Promises of the New Covenant
Covenant, New Covenant, promises, Old Covenant,
Christ, Messiah, eternal life, testament, Abraham
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"But
now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also
Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises."
(Heb 8:6)
Does the New Covenant establish
a different law? Based on what this says it doesn't seem to. It is the
promises that come with the covenant from the Creator that have improved.
There is no indication here that the terms for those who would honor the Creator
have changed. Christians are sometimes confused about what is expected from
them. This is because there is confusion about the difference between "My
Law" and the Law of Moses. If one does not understand
the difference it would be confusing.
"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."
(Heb 8:10)
It is fairly apparent
that there were flaws in the Law of Moses. Some stipulations allowed hard
heartedness (Mat 19:7-8). The Levites were an extra level of administration
between humans and their Creator that He never intended. The Law of God does
not include these regulations and stipulations.
But what are the
better promises? Certainly there is a clue in verse twelve. "For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless
deeds I will remember no more." Generous forgiveness is a
major difference.
Forgiveness was
promised in the Old Covenant too, but it required the sacrifice of usually an
animal upon every infraction. It also required an appearance at the temple,
which was most of the time in Jerusalem. This could be extremely inconvenient
and time consuming not to mention expensive.
Infractions under the
Sinai covenant could mean the scofflaws death. That was the default penalty
if nothing else was specified. In some cases restitution could be made. There
is no indication that forgiveness was an option.
"And
for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those
who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."
(Heb 9:15)
The New Covenant is
intended to supply or support believers in receiving an eternal inheritance.
At first glance this may seem to indicate another better promise, but if we
read carefully this may not be so. First, His death was evidently intended to
redeem or pay the penalty for all transgressions of the 'first' covenant, the
earlier Old Covenant, too. So it is applicable or administered retroactively.
Second, the Greek
original uses the definite article in connection with 'eternal inheritance'.
When used, this article designates a specific and unique thing, one of a kind.
In this context it is like saying "the eternal inheritance for which all
Israel has always sought".
Now Hebrews main focus
is on the living believers to whom it is directed. However, the inclusion of
Old Covenant transgressions would indicate that those who lived under the Old
Covenant will be included in the promise of eternal inheritance as well. If
their transgressions are covered by the mediator of the New Covenant, why
wouldn't they qualify to participate in the promises of the New Covenant as
well?
Indeed, the thought
that one could receive eternal life was not foreign to Jews. 'And
behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?"' (Luke 10:25)
Job, who most scholars
believed lived before Moses, knew there would be at
least a resurrection. "And after my skin is destroyed, this I
know, That in my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:26).
"Are
You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O
LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for
correction." (Hab 1:12) Habakkuk
understood that there would be a time of judgment. Why have
a judgment if everyone will be condemned? Haven't all sinned? Is God a
sadist that He wants to make everyone squirm, or is His intent to share with
them?
"For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:23). At the very least people must be
given back life if they are to share in anything. Habakkuk knew that death
was temporary. There was something beyond it. Of course evil people would be
corrected, but it stands to reason the righteous would not be totally
ignored. Some reward would come. Would it only be temporary? Could the
creator only resurrect them once for a short time?
"Beloved,
now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall
be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall
see Him as He is" (1John 3:2). Long after Jesus death the
exact reward of believers was not clear in John's mind. So it's not clear that
John really understood much more than Job did about the next life.
We presume Job was
unaware of some things that John knew and of which we are aware. "Then
the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world'" (Mat 25:34). We seem to have a more detailed
knowledge of the kingdom God has planned. However this kingdom is not something
intended only for people who lived during the last 2000 years is it? It seems
that preparing people to populate this kingdom was the aim since the
foundation of the world, the creation. This doesn't seem to be a function of
the New Covenant specifically.
"Behold what manner of love the Father
has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1Joh 3:1a)
"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father"
(Rom 8:15). We are promised to be made sons of God. Indeed we are referred to
as brothers of Yeshua/Jesus Christ (Heb 2:11, 17).
Being a brother of
Messiah is not totally unique to the New Covenant. "You should know in your heart
that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you."
(Deu 8:5) It is clear that God was attempting to
teach ancient Israel to conduct themselves as He
would conduct Himself. One is the child of the one he obeys. "If
you were Abraham‘s children, you would do the works of Abraham"
(John 8:39b) "Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be
your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His
commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice"
(Deu 26:17). God was attempting to make Ancient
Israel His children by having them walk in His ways. This involved keeping
His statutes, commandments and judgments.
So the better promises
of the New Covenant seem to be summed up in the definition of remission as
used by Jesus in Matthew 26:28. That is the only obvious promise totally unique to
the New Covenant. It provides forgiveness so the believer can be reconciled
to God and releases the participant from the continual pulls of sin so they
can remain in that condition, reconciled. There is no totally new standard to follow,
but we are given a better example in Yeshua/Jesus and the wherewithal to walk in His
way
"This
is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations.
Noah walked with God" (Gen 6:9). "And he blessed Joseph, and
said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and
Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day"
(Gen 48:15).
The Patriarchs lived
the way the nation of Israel was instructed to live. God's way and God's law are the same thing. He asks nothing different of us. But
don't confuse this with the Law of Moses. There are significant differences although the underlying purpose of each was
the same and much is shared between the two.