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The old covenant: living from good and evil
The old covenant is rooted in thinking in terms of good and evil. The law of Moses defined what was good and what was evil, and prescribed which sacrifice was required when the law was broken in order to receive acquittal. This legalistic, religious system still forms the foundation of how many “Bible-believing” Christians understand the gospel.
Within this framework, God’s law declares humanity guilty, and Jesus is seen as the sin offering required to obtain acquittal from that guilt. In this way, thinking remains confined within a legal system of guilt and acquittal, where the gospel is reduced to a solution for sin.
The mixing of old and new
When “penal substitution” is seen as the core of the gospel, the old and the new covenant become intertwined. The new covenant is not focused on regulating good and evil, but on the breaking through of the Light of Christ that drives out darkness.
This mixture arises when Light and darkness are interpreted as good and evil. In doing so, the essential distinction is lost. The result is that the legalistic (religious) system of the old covenant remains intact, while the gospel is meant to set us free from it.
The meaning of darkness
To break free from this, it is essential to see that darkness in itself is not evil. Darkness already existed before humanity came into being:
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep…” (Genesis 1:2–3)
Darkness belongs to the visible, tangible reality of creation. Where there is matter, there is limitation — and therefore darkness. Light does not fully penetrate matter, which is why the physical world is naturally accompanied by a certain degree of darkness.
Matter is not evil, and the same is true for darkness. However, the darkness that accompanies earthly existence does affect our consciousness. As a result, we began to think in dualistic terms. And from that thinking in good and evil, we also began to produce good and evil.
Within that framework, the law became necessary — not as an ultimate solution, but as a temporary structure to keep life livable. The legalistic (religious) system functions as long as consciousness remains darkened.
“So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”
In Greek, the word paidagōgos is used here: someone who supervises and guides a child until maturity. It refers to something temporary, not an ultimate goal.
Paul shows that the law functions within a certain stage of consciousness — as structure and limitation — but it is not the final reality. Once Christ-consciousness breaks through, this “guardian” loses its role.
God’s perspective: liberation instead of regulation
God is not concerned with regulating the world of good and evil in which we live. He is not occupied with law, guilt, punishment, or forgiveness as we understand them. These are categories that arise from human, darkened thinking.
It is humanity — and often the church — that remains entangled in this system. But God’s desire is not to manage or repair that darkened reality, but to liberate us from it.
That liberation takes place as the Light of Christ breaks through in our darkness. This Light is present in every person, but it is covered by a legalistic way of thinking.
As long as the gospel of Christ remains mixed with old patterns of thought centered on good and evil, that Light remains hidden. It stays “under a bowl” and is not given space to illuminate our reality.
The necessity of a pure gospel
Therefore, it is essential that the gospel is freed from the legalistic system of “penal substitution”. The young wine of the Kingdom requires new wineskins.
Only where this mixture is released does space emerge for the Light to break through. And where the Light appears, darkness does not disappear through struggle, but naturally.
The works of darkness dissolve where the Light becomes visible, and the fruit of the Spirit manifests as a natural result.
What you focus on grows
What receives attention grows. When the focus is on controlling and regulating evil, evil remains central and is sustained.
But where attention is directed toward the Light, the Light emerges — and darkness fades away on its own.
This is the core of the gospel of the Kingdom: not the management of darkness, but the manifestation of the Light — here and now.
Reflection questions
- Where do you notice your faith still being shaped by thinking in terms of good and evil?
- What does it mean for you that darkness is not the same as evil?
- How does your focus influence what becomes visible in your life?
- Where are you inviting the Light of Christ to break through in your consciousness?
- What does it practically mean for you to live from the Kingdom (here and now)?
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