The New Covenant – What is it?

from the old testament

• Throughout the Old Testament, God established several covenants with His people. The Adamic Covenant was both conditional and unconditional, laying out humanity’s responsibilities in Eden and the promise of redemption through the “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) after the fall.
• The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:8–17) was an unconditional promise to never destroy the earth by water again, symbolized by the rainbow.
• The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:1–21) unconditionally promised land, descendants, and blessings through Abraham’s lineage.
• The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:5–8; 24:3–8) was conditional, with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, showing Israel’s inability to fully keep the Law.
• The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16) was an unconditional promise of an eternal dynasty through David’s descendants, ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ.
• The New Covenant, foreshadowed in the Old Testament, promises the transformation of hearts and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled in Christ. God Himself would fulfill the requirements of the Law and give the people the ability to follow Him in love and obedience (Jeremiah 31:31, 33; Ezekiel 36:26–28). The covenants of the Old Testament illustrate God’s faithfulness and His redemptive plan, culminating in Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of all His promises.

from the new testament

• In the Old Testament, blood sacrifices were required for cleansing and atonement when the Law was broken. Under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ provided His own body on the cross as a sacrifice that would purify once, for all time, those who had faith (Hebrews 10:10, 14).
• God proclaimed the first covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, as flawed because of the inability of the people to fulfill their part of the deal. Because His love and His promise to Abraham superseded the demands of the Mosaic Covenant, God did away with the Old Covenant and made the "new covenant" in Christ's blood (Hebrews 8:8–13).
• According to the terms of the New Covenant, God would forget about the sins of the people and be merciful toward them. He promised also to put the law into their minds and to write the law on their hearts. Jeremiah 31:31 promised the Holy Spirit, who would indwell all who have faith, teaching and helping them to follow the Lord's commands (John 14:26; Romans 8:9–11).

implications for today

Now that the New Covenant is in effect, we can receive the gift of salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit freely, without payment (Ephesians 2:8–9). Everyone who is thirsty is welcomed to come to the water, and he who has no money to pay is encouraged to buy wine and milk without price (Isaiah 55:1–3). Isaiah speaks of God's "steadfast, sure love for David" in conjunction with this promise. Throughout Scripture, it is evident that the covenants work together. The Abrahamic Covenant promises that righteousness will come through faith (Galatians 3:6–14; Genesis 15), and the Davidic Covenant promises that an eternal King will come from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:16). The Mosaic Covenant exists to show us our inability to obey, so we will know to turn to God for mercy (Galatians 3:23–25). And the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, the Eternal King, provides redemption from sin and freedom from the Mosaic Covenant (Hebrews 9:13–15). "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). The New Covenant reminds us that we are no longer bound by the old; instead, we are invited to live in the freedom and grace found in Christ, walking by the Spirit and finding abundant life in Him (John 10:10).