The
greatest covenant in the history of mankind was made, established and
fulfilled by God Himself. It is called the New Covenant. In short, God
the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 14) and we called Him Jesus. (Luke
1:31) He stepped our of eternity and into time with a purpose, "...to give His life a ransom for many."
(Matthew 20:28) However, in the purpose of God, covenant between Him
and man required the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22) We see the first
covenant established at the fall of man, where an innocent animal was
sacrificed to cover man nakedness. (Genesis 3:21)
Looking forward, we see a man named Abram, a man in whom God would cut covenant
with. God appears to Abram and proclaims, "I Am Almighty God." (Genesis
17:1) However, before God entered into covenant with Abram, He changed
his name to Abraham (a prince of God). (Genesis 17:5) He then set the
conditions of the covenant, "This is My covenant which you shall
keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male
child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in
the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between Me and you." (Genesis 17:10-11)
The covenant was
sealed by the blood shed in circumcision. This covenant bound Abraham
and his descendants by indissoluble ties to Almighty God and it bound
Almighty God to Abraham and His descendants. As covenant partners, all
that was Abraham's was also God's and all that was God's would be
Abraham's. Also in the Old Covenant, God gave Abraham's descendants the
Mosaic Law. Within this covenant God appointed a priesthood with a High
Priest. The priesthood was given the atonement offering known as The Day
of Atonement. God appointed a special sacrifice through which the blood
of an animal was to cover the broken law so that God could dwell in the
midst of His people Israel. This occurred only once a year where the
High Priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of Moses and
pour the blood of a goat upon the Mercy Seat to make yearly atonement
for the sins of Israel. (Leviticus 16) The word "atonement' in the
Hebrew means "to cover." As it was with Abraham, so it was with Israel.
As long as Israel upheld their side of the covenant, God was obligated
to uphold His side. However, if Israel did not uphold the covenant, God
was no longer obligated to make good. (Deuteronomy 28)
Looking back to the Abrahamic Covenant once again, we find one of the most remarkable things concerning covenant. It came by-way-of the promise of a son made by God to Abraham. Sarah,
Abraham's wife who was barren would bear a child, and his name would be
Isaac. However, as Isaac became older God called upon Abraham to uphold his side of the covenant. Remember, as covenant partners, all that was Abraham's was also God's and all that was God's would be Abraham's. "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested
Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am. And He said,
take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)
Abraham
would not hold back his promised son. In obedience to God the covenant
maker and keeper, Abraham took Isaac his only son, to the place that God
showed him, to sacrifice him to God. As Abraham raised his knife to
slay his son, "the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and
said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not
lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you
fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from
Me." (Genesis 22:11-12) This very act set the stage for the covenant of all covenants. "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Jesus
brings us a New Covenant having displaced and fulfilled the Old
Testament (Hebrews 10:9). With the fulfilling of the Old Covenant,
everything connected with it was set aside. As the Old Covenant was
sealed with the blood of circumcision in Abraham and the blood of
animals under the Mosaic Covenant, the New Covenant is sealed by the
very blood of Jesus. Just as God stood behind the Old Covenant and was
its surety, Jesus is the surety of the New Covenant. (Hebrews 7:25) As
the covenant between God and Abraham bound Abraham and his descendants by
indissoluble ties to Almighty God and Almighty God to Abraham
and His descendants, the same applies to the believer today through Jesus Christ. Also as in the covenant between God and Abraham, all that was Abraham's was also God's and all that
was God's would be Abraham's, the same is also true for the believer today through Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us, "Or
do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your
spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Almighty God has purchased the believer for Himself. Next, we also see, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For
you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ..." (Romans 8:14-17) Not only has God purchased the believer,
but He has adopted the believer and has made us His children and His
heirs. By definition, an heir is one who inherits or is entitled to
inherit the estate of another.
The following are but a few of the believers inheritance as the children of God. "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." (2 Corinthians 1:20). "Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2). "Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3). "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." (2 Peter 1:3). "And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life." (1 John 2:25)
Monday, May 16, 2022
The Blood of The New Covenant
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