189 – The Better Covenant

As Christians, we understand that the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, is inspired, or “God breathed.” 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The word “inspiration” literally means “breathed”, in other words, all scripture is “God breathed.”

We also know that the two parts of the Bible represent two separate Covenants. The word testament is from the Greek diathēkē, which means covenant. A covenant is an agreement or contract. A theological covenant is an agreement between God and mankind. Therefore, the Bible represents two covenants. The Old Covenant was a covenant between God and the Hebrews, and the New Covenant was a covenant between God and the followers of Jesus, Christians.

Every theological covenant has a mediator. The dictionary defines a mediator as one who attempts to bring people involved in a conflict to an agreement, serving as a go-between. In the Old Covenant, Moses was the mediator; that is why the covenant was often called the “Law of Moses.” The New Covenant mediator is Jesus, who gave His life willingly to save us from sin and gave us eternal life with Him in Heaven. Notice that I said, “Jesus gave His Life.” That giving of life is why the New Covenant is called the Covenant of Grace.

Back to the dictionary, grace is defined as: “(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” Put another way, Jesus giving His life for us is the very definition of grace. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Here is the crucial point: you can’t have two mediators! Too many Christians are trying to live under the Law and under Grace. Grace and Law are mutually exclusive, meaning that it must be one or the other; it can’t be both. Look at what the Apostle John said in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” And then the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Faith, the Key to both the Old and New Covenants

One thing that is in common with both covenants is that “Faith is the glue that holds the covenant together. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Faith is what God seeks in both the Old and New Covenants.

In the Old Testament, we see God’s appraisal of Abraham, Genesis 15:5-6, “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ 6 And he believed (had faith) in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Then the Apostle Paul says in Romans 4:20-22, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced (faith) that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Righteousness means to be in a right relationship with the Lord.

Salvation in both the Old and New Covenants was and is by faith. In the Old Testament, people were not saved by the Law, but by believing that the Law was from God and trusting in the Lawgiver who was God. In the New Testament, we are saved by trusting in Jesus, who is God, for our salvation alone.

Why Christians are not under the Law of Moses

Because Jesus fulfilled the Law, we are no longer under the Law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” The promises of God in the Old Covenant are still in effect; however, the Law of Moses has become obsolete. Hebrews 8:13, “In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Let’s take a look at how Jesus fulfilled the Law.

Perfect Obedience

Jesus lived a life of perfect harmony and righteousness, displaying the moral standard required by the Law in a way that no person could.

Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
1 Peter 2:22, “He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”

Prophetic Fulfillment

There are between 300 and 400 prophecies in the Old Testament describing the life and ministry of the Messiah, Jesus.

Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Atoning Sacrifice

Through His death, Jesus satisfied the righteous requirements of the Law, paying the penalty for human sin and making reconciliation with God possible. Remember, in the Old Covenant, sacrifices were continually made to cover sin. However, in the New Covenant, Jesus once and for all made the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

2 Corinthians 5, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
“Galatians 3:13, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).

New Covenant

The sacrifice of Jesus required a new covenant, moving believers from a system of written rules to a new life under grace with the “law of love” written on their hearts.

Jesus said in Luke 22:20, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
Hebrews 8:10, “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.”

God’s Will

Jesus revealed the deep spiritual meaning of the Law, teaching and demonstrating a more profound understanding of God’s will, which involves transforming the heart. This transformation, which is by faith in the work of the Holy Spirit, changes us from the inside out. We are transformed out of guilt, fear, and shame into a loving relationship with our Lord.

Matthew 22:37–40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

What This Means for Us as Christians

Freedom from Condemnation

Guilt and shame came with breaking the Law.

Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Transformation by the Spirit

As Christians, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out the spirit of the law not the letter of the law, which is love, by transforming our thoughts, words, and actions.

Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Focusing on Love

Instead of focusing on the righteousness of the Law, our attention shifts to loving God and our neighbor, which Jesus declared to be the summary of the entire Law and the Prophets.

Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament Law by perfectly obeying its requirements, thereby becoming the ultimate sacrifice and atonement for sin that the Law pointed to. His life and death are seen as the fulfillment of the prophetic messages of the Law, establishing a new covenant in its place. This fulfillment means that the Law’s requirements are now met through Christ’s work, and believers are called to live by a transformed spirit of love and grace, rather than strict adherence to the Old Covenant’s regulations.

The New Covenant is a Better Covenant

Jesus fulfilled the “Old Covenant Law” and replaced it with a “Better Covenant called the New Covenant of Grace. These are not my words, but the words found in the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews uses the word “better” about 12 times; here are some of them:

Hebrews 7:22, “by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.”
Hebrews 8:6, “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.”
Hebrews 12:24, “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant…”
Hebrews 8:13, “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
Matthew 5:17-18 17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

Superiority of the New Covenant

The book of Hebrews makes the case that the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. The book of Hebrews is written to many of the Jewish believers who have left Judaism for Christianity. These new Jewish Christians wanted to mix some of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant in order to escape persecution by their countrymen. Some are doing that even to this day, trying to mix the Old Covenant of Law with the New Covenant of Grace.

The writer of Hebrews exhorts them to “go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). His call is based on the superiority of Christ over the Judaic system. Christ is better than the angels, for they worship Him. He is better than Moses, for He created him. He is better than the Aaronic priesthood, for His sacrifice was once for all time. He is better than the law, for He mediates a better covenant. In short, there is more to be gained in Christ than to be lost in Judaism.

I encourage you to read Hebrews chapters 8–10 for a comparison of the Old vs. New Covenant, but here are a few principles.

Better Promises: The Old Covenant promised blessings for obedience; the New Covenant promises eternal life and forgiveness (Hebrews 8:6).
Better Sacrifice: Old Covenant sacrifices had to be repeated; Christ’s sacrifice was once-for-all (Hebrews 10:10–14).
Better Access: Under the Old Covenant, only the high priest entered God’s presence once a year; under the New, all believers have direct access through Christ (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19–22).
Better Transformation: The Old Covenant regulated behavior externally; the New changes hearts internally (Ezekiel 36:26–27; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Permanent vs. Temporary: The Old was a “shadow” of what was to come (Colossians 2:16–17; Hebrews 10:1); the New is eternal and unshakable (Hebrews 13:20).

The Old Covenant revealed sin but could not remove it. The New Covenant, established by Christ’s blood, brings forgiveness, transformation, and an eternal relationship with God. It is superior because it fulfills the promises, provides lasting access to God, and is built on grace rather than works.

189 The Better Covenant!

189 – The Better Covenant

Share this: