4.6 The terms of the New Covenant

Earlier, we shared that the Old Covenant revolved around the Mosaic Law. The law demanded, “Thou shall, Thou shall, Thou shall.” If Israel succeeded in keeping the law, they would be righteous, and they would be blessed (Deut 28:1-2). If they broke the law, they would come under the curse as sinners (Deut 28:15). The Old Covenant was about the righteousness and performance of man.

Let us now contrast the above with the terms of the New Covenant. The New Covenant revolves around the finished work of Christ. It tells us about the amazing grace that flows from the cross to us. When we received Jesus, we received all His blessings and all our curses were removed (Eph 1:3; Gal 3:13). The New Covenant focuses on the performance of Christ. It is all about His righteousness that has been imputed to us apart from our works (Rom 4:6).

Instead of demanding, “Thou shall,” the New Covenant promises, “I will, I will, I will.” God’s promises are unconditional and they can be received by faith. Let us read the New Covenant terms.

(Heb 8:10-12, NKJV)
For this is the COVENANT that I WILL make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I WILL put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I WILL be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I WILL be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I WILL remember no more.”

The promises above include:

1) The leading of the Holy Spirit from within
2) The provision and protection of God
3) Intuitive knowledge of God in an intimate relationship

These promises hinges on the fact that our sins have been forgiven by Jesus on the cross. The blood of Jesus made the difference for us, reconciled us to God, and established us on a covenant with better promises.

Oh, what a wonderful Savior we have! What a wonderful covenant we are in! It makes us so thankful for all that He has done for us, and all that He has given to us. It makes Him so irresistible. It makes us want to love Him more and more.