Luke 5:39 KJV
No man also having drunk old wine straightway
desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
This parable, given only by Luke, completes Jesus' answer to the
question of the Scribes and Pharisees as to why John's disciples fasted but not
Jesus'. The answer is as simple as this; people who are accustomed to one
thing find it difficult to embrace a new thing.
The person who has grown used to a religious system that practices
their faith in ancient and many would say, beautiful ceremonies and rituals has
a difficult time adjusting to a newer, simpler and must less ritualistic
experience.
The person who has been convinced for years that righteousness before
God is the product of good works finds it difficult to accept the idea that true
righteous is the result of faith and "that not of
yourselves it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."[1]
Early Christians, being Jews, struggled letting go of Jewish ritual to
come to faith in Christ alone. Following Christ is an abandonment of religion
for righteousness. There is an element of good works that God has ordained we
walk in, but it is not for salvation or for our standing before God; it is as a
tool of ministry for others.
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