attacking them for it is unacceptable. How can political reasons divide the body of God? That makes no sense. No matter how deeply involved in politics you are, if such feelings arise within you, it is an idol. No matter how right you think you are, it is merely an idol to you, not the image of God's covenant people in God's church.
Harmony of Two Covenants: People of God's Kingdom in the World
I am not telling you now what judgments and views you should have as Christians. You can make various decisions on all matters, including politics, according to your freedom and your conscience of faith. However, such things can absolutely not destroy the oneness of the church body. What Noah's covenant shows us is that through the rainbow covenant, we can participate in the world and strive for God's justice. Our purpose is not to transform the world, but rather we must participate within the world as beings of light and salt, showing God's righteousness and mercy on this earth. We can participate in and contribute to the scientific development of this earth, contribute to much academic progress, and at the same time, we must not forget that we are also within the covenant of grace as the church of God. We must know and be able to discern the difference between the two kingdoms, and at the same time, always remember that the two kingdoms are not separate.
Neighbors are not objects of our conquest. Rather, living among them as sojourners within God's general principles, we must show that we are not obsessed with the world, love them, and become a language of blessing to them. The world should regard us as instruments of blessing. Because we are not people living for worldly greed, but living by fulfilling the role of light and salt of Jesus Christ is our joy. By living well and shining like light, we should not have the mindset of gaining anything in this world, but become beings who disappear without any reward, like our independence fighters during the Japanese colonial period.
Guard Against Worldly Temptation and Hope in God's Kingdom
A true believer is someone who lives according to God's word on this earth and lives satisfied that the Lord's will, justice, and truth are being established. And that is the value of a believer living life on this earth.
However, finally, I must say one more thing. While you live in the world like that and should be a blessing, you must also not forget the fact that you live in a fallen world. There is always the temptation of idolatry. It can infiltrate the church. Therefore, please do not forget the fact that we must surely keep our eyes on the kingdom of God, and pursue the kingdom of God, not this world.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray! Loving Lord, through Noah's covenant, we have examined that we possess two covenants. Through this covenant, let this be a precious time to remember how we should live in this world that God has permitted us, what we should pursue while living in the world, and how amazing the oneness of the church body is. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen!