Doctrine of the New Covenant, part 5.

Title: Doctrine of the New Covenant, part 5.  

 

We pray for our friends and royal family and Florida.

LUK 21:25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

 

LUK 21:26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

PSA 107:28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

And He brought them out of their distresses.

 

 

PSA 107:29 He caused the storm to be still,

So that the waves of the sea were hushed.

 

PSA 107:30 Then they were glad because they were quiet;

So He guided them to their desired haven.

 

Not only does the NT use the term New Covenant, but it also uses quotes from the New Covenant given in the OT.

 

LUK 22:19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 

 

LUK 22:20 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.

 

Jesus states that the cup is the new covenant without distinction or explanation. Is that because they, as Jews, already knew of the new covenant?

 

We find a similar situation in the preaching of the kingdom by John and Jesus. When John the Baptist and Jesus began preaching that the kingdom was at hand, they did not need to explain what they meant by that since the Jewish audience already knew from the OT. If this was a total misconception, then certainly Jesus would have corrected it.

 

In fact, most dispensationalist theologians use this argument when refuting Covenant Theology, which holds to the view that Jesus was talking of a different kingdom than the one prophesied in the OT.

 

In Matthew's account this cup, which is the new covenant, is the forgiveness of sins.

 

As we saw in Jer 31, in the NC God will "forgive their iniquity and their sin [He] will remember no more."

 

MAT 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 

 

MAT 26:28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

 

ZEC 9:11

As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

 

In the account of 2Co 3 the truth and the gospel are written on human hearts by the Holy Spirit. This was also said in Jer 31.

 

2CO 3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

 

2CO 3:2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

 

2CO 3:3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

 

2CO 3:4 And such confidence we have through Christ toward God.

 

2CO 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,

 

2CO 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

"servants of a new covenant" is a phrase incorporated with identical spiritual blessings from the OT/NC. This lends evidence to a one NC view.

 

Paul lists the blessing of writing the word of God right on our hearts and the indwelling Spirit who gives us life.

 

What is clear from the scripture is that the New Covenant was made with Israel and that it is unconditional.

 

NC is unconditional: defined as a sovereign act of God whereby God unconditionally obligates Himself to bring to pass definite promises, blessings, and conditions for the covenanted people.

 

It is characterized by God stating "I will" rather than "you will."

 

The New Covenant supersedes the Mosaic covenant, that in it the sins of Israel would be remembered no more, and that it will be fulfilled by the second coming of Christ.

 

One can agree with all of these points of dispensationalism and still believe in only one New Covenant, already ratified by the blood of the Messiah with present spiritual blessings now being enjoyed by the Church while Israel as a nation will enjoy them in the future along with the physical promises intended only for Israel.

 

The New Covenant must be understood literally and we must expect it to be fulfilled literally. It cannot be spiritualized without it losing all of its essential features, which is true of all of God's promises.

 

In its literal interpretation, there are both spiritual and physical blessings, just like the Abrahamic Covenant. The physical promises are limited to Israel, but the spiritual promises have been given to the Gentiles and Jews of this age who have believed in Christ.

 

The New Covenant of JER 31:31-34 is quoted in Heb 8 in order to show that the old covenant was temporary and ultimately to be superseded.

 

HEB 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

 

HEB 8:6 is pivotal: The New Testament in Jesus' blood is superior to and takes the place of the First Testament in animal blood.

 

This is an important verse. It is a pivotal verse in the epistle. It closes the first major argument. The writer has proved that Jesus' blood and testament is superior to the old animal blood on the basis of pure logic and the Old Testament Scriptures. Using the logical argument that a superior workman turns out a superior product, he has shown that Messiah, the Founder of the New Testament is better than the founders of the First Testament, who were the prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, and Aaron. Therefore, the testament He brought in is superior to and takes the place of theirs.

 

HEB 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless [it was but man could not keep it], there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

 

HEB 8:8 For finding fault with them, He says,

 

"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,

When I will effect a new covenant

With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

 

HEB 8:9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers

On the day when I took them by the hand

To lead them out of the land of Egypt;

For they did not continue in My covenant,

And I did not care for them, says the Lord.