The New Covenant

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, …..This cup is the new testament in my blood….(1Cor 11:23-25)

The New Testament or Covenant is a revelation from God which is the Covenant of Grace sealed by blood of Christ. The New Covenant has been misconstrued leading to the teaching of nullifying the Law, devalue of the grace of God and denying the need for holiness. Our revelation of God as well as His truths are very much dependent on the condition of our heart (Psa 18:26) as one can also take the Text out of context. The obedience and the keeping of the Covenant are in reference to the Ten Commandments or the Moral Law of God (Heb 8:9, Exo 19:5) for God’s people is redeemed to obey. We understand that the Law was not given to be redeemed but after redemption, in other words we are saved in order to obey. Hence our salvation is never of works but entirely of faith (Eph 2:8. 9) and clearly stated that ‘it is the gift of God’. There were ceremonial and social laws in addition to the Moral Law but only the Ten Commandments were stored in Ark of the Covenant, indicating the importance as the Ark is the representation of the Presence of the moral God. Doing away with the Moral Law is to do away with the moral character of God. If we who are called to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), Who Himself is the fulfillment, establisher and embodiment of the Law (Matt 5:17), are immoral in nature than there is a grievous contradiction. ‘Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Cor 7:1).

A contract is written between two parties with regard to what they plan to do. A contract is self- serving, whereas covenant is relational and values the interests of the other person. Therefore a covenant is a positive not a negative; to us it is God who will ensure that whatever He does is for the interest of His redeemed people for His Name’s sake However, this is not being taken presumptuously that we should take it as our right, but rather it is based on His grace and mercy because God is the executor and ensure the completion of the covenant

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: (Jer 31:31)

The first Covenant was marriage broken by idolatry therefore a New Covenant is required ‘because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord’ (Heb 8:9) and the initiator of the new is God ‘in days to come’. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant is clearly spelt out as He will put His law in our inward parts, and write it in our hearts; and will be our God, and they shall be His people (Jer 31:33). The first Covenant was written by the Finger of God on tablets of stone and now it’s on heart of flesh (Eze 26:36). Obedience is then from the heart not exerted from the external, it is an obedience motivated by love not obligation (Matt 22:37); we are a ‘people shall be willing in the day of thy power’ (Psa 110:3). ‘He works in them a disposition to obedience, a conformity of thought and affection to the rules of the divine law, as that of the copy to the original’ (Matthew Henry). In this disposition of obedience, is a relationship with the All-Sufficient God becomes an engaging reality. We are not alone in obeying God’s statutes (Eze 36:27) but the Holy Spirit, Who is the Promise of the Father will be our helper (Acts 1:4) that we walk not forced but by an internal principle.

Stemmed out of that New Covenant is the richest of the knowledge of Christ that we attain unto ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph 4:13) and ‘as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us’ (Psa 103:12). What a blessing it is to live without any guilt or condemnation hanging over our heads, where God’s grace and mercy flows like a river without obstruction.

The sum of this New Covenant of Grace is that we shall be His People and He will be our God (Eze 36:28) in that we were firstly chosen and loved by Him, not we of Him. This is the capstone of our faith in Christ, not merely saved from hell but to manifest the life of the Son of God.