The New Covenant

The Old Covenant was based on the Mosaic Law but the New Covenant is based on the promise of God. This promise was God’s plan from the beginning. Some mistakenly teach that God tried one covenant and when that didn’t work, He tried something new. In truth the plan of God was revealed through the scriptures from the beginning and each step throughout biblical history carried mankind by the hand to the New Covenant which God was preparing to be revealed through Christ. This is why the New Testament (which is the revelation of the New Covenant) points back to the Old Testament patriarch Abraham in order to teach us what it means to be justified by faith. Abraham lived four hundred and thirty years before the Mosaic Law was given; therefore, we can see clearly that justification by faith was revealed as a promise of God before the Law was revealed to God’s people. Since faith came before the Law, what is the purpose of the Law? The scriptures provide the answer for this question throughout the New Testament. Begin by looking at Romans 3:19-20

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Some of the early Jewish Christians had a hard time preaching the gospel to the Gentiles because many still looked at the Law as the pathway to salvation. If you are not familiar with this term, a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. The Law was given through the Jews and this group of people were used by God to reveal the plan of salvation through the prophets and ultimately fulfilled through Christ. Before Christ, a Gentile had to become a proselyte, be circumcised, and convert to the Jewish religion in order to become part of the Covenant of God. When God sent Peter to preach to the first Gentile that God called into the faith, the Jews struggled with what they considered a pollution of the Jewish faith[1]. When Paul was sent to be the apostle to the Gentiles, this caused a lot of controversy with the Jewish Christians. Many went to the Gentiles and taught that unless they were circumcised and kept the Law of Moses they could not be saved[2]. Eventually the truth prevailed as Peter made a significant statement in Acts 15:10 when he stated, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”

The Law was a burden because our works of the flesh cannot keep the laws of God. Even if a man can have an outward appearance of perfection, inwardly sin remains. Even if our actions look good to man, the Bible states that God looks at the heart. The Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints were saved by faith. The Old Testament saints were saved by keeping the Law by faith as they looked ahead to God’s provision of salvation yet to be revealed. They failed often just as we do, but their faith was accounted for righteousness just as ours is. Before we look at the scriptures that testify of this fact, let’s first look at the passages that affirm what I have already discussed about the preordained plan of God for salvation through Christ. Look first at this passage from Ephesians 1:

⁴ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Our redemption was preordained in Christ before the world was created. Since this is true, clearly God foreknew that Adam and Eve would fall and all of our redemption was prepared before the fall ever took place. The Law was never intended to be for salvation, but was a foreshadow of what would be fulfilled in Christ. This is reiterated again in 1 Peter 1:19-21

¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ²¹ Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

There are many other passages that stress the foreknowledge of God and the plan of salvation established in Christ from the beginning. Even the curse given by God in Genesis foretells of the plan of God. When God cursed the serpent (who is the devil[3]), God stated that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head and the serpent would bruise His heel[4]. This is referring to the cross where Jesus was bruised for our iniquities but Satan received the crushing blow on the cross where Jesus triumphed over all principalities and powers[5].

We can also see the foreshadowing of salvation when God covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve to hide their shame. When Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves, God sacrificed an animal and took the skins of the beast to cover them. Now in these last times, we are covered by the robe of God’s righteousness and we are covered by the blood of Jesus which was shed for our remission of sins. The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins[6]. Even during the time of the Mosaic Law, Jesus’ sacrifice was foretold in Isaiah 61:

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

The animal sacrifices were a foreshadow of the salvation given through Jesus Christ. As stated earlier, the Old Testament saints were saved just as you and I – through faith in Christ. The Law was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ and all of the Old Testament saints looked for the coming of the Messiah. Every thing in the Old Testament points ahead to the coming of the Christ and everything in the New Testament points back to the cross of Christ. The Old Testament saints kept the law by faith in the provision of God that was yet to be revealed and the New Testament saints keep the word of God by faith in the salvation given through Christ which has now been revealed. The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament did not remove sins, they merely were an atonement by faith that would not be fully removed until after Jesus paid the debt. This is explained well in this passage from Hebrews 10:4-11

⁴ For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. ⁵ Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: ⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. ⁷ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. ⁸ Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; ⁹ Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. ¹⁰ By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

