Chapter 4: New Covenant
What makes the “New Covenant” new? Some would say that it is a New Testament phenomenon. I disagree. This covenant is ever and always. It is sometimes spoken of as the “eternal covenant.”{lxxii} How can an eternal covenant be new? Sadly, I feel as though there is too much detail to truly begin to expound this sort of a subject in one chapter. I would like to start by saying that the New Covenant is not so much new because it is a “New Testament phenomenon,” but rather that there is a long progression to that covenant.
When we read our Bibles, we see how God interacts with humanity. Humanity was simply not willing to enter into that covenant. It took a progression from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Moses before there was a generation able and willing to handle the covenant made at Sinai. There was a progression in history that leads to a people of God taking up the Pentateuch Law. From there, we find another progression to King Saul, where the people were no longer content to live as a theocracy ruled by God and His servants the judges. From King Saul, we find another progression until Israel is cast out into exile, the northern kingdom into Assyria, and the southern kingdom into Babylon.
It was close to this point in time that the prophets began to speak of a coming “new covenant.” This new covenant would be different and distinct from the covenant made at Sinai, not because it is somehow altogether different in content, but because it is given in a way that is altogether different. The Law and covenant are no longer given from some sort of oracular statement, or commandments written on stone, but instead by a personal speaking with the Spirit of God, and the written Law upon our hearts.{lxxiii} It took thousands of years of human history to progress to a time where the prophets even began to speak of the eternal covenant, where God would dwell with and in humanity.
We find another progression to Christ Jesus where the covenant is revealed. From there, we have Pentecost. Now, we are in a place where after 2000 years of Church history, I’m not entirely convinced we understand the new covenant, let alone understand the old covenant. We need to be able to wrestle with the history and progression of Scripture up to the point of Christ and onward. We need to understand the context from which the prophets spoke, and from which the New Testament authors penned. So let us examine a few Scriptures to see if we can better understand this new covenant.
Salvation and Transfiguration
Some of the classic texts regarding the new covenant are preached on to explain our new birth. They are used to express the salvation and transfiguration of the believer. For example, it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “any man who is in Christ is a new creation.” Something to know about Paul is that he is a good Jewish boy. When he writes, he typically is quoting or referencing an Old Testament Scripture or pattern. Paul might be referencing 1 Samuel 10:6 here: “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophecy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”
What exactly is meant by this “change into a different person”? It isn’t that we were once bad and now we’re good. We were once dead and now we’re alive. There is a very true and real sense in which we stop living the way that we used to, and now we’re completely different. Yet, that wording can get us in trouble. God does not change the very core of who you are. The fabric of your being does not get “changed”, but instead, awakened. Paul never speaks about a change in the believer that entails being something other than who you are. By this, I mean that person who God has created you to be. We do put things upon self that are not expressions of who we are, but we convince ourselves that they are expressions of self. Paul expresses resurrection.
The slight and subtle change in wording is enough to cause for terrible error. When I was first taught about the new birth, I was under the impression that I was supposed to be entirely different than I was before I came to Christ. For some reason, I assumed that my personality even had to change. This is not the expression of resurrection. Resurrection is solely speaking of an animation and awakening of the believer to God. He has created us to be who we are, and He delights in us being that. Obviously, there is a sense in which we give up the sinful habits, and no longer support things that are evil, but these things don’t necessitate becoming a Hollister wearing persona with an acoustic guitar, playing Chris Tomlin, styling my hair in a faux hawk, wearing sandals everyday, and growing my soul patch.
To a certain extent, the person that comes to Christ lays down all things for the cause of Christ. He no longer desires to do the things that offend Christ. So, when other Christians say that rock and roll music is demonic, the new convert gives it up. I did. Then I listened to bands that are some of the godliest people that you will ever meet, and yet they’re screaming into the microphones songs of redemption and hope. I was told that I could no longer wear the clothing that I was wearing because it was “secular.” To a degree, I gave up wearing clothing that supported things that are opposed to Christ. But that in no way would mean that I now need to start dressing like a prep, jock, or (let’s be really honest) a homosexual.
