The New Covenant

For as long as I can remember, anything about the new covenant confused me. I don't really know why that is but it's just one of those things that is difficult for me to fully understand. I came across some scripture in Hebrews and Jeremiah today that described more in depth the new covenant. I hope with this post the new convent becomes more easy to understand because it's an important thing to understand.


"The days are coming," declares the Lord,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
 to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them."

"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest." 

"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds 
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)

Here we have two different books of the bible with the same exact scripture. Apart from the first couple verses from the Jeremiah passage, the end of the scripture is exactly the same. I think that is pretty cool.

A simple way to describe the new covenant would be to say that the new covenant is the covenant of grace-Christ's offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through his sacrificial death. The covenant is new in application because it is written in our hearts and in our minds. It offers a new way to forgiveness, not through sacrifice but through faith.

So what happens under the new covenant? God's law is inside us. It is no longer an external set of rules and principles. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's words, activates our consciences, influences our motives and desires, and makes us want to obey. Now doing God's will is something we desire with all of our heart and mind.

I hope that we all realize that life in Christ is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and dryness. I bet that you have been there because I know that I have. Life is so good but there are always going to be times when we experience drought in our lives. If we knew everything and understood all we were supposed to it would be like we are in heaven already. We aren't meant to experience completeness until heaven.

Think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. The key to growth includes a daily commitment. What are you doing on a daily basis?

I hope this post was informational and that you now understand the new covenant even better. I know that after what I read today I do.