The Church of God is a new covenant church. All doctrine and belief of the Church of God is to be based on the new covenant teachings of Jesus Christ and His apostles. The original covenant given at Mount Sinai was replaced on the first day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus stated on His last night of earthy life, “‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’ “(Luke 22:20b All verses are NKJV unless otherwise noted).
Peter’s first new covenant sermon as recorded in Acts 2:14-29 lays out what is called “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). In this sermon Peter shows the plan of salvation of mankind through the crowning sacrifice of God in the flesh. The following points from this first sermon by Peter lay out the new covenant message and method of preaching used by the first century apostles and church.
-Acts 2:17 We see God freely giving the Holy Spirit to all those who would ask and repent. This is new and was not available under the old covenant.
-Acts 2:20 We see prophecy of the return of Jesus and the great and terrible Day of the Lord. The preaching of the kingdom of God.
-Acts 2:21 We learn salvation is now spiritual rather than for the physical salvation of Israel and salvation is available to all (Gal. 3:15-18,26-29).
-Acts 2:36 Jesus is both Lord and Master. This was not a part of the old covenant.
-Acts 2:38 We are to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins which can only be forgiven because of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
These five points form the gospel message and this message and style of preaching is repeated throughout the New Testament. Peter gives a version of this in Acts 3. Stephen gives his version in Acts 7 and was killed for it. Eventually Paul, consenter to the murder of Stephen preaches the exact same message. Paul later taught, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Crist reconciling the world to Himself not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:17-19). We are a new creation under the new covenant.
In his first Pentecost sermon Peter quotes from Joel, Ezekiel and Zechariah about the coming of the Holy Spirit. (Joel 2:28-32; Ezek. 11:19; Zech. 12:10). Jeremiah 31:31-33 is fulfilled in Hebrews 8:6-13. Peter’s sermon points out the new covenant is here, now, and we are imbued with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as individuals. The Holy Spirit was not given to the masses under the old covenant. It is now available under the new covenant to those who truly seek God, repent, are baptized and believe the gospel. To not believe this is to deny the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter tells us we have been born again, “not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, thorough the word of God which lives and abides forever…” (I Pet.1:23). This can only happen if we have God’s Spirit dwelling in us. The Greek word used by Peter is “gannao” see Strong’s #1080 meaning begotten, born, to be conceived. We are begotten by God and have His spirit now, yet we do not yet see the fullness of our calling (Our future rebirth as a complete spiritual being adopted into the family of God). Our future with God is outlined in Rom. 8:14-17, where we learn we are to be adopted into His family for eternal life. This salvation through Jesus Christ is a process which began for Christians on that day of Pentecost where Peter preached so boldly.
Paul echoes Peter’s Pentecost sermon when he says, “3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (I Cor. 15: 3-4). Both Peter and Paul preached we are the New Covenant church of God.
We are told, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’ “(Mark 1:14-15). This was 2,000 years ago, not the future. The new covenant came with Jesus.
Matthew tells us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is NOT what ancient Israel had been commissioned to do. The great commission, to go out and preach to all nations is what the new covenant church has been commissioned to do. This is preciously what Peter preached on that first new covenant Pentecost. This is preciously what all the apostles preached. This is preciously why we are a new covenant Church of God and what we are to preach today.
Paul bluntly tells us, “3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the [a]Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [b]by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Cor. 3:1-18). The Church of God is a New Covenant church and must preach the apostles doctrine as outlined in Acts 2.
The statement of beliefs of the Church of God (Seventh day) is very clear on this subject. In speaking of the Kingdom of God being in three phases it says, “The spiritual kingdom of grace exists now as God rules in the lives of the obedient believers.” This is the new covenant of God’s sprit dwelling in the believers. It is not future, but now. Will God’s grace and new covenant be fulfilled in FULL in the future? Yes, is the only correct answer. This will happen in the future millennial kingdom of Christ. Yet today, we have His Spirit within us. We cannot yet imagine the fullness of His grace. : 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19). Someday all mankind will have the opportunity to be fully in the new covenant. The entire message of Pentecost is we are NOW a part of the first fruits of God and a part of His current spiritual kingdom. This can only happen with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the heart of man.
