stephen R Harrison

“A New Covenant”

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

-Jeremiah 31:33

The promise of a New Covenant is seen in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This Scripture says God declared he would make a New Covenant that was greater than the one made with those he brought out of slavery from the Egyptians. Although Israel broke that covenant, God offered a New Covenant because of his great love for us. God said this New Covenant will be written on their hearts so that he can be their God, and they can be his people (Jeremiah 31:33). The promise is for the forgiveness and forgetting of their sins (v. 34). That is the hope we find, fulfilled in Christ.

Because of God’s grace, he wrote his promise on our hearts. We can know God personally, intimately, and thoroughly. In Jeremiah’s day, as in ours, people struggled to hold what matters most close to their hearts. We are preoccupied with the struggles and burdens surrounding us that seemingly overshadow the truth. God’s people suffered exile in Babylon, being taken out of Jerusalem and losing everything. Jerusalem was a faint memory, and the thought of being God’s chosen people was fading fast. God was about to do something that would draw people back to him and remind them he is with them wherever they may be.

God desired a New Covenant to show his faithfulness, mercy, kindness, and steadfastness towards his people. This was not only for them but all who would call on him (Galatians 3:28). By God’s grace through Christ, he established a New Covenant stamped on our hearts. It gives us new hearts. It was one of assurance, purchased by the blood of his dear Son Jesus. The New Covenant would mean even if we were in bondage in this world and lost everything, we would assuredly have the freedom of Christ’s salvation in our hearts. Nothing could remove us from his New Covenant’s promise of salvation. What could separate us from the love of God? Nothing! (Romans 8:31-39).

Through the cross, Jesus did something we could never do for ourselves. He gave hopeless sinners forgiveness, remembering their sins no more. Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). His blood poured out for us is one of a New Covenant (Luke 22:20). This covenant is extended to all by his grace (Romans 6:14-15). The old covenant was replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). Hebrews 8:6 tells us, “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one since the New Covenant is established on better promises.” During Lent, thank God for forgiving and forgetting our sins, which were made possible by his New Covenant in Christ.

Questions: 

How are you thankful for the New Covenant in Christ?

What significance does writing the New Covenant have on our hearts?

Prayer:

Jesus, we are thankful for a better covenant, your gift of salvation through your blood on the cross. You are a mediator superior to any other—the one mediator between God and man. In you, we find forgiveness of sins and a better promise. Help us remember what you’ve done for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Read: 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Action Step:

Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and write down the benefits of the promised New Covenant fulfilled in Christ. What other Scriptures can you find that comfort us in his New Covenant?