I’m working through Exodus in my personal reading. This morning I was working my way through Exodus 19 & 20. I did poke back to Exodus 15 to look at one of the texts Tim Keller talked about in an excellent sermon at the Gospel Coalition yesterday. You have to see Exodus 20 in context. First came redemption, or rescue, and then the Law. Redemption was never earned via obedience. The Law was given to God’s people for life in His presence, not to earn His acceptance.
In 19 and 20 you see quite the special effects displays. God descended to the mountain in the cloud, and they heard His voice speaking. They were filled with terror. Moses didn’t just tell them these things, they were witnesses themselves.
As I got near the end of Exodus 20 I read this:
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. (NIV, 1984)
My mind went to the beginning of 1 John.
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (NIV, 1984)
Not just speculative theology, John and the other apostles were witnesses. Was it merely coincidental that John began this way? I don’t think so. There are many parallels with Exodus, particularly with its focus on the greater Passover. John keeps going back to the propitiation, or sacrifice of atonement, of Jesus. He uses orthodoxy of thought, personal obedience and love for the new family as tests of genuine conversion. It is not one or the other of those: orthodoxy or love? Rather it is all of them.
But where does John end his letter?
21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (NIV, 1984)
Sound vaguely familiar? The substance of “religion” is the same in the Old and New Testaments. Some of the particulars are different (sacraments as well as the fulfillment and obsolescence of the ceremonial law and end of the civil law since the church is not a geo-political entity). This why I’m a Covenant Theology, not a New Covenant theology, kind of guy (some day I’ll lay out the details on the differences). John (and Paul, Peter, James etc.) saw and expressed their faith a in keeping with “the old religion” seen through the work of Christ. His letter is filled with the patterns and themes of Exodus (just as Revelation is as well).
Cavman Considers 
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