Month: September 2022

“And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’ “ (Luke 22:20).  Jesus’ death launched the new covenant into action.  And we who believe are the beneficiaries of that covenant.

As we have seen in this series, the new covenant is actually a continuation of the covenant promises that God made with our spiritual forefather Abraham.  “Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith; just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?  Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:5-7).

We are sons of Abraham because we enter the promise of the new covenant just as Abraham entered into his covenant arrangement with God; BY FAITH!

“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’  Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:2-5).

Let’s add the promise and provision of the new covenant to our covenant comparison.  (AC = Abrahamic covenant, OC = old covenant, NC = new covenant)

1. AC:  It was a covenant based on God’s promise, not Abraham’s action.
OC:  It was a covenant based on man’s obedience.
NC:  It is a covenant based on God’s promise, not our obedience.

2. AC:  It was a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.
OC:  It was only for God’s chosen people at that time; the Jews.
NC:  It is a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.

3. AC:  It was a promise fulfilled in the one who “believed”, not based on religious activity or behavior.
OC:  It was a blessing given based on one’s obedience.
NC:  It is a promise fulfilled in the one who “believes”, not based on religious activity or behavior.

4. AC:  It was a covenant that was transformational, signified by changing Abram’s name to Abraham.
OC:  It was a covenant that was purely transactional; blessing based on obedience, a curse for disobedience.
NC:  It is a covenant that is transformational, not transactional.  We were changed and became new creations by Christ’s finished work on the cross.

5. AC:  It was a covenant between God and God; Abraham was the beneficiary.
OC:  It was a covenant between God and man.
NC:  It is a covenant between God and Jesus; we who believe are the beneficiaries.

Let’s focus for a minute on the transformation part of the new covenant.  Our transformation under the new covenant is way way way more than the name change that Abraham experienced.  We have undergone a new birth and are called a new creation with a new identity and a new Spirit inside and a new heart and a new purity and a new nature and a new self and a new freedom and a new power and so much more.

Believe it, receive it, celebrate it, and thank the Lord for the NEW in you.

Five hundred years after the Abrahamic covenant, we come to a detour on the covenant train.  We find ourselves face to face with what is known as the old covenant.  Abraham’s descendants have gathered at the foot of Mt Sinai.  Here God initiated the old covenant, also known as the Law, through His prophet, Moses.

“Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:  “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.  Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.’  So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him.  All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do!’  And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD” (Exodus 19:3-8).

The rest of the Old Testament is a record of Israel’s struggle to keep their “we will do it” part of the old covenant.

Let’s compare and contrast what we know about the Abrahamic covenant and the old covenant of the Law.  Let’s start by listing the five distinctives of the Abrahamic covenant that we covered in our first post and contrast them with their old covenant counterpart.  (AC = Abrahamic covenant, OC = old covenant)

1. AC: It was a covenant based on God’s promise, not Abraham’s action.
OC: It was a covenant based on man’s obedience.

2. AC:  It was a promise to bless all the families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile.
OC:  It was only for God’s chosen people at that time; the Jews.

3. AC:  It was a promise fulfilled in the one who “believed”, not based on religious activity or behavior.
OC:  It was a blessing given based on one’s obedience.

4. AC:  It was a covenant that was transformational, not transactional, signified by changing Abram’s name to Abraham.
OC:  It was a covenant that was purely transactional; blessing based on obedience, a curse for disobedience.

5. AC:  It was a covenant between God and God; Abraham was the beneficiary.
OC:  It was a covenant between God and man.

Next time, we will talk about where the new covenant fits into this picture.  But I will give you a hint while we are waiting.  The new covenant aligns with ALL of the Abrahamic provisions and NONE of the old covenant requirements.

In Genesis chapter 12, God made a spectacular promise to Abram.  “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).

But by Genesis chapter 15, Abram is having his doubts.  He reflects on his advanced age and no heir.  So God repeats His promise, “And behold, the word of the LORD came to Abram: ‘This man [Abram’s servant] shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’  And He brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then God said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’  And he believed the LORD, and God counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:4-6).

Then God sealed His promise with a covenant in the remainder of Genesis chapter 15.  To summarize the next several verses, God asked Abram to gather a heifer, a goat, a ram, and some birds.  Abram cut the heifer, goat, and ram in halves and placed the halves opposite each other.  Then a deep sleep fell upon Abram.  He was out cold!  When evening arrived and the sun went down, God in the form of a smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed between the animal pieces.  God’s speech at this ceremony expanded on some specifics of His promise to Abram.

God confirmed His promise to Abram by making a covenant, sealed by passing between the animal parts, between Himself and … Himself.  The covenant ceremony was between God and God.  Abram was asleep!  Abram had no part in the ceremony.  Abram had nothing to contribute to the covenant.  But he was clearly the beneficiary of the covenant between God and God.  Sound familiar?

When God initiated the new covenant through the spilled blood of Jesus Christ, you and I were much more than asleep.  We weren’t even born.  And when we did arrive on the scene, we were worse than asleep, we were dead in our sins and trespasses.  But we – while making absolutely no contribution to it – became the beneficiaries of the new covenant brought by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  How?  By believing.

The same way Abram became the beneficiary of God’s Genesis 15 covenant (“And he believed the LORD, and God counted it to him as righteousness” vs 6) is exactly how we receive all the promise and provision of the new covenant.  “Then they said to Him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’  Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’ (John 6:28-29).  Simply believe!