Twenty things we know about the New Covenant

The New Covenant, as documented in the Scriptures, is one of seven covenants between God and man.

The New Covenant supersedes the others by completing some and replacing others. It is therefore effectively the only one of the seven covenants directly applicable to us today.

The New Covenant was established between God the Father and God the Son, with the help of God the Holy Spirit. Established by the Trinity, it is love-driven, perfect, immutable and irrevocable, and totally extraneous to sinful mankind.

On behalf of the Godhead, Christ is the primary beneficiary of the New Covenant. Every victory is first His, all the plunder His, and every benefit first and foremost His.

The New Covenant was instituted at a moment in time. It was cut at the cross. In that moment – a moment shaped by Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious death, resurrection, ascension and session – the New Covenant was instituted.

The New Covenant transcends time. It is once for all! All sin was dealt with – past, present and future, and the gift of salvation extended to all men – past, present and future. The salvation of believers of old was re-calibrated when the New Covenant was cut.

The New Covenant is well described as a grace covenant. Unmerited favour! It is according to God’s riches. It comes to us as a gift. We can only accept or reject it, and upon receiving it, become its beneficiaries on its terms.

The New Covenant is probably even better described as a Spirit covenant. It is actioned by the Spirit in any and every way. This makes it entirely supernatural and, and its results and outworking entirely supernatural also. It is according to God’s riches, and it is according to God’s power.

The facts concerning the New Covenant are called the Gospel. The Gospel, however, is far more than a collection of facts. It is a powerful message which represents the Lord, because the message itself carries His DNA.

The first gift this Good News gives is faith. Faith arises in anyone who receives insight (revelation) into the goodness and greatness of God. This is such a valuable gift, because it grants the ability to believe, and whoever believes is included with Jesus in the New Covenant as a beneficiary.

This makes the New Covenant all-inclusive; even though its benefits are totally exclusive (they can be had no other way than by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone). Everyone can receive it, although everyone must receive it for themselves.

The way it all works is that a mustard seed of faith grants a New-Covenant-sized salvation!

The Lord engulfs all who believe. It is a full Spirit-executed baptism. The man or woman who believes is plunged into Christ by the Spirit, and is joined with Him in comprehensive union. Co-crucified, co-died, co-buried, co-raised, co-exalted, co-seated, co-heir, co-laborer.

Beyond the engulfing, the Holy Spirit literally recreates inwardly those who believe also. The one who believes is born again of the Spirit. A new creation. Literally a new species, of which the risen Jesus Himself was the prototype.

The New Covenant is therefore completely and utterly transformative. Sinner to saint; darkness to light; death to life; estrangement to union! The mechanism is death and resurrection, and the old is obliterated in its entirety. New Covenant equals brand new identity!

Because it is extraneous to us and therefore absolutely objective, the benefits of the New Covenant as extended to the believer are inviolable. What has been gained can never be lost, because it is in essence an action of God granting participation in His Divine nature. While its appropriation by the individual might be negligible, that in no way reduces the enormity of the gift itself.

The New Covenant thus guarantees a perpetual new beginning. It is in and of itself an everlasting foundation. Even if veiled by a carnal and cluttered life, it continually offers limitless opportunity, no matter what! Hence calling the backslider to repentance is a joyful thing.

The limitless potential embedded in the New Covenant applies to this life and to the life to come. The import is eternal. The New Covenant grants fullness and freedom, in perfection, forever! It is and always will be the foundation for every promise of God for all eternity.

The New Covenant is counter-intuitive. At times it seems too good to be true because it cannot be comprehended within the confines of natural things. It flies in the face of all experience or logic other than that which arises from within it. It is a true mystery – not complicated or difficult or confusing – but understood only be revelation. It is only and all by the Spirit.

The New Covenant is unstoppable, indomitable, and inextinguishable. It is a glory-to-glory Covenant. It is so wrapped up in Christ that it is as Eternal, Transcendent, Loving, Righteous and Perfect as He is! It represents Him perfectly! It is His way forward, and it cannot fail in the macro any more than in the micro. The New Heavens and a New Earth will be!

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Lonwabo Fityoli

    Thanx Gav!!! Wow, the Good News is always profound; each time one hears it stimulate ones faith. Praise the Lord Jesus!

    1. Gavin Cox

      That it is. Thanks for the encouragement!

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