Benefits Of The New Covenant
Anytime the New Testament is mentioned especially in the book of Hebrews (in which the new testament has been extensively explained), it is attached to the word “better”. This testament assures us of something better than the Old Testament.
Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Heb 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 11:39,40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
As a studied these scriptures from the Greek, I noticed the word “better” was even an understatement. The word “better” is from the Greek word kreitton which means stronger, nobler and best. I think you should try replacing the word “better” with these three meanings given and it will make understanding of the new covenant even much amazing. Even the word noble from the oxford dictionary means magnificent. I think I love it. God has given us something magnificent in this covenant. The new testament established by the blood of Jesus Christ is stronger, nobler (magnificent) and the best. Isn’t this amazing. If this covenant does not make you free, then nothing can. God through this covenant, has given you His best. The New Covenant is God’s best. Always remember this, the New Covenant gives us stronger, better things and magnificent. Let us have a look at some of these magnificent things we have in this testament:
1. Eternal redemption (Forgiveness) “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” Heb 9:12. Our sins (past, present and future) have been permanently and eternally forgiven. This is good news. There are some who think that this will give people the license to sin but that is wrong. This thought is disrespect to the word of God. The blood of bulls and goats covered sins for a whole year. Are we saying the blood of Jesus can even take care of our daily sins? That would be an unworthy saying. There is a place for Christian conduct and I believe and teach that. But the reality of Christian conduct does not deny this truth. The believer is eternally forgiven according to Jesus own words through the writer of Hebrews.
This is an established fact in God’s mind even if we do not believe it. “For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” 1Pete 1:18,19. Never forget this; whatever Christ offers us in the New Testament is eternal. The only thing that can change is what we believe about it. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” Eph 1:7.
We have eternal redemption which is the forgiveness of sins. Let me give you an illustration to explain this reality. Where does your file go when it is deleted from your machine or computer? Recycle bin right? Great. Does the file still live in the machine? Yes it does. So if you want to entirely delete the file from the machine, what do you do? You go into the recycle bin and delete the file straight from the recycle bin. This is an amazing way of explaining the reality of our forgiveness. Under the old system, sin was only deleted into the recycle bin. Though it was not on the desktop, it is still in the machine. The blood of bulls and goats could only cover sin temporarily in the recycle bin, but on the cross, when Jesus shed His blood, He entered into the recycle bin and completely wiped out our sins from God’s judicial system of account.
I know some IT professional would say, the files could still be traced on the system but the point am making is using an inferior example to communicate a very deep spiritual reality (you know how hard it is sometimes to use physical things to explain spiritual realities). Our sins have been taken away and it will never be remembered by God. Our sins will not be projected on a TV screen one day ever in heaven. Do you know why? Because Jesus destroyed the tape on the cross. Forgiveness is the past tense of the believer. We are completely forgiven. We will not be forgiven someday, not even when we repent. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and without strength. “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” Col 2:13. All means all beloved which includes past, present and future sins. Will God do it? No, He has done it. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”Col 3:13.
Every time forgiveness is mentioned in the epistles, it is always in the past. There is only one scripture which seems to contradict this reality which is in 1 John 1:9. This scripture was actually written to a group of people who were spreading a false gospel in the church John was pastoring or overseeing. They were called gnostics. These group of people believed that sin was not counted as a sin so long as it is done in the physical body. They believe God can never be manifested in human flesh because nothing in the natural was real. This is why John spent much time convincing the church that Jesus manifested in the flesh (1 John 1:1, 1 John 4:1-4). He told these guys (gnostics) to confess their sins so God would forgive them.
As you read further, you will realize when John was speaking to His real church members, He told them they already have an advocate and their sins were forgiven for His name sake, not their confession sake (1John 2:1, 1John2:12). I suggest you get my book titled “Open My Eyes” to have a full explanation of that scripture and to whom John was speaking to. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” Heb 8:12. Truth about God is not what makes sense with your thinking; truth is what makes sense with God’s thinking. Truth is not what your mind accepts as true or aligns with your thinking, truth is what God’s word says about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. You are completely forgiven.
2. Loving God is now a response, not an obligation:
“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Rom 2:4 “In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]. We love Him, because He first loved us” 1 John 4:17-19 (AMP)
In the Old, loving God was an obligation, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul”, but in the new, it says, “For God so loved the world”. It was God that so loved the world and gave His Son for us. We love Him because He first loved us. We can only love God to the extent degree to which we have received His Love for us”. Never force anyone to love God. It has never worked and it will never work. When people are forced to love God, it fades with time because they don’t have enough strength to sustain it. We can love God through the strength and power of His love. This is something only the New covenant can give to us.
3. Eternal Inheritance
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” Heb 9:15.
God’s inheritance is everything wrought for us from the cross to the throne. This includes, forgiveness, life, power, righteousness, sanctification, holiness, wealth, health. The New Covenant has given us something eternal and permanent. God is not hauding His blessings and inheritance to us, neither is He giving them to us in bits and in pieces, he freely and willingly willed everything to us by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God has emptied and invested all He is and all He has in Christ (For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col 1:19) and because you are in Christ, all Christ is and all Christ has is exactly what you have and what you are. Our inheritance is all Christ is.
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Eph 1:18”
4. No more consciousness of sin
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year” Heb 10:1-3.
One of the problems under the old covenant was that, not only could the blood of bulls and goats not take away sin, but it made everyone under it have the deadly consciousness of sin. It gave its subjects the picture of an ever angry God. Not so with the blood of Jesus Christ. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Heb 9:13.
Under the new covenant, we can now experience a life of no consciousness of sin. Sin consciousness is even more deadly and dangerous than sin itself because it cripples you even when you might not have done anything wrong. The blood of Jesus has purged us once.