There are a few key points I want you to take notice of. First, it is not possible for the blood of the animal sacrifices to take away sins. This is reiterated again in verse 11 where it is made clear that the priest who administered the Mosaic Law each year can NEVER take away sins. These sacrifices were sin offerings ordained by God[7]. Since these sacrifices can never take away sins, why did God establish this ordinance? All of these were intended to point to the sacrifice that was to be fulfilled through Jesus and to provide the Old Testament saints a way to submit themselves to God in obedience by faith. In the Old Testament God stated that He would reveal a New Covenant to His people[8]. Jesus Himself stated that His ministry was not to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it[9]. Until man’s sin is removed through Christ, he cannot stand before God in heaven. This is true for all religions and it was true for the saints of old. Even the great men of faith in the Old Testament had to wait for Jesus’ atonement before they could go to heaven. We get of glimpse of this truth in this passage from Matthew 27:50-53

⁵⁰ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. ⁵¹ And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; ⁵² And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, ⁵³ And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

This is a very unique passage and many Christians overlook the significance of this account. Before examining this passage, I want to first contrast it to 2 Corinthians 5:

⁸ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

In Revelation we also see that those killed during the Tribulation are at the altar of God[10]. I believe the Bible provides the explanation for the reason why the Old Testament saints were still in the grave but the New Testament saints are always present with the Lord when they pass from this life in the flesh. The Old Testament saints were justified by faith, but their debt to sin was not paid until Jesus died on the cross. The cross is where all our sins are paid. The Old Testament saints could not be redeemed until Jesus paid the debt for the scripture clearly states that if righteousness could come from the Law, then Jesus’ death would have been in vain[11]. There would be no need for a new covenant if keeping the Law could make someone righteous. The Bible states that Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him[12]. The faith of Abraham (and all the Old Testament saints) and the faith of the Christian are accounted as righteousness because of what Jesus has done for us. He took away our sins and credited us with the righteousness of God when we surrender our lives by faith in Him. This principle is also taught in 1 Peter 4:

⁶ For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Add to this the account of 1 Peter 3:18-20

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

We can see that after Jesus’ death on the cross, He preached to those eight souls who were imprisoned during the days of Noah, He preached to the dead (possibly the saints), and after He rose from the grave, many of these saints were seen during His 40 days on earth after the resurrection. All of this is intended to reveal to us that salvation is found through Christ alone. If religion alone could save, there would be no need for Jesus to set the captives free from the grave and there is no reason why the Old Testament saints would not have already been in heaven with the Lord. However, if the prophets, saints and righteous men of God who served the Lord by faith had to wait for redemption, we also should realize that there is no hope outside of Christ regardless of ones lifestyle or religion.

Let us take a moment to look closer at the covenant of promise given to Abraham. The inheritance of God was given to Abraham and his seed by promise. The Bible says that the Law came four-hundred and thirty years later and cannot annul the promise of God’s inheritance[13]. The Law could not provide righteousness nor could it give us the promise of the inheritance, but instead served as a tutor to bring us to Christ[14]. Look at Genesis 15:8-18

⁸ And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹ And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰ And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. ¹¹ And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. ¹² And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ¹⁴ And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. ¹⁵ And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. ¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. ¹⁸ In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land…

There are some very important principles we can draw from this passage. Two verses before the passage we just read, the Bible says that Abraham believed God and was accounted with righteousness, so we know he is not questioning God’s ability to fulfill this promise. Abraham is asking God to confirm the promise with an oath. In the ancient days when two parties entered into an oath, they would divide an animal in two and both parties would swear an oath and then walk between the divided animal. This was a blood covenant that was unbreakable without the death of one party. This is what Abraham is asking of God. God then called Abraham to bring various types of animals to prepare for this covenant. Each type of animal reveals the covenant God is making with all of Abraham’s descendants. When the Law was given, the type of animal sacrifice was based on the wealth of the individual. Those who could not afford a heifer brought a goat, ram, dove or pigeon based on what they could afford. God’s covenant to the wealthy is no different than His covenant to the poor.

God had Abraham prepare the sacrifice, but God did not allow Abraham to confirm the covenant. The covenant was not between God and Abraham, but between God and Himself with Abraham as the beneficiary. The Bible says that because God could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself to confirm the covenant[15]. This is very significant, for if the covenant was confirmed with Abraham, if he or his descendants broke the covenant judgment would be immanent and the inheritance would be annulled. Instead God put Abraham in a deep sleep and walked between the pieces symbolically through a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. The furnace is symbolic of the judgment of God. Judgment would be executed against the nation that afflicted God’s people and then judgment would be executed against the Amorites that were in the Promised Land. God did not judge the inhabitants of the land until after they were completely corrupt in their own iniquities. Keep in mind that the gospel was proclaimed to the inhabitants through prophets God sent throughout the land. We can see from scripture that Israel was not the only nation with prophets of God. This is testified specifically through the accounts of the King of Salem[16], Balaam[17] and other prophets that were proclaiming God’s word.

