Even
a casual read of the Bible reveals the presence of covenants. One of our old
Baptist brothers, C. H. Spurgeon, had this to say about the importance of
understanding the covenants of Scripture:
The doctrine of the covenant lies at the
root of all true theology. ... I am persuaded that most of the mistakes which
men make concerning the doctrines of Scripture are based upon fundamental
errors with regard to the covenants of law and grace.
We
see several covenants in the Bible, with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David. There are
two that are heavily contrasted in Scripture, the ones mentioned by Spurgeon,
which Scripture calls the Old and New Covenants. And there is another covenant,
which I nickname the covenant of death. Adam was told he would die if he ate
from the tree in the middle of the garden. He ate. He died spiritually that day
and Gen 3:17 tells us the earth, the entire planet, was cursed on his account.
And the Spirit spoke through Paul to tell us how this affects us: For as by a man came death … in Adam all die
… (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Whether Jew or Gentile, with Moses or without,
all men share in death because all sinned in Adam and in themselves. We need a
rescuer!
In
addition to covenants, another basic aspect of the Bible is often lost on us,
hampering our proper understanding of Scripture. This element is the Jewish
nature of the Bible. During the time of Christ and the apostles, the biblical
world basically revolved around national Israel and their corporate blindness
towards and ignorance of the oracles of God that had been entrusted to them.
While a few Hebrews in each generation were believers, the nation at large was
unbelieving. Not only did they not get the message of their Messiah, they had
an even more difficult time comprehending He would bring the kingdom to
Gentiles! So much of what we will see in Scripture is the New Covenant
contrasted with the Old - that umbrella which incorporated the covenant of
circumcision, and the Mosaic and Davidic covenants. This was to make the case
of the New Covenant clear for the Jews.
But
it has caused confusion for us Gentiles as well. For many Christians have been
led to believe that everyone, Jew and Gentile, is in the Old Covenant until and
unless God brings them into the New. But the Old Covenant was ever and only
given to national Israel. And when the New Covenant came, the Old became like a
worn-out garment, and was being rolled up to be disposed of. By the time
Jerusalem fell in AD 70, the last remnant of the Old Covenant was finished; no
longer in effect. Since then, and until the end of the age, all people are
spiritually dead in Adam until and unless they are made alive in Christ (Romans
5). Paul teaches us in Romans 2 that Gentiles are without the Law of Moses but
are a law unto themselves (what I term God's universal law), convicted and
excused by their consciences as they try to reconcile their sin with their
innate, unsaving knowledge of God.
The
New Covenant stands as the answer to everything that is wrong, it is God’s
final Word on making all things right. The glory of being in Christ Jesus is
revealed in this covenant, which binds Christ and His church together,
providing redemption and eternal salvation for sinners. The sign of the New Covenant
is circumcision not made with human hands followed by water baptism (Colossians
2:11-12). The Lord's Supper is another sign within this covenant, reminding us
of its Author and His return (1 Corinthians 11:25). Jesus is a better prophet
than Moses and is more faithful than the first Adam.
The
book of Hebrews is a sermon preaching the essentials of the faith to Christian
Jews, as there were rumors that some were considering a return to what they
were comfortable with. In chapters 7-9 the New Covenant is contrasted with the Old
Covenant, so they would see it more accurately. Chapter 9:1 even the first
covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. What
follows is a description of the tabernacle of the Hebrew religion, featuring
lampstands, a table and bread, the Most Holy Place with the ark of the Mosaic
covenant containing the tablets of testimony, the golden vial of manna, and
Aaron's staff. Levitical priests ever making sacrifices that would cover sin
for a time but never able to take away sin. All of these forms of worship are
summed up in verse 9 as symbolic for that age and “imposed until the time of
reformation” (verse 10). There will be no re-institution of those types and
symbols as the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was sufficient, satisfying God the
Father and finishing the redemptive work announced in Genesis 3:15; bringing
that time of reformation.
when Christ appeared as a high priest of
the good things that have come, then through
the greater and more perfect tent (not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood
of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal
redemption. Therefore he is the
mediator of a new covenant, so that those
who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death
has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the
first covenant. (Hebrews
9:11-12 & 15)
The
differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are further clarified:
Thus it
was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these
rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these. For Christ has entered, not into
holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was
it to offer himself repeatedly, as the
high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for
then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for
all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And
just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear
the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save
those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:23-28)
The
Old Covenant conferred earthly blessings in the promised land; the New Covenant
confers heavenly blessings and eternal life. My friend, Jeff Johnson, tells us,
“the law written on stone can never change the heart of stone.”
