THE NEW COVENANT
PEOPLE ( II Corinthians 3:6-18)
We don't talk much about covenants today, maybe we
should, but it was a familiar concept in ancient times. We, modern people, are
used to contracts. Usually, contracts are for goods or services and hard cash.
The formal or informal contract helps specify failure in these relationships.
Contacts are
broken when one of the parties fails to keep their promise.
If a patient fails to keep an appointment with a
doctor, the doctor is not obligated to call the house and inquire, "Where
were you? Why didn't you show up for your appointment?" He simply goes on
to his next patient and has his appointment secretary take note of the patient
who failed to keep the appointment. The patient may find it harder the next
time to see the doctor. He broke an informal contract. Covenants are made and
operate differently.
A covenant is a relationship between two partners who
make binding promises and work together to reach a common goal. Oaths, signs,
and ceremonies often accompany them. Covenants define obligations and
commitments, but they differ from contracts because they are relational and
personal. Think of a marriage—a husband and wife choose to enter into a formal
relationship, binding themselves to one another in lifelong faithfulness and
devotion. They then work as partners to reach a common goal, like building a
family together.[1]
Covenants are one of the most critical themes in the
Bible—they are the key to God's redemptive plan to restore humanity to its
divine calling. In II Corinthians 3:6-18, the apostle Paul reminds the
Corinthian Church about two covenants God has made with people, namely the old
and the new covenant. He explains how they differ from one another. He
highlights how we are to live as the New Covenant People in our
world today. Before we delve into our passage, let me share a snapshot of
various covenants God made and their significance in the Bible.
I.
A snapshot of seven covenants in the Bible
1.
The Adamic Covenant:
(Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17; 3:15-19) Two parts to this covenant. The first is man's
responsibility and God's command toward His creation and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. The second is about God's curses and His provision
of salvation.
2.
The Noahic Covenant:
Genesis 9. Adamic covenant continued, "Be fruitful and multiply."
Also, God's promise never to destroy all life on earth with a flood and the
rainbow as the covenant sign. The rainbow is a sign and reminder that God can
and will judge sin. (2 Peter 2:5).
3.
The Abrahamic Covenant: God's manifold promises to Abraham. He would make
Abraham's name great (Genesis 12:2). Give him many physical descendants
(Genesis 13:16). And Abraham would be the father of a multitude of nations
(Genesis 17:4-5). God's promise regarding a nation called Israel. Genesis
(12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21). All the families of the world will be blessed through
the physical line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18).
4.
The Palestinian or Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). It amplifies the
land aspect that was detailed in the Abrahamic Covenant. If the people
disobeyed, God would scatter them worldwide (Duet 30:3-4). He would eventually
restore the nation (vs. 5). After the restoration, the nation will obey Him
perfectly (vs. 8), and God will prosper them (vs. 9).
5.
The Mosaic Covenant: (Deuteronomy 11): It was a conditional covenant that
either brought God's blessing for obedience or God's cursing for disobedience
upon the nation of Israel. The ten commandments in Exodus 20 were part of that
covenant. The rest of the Law contained over 600 commands—roughly 300 positive
and 300 negative.
6.
The Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:8-16). David's lineage would last forever, and
his kingdom would not pass away permanently. The Davidic throne has not always
been in place. In the future, someone from the line of David will sit and rule
as king. He is Jesus (Luke 1:32-33).
God made with the nation of Israel three unconditional
covenants (Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic). God will fulfill these covenants
regardless of Israel's obedience or disobedience. The Mosaic Covenant is
conditional, bringing blessing or cursing depending on Israel's obedience or
disobedience. Three of the covenants (Adamic, Noahic, New) are made between God
and humanity in general and are not limited to the nation of Israel. Let us look at the
seventh one, the New Covenant, and how that differs from the Old Covenant.
II.
The New Covenant and how it differs from the Old Covenant.
Vs. 6. "He has enabled us to be
ministers (servants) of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written
laws but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death, but under the
new covenant, the Spirit gives life." This verse explains how the covenant
was written and its nature. But it doesn't say what the New Covenant is all
about. Was Paul assuming that the Corinthians knew about it? That's where the
letters-sharing among the churches comes into place. To get a fuller
understanding of the New Covenant, we will turn to Hebrews 8:1-13
By studying the history of Israel, we know how they
broke the old covenant and incurred God's punishment again and again. So, God
spoke through the prophet Jeremiah that He would make a New Covenant unlike the
one He made before with their ancestors. Jeremiah 31:33-34
The New Covenant: Hebrews 8:10-12, "But this is the new covenant I
will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I
will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on
their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be
my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need
to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the Lord.' For everyone,
from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their
wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." By calling this a New Covenant, God made the
first one obsolete, and we no longer come under the Old Covenant.
In verses 7-11, we read the contrast between the Old
and the New Covenant. The old one was written in stone, and the new one is
written in our hearts and minds. The first one was glorious to an extent. When
Moses read it, people couldn't see his shining face, so he had to put a veil on
his face. The new way would be even more glorious because it remains forever.
The old one was based on laws, and works brought
condemnation and death. In contrast, the new one operated on grace and brought
conviction and life. The old one was written by hand by men, but the new one is
engraved on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The stone tablets containing the ten
commandments were kept in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The New Covenant is
written on human hearts, the living temples of the Holy Spirit.
III.
The New Covenant People.
Vs. 16-18, "But whenever
someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit,
and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So, all of us who
have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the
Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as
we are changed into his glorious image."
Every time someone responds to the
conviction of the Holy Spirit and turns to God in repentance, God writes his
New Covenant on his heart. Together we become the New Covenant People. We are
called to freedom and to live out the New Covenant and reflect the glory of God
through our changed lives. The New Covenant is all about the work of the Holy
Spirit. He is making us more like Jesus as we are changed into His glorious
image by the day.
How are we to live as the New Covenant? People? First, we rest in God, as He is the one who makes the covenant and
rewards those who trust Him. Secondly, we must share the Good News with others
through words and good works. Thirdly, we build a community where love and
grace are shared with all people. Fourthly, we live differently than the people
in the world.
