The New Covenant is Better

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises."

Hebrews 8:6

When Jesus established a new covenant in His own blood, it was a covenant far superior to the covenant of the Law of Moses.  In our Friday night Bible study, we discussed Peter's introduction to the Jewish believers scattered from the land God promised to give them in 1 Peter 1:1-2:  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace be multiplied."  God's chosen people received the commands of God, and their entry into the land and future prosperity depended largely upon their obedience.

Moses took the blood of an animal sacrifice and sprinkled it upon the altar and the people.  The basic conditions of God's covenant was to obey His Law, offer sacrifices for the atonement of sin, and they would dwell in the land He promised to give them.  The new covenant, rather than depending upon the obedience of men, was dependent on the obedience of Jesus Christ.  He obeyed God in offering Himself as a sacrifice on Calvary to atone for lost sinners and provided entry into the kingdom of God, a heavenly kingdom where we will dwell in the glorious presence of God forever.  The Gospel is not a command to do but all about what Jesus has done, and by faith in Jesus we enter into the new covenant God has made for our salvation.  His resurrection from the dead shows Jesus is able to forgive sins and provide eternal life for all who trust Him.

The establishment of a new covenant makes the first obsolete as a basis for establishing man's righteousness as it says in Colossians 2:13-14:  "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."  Some are concerned that if the Law is nailed to the cross it will promote lawlessness.  This is hardly the case for people born again and sanctified by faith in Jesus.  By the Law is the knowledge of sin that leads the guilty to Jesus for cleansing and salvation.  In providing the Holy Spirit Jesus established a higher moral standard than what is written in the Law, for He said "It has been written...but I say unto you..."  Knowing we are chosen, sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, sanctified unto God for obedience, and by grace we are credited with righteousness and enabled to walk righteously.

The book of Hebrews goes into great detail in how the new covenant is superior to the old because of Jesus and all He has accomplished and continues to do.  He has not left us alone but has given the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who teaches, guides and helps us to do God's will.  Praise the LORD for His grace and peace we can experience today because of our awesome Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Instead of having our external behaviour governed by the letter of the law that kills, our lives are being transformed from within by the divine power that raised Jesus from the dead.