"What's New?"

What's new? A new and better covenant with God built upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ! A covenant is a contract, agreement, or promise between 2 or more parties. There are several covenants mentioned in the bible, but the two main ones are the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. There is a big difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant we now have with God. The New Covenant represents the ultimate solution to human rebellion and the promise of restoration and fellowship with God. Jeremiah 31:31-34 tells us:

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

We also see in Luke 22:20, "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." The New Covenant signifies a profound shift in the relationship between God and humanity. It is important to understand the New Covenant, its superiority to the Old Covenant, and the transformative power it holds for believers.

To understand the superiority of the New Covenant, we must first grasp the foundations of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant, established through the Mosaic Law, required strict obedience and sacrificial rituals for the atonement of sins. However, the Old Covenant was limited in its ability to bring about true transformation of the heart. The prophets Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel alluded to the future arrival of a New Covenant that would address this fundamental flaw.

Moses, in Deuteronomy 29:4, foresaw a time when Israel would be given "a heart to understand." He predicted that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant, but he also saw a time of restoration and transformation. Jeremiah prophesied the coming of the New Covenant, where God would write His law on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Ezekiel further reinforced this notion, describing the New Covenant as a divine intervention that would give believers a new heart, a new spirit, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as seen in Ezekiel 36:26-27 which reads as follows: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

The arrival of Jesus Christ marked the fulfillment of the Law of Moses and the establishment of the long-awaited New Covenant. As the mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice, shedding His blood to cleanse humanity from sin. Matthew 26:28 reads, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." 1 Corinthians 11:25 also reinforces the new covenants stating, "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

The New Covenant surpasses the Old Covenant in several key aspects. First and foremost, the New Covenant is enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6 states, "But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." It offers believers forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, as we see in Ephesians 2:8-9, which reads, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." The Old Covenant required constant sacrifices for atonement, whereas the New Covenant provides a once-for-all sacrifice through Jesus' death on the cross. Hebrews 9:14-15 reminds us, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause, he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."

Furthermore, the New Covenant brings about a radical transformation of the heart. Under the Old Covenant, the law was external, written on tablets of stone, but under the New Covenant, God's law is written on the hearts and minds of believers. Jeremiah 31:33 reminds us, "Here But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to follow God's decrees and live a life pleasing to Him. Ezekiel 36:27 says, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."

The New Covenant blesses believers with a multitude of promises. For the people of Israel, the New Covenant promised fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land as we see in Ezekiel 36:28-30, which reads, "And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen." However, the scope of the New Covenant extends beyond Israel to include all believers, both Jews and Gentiles. Acts 10:45 states, "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." Ephesians 2:13-14 states, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." The fulfillment of the New Covenant is seen both on earth during the Millennial Kingdom and in heaven for all eternity.

At the heart of the New Covenant is the concept of grace and salvation. Under the Old Covenant, the law highlighted the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). However, through the New Covenant, God's grace and mercy are fully revealed. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross provides salvation as a free gift, and believers are called to exercise faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the life-giving Holy Spirit, believers share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent and unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).

While the New Covenant represents a significant shift from the Old Covenant, there is both continuity and discontinuity between the two. The moral law, which reflects God's righteous character, remains unchanged in the New Covenant. However, the ceremonial and sacrificial aspects of the Old Covenant have been fulfilled and replaced by the atoning death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:11-10:11). The New Covenant brings a deeper understanding and fulfillment of the promises made in the Old Covenant.

As recipients of the New Covenant, believers are called to respond in faith and obedience. Jesus emphasizes the connection between love for Him and obedience to His commandments as we read in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Again, we see it in John 14:21, which says, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." While the New Covenant does not abolish commandments, it provides believers with a new heart and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to walk in God's statutes (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:27). The New Covenant invites believers into an intimate relationship with God, where love and obedience are intertwined.

The New Covenant, established through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, signifies a revolutionary shift in the relationship between God and humanity. It surpasses the limitations of the Old Covenant, offering forgiveness of sins, transformation of the heart, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through faith in Jesus, believers can experience the fulfillment of God's promises and enjoy a restored relationship with Him. The New Covenant is a testament of redemption, grace, and salvation, inviting believers to walk in love and obedience to God's commandments. Embracing the New Covenant enables us to fully experience the abundant life and eternal blessings that God has prepared for His people. ©Rita Larson 11/4/2023

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