You are free to be Christ conscious today. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” Col 3:1,2. Christ wants us to set our mind on throne room realities, not sin realities. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” 1Cor 2:16.
Heb 10:1,2,12 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.…… But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.
5. Qualified
“Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” Col 1:12. (RSV). The word “qualified” is from the Greek word “hikanoo” which means to enable, or to make able, competent and good enough. We are competent, well able and good enough for God’s inheritance. Can you see from this scripture that it was God who qualified us? We did nothing to be qualified. We do not fast, sow seeds or perform any religious gymnastics to be qualified to receive anything from God. We are qualified by God’s ability enabled by the cross. If you are looking for a job, healing, opened door, prosperity, anointing or any spiritual glory, I have good news for you; you are already qualified. If your educational qualification determines your level of influence or status in the society, how much more will God’s gift of qualification give you an advantage on earth. You are more than qualified to achieve or do anything. We have been made competent to share in God’s inheritance. “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” 2Cor. 3:6.
6. No condemnation (We can no longer be punished because God can never be angry with us)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Rom. 8:1. This word condemnation is from the Greek word “katakrima” which means an adverse to sentence, punish, to try, to judge, to call in question or to damn. For God to declare no condemnation is to declare no sentence, no punishment, no trial, no call to question, no damnation and judgment (not talking about the judgment of the believer for rewards but judgment for rejecting Jesus Christ, the prince of life). This is good news. God is no more or can no more be angry with us. He swore through the prophet Isaiah that under this everlasting covenant, He would never be angry with us.
“In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee” Isa 54:8-10.
If God were ever angry with any believer, he would dishonor the sacrifice of His Son. Guess what? He wouldn’t ever risk that. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” 1John 4:8-11.
7. Reconciled to God to have an eternal fellowship:
“having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” Col 1:20.
“But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor)” 2 Cor 5:18-19 AMP.
The word “reconcile” is from the Greek word katallaso which means to breach the gap or to change mutually. In Christ Jesus, God cancelled distance. He has breached every gap between us and Him.
The blood of Jesus Christ did not only reconcile the earth, it also reconciled all things in heaven. It reconciles all things. Both things which are in heaven and in earth. So the blood reconciles both heaven and earth and brings peace. God made the move to reconcile us to himself (when we were still sinner), it was not our move, and therefore, our actions does not have the power to separate us from this reconciliation. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom 8:38,39. The word separate is from the Greek word chorizo which means to place room between, to part or depart or to put asunder. This means nothing shall be able to place room between us and God’s love for us, nothing can put us asunder between us and God. This is God’s vow for us in the New Covenant. God has changed His terms of relationship with man. He has breached every gap between us and fixed it permanently.
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” 1Co 1:9. Our fellowship with God is no longer based on our faithfulness, but God’s faithfulness. We were called in the fellowship of Jesus Christ not based on our faithfulness, there the maintenance of this fellowship is still based on His faithfulness and not yours.
8. Eternally righteous and Holy:
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” Gal 2:21. This scripture tells us that there is the likelihood that we can frustrate the Grace of God. The Greek work for frustrate is the word atheteō which means to do away with, to set aside, disregard to thwart the efficacy of anything, nullify, make void, frustrate, to reject, to refuse, to slight, to set aside, that is, (by implication) to disesteem, neutralize or violate, cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, reject. How can we frustrate God's grace? Is it by sinning? No, I thought so too. What was Paul's answer? He says by going back to the law (Old Covenant), we frustrate, disregard and disesteem the Grace of God.
And do you know the more dangerous thing we do by preaching and living under the law? We make Christ death vain and useless. Can we see the damage we are causing by preaching about the law and sin constantly? Can we see the harm we are causing to the saints by not preaching righteousness through faith alone in Jesus Christ? Righteousness is only through faith in Jesus Christ and not through the works of the law. By believing you are the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, you uplift the finished work of Christ and honor the death of Jesus Christ. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 2Co 5:21. (RSV)
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” Eph 4:24.
“If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” Rom 5:17. (RSV)
“For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” Rom 10:3,4.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” Rom 3:20-24.
“The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God” Jer 51:10.
Kindly get my books titled “If These Things Be in You” and “Open My eyes” for further understanding on the subject of righteousness.
The believer in this new covenant is completely holy. He is not trying to be holy neither does his conduct guarantee it as well. “By the which will we are sanctified (made Holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” Hebrews 10:10-12
How were you made Holy? By your conduct? No. By your good deeds? No. You were made Holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Notice this: You were not made Holy by the offering of your body, you were made Holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. This is very interesting. The offering of the body of Jesus Christ is the holiness of the believer, not the offering of the body of the believer.
So what do I do with my body now since the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made me holy? “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present (offer) your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” Romans 12:1-2 . Also notice here that offering your body as a living sacrifice is not the means to holiness, it's actually the outcome of holiness. This verse is talking of holy living or holy conduct. There is the difference between Holiness and holy living. Holiness is the position and nature of the believer, holy living is the result of this life. Our holiness came through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, our holy living is the expression of this life in our bodies.
Now, Paul in Romans 12:2 tells us how we can offering our bodies effectively. He says, "Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewal of your minds". The bible is much more effective when a proper contextual reading is employed. After Paul spoke of offering our bodies as living sacrifices, he tells us how to do it, "be transformed by the renewal of our minds".
You see, you cannot offer your body without a transformation in the renewal of your mind. An unrenewed person cannot be transformed, and an untransformed person cannot rightly offer his body as a living sacrifice. Until you come to fully know that you were made Holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, you cannot effectively offer your body as a living sacrifice. Beloved, you have been made Holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, not the offering of your body. You can willingly offer your body, when you are conscious of how he willingly offered His body to make you Holy.
To Be Continued....
From Book: The Old Covenant Vrs. The New Covenant