It is the heart that changes. Outward expressions of the inward reality are manifest in much more glorious manner. I cried for the first time in a decade the day that I came to Christ. It is now common for me to soak tissues while praying alone before bed. God has equipped me to carry a burden that would have before made me to crumble. He has taught me to stand strong in my faith, even when terror is all around. I might be standing in the midst of chaos, tears running down my face and anguish of soul tearing me limb from limb, but I stand in the midst of that adversity and do not fear.
I used to be full of anger and bitterness. I used to be terribly afraid to confront others. I used to be afraid to simply express who I am. I used to be absolutely terrified to say my opinion, in case it got attacked. I used to fear being the person that I am, because I’ve been bullied my whole life. That fear is that people won’t accept me for who I am, but now I don’t fear because God has accepted me for who I am. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because Jesus was not ashamed of me. Now that I have come to Christ, I am free. I no longer am controlled by my fears and emotions. This is the new birth. Outward manifestations are not trivial. Stupid preferences do not govern whether there is indeed an inward reality. The question should be raised: What does the Bible say?
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you of all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices,” Ezekiel 36:24-31.
When you read that, do you notice anything bizarre? I had heard messages from this and Jeremiah 31:31-34 multiple times. Something always seemed extremely ‘off’ to me. I’ll write out Jeremiah 31:31-34 to see if you also pick up on it:
“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Did you notice anything bizarre in that passage? I had heard these passages used to describe our experience when we come to Christ, but the thing that struck me once is that both of these passages are talking about national Israel. Can we truly take that liberty to call these our promises? Is it possible that we’re missing the context entirely, because we simply want to look at ourselves with adoration, and that we have absolutely no idea what these texts are truly discussing? I believe so. If we would only be careful exegetes, we would notice that Jeremiah continues:
“This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is his name. Only if these decrees vanish from my sight, declares the Lord, will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me. This is what the Lord says: Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,”.
Ezekiel 36 similarly continues from where I left off to speak of a time when Israel would come back to the Land and inhabit the ruins. What is happening here? There is absolutely no way that we can claim these promises as fulfilled. Even the book of Joel that was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost doesn’t seem to truly apply. Has the Spirit truly been poured out on all flesh? Yet, Peter uses this prophecy to express what was happening on the day of Pentecost. Why?
The context of the prophets and the history of Israel would explain to us that the apostles were fully expectant of national redemption. Peter was fully persuaded that the outpouring of the Spirit was the sure sign to say that devastation and judgment were coming quickly. Too often in the prophets is the message of doom and destruction. That word of judgment precedes a national redemption that would then bring in the messianic age, where the messiah sits upon the throne of David and rules over all the families of the earth.{lxxiv} Because Jesus did not set up that kingdom, I am sure that Peter assumed that the time of Jacob’s Trouble{lxxv} was the only thing left to happen.
God is clear on this. It was when the Lord was delayed that it started to come together and further revelation was given. Peter had a vision that expressed God’s desire that the Gentiles would also come into the Body of Christ.{lxxvi} Paul so clearly expresses this mystery to the Romans when he explains that we have been grafted into Israel’s root, and that there will come a time when God will once again engraft those natural branches back in.{lxxvii} The new covenant is about a time when God would save and transform national Israel, not only individual believers.
I refer once again to Romans 11:15, when Paul said, “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” If the rejection of Christ Jesus by national Israel opened wide the door for the Gentiles to come into that new covenant glory, then how much more will their fullness be? When national Israel will once again turn back to God and embrace Jesus as the Messiah, it will mean redemption for all of creation. They are the crux. Everything hinges upon Israel’s salvation. And if that is true, what will it take for national Israel to recognize Jesus as their messiah? It is about that question that I write this book.
Authority over Demonic Forces
Though we cannot say that the new covenant as written by Ezekiel or Jeremiah (and all the prophets) is currently fulfilled, we do know that we are a first fruit. Once again, Paul does an immