The concept of the covenant is central to the biblical narrative, representing a divine promise and relationship between God and His people. Under the Gospel, the covenant is renewed and fulfilled through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This renewal is a pivotal theme in the New Testament, signifying the transition from the Old Covenant, established through the Law of Moses, to the New Covenant, inaugurated by Christ.

Old Covenant Foundations

The Old Covenant, often referred to as the Mosaic Covenant, was established at Mount Sinai. It was characterized by the giving of the Law, which included moral, ceremonial, and civil precepts. This covenant was conditional, requiring the Israelites to obey God's commandments to receive His blessings. As stated in Exodus 19:5 , "Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine."

Promise of a New Covenant

The prophets foretold a new covenant that would surpass the old. Jeremiah 31:31-34 prophesies, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." This new covenant would be internal, written on the hearts of believers, and characterized by a personal relationship with God.

Fulfillment in Christ

The New Covenant is realized through Jesus Christ, who is both the mediator and the sacrifice. Hebrews 9:15 states, "Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." Through His atoning death, Christ fulfills the requirements of the Law and establishes a covenant based on grace and faith.

The Lord’s Supper as a Covenant Sign

The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, serves as a sign of the New Covenant. During the Last Supper, Jesus declared, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). This sacrament commemorates Christ’s sacrifice and the believer’s participation in the New Covenant, symbolizing the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.

Characteristics of the New Covenant

The New Covenant is marked by several key characteristics:

1. Grace and Faith: Unlike the Old Covenant, which was based on adherence to the Law, the New Covenant is founded on grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

2. Internal Transformation: The New Covenant involves a transformation of the heart. Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances."

3. Universal Scope: While the Old Covenant was primarily with Israel, the New Covenant extends to all nations. Galatians 3:28 declares, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

4. Eternal Security: The New Covenant offers eternal security to believers. John 10:28 assures, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand."

Implications for Believers

The renewal of the covenant under the Gospel has profound implications for believers. It calls for a life of faith, obedience, and devotion to Christ. Believers are invited to live in the freedom and assurance of God's promises, empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill His purposes. The New Covenant establishes a community of faith, the Church, which is called to be a light to the nations, proclaiming the Gospel and living out the love of Christ.Jeremiah 31:31-33
Behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 11:27
For this is my covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 8:8-10,13
For finding fault with them, he said, Behold, the days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
... the people of God under the gospel, in offerings ... To the covenant of the Levitical
priesthood, the Lord ... formerly promised, and came under renewed obligation to ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter xi covenanting enforced by.htm

The Blood of the Everlasting Covenant
... he preserved and kept, and it was renewed continually to ... That which is in the covenant
is to be seen in ... in the Gospel day after day, treading under foot the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the blood of the everlasting.htm

Covenanting Recommended by the Practice of the New Testament ...
... and the Solemn League and Covenant, were renewed ... parties besides, these covenants
have been renewed since the ... Reformation, which at present lies under the bann ...
/.../the ordinance of covenanting/chapter xiv covenanting recommended by.htm

Sad Fasts Changed to Glad Feasts
... becomes a believer in Christ, and is renewed, this principle ... passed out from under
the old covenant into the new ... that explains how it was that, under the gospel ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/sad fasts changed to glad.htm

Concerning Perfection.
... under the gospel, and under grace, and not under the law ... with the law without, in
the first covenant state, which ... put on the new man, that is renewed in holiness ...
/.../proposition viii concerning perfection.htm

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
... OFFERED UNTO THE PENITENT AND FAITHFUL UNDER THE GOSPEL ... it in God's ways, according
to the covenant of grace ... a spiritual action, even when renewed and quickened ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon vi who walk not.htm

A Letter on the Sin against the Holy Ghost to John Uytenbogard ...
... the man who thus sins cannot be renewed unto repentance ... and hath counted the blood
of the covenant, wherewith he ... 10, he is said to be "trodden under foot," and ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/a letter on the sin.htm

The Law Given, not to Retain a People for Itself, but to Keep ...
... sacrifices, and the ark of the covenant was a ... of their guilt and impurity was ever
and anon renewed. ... redemption of the transgressions that were under the first ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 7 the law given.htm

Christ the Believer's Husband
... And even gracious souls, who are inwardly renewed, so far ... are dead to the law, as
a covenant of works ... what is required of truly Christian wives, under the gospel ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/christ the believers husband.htm

Covenant Duties.
... first proposed, and also at succeeding times when the covenant of Sinai was renewed.
The Church is therefore under a debt to their descendants which should ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

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