Day 7 – 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” Jeremiah 31:31 (NLT)

In true Israel fashion, they continued to break the conditions of the law given to them at the foot of Mount Sinai.  Identifying the newness of this covenant is not always easy when you do not understand the thread weaving from one into the other. There is an essential continuity between the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant made with us through Christ. The word “new” in Hebrew is Neos, meaning “brand new” and the Greek translation is Kainos, meaning “new edition”. So, the New covenant promised is a new edition (or revised version) of the old.

But there are differences in transitioning from the old to the new just as there are in our lives transitioning from our old self into Christ. The new covenant is unlike the old one which was repeatedly broken by the vast majority of ancient Israel.  This is a glimmering hint that the new covenant community as a whole will exhibit faithfulness to the new which the old lacked. God makes this happen by writing His law on our hearts, forgiving our iniquity, and remembering our sins no more (vv33-44). It provides a greater and fuller experience of the blessings from the previous covenants, the presence of God’s power through the Holy Spirit, and an assurance of divine salvation through the atonement Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for. Jesus, Himself said that He came to fulfill the law, not replace it.

“And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying ‘This cup is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” Luke 22:20. Jesus sealed the new covenant with His blood –  securing each and everyone who chooses to believe in Him eternity through the fulfillment of the covenants. Because of this, God speaks to us openly as if it were a face-to-face conversation with His child and not through a veil. Paul teaches that Moses wore a veil when he addressed the people in God’s name. Under the Gospel, the veil is removed, and God in the face of Christ Jesus presents Himself to be seen by us as our Father.

Both covenants teach the same thing: God saves by grace alone. But the New covenant showcases God’s love in a way never seen in the history of the covenants – an eternal future.

Prayer:  Father, today my prayer is a prayer from a grateful heart. Thank You for your promises through the covenants and the renewing of Your grace and love through the covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus. Where the covenants started with blood, it ends with the most precious blood of Your Only Son. A sacrifice to secure all people, including me, to have an eternal home with You. Amen.

Let us pray with you at prayer@womenoftheword.co.za

Take a peek at our shop www.womenoftheword.co.za