“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known. (vv. 26-28)

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:31-32)

For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)

Most Christians have never heard of the doctrine called the Active Obedience of Christ. For those who do not know what it is, you can have a look at this: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/active-and-passive-obedience-of-christ. Or you can simply look up on the internet.

For over a year, I have been trying to explain why this doctrine is dangerous and misleading. I believe everyone who studies Theology professionally learns about this theology. If anyone denies this doctrine, the person is deemed unorthodox and an apostate.

This doctrine is originally from Anselm of Canterbury who believed that men had free will. If we accept his idea, we end up denying God’s grace upon the elect. The doctrine leads us to salvation based on obedience to the law of God. Those who believe that this doctrine is orthodox emphasize obedience to the law. All saints uphold the law. but theologians make their own interpretations of the law. When the written code was alive, the Israelites were subject to death because of the old covenant. However, the new covenant is different. The saints will never be subject to death not because Jesus kept the law perfectly but because He changed our status from slaves to children by buying us with His blood.

The blessing we receive does not depend on our works of the law. Instead, it is tied to the one and only Son of God. The Father gave the Son the task of making us His children. And the Son accomplished this on the cross. The church united with Christ died and resurrected with Him. We are reborn. It is wrong to say that the cross is only about payment for our sins.

God gave the Israelites the law. However, He was not pleased with the sacrifices of animals. On the outside, it appeared that a blessing was promised if the Israelites did what the law said. However, God was not satisfied with the sacrifices of animals.

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. (Psalm 51:16)

Then we must wonder why God gave the law in the first place. Based on the old covenant, theologians concluded that obedience was the source of God’s blessing. However, they misunderstood the meaning of obedience. The obedience God wants is based on love, which exists only in the relationship between the Father and the Son.

Samuel said, “Does the LORD have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering; You have opened my ears; You have not required burnt offering and sin offering. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; It is written of me in the scroll of the book. “I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:6-8)

The law required the Israelites to give God burnt offerings and sacrifices. But the verses above tell us that God is not pleased with them. How should we interpret this?

God delights in only one person who is the exact representation of Himself, His Son. It is not the obedience that God cares but the person who obeys truly, the Son of God. Therefore, the law was given to guide us to the Son who makes His people true children of God. Therefore, the Son makes us righteous by making us reborn. Without the Son’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit could not come. Our righteousness is the work of the Son and the Spirit.

Therefore, it is wrong to say that the Son made us righteous by perfect keeping of the law. It is from the wrong understanding of the old covenant. The Bible denies this theory because God never promised sonship or eternal life to Adam. The Covenant Theology which includes the Active Obedience of Christ is based on men’s fantasy of a human savior because it asserts that Adam could have been the head of the church had he kept God’s command perfectly. All pagan religions, novels, and movies praise men-made saviors who do not exist. We do not believe that our righteousness is from the law. Our righteousness is God. And this righteousness became ours through the blood of Christ.

In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:6)

So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. (Romans 5:18)