Unmixable Truth

 

Why Old Skins Can't Hold New Wine

Have you ever encountered a truth so profound, so liberating, that it utterly transforms your understanding? Yet, often, our age-old drawback comes from religion – the man-made traditions, rules, and needless works we bind ourselves to without even considering their true origin. Just like the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day, we can inadvertently "make the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:13, KJV).

Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, often taught through parables, simple stories designed to cut through this religious fog and reveal layers of divine wisdom. Today, we're diving into one such profound parable from Luke 5:36-39 (KJV), a passage that brilliantly illustrates the radical, unmixable difference between the Old Covenant of Law and the New Testament of Grace.

"And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better."

Garments and Wine

Jesus uses two powerful everyday analogies: garments and wine. Both speak to the inherent incompatibility of mixing the old with the new.

Robes of Righteousness The first image is striking: you don't patch an old, worn-out garment with a piece of new, unshrunk cloth. Why? Because the new patch, after washing, will shrink and tear away from the brittle old fabric, making the rip worse than before. The new simply "agreeth not with the old."

What is this "new garment" in the context of our faith? It's nothing less than the Garment of Righteousness that God Himself provides! As Isaiah 61:10 (KJV) triumphantly declares: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness..."

Our righteousness is not earned; it is imputed – freely given and credited to us – through our faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:22 (KJV) states, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..." And Philippians 3:9 (KJV) beautifully summarizes our position: "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." We don't try to stitch our old, tattered efforts onto this perfect, divine covering. It simply doesn't fit, and any attempt to do so will only result in spiritual tearing and confusion.

The Covenant of Grace Next, Jesus talks about new wine and wineskins. Ancient wineskins, made of animal hide, would stretch and become brittle with age. New wine (freshly squeezed grape juice), still fermenting, would expand and require supple, flexible new wineskins to contain it. Pour new wine into old skins, and the skins burst, wasting both the wine and the container.

The "New Wine" is none other than Jesus Christ Himself and the New Testament established through His blood (the freshly squeezed, perfect substance of salvation). His life, His sacrifice, and His resurrection inaugurated a radically different way of relating to God. The New Testament is based not on our performance, but on His finished work.

• The Old Covenant (Law) demanded perfect obedience, but could not make us righteous (Romans 3:20, KJV: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.").

• The New Testament (Grace) declares us righteous through faith, by the blood of the Lamb.

The New Testament was sealed and confirmed by the shedding of Jesus' perfect blood. Hebrews 9:12 (KJV) proclaims, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." And Hebrews 10:10 (KJV) assures us: "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." His "once for all" sacrifice fulfilled and superseded every Old Testament requirement.

And who are the "new wineskins" that can hold this explosive New Wine? We are! When we receive Christ, we are not just forgiven; we are made new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."). We are born again with a new nature, capable of receiving and containing the boundless life and power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, KJV: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.").

The Problem with Mixing Law + Grace = Confusion (Babylon)

Traditional religion often introduces a dangerous twist: conditional salvation. It teaches that before we can be truly renewed or filled with the Holy Spirit, we must perform certain actions – abandon old ways, "turn or burn," become holy through self-effort, "repent" in the sense of earning forgiveness. This sets up severe preconditions, creating a heavy burden for believers.

But Jesus' parable is "covenant talk." It exposes the utter incompatibility of trying to mix the Law with Grace. LAW + GRACE = BABYLON

Yes, you read that right. The very word "Babylon" (from the Hebrew Babel) means "confusion by mixture." It perfectly describes what happens when we attempt to blend the old system of human effort (Law) with God's perfect, finished work (Grace). It creates a confusing, burdensome religious system that obscures the glorious simplicity of the Gospel.

The Old Covenant said: "Do this and live." The New Testament declares: "It is done! Believe and live!" Any attempt to add "do this" to "it is done" leads to confusion and ultimately nullifies grace (Galatians 2:16, KJV: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ..." and Romans 11:6, KJV: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.").

The Bitter Fruits of Confusion - Unbelief and Stolen Inheritance

This confusion, this "Babylonian mixture," is the root of many lies that plague believers, "making the word of God of none effect" through man-made traditions (Mark 7:13). For more than 2000 years, religion (in all forms) has been a tool that mis-taught, misled, confused, twisted, and even brainwashed us into unbelief, especially concerning the glorious truths of God's provision in Christ.

Consider these common, yet spiritually debilitating, religious falsehoods that stem from mixing grace with law or pagan/man-made rituals:

• "Healing was not part of the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah." (A demonic lie! Isaiah 53:5, KJV: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This includes physical healing!)

• "Healing was only for the time of the Apostles so that they could come to believe." (A tradition that limits God's power!)

• "Healing comes only from the doctors that God predestined." (A distortion that dismisses divine intervention and the finished work of Christ!)

• "We should not discern the Body of Jesus for physical healing when taking holy communion." (A man-made rule that denies the fact that His physical body was smitten and broken for our healing!)

• "Our affliction is God's will because He, in His sovereignty, allows it." (A grave misunderstanding of God's heart! While God is sovereign, His will for us is life and blessing, not sickness and suffering. John 10:10, KJV: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.")

• "God is teaching him or her a lesson, and they will emerge a better Christian once it passes." (A cruel lie that attributes the work of the enemy to a loving Father.)

• "God has a plan with afflicting us and making us suffer; we should abide because of God's plan with affliction." (This is directly contrary to God's nature as fully revealed in Christ.)

• "It is a necessary thorn in our flesh the same as what Paul had, and God is not prepared to take it away." (A misinterpretation of Paul's specific trial, which very well could have been a person or persons and is used to justify perpetual suffering, rather than believing for freedom.)

These are all unbelief and demonic lies that Mark 7:13 perfectly addresses: "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." They seek to rob us of our inheritance in Christ and negate the power of His finished work which provided not only spiritual redemption but also physical healing and wholeness.

The Unforgettable Taste

Here's the awe-inspiring, mind-blowing conclusion of Jesus' parable:

"No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better." 

At first glance, this might seem like a contradiction. Is Jesus saying the Old Covenant is better? Absolutely not! He's exposing a human reality: once you've been accustomed to the taste of the old system – the self-reliance, the performance-based acceptance, the striving, the justifying of suffering – it's hard for many to immediately appreciate the radical freedom and simplicity of the new. Their palate is used to the old flavor. And that is how we have been brainwashed by religion.

But here’s the glorious truth hidden in plain sight: If you have truly tasted the New Wine – Jesus Christ and His ultimate grace – you will never, ever again desire the old!

As Psalm 34:8 (KJV) beautifully invites: "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

Once your spiritual palate experiences the unmerited favor, the absolute forgiveness, the completed righteousness, and the divine health that is yours in Christ, the burden of the Law and the lies of religion become unpalatable. The very Spirit of God living within you creates a new desire. Ezekiel 36:26-27 (KJV) prophesied this inward transformation: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you... And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes..."

When you taste the New Wine, when you truly grasp the finished work of Christ, you will automatically pour it into the new container that is YOU! Your being is fundamentally changed, renewed, and capable of holding the fullness of God's grace and all its benefits, including healing and wholeness.

HALLELUYAH! Embrace the New Wine. Let the old be acknowledged for what it was, but fully embrace the new reality of God's ultimate grace, forever made perfect in Jesus Christ. There's no mixing, no striving, just pure, unadulterated grace, shattering every lie and tradition that would negate the living Word of God.