Some have a misunderstanding about the nature of God’s covenant with us today. Has there been one everlasting covenant throughout the history of mankind? Or is the covenant currently in force today different from the one we read about in the Old Testament? If we consider one of the prophecies from Jeremiah, we will get a clearer picture of the nature of the new covenant which is currently in effect.
“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord.
“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
“‘They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Let us briefly examine this prophecy and see what it can teach us about the new covenant.
“Days are coming” – This is a recurring phrase in the book of Jeremiah that clearly indicated divine prophecy. When these things were fulfilled, it would not be by accident. Rather, it would be the result of God’s foreknowledge and foreordination. All of this was part of God’s plan.
“A new covenant” – The Jews, as a whole, had wandered from God’s Law (“My covenant which they broke” – Jeremiah 31:32). Jeremiah made it clear that God was not intending to restore the covenant under the Law of Moses, but rather establish a new covenant. This is why the Judaizers – those who wanted to impose the Law of Moses upon the Gentiles – were wrong (Acts 15:1-2, 9-11; Galatians 5:3-4). The old law was taken away and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). The new law would be for both Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-3; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:28-29).
Not like when God “took them by the hand” – God delivered Israel from Egypt because of the covenant He had made with Abraham (Exodus 2:23-25). Even though they were escaping slavery, the people often complained about their deliverance (Exodus 14:11-12; 16:2-3; 17:2-3). God will not take us by the hand in the same way today. He drug them along in order to carry out His scheme of redemption (Genesis 12:3). Today, we must come to Him of our own free will (Matthew 11:28-30).
“I will put My law within them” – This new law is more than just a law to which we are accountable. It must be a part of us. We must take time to study it that we might know and grow in it (2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3:18). We are to meditate on it (Psalm 119:97), speak of it (1 Peter 4:11), and practice those things which we learn from it (Proverbs 23:7; James 1:22).
“I will be their God” – Under the new covenant, we must each have a direct, personal relationship with God. I do not mean this in the same way many in the denominational world use it, focusing on feelings rather than fact. Instead, it means that God is concerned about each one of us. He does not want any to be lost (2 Peter 3:9), so He sent His Son in order to make salvation possible for all (John 3:16). We are also reminded in this of the fact that we are each individually accountable before Him (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“They will all know Me” – The prophecy stated that they would not teach their neighbors to know the Lord. Does this mean that evangelism is unnecessary? Of course not (Mark 16:15; 1 Peter 3:15). Instead, it means that one will have to know God before entering a covenant relationship with Him. Under the old law, one entered into the covenant by physical birth, then he would be taught later. Under the new law, one enters by spiritual birth (John 3:3, 5) after being taught (Mark 16:16). Therefore, any who are of the age in which they can understand and believe the gospel are candidates for baptism.
“I will forgive their iniquity” – Forgiveness of sins is found in Christ (Ephesians 1:7; John 1:17). Who will be forgiven? Those who enter the covenant of Christ and submit to His laws. We enter the covenant through baptism (Galatians 3:27, 29). We then must continue to walk with Him to receive forgiveness (1 John 1:7).
The Scriptures are clear that we are under a new covenant today. This is also a “better covenant” (Hebrews 8:6). Let us gratefully serve God under His new law and not long to return to the old ways or any other path.
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