The Will or Testament of Christ
by Harry Osborne
September 20, 2009

All of us are familiar with the term "will" or "testament" denoting a particular type of legal document. Webster defines it as "the disposition of one's effects after death." The author of the will must, while still alive, possess the thing to be disposed and declare the conditions upon which possession is to be passed to another. If a testator (or author of a will) provides for me to inherit $1,000,000 through his will if I meet six conditions, several points are readily understood.

• First, I have no right to claim that $1,000,000 through his will while he is still living because he must die before that will is in effect. The nature of a will or testament makes this obvious.
• Second, I have no right to claim the $1,000,000 after the testator's death if I have not met all six conditions. Meeting three, four, or even five of the conditions is not enough. The reception of the gift is dependent upon my meeting all of the conditions stipulated.
• Third, I have no right to change that testator's will. Regardless of how much I wish his will could be altered or how much I think it ought to be different, that will must remain intact according to the dictates of the testator.
• Fourth, if I receive the $1,000,000 after meeting all six conditions, the money is still a gift. My compliance with the provisions of the will did not earn me the $1,000,000. It is a conditional gift, but it remains a gift by the grace of the testator nonetheless.

The Bible declares that the New Testament is the will of Jesus Christ through which He grants to man His gift of salvation. The Hebrew writer expressed it this way:
And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15).

Christ's will or testament came into effect as any other will would - after His death. The Hebrew writer goes on to make this point:

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives (Heb. 9:16-17).

When we look at events during the life of Christ, we see a time when men lived under the old covenant given through Moses to Israel. The Hebrew writer had already shown that the old covenant or law of Moses was taken out of the way and replaced with the new covenant of Christ (Heb. 7:11-25; 8:3-13). Other writers confirm that this change of law happened as a result of Jesus' death (Eph. 2:13-16; Col. 2:14). So, we cannot justify our actions today on the basis of commands that were exclusively for those under the law of Moses, since we are not under that law today. Those who would justify animal sacrifice for sin, the burning of incense or instrumental music in worship on the basis of Old Testament laws fail to see we are under a new law begun by Christ's will.

The apostle Paul through inspiration of the Holy Spirit made clear the consequences of seeking to justify our actions through an appeal to the law of Moses rather than the will of Christ. He said, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). Thus, we must rightly divide the word of God by properly distinguishing between the law spoken to those of old and that which is binding upon us through the will of Christ (2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 1:1-2). Failure to understand this fact makes void an effect of Christ's death and makes us guilty of ignoring the power of His death upon the cross.

Since it is clear that Christ has a will that has come into effect, how can we know about its conditions and provisions? Today, people find out about such when a will is read and revealed. Did any similar thing happen to reveal the will of Christ for the salvation of man? As a matter of fact, Jesus' will was announced to all men, but with an interesting twist. Since Jesus rose from the dead, He revealed His own will to all before He ascended to heaven.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke give parallel accounts of the occasion. From putting all of the accounts together, we get the complete picture about the provisions and conditions of Christ's will. When we notice what Jesus said in each place, we can sum up both the conditions and benefits of that will dealing with the salvation of man.

• Mark recorded Jesus' words as follows: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16).
• Luke's account is this: "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47).
• Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 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" (Matt. 28:18-20).

The conditions of Christ's will are clearly stated. One must believe the gospel message that he hears. He must repent of his sins. He must be baptized. Then, he must obey all that Christ commands through the apostles as stated in the remainder of the New Testament.

The benefits of Christ's will are also plainly declared. He says that those complying with His conditions "will be saved," will receive the "remission of sins" and be "disciples" of Christ. The inheritance offered is beyond the greatest wealth of this world! It allows us to be forgiven of the sins that separate us from God and have fellowship with Him again.

However, we must remember that we cannot change Jesus' will. If one decides the condition for salvation ought to be faith only, he omits some of the clear conditions stated by Christ. If someone else concludes that there should be no conditions at all to be met for salvation, he also opposes the plain teaching of Christ's will.

Some have argued that any work which is a condition for our salvation would make our redemption that of merit, not of grace. But if we understand that the inheritance of salvation is like any other benefit from a will, the answer to the objection becomes obvious. Meeting conditions in a will does not earn us the inheritance. It is still a gift - a conditional gift. When looking at the Bible teaching about salvation, it is essential for us to note both aspects of the will. Our inheritance is clearly a gift (Matt. 11:28; Rom. 6:23; 2 Pet. 1:3). Just as clearly, that gift is conditional (Matt. 11:29; 1 Pet. 1:22; Jas. 2:24; Lk. 13:3; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21). If we want to receive the gift, we better meet all of the conditions!

The book of Acts is full of examples regarding the will of Christ bringing salvation to man. In each case, those who would be saved were instructed from the gospel message to meet the same conditions laid down by Jesus. Those who did were saved and those who did not were lost. Today, our inheritance of Christ's gift may be realized, if we will only meet the conditions revealed in His will.

< Back to Article List