Does this mean that we may now covet—to become selfish and greedy? No! We still refuse to covet. But the reason has changed. We do not obey the command because we are under Moses and his legal system. Rather, we obey this principle of not coveting because we are under Christ. We imitate His selfless attitude. We are empowered by His Spirit! “We serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). As Paul also says,
To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:20-21)
Paul is under Christ, rather than the old law. The Old Covenant has been replaced by Christ’s far better covenant.
These and other Scriptures have been examined in the course entitled Covenant Promises. You may want to review that Bible course, which lays a foundation helpful for gaining the full benefit of this present course. While that earlier course established basic understandings, it also raised questions that invite deeper study. In this course, we address these questions so that we all can grow in “the grace and knowledge” of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18). To Him belongs the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.