What is Jesus’ New Covenant and Why is it Important for You
We don’t use the word “covenant” very often anymore.
What is a covenant anyway?
I’ve always thought of it as a promise . . . but it’s even more than that.
A covenant is defined as “a formal, solemn, binding agreement.”
God made a covenant with Noah to save him through the flood. He made a covenant with Abraham to make his heirs into a great nation. And he made a covenant with Moses and the Children of Israel to save them from slavery in Egypt.
God made the promise and the agreement was one that required sacrifice and obedience on the part of the recipients.
But when Jesus came, He gave us a new covenant…
After supper [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
Luke 22:20
Jesus made a “promise and binding agreement” that He would die in the place of sinners and His sacrificial death and resurrection would remove the sins of everyone who repents and puts their faith in Him.
The old covenant required that animal sacrifices be repeated frequently. The new covenant proclaimed Jesus’ sacrifice sufficient for all eternity.
The Lord’s Supper is our a physical and spiritual reminder of the new covenant God made with us . . . one that honors Jesus command to, “do this in remembrance of me.”
For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
1 Corinthians 11:26
I love the way the Life Application Bible Notes explain this:
How do we remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper? By thinking about what He did and why He did it.
Remembering has both a backward and forward look. We remember Christ’s death and we remember that He is coming.
The Lord’s Supper is more than just a ritual or pious habit. It is a sacrament where we surrender to God’s grace through repentance and living remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. It is our agreement that the promise is true and trustworthy motivating us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and serve Him by loving others.
A Prayer to Faithfully Live the New Covenant
Father, thank you for always providing and caring for Your children. When You make a covenant it is lasting and true and comes from Your heart of love. Your Old Covenant was Your Law written in stone . . . requiring obedience and sacrifice for failure. Because of Your grace and mercy, Your New Covenant is written in our hearts and invites us into a personal relationship with You. Your promise moves us to respond through faith with love and service.
You took the impossible and turned it into the possible. I can’t obey Your Law perfectly but Jesus obeyed it for me and allowed Himself to become the ultimate sacrifice for my failings. Through Jesus, You invite me to trust You.
I am so thankful for Your New Covenant in Jesus. Please help me faithfully live each day seeking, trusting, and loving You. Thank you for the Lord’s Supper . . . a holy way for me to remember all that Jesus has done for me and to anticipate the eternal future with You that You have promised. Your love overwhelms me. I thank and praise You with all my heart. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
The New Covenant is God’s promise to forgive us, strengthen, and fill us with peace and hope. It is His promise that through Jesus He has made the impossible possible. And that is a promise worth remembering and celebrating.
On today’s note write:
Praise God! Jesus’ New Covenant makes the impossible possible.
May God bless you today as you remember the promise of life you have received through Jesus’ New Covenant.
The Holy Eucharist is the focus of worship services in the Episcopal (and I’m sure, Catholic) church. It should be our focus, too, Deb, as we remember what Jesus did for us and anticipate His coming again.
Blessings!