The Joy of the New Covenant

The Christian life is a breathtaking covenant between Jesus Christ and every converted saint of God. This new covenant is a “better covenant” than all previous covenants, and it is established upon exceeding promises that the Scripture calls “better promises.” Apostle Paul by the Holy Ghost wrote it like this, “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.” (Hebrews 8:6) Every relationship that our Heavenly Father has ever had with men was established by a covenant. From Adam to the present, God has made covenants with His earthly family. A covenant has no authority until there is a party of two or more. The word “testament” means covenant. When any man utterly surrenders his life to Jesus Christ, and is saved by His blood, the covenant is in force.

From that moment, your life is lived by His Holy Word, which becomes your covenant with Him. Apostle Paul said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 2:2,5)

The Testator who gave us this testament or covenant stated, “…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) The great saints that have shaken nations and communities were just such Bible believing men and women. They had a covenant with God, claimed it and stood on it; and God is a covenant-keeping God. Let’s analyze this covenant to document the supernatural authority that reflects this new covenant offered to us.

This covenant was born on the cross, but it was authenticated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If the devil could not stop Him from raising out of death, then the devil cannot stop this covenant. Read carefully this Scripture. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

The very first act of the covenant finished on the cross was the resurrection from the dead of the “Mediator and Finisher” of this covenant. No wonder the Holy Ghost said that this covenant is based on “better promises.” The Old Testament promises were always based on a blood sacrifice of a creature that foreshadowed the coming of the Christ. This covenant is not based on a shadow of Him but the death and resurrection of Him. He came up out of “upper Sheol” and the tomb the victor over every expression of defeat and evil. It is the absolute triumph over every enemy of mankind.

Jesus Christ is now the ascended Mediator of this covenant and watches over its fulfillment from the Father’s right hand. “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24) Never in human history has a covenant failed to be perfectly fulfilled except when men broke the covenant. God cannot fail because He is absolute in His holiness. David wrote of His faithfulness to His covenants. “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.” (Psalm 105:8) “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.” (Psalm 111:5) The Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ do not change; indeed, they cannot change, and are faithful to every soul that lives in covenant with them.

The Bible covenant is radically rejected by this world and even by much of His church. We make a covenant to buy a house or a car, etc., and understand that if we break the covenant, we lose the house or car. But much of the professing church world makes a covenant with God and never even reads the document. We hire lawyers to check the language of our contract/covenant to finish a deal, but take the words of almost anyone that wears a label of minister to determine the fine lines that lead to eternal life. We treat the Son of God that died and rose again to be the Testator of a glorious covenant as though He will give fire insurance without the premiums. No, you do not buy salvation; He paid the price, but you must bear His cross and follow Him to death.

A Covenant-Keeping God
The communion of Our Lord, the broken bread and the fruit of the vine is our refreshing of the covenant we have with Him. Worshipping Christ is the life of this covenant. Everything promised in the covenant is the possession of those covenanted to Him. If we are covenanted to the covenant maker, we will receive the abundance of His promises. “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?” (Hebrews 9:14)