The burning lamp is a foreshadowing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to the word of God as a lamp to guide our feet[18] and the Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ is that word made flesh[19]. Jesus is the light of the gospel. Look at John 8:

¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

All of these events from the promise given to Abraham point to what would one day be fulfilled through Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, God had mankind prepare the sacrifice through the mockery of the court of the Jews and the trial and crucifixion of the Roman Gentiles. Man prepared the sacrifice but was not allowed to be the ones to confirm the covenant. The New Covenant of our salvation was between God and Himself with the believer as the beneficiary. Both the smoking furnace of judgment and the burning lamp of the gospel were present at the confirmation of the new covenant just as they were in the first covenant. Just as Abraham prepared the sacrifice that benefited all who entered the first covenant, God used sinful men to unknowingly prepare Jesus to be our sacrifice and bring in the New Covenant that now benefits all who enter it by faith. What mankind thought was their own doings was actually the work of God that He prepared for their redemption. The burning furnace of judgment passed upon the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to judge our sins so that we could be free to receive the Promise of God. Look at this wonderful passage from Isaiah 53:3-6

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Also look at this passage from Romans 5:8-11

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Our sins were judged on the cross of Jesus Christ. Now we are no longer under condemnation awaiting our judgment, but we have been set free through Jesus Christ and reconciled to God. Like the children of God in the Old Testament, we are awaiting the iniquities of this world to be complete and judged and then we will inherit the promise of God. We have received the Spirit of adoption from the Holy Spirit[20] while we eagerly wait for that adoption[21]. Like the Children of Israel who groaned with the burden of suffering, we as Christians groan in this life and joyfully endure suffering knowing that we are under the promise and endure patiently while we wait for the fulfillment of what has been given to us through the New Covenant. The covenant is between Jesus and the Father with us as the beneficiary so we also can have confidence knowing that its fulfillment is not dependent upon us, but is a sure foundation through Christ.

One final point I would like to bring to your attention before leaving this topic is the judgment against Jesus. Earlier we read a passage in Isaiah that said, ‘we hid our faces from Him’. Somehow it has become common to reword this as ‘the Father hid His face from Him’. This is not at all accurate. Not one time do we see that the Father turned His back on His son, in fact, it is quite the opposite. In Psalm 22 we have a view of the crucifixion foretold in scripture from Jesus’ perspective. It begins with Jesus’ cry on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” The following verses describe in perfect detail the events of the crucifixion and then the account concludes with the following from Psalm 22:22-24

²² I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. ²³ Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. ²⁴ For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

Notice that Jesus testifies that the Father has not despised nor abhorred Him during His time of affliction nor did He hide His face from His Son. Even though God poured His wrath and judgment for our sin out on the cross, He did not despise Jesus, abhor Him or turn from Him. I often hear statements like, “The Father turned from the Son because a holy God can not look upon sin”, but this disagrees with scripture. When the Bible says that God cannot look upon wickedness[22], it is a reference to tolerance. The Bible says that God is angry at the wicked everyday[23] and consider this passage from Proverbs 15:

³ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Clearly, when the Bible says that God cannot look upon the wicked, it is a figure of speech. God is not blind. The Lord cannot tolerate wickedness but we know He sees our sins and judges people and nations for their wickedness. It is not God who flees from sin, but sin that flees from God. God cannot be affected by sin, but whatever has been corrupted by sin is affected by God. Sin is judged and we are either redeemed from it by faith or judged with it through rebellion. This should be an encouragement to each of us for if God did not turn away from Jesus when He was credited with our sins, He also will not utterly reject us when we are overcome by sin. If God could not look upon us as sinful people, God could not grant us repentance.

The Bible states that Jesus suffered in all ways like us so that He could identify with us as our High Priest[24]. During the judgment He suffered on the cross, in His humanity it felt like the Father was a million miles away, but He was there all the time. At times we also feel like God is distant and that our sins have caused us to be utterly forsaken by God, but He grants us repentance and hears our cry. When God calls us to repentance, we have the promise that if we confess and forsake our sins, we are cleansed by the blood of Christ and restored to fellowship with Him[25]. This ought to be a great encouragement to each one of us. Even when the darkness closes in and our failures are great, the Lord can shine the light in our hearts, call us to repentance and rescue us from our sins. If God could not look upon sin we would remain under condemnation, but thanks be to God that He is able to see us in our need and rescue us from any pit of despair.

Eddie Snipes

Exchanged Life Outreach

http://www.exchangedlife.com

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