God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and he did not destroy them. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, emphasis mine). Seventh, who was present in the upper room when Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant and established the Lords Supper as the ordinance by which we celebrate it? Which days might these be? Below are a few ways we can draw near to God. While there are many today who read passages of Scripture, such as those found in Hebrews 8:7 or 8:13, and conclude that there is no continuity between the two covenants, a closer examination of Hebrews 8 and the place of the new covenant in redemptive history reveals that such a conclusion is premature. This is exactly what the Law-covenant was given to help us see The Holy Spirit designed the old covenant to teach Gods people about what they really needed and to point beyond itself to something greater: a solution to sin and access to God (142). Does the fact that the old covenant is the old covenant mean that the new covenant was plan b? He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24). 21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22). I am inclined to see a progression here. The Church is not a geo-political state. And those better promises are precisely what he describes in vv. For finding fault with them, He says, Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (Hebrews 8:8, NASB95; emphasis mine). Christianity The key New Testament chapter for the Christian concept of the New Covenant is Hebrews chapter 8, a portion of which is quoted below: But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises. How this will come to pass is yet to be seen (in verse 12). 2. Many who are pressed into His service end up becoming someone great in service to the King. The Old Testament is a record of the nation of Israel strugglingand failingto keep its covenant with God. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. 29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. And the reason He states is that He has not given them a heart to know Him. These promises make the New Covenant vastly superior to the Old Covenant, so much so that the New Covenant replaces the Old, making it obsolete. The New Covenant is consistent with Gods delight and desire to see lost sinners reconciled to Himself. In Hebrews 7:12, for example, we are told that when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. When the former commandment is set aside a better hope is introduced (7:1819). Jesus shatters any absolute dissociation of commandments and love. Because His people disregarded God and His covenant with them, God had no regard for them. So, too, priestly ministry was restricted to this same small group. Somehow this doesnt fully explain the authors words to me. It is true, of course, that God has purposed to save men by the witness of the saints: 14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? Just following discussing the new covenant the writer says let us three times in verses 22, 23 and 24-25. 27 And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins. 28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. Unlike in the OT, everywhere in the NT we read that members of the New Covenant are born-again, justified believers in Jesus. He, too, performed many signs and miracles, and yet the Israelites (by and large) refused to believe in Jesus as the Promised Messiah. Granted, some set the standard much higher than others. Related Topics: Dispensational / Covenantal Theology, Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. The Book of Hebrews is a declaration of the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist said, Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Psalms 103:1). Altogether, there were 613 laws, covering every aspect of human behavior. In New Testament times, the Lords Supper was actually a supper; it was partaken in the context of a full meal (see 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). Theologian Martin Luthercalled the contrast between the two covenants law vs. gospel. God promised blessings when His people kept His covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and cursing when they disregarded it (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The emphasis of the new covenant is to know and believe that you are forgiven of all your sins and that God has literally erased them from His memory. And since our Lord will manifest Himself fully to the saints in heaven, there will not be the need for people to teach one another. The old covenant included that which has been traditionally described as moral law as well as that which was typical. All these regulations were intended to protect the Israelites from their neighbors' pagan influences, but no one could keep so many laws. The Church is not a political entity. There have been others in the history of the church who have argued that there is little discontinuity between the covenants and that the changes made by the inauguration of the new covenant were essentially cosmetic changes. In order to understand his explanation of the prophecy we have to understand something of the context in which it was written. I must confess, of all that Jeremiah says regarding the New Covenant this verse is the most difficult for me to understand. (1 Pet 1:1) - Mondays with Mounce 317. 72 He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham (Luke 1:68-73, emphasis mine). Absolutely not! 8 For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. Those on this end of the spectrum would argue that virtually nothing in the Old Testament is relevant or directly applicable to Christians today. They all belong to me!. While Hunter and Wellum's book explores how many biblical topics reveal the full glory of Christ, covenant features prominently in their book. The New Covenant - "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. The days are coming, declares the Lord, This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel. I believe we must take this a step further. I will harden Pharaohs heart, and he will chase after them. 7 He took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, We are willing to do and obey all that the Lord has spoken. 8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people and said, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words (Exodus 24:1-8). 1. All rights reserved. There would never be any need for a new covenant if God had always intended the old covenant to be permanent. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. That doesnt mean the Church shouldnt be involved in the political process. 30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. He freed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, as Paul writes in Galatians 3:13. Now what is the nature of these flaws? You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. To support his claim as Son of God, he performed many miracles, even raising three people from the dead. We need to be very careful here that our evangelistic methods dont emphasize what people do. has pastored on Capitol Hill and with the Evangelical Covenant Church in Michigan. The New Covenant: A Better Promise - Amazing Facts 14 For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay (Psalm 103:8-14). Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.1. 11 It is later repeated to Abraham and to his descendants, often in great detail. Thus, while the Mosaic Covenant would be broken by Israel and could never save anyone, the Israelites hope was to be in God, based upon His covenant with Abraham. The first covered Jeremiah's word about the coming judgment of the Lord against Judah and Jerusalem. The basic difference between the old covenant offered by God through the Mosaic law and the new covenant offered by God through Christ is not that one had commandments and the other doesnt. There we read that God always intended to establish a new covenant with his people that would be different from the one he made with Moses and Israel following the exodus from Egypt. The new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is quoted by the writer of Hebrews in chapters 8:8-12 and 10:16-17. In fact, this citation of Jeremiah 31:31-34 is the longest Old Testament citation to be found in the New Testament. We mustnt forget that according toGalatians 3:16and3:28-29(and numerous other texts) anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is now the seed of Abraham and thus an heir according to the promise. 34. 2017 13 Apr During Holy Week, on the night when Jesus gathered with his disciples in the upper room, he declared that through his shed blood there would come into existence a "New" covenant, a. Point #1: Celebration of Christ's Work The first point is made explicit in verse 25: "In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'" What saves us is agreeing with God that we are lost sinners, and believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the only means by which we may be saved. What Was Trump's Motive for Keeping Documents? - The New York Times It appears that this will occur after the Great Tribulation.15. (1) We know fromLuke 22:19-20that when Jesus offered up his body on the cross and poured out his blood so that we might be forgiven of our sins, he was inaugurating and establishing the New Covenant. It was designed by God with abuilt-in obsolescence. 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to those who believe. The New Covenant is one that will be fulfilled in the future, Jeremiah assures us, for the days are coming when this covenant will be completed. Those on this end of the spectrum would argue that much of the Old Testament is directly applicable to Christians today. 28 There you will worship gods made by human hands wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/old-vs-new-covenant-700361. The New Covenant: A Better Promise. It was one sided. But finding fault with His people, He says: Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (CSB, emphasis mine).