Understanding the Holy Spirit

"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved" (Mat. 9:17). What we have here is a parable of Jesus about the old and new covenants. The simple reality being conveyed is that the two covenants cannot coexist. Jesus made it perfectly clear that he came to FULFILL the old covenant law, which means, as the apostle Paul later said, he "established the law" (Mat. 5:17; Rom. 3:31). The "new wine" in the parable represents the holy Ghost which Jesus came to make a way to give to mankind (Mk. 1:7,8; Jn. 7:38,39; Jn. 10:10; Rom. 8:2). The bottles represent the covenants as well as the people who believe on Jesus. In regard to putting new wine into old bottles, causing the wine to run out and the bottles to perish, the apostle Paul stated the following: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). The scripture says that "the Lord is that Spirit," so what he was saying is if we think we need to keep anything of the ceremonial law of the old covenant in order to be right with God, we are losing the purifying effect of the holy Ghost in the process. And if we are losing the purifying effect of the Spirit, we are going to be in sin, which means we are NOT under grace: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? ... What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid" (Rom. 6:1,2,15). The reason we will be under sin if we are depending on the works of the law to justify us is because if we are so doing then we are going in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION of the leading of God's Spirit, which alone can lead us OUT OF sin and into holiness (Rom. 8:13,14; I Cor. 6:11; Tit. 3:5). That is what Paul declared plainly with the following statement: "But IF ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not [cannot be] under the law" (Gal. 5:18). If we have received the holy Ghost in our lives, we are those new bottles in the parable. But if we observe, practice, and honor the ceremonial works of the old covenant, we are in effect trying to put new wine into old bottles, because we are trying to be justified by the old covenant ceremonies. In other words, we are making ourselves to be old bottles instead of the new bottles that God has made us (II Cor. 5:17; Heb. 10:19,20). And that is where the wine runs out of the bottles and the bottles perish. We CANNOT be saved with sin in our lives, and we cannot be DELIVERED from sin if we are trusting in the works of the law to make us right with God (Rom. 6:23; Heb. 12:14). As Jesus said, only if we put new wine into new bottles, will "both be preserved." Our mindset must be that the purifying power of the Spirit, through faith in Jesus, is the only way we can be right with God and stay that way (Acts 1:8; Gal. 3:3; Philip. 3:3).

I believe it is evident that I am referring to the universal practice and observance of the carnal ordinances of water baptism and the partial Passover observance known somehow as "communion." My friend, both water baptism and the Passover, which was what was going on at "the last supper," are clearly of the old covenant. Jesus SAID to John the Baptist that the reason he was coming to him to be baptized was to FULFILL THE LAW, clearly meaning that water baptism was of the law (Mat. 3:15). And he also told his disciples at the last supper that he would be partaking of that feast with them in a NEW WAY afterward IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, at which time it would be fulfilled (Mat. 26:29; Lk. 22:16). Go ahead, read those passages. That is what he said. And just what IS the kingdom of God of which he spoke? "For the kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy IN THE HOLY GHOST" (Rom. 14:17). Not only so, but we have proof positive in the scriptures that these symbolic, old covenant ordinances have been fulfilled, and thereby eliminated from use, by the Spirit (I Cor. 5:7; Rev. 3:20; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5; Heb. 8:7-13). And I will tell you with authority from heaven that the mindset throughout the body of Christ that sin cannot be fully eliminated from our lives, is inexorably linked to the observance of old covenant ordinances in our service and worship of the Lord. We are trying to put new wine into old bottles and it has caused the wine to run out of the bottles, and the only result is that the bottles perish. Yes, as the apostle Paul said, "Christ [the Spirit] is become of NO EFFECT unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law." Keeping old covenant, carnal, symbolic ordinances has caused the holy Ghost to be drained from those who have it, and the only result to that malady is that sin prevails, and as Paul told the Galatians, "ye are fallen from grace." And therein lies the true significance and sobering admonition of the following famous, and famously misunderstood and misused passage: "For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of WORKS, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). All one need do to understand that scripture passage, is read a little further in the chapter. In doing so, you will see that the "works" that cannot save us, are the ceremonial ordinances of the law, which the apostle plainly says, have been ABOLISHED by the cross of Christ; which truth is repeated in Colossians chapter 2 as well (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). So there it is my friend. The choice is yours; whether to cleave to the traditions of men by continuing to observe old covenant ordinances that are dead, or to follow God's Spirit into holiness and the true worship and service of God "in spirit [only], and in truth [not in formality]" (Jn. 4:24). Amen.