In
writing to a mixed crowd of Jews and Gentiles in the church, Paul also
contrasted Old and New. Romans 8:1-2: There is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set
you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. What is this “law
of sin and death”? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:3 & 5-11: And
you show that you are a letter from
Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the
living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Not
that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but
our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new
covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but
the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters
on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’
face because of its glory, which was being brought
to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if
there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness
must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has
come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if
what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is
permanent have glory. The Old Covenant, the Law of Moses, specifically,
is the law of sin and death mentioned
in Romans 8, signified by the tablets of stone which sit in the ark of that
Covenant, lost in time according to God’s will (Jeremiah 3:15 & 16). It has
been ended, rolled up as a worn out garment (Hebrews 8:13).
There
can be no greater contrast than what our Creator has provided through His
apostle to the Gentiles. Consistently, the Old Covenant is described as stone,
slavery, death, condemnation, and being worn out; for it, in all of its
individual covenants, requires perfect obedience that no mortal man can deliver
and yields salvation to no man. This covenant is contrasted with the New
Covenant, described as flesh, liberty, life, righteousness, and eternal;
delivered to the saints of God by the perfect life and sacrificial death of
Jesus, yielding His righteousness to all His chosen people. In Gal 4, the Old
Covenant is described as slavery,
contrasted with the New Covenant which is described as freedom. We may wonder why any believing Jews would consider
returning to the shadows of the Old Covenant - but we ought to wonder more why
modern evangelicals would want us to be burdened by that yoke which no man can
bear. This was the judgment of the apostles in Acts 15, when the Judaizing
Christians, who demanded Gentiles be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses,
were brought to the first church council to settle this hash. Peter addresses
these men, reminding them of how those outside Israel were saved by grace -
with no distinction in this regard between Jew and Gentile. Then he asked, Acts
15:10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’
necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? In contrast, we hear from Christ that
His yoke is easy and John tells us His commands are not burdensome. Rather than
the Law of Moses, we live under - as Paul mentioned Sunday - the royal law, the
law of liberty, the perfect law, the law of the Spirit, the law of Christ! No
condemnation of the Law of Moses, no condemnation of God's universal law. Peace
with God, by the blood of Christ - which He shed to cut the New Covenant.
There
can be no greater hope, no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater salvation
than what Christ Jesus provides for the redeemed in the New Covenant. We are
complete in Christ, fulfilled in Him (Colossians 2:10). We have no other
argument, we need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, and that he died
for me and for thee! How can we not praise His name!
The
Old Covenant was summed up on stone tablets and kept in the Ark of the Covenant
as a reminder of all that God had communicated to Israel through Moses; the New
Covenant law is written on the soul of each member; each will know the Lord,
having been regenerated and indwelt by God's Spirit. The Old Covenant was
broken by the ongoing disobedience of Israel; the New Covenant cannot be broken
because God the Son mediates it (Hebrews 9:15) and keeps us (John 10:27-30).
The sins of Israel were brought up to them time and time again, with petitions
from many prophets for them to repent; yet they did not because they could not;
and God divorced her (Jeremiah 3:8). The sins of New Jerusalem, the redeemed
saints within the New Covenant, are forgiven in Christ and God promises to
remember them no more (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12)! Contrary to
popular conventional wisdom, God does not forget our sins. He chose to not
remember them. To forget something is symptomatic of flawed recall, something
one cannot rightly attribute to God. The proper view of this is to take it as
written, in the context of seeing God for Who He is: perfect and without flaws;
able to not remember something. You and I can try to forget something, but such
memories often return to our minds. God is not like this. When He chooses to not remember something, He does not
allow that thing to come to His mind. He is perfect.
