The New Covenant is important for us because it is made for – and given to – the followers of Jesus.
“On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NLT
The Sovereign Power that inaugurated the New Covenant is the Sacred, Divine blood of Jesus – willingly offered – against which no opposing argument can withstand. That blood is God’s ultimate statement which gives Him all judicial and moral authority to forgive sinners and to Save them.
The New Covenant is what God was waiting for since the fall of Adam and Eve – and it has now come. It is the willing self sacrifice of Jesus that opened the way for God to implement this long awaited solution to the sin problem which plagued us and enslaved us.
The Scriptures say that Jesus came at just the right time.
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
Romans 5:6 NLT
God’s rescue mission to Save human family is now executed. What was promised in the past through types and shadows, through symbols and figures and representations, and numerous Messianic prophecies – has now met its reality. Shadow has touched its Substance. Jesus has come.
The central feature of the New Covenant is the law of God written on our hearts and minds, which God Himself does by His Spirit. This is accompanied by God’s pledge that He will forgive all our sins.
““This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.””
Hebrews 10:16-17 NLT
So, contrary to the popular opinion that the law of God is abrogated by Christ, abolished, nailed to the Cross – the truth is that God Himself is placing His law into our innermost being – right where God’s Righteousness needs to be. And that is diametrically opposite from abrogation. And do not miss this point: This is for the Christian dispensation. The law goes alongside with the gospel. Obedience goes hand in hand with Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,”
Romans 3:22 NIV
Yes. There are about a dozen Scriptures in the New Testament where we are told to stop keeping the Commandments in a way that
It was commonly done. That has inspired many Christians to conclude that the Ten Commandments were removed by Jesus. That conclusion was certainly motivated by the malicious one, because he hates God and everything that belongs to Him. Jesus saw it coming, so He said:
““Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”
Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
In God’s own action – in writing His laws on our hearts and minds – we see God’s intent. The Ten Commandments have just moved from its written form on the tablets of stone to its living form on human hearts and minds. That is far from abolishing it. In fact, it is the very opposite. The law has just received a living boost from God’s own hand. That is a dream come true. In the Old Covenant we struggled to bring God’s law closer to our hearts. But look what God has just done! He brought the law into our hearts and minds! No. He wrote the law on our hearts and minds. This I believe is like ingrafted. Like united or becoming one. In another words – God has caused His law to become an integrated part of our human natures. Wow!
With the coming of Jesus – a big change arrived. Those changes are in ‘how’ and not in ‘what’. The change is in how the righteousness of the law reaches the hearts where it needs to be. Those dozen or so Scriptures which hit hard at the old written law of God – are saying: The way how we kept the law until now – is over. It was usually done by human effort, and it didn’t reach deeper than the skin-deep. That way of law keeping was pronounced pitifully worthless. Those Scriptures are saying: The hypocritical way of law-keeping is finished. The New Covenant has arrived, and it brought huge changes.
This change is happening as soon as the blood of Christ was literally spilled, when it became available at the Cross of Calvary. Now we live in the New Covenant era because the New Testament is in fact the New Covenant. Can you imagine? The righteousness of the law of God in your heart?! In my heart?! In your mind! In my mind! Not just placed there. Written! That, I believe, is like ingrafted. Like a branch in the Grapevine. Becoming a part of us. Part of those who believe in Jesus. Part of our nature. The righteousness of the law of God has just been given us as a free gift. How amazing is that!
“Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.”
Romans 3:31 NLT
The nature of the Ten Commandments is a testimony in itself of its longevity. They can never stop. It will never be ok to kill or steal or lie or sleep around or covet… It will never be ok to worship God through idols, or to profane His holy name… Likewise, it will never be ok to ignore the seventh day Sabbath, because God said:
““Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
Exodus 20:8 NLT
We can’t go against God’s will, and hope it will be ok. This is a moral law. It is a brief expression of God’s Righteousness. How can that end?
The major issue in early Christianity was that it was rising from the backdrop of the Jewish perversion of the law keeping – which was a pretence of righteousness, based on human efforts, and intended for show. They hoped to give an appearance of godliness while at the same time attempting to conceal a heart which was filled with hypocrisy and wickedness.
That is what those dozen or so Scriptures refer to. The hypocritical law keeping is over. The blood of Christ has now opened the way for God to enact the New Covenant. This brings the law of God into our minds. Making it a part of our nature. That is a game-changer. Now we go with the flow. The swimming against the current is over. Fighting the loosing battles against the sinful tendencies of our natural human hearts is finished.
“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
Romans 8:3 NLT
Sin has been officially declared ‘bankrupt’. What God has done in Jesus was to break the power of sin over us. Jewish perversion of law-keeping was largely the product of the power of sin over them. Trying to conquer sin in our own ways does not work. So by cutting the corners, the Jewish nation ended up with a hypocritical pretence of righteousness, based on human efforts, and intended for show.
It is the willing self sacrifice of Jesus that opened the way for God to deal comprehensively with the issue of sin. It was the long awaited solution to the sin problem – and it has now come. “God has now declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
“Declared an end to sin’s control over us”. This cuts out all pretence and hypocrisy. This becomes our personal reality only when we believe that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins. Victory over sin is only possible by believing in Jesus. That is why the Scriptures declare that we are Saved by faith.
Our lives with God are now turbocharged. Are divinely energised. There is the amazing Grace of God, free Grace, by which God reconciled the world to Himself through the ultimate self-sacrifice of Jesus. There is the precious sacred blood of Jesus by means of which there is the full pardon and blotting away of our sins. There is the Holy Spirit in His unmodified divine energies. There is the adoption into the Family of God. There is God’s righteousness given us as a gift. There is the way of faith which turns our hopes into substance. And there are countless gifts and favours and graces and the exceeding great and precious promises freely given to help us participate in Christ’s divine nature as we walk on this narrow and upward way.
What God has done in Jesus has ushered in a new era. It is the era of the New Covenant. Now all the provisions God kept in readiness since before the world was, the divine provisions which are to guide us over all the hurdles that the devil can instigate, the provisions which are to escort and accompany us on our journey home – these provisions are what God has prepared, and He knows exactly what is needed.
But before we go any deeper into the Good News of the New Covenant, I wish to revisit the other Covenants God made with us prior to this.