What is the New Covenant?

What is the New Covenant?

In order to understand Christianity one must understand what the new covenant is. In Old Testament times covenants were made to form an agreement or unbreakable bond between two people or groups of people. God of the Old Testament made unbreakable bonds or covenants with His people Israel. The Old Testament is a Covenant between God and His people, which Moses brought to the people. It was founded on the Law, with consequences for obedience and disobedience. The people not only had the law, but they had a sacrificial system for dealing with sin. Animals were sacrificed to cover, not remove sin, and there were priests that fulfilled this service to God. Mankind still had the guilt of their sins because the blood of bulls and goats couldn't take away sins. "But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Hebrews 10:3-4 | ESV

Why then did God require this? Because in God's plan, the world was waiting for a Saviour, but God had to make provision for the people's sins before the appointed time of Christ's first coming. Jesus was not the kind of Saviour that they were expecting though. His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, but it also currently is an invisible Kingdom. Jesus preached a message that didn't resonate with the people of His time. He taught that suffering had a purpose and that purpose is redemptive. They were expecting a King that would bring peace to the world, but this isn't the purpose of the New Covenant that Jesus set up. When Jesus comes a second time, He will bring everlasting peace to a redeemed world and His redeemed people.

But in order to be a part of that redeemed community then, we must be a part of it now. Part of what makes us a part of God's redeemed community is being a part of the New Covenant or Testament. The new covenant is founded on love, love for God and love for our neighbour. When we sin against God in this way, we need to repent. God allows men and women freedom in this new covenant and it is ratified in the blood of Jesus, which not only covers our sin, but removes it. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 | ESV This is Mike.

Comments

On Christian Marriage. (Short)

On Christian Marriage. (Short) The modern co-habitation crisis has produced a lot of single moms and dads, and has fractured "family units" allowing other family members and relatives to take a bigger role in these "Separated families." There isn't a "one cause" why families have separated or divorced, it is a complicated issue, sometimes resulting in very hard emotions for Society to process. Things like the "millennial sexual revolution" have contributed to the widespread "non-committal" attitude, which in turn has given the traditional marriage the "black eye" it currently has and has turned many Christian men away from seeking a life partner. The more society devalues "traditional marriage" the more co-habitation you will see in all the other generations as well as the Millennials. This is Mike.

Why Christians must show Mutual Concern for One another.

Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. Psalm 142:4. Christians in the church should have mutual concern for one another, this is what it means to be part of the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:25. It’s takes good pastoral leadership to foster this sense of concern, and where it is missing, individuals who are suffering in the church are overlooked and not supported. Every believer needs support and encouragement, but when this is missing, the church divides and loses it power and testimony. Christians live like the world, and become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks when nobody is supporting them outside the church. I used to belong to an evangelical church which had great leadership, and something called small groups. This church felt like a family and I had people who shared my Christian walk with me when I was not in the church building. I have been attending a different denomination that doesn’t hav...

The Existence of God

Since the beginning of time, man has learned about the existence of God. It began in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God, however when they sinned, they died spiritually and their closeness with God was severed. In Genesis 4:26 it reads “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.” Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, so it’s fair to say that not too long after mankind fell, we also called upon the Lord. From that time until now, mankind was closer to God then, but it’s a modern shift that the world is in the state it is in now, mainly unbelief, because even 30 years ago from now, mankind was closer to God. It is also true that in ancient Israel’s history, there have been generations that fell away and forgot God, but in the time of the prophets Israel was never left without a word from the Lord. Many generations have come and gone, but there have been remarkable generations all thr...

The Super Blogosphere of a parallel word.

Search This Blog