With
the New Covenant comes the fulfillment of the types and shadows. The universal
body of Christ, composed of both Jews and Gentiles, is the true Israel of God
(Romans 2:28-29; 9:6; Galatians 6:16; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:9-10). James, writing to
Christians, calls them the twelve tribes
which are scattered abroad (James. 1:1). Paul taught that all who believe
in Christ are the true sons of Abraham (Romans 4:11-17; Galatians 3:7); that
the middle wall of partition has been removed by Christ; and that the believing
Jews and Gentiles are one body (Ephesians 2:14ff.). The universal church (all
the called-out ones) of Christ is one spiritual building (Ephesians 2:20-22),
one bride (Ephesians 5:22 & 32; Revelation 21:9ff.), and the New Jerusalem
(Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 3:12; 21:1 & 2; 21:9-11).
The
veil that covers the eyes of the unregenerate was typified by the temple veil
that kept the world out of the Holy place where God met with His Levitical priests.
The rending of the temple veil by God symbolizes the lifting of the veil on
those who have died to self and been resurrected to new life in Christ; no
longer separated from Holy God, no longer part of the world. When the antitype
comes, the types must go – just as John recognized that Christ must increase
and he would decrease.
The
newness of the New Covenant cannot be overstated, as there are so many
Christians who think it is not really new or interesting. But God is unchanging
and He gave some Old Testament saints illumination on this topic. Jeremiah
31:31-34 ⌊This
one will⌋
not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—
“I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be
their God, and they will be My people. they will all know Me, “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and
never again remember their sin.”
John Reisinger shows in two short passages
the similarities and the differences between the Old and New Covenants. The Old
is conditional and is a type foretelling the New, which is unconditional (as
far as mankind’s participation in each).
Exodus
19:5-6
|
1
Peter 2:9
|
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be
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But you are [because Christ kept the covenant for us]
|
(1) my
treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and
you shall be to me
|
(1) a
chosen race, … a people for his own possession
|
(2) a kingdom of priests, and a
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(2) a royal [kingly] priesthood,
|
(3) holy
nation.
|
(3) a holy nation
|
The nature of the New Covenant reflects
the promise made to Abraham: in it are and will be people from every nation. In
Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free; these ethical
and temporal distinctives have no more role in determining one’s status in the
New Covenant than does the blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man
(John 1:13).
The New Covenant is new; it’s not the Old
Covenant with a “new administration” as some claim. The New Covenant shines
with the glory of the finished work of Christ; it does not promise the future
work of the Messiah yet to come. The New Covenant brings the fullness of Christ
to every child of God; with the surety of our Lord as the guarantee that He
will not forsake us. The New Covenant is where new creatures in Christ have
been brought into fellowship with the Father. Without the New Covenant, we
would still be under the condemnation of law and Adam’s sin as well as our own,
waiting without hope. But praise God for His faithfulness! Christ has come and
fulfilled ALL that the Law and the prophets demanded. And by His blood He has
cut the New Covenant, bringing all the lost sheep into the fold of God.
I
am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I
have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they
will listen to my voice. So there will
be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I
lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have
authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father. (John 10:14-18)
The New Covenant provides God Himself as
our shepherd, caring for us, tending to us, keeping us unto that great Day of
Judgment where He will serve as our advocate. The New Covenant gives us the
fullness of Christ Jesus, in Whom we have every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)!
We can trust Him for He is faithful to Himself. We trust our souls to the only
wise God, the judge and the justifier, Who is truly God and truly sovereign
over time and space.
It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out
the heavens. When he utters his voice,
there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the
ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the
wind from his storehouses. Every man is stupid and
without knowledge; every goldsmith is
put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in
them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their
punishment they shall perish. Not like
these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all
things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his
name. (Jeremiah
10:12-16)
If you are in Christ, He is sufficient and
all glorious! Behold your God:
Who
is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:8 & 10)
And he who was seated on the throne said,
“Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these
words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 21:5-6a)
This is the Lord we proclaim, the only One
Who can do poor helpless sinners any good. If you do not know this King of
glory, cry out to Him for mercy while you yet have breath. All things are ready
– come and be reconciled to Christ Jesus. He really does save poor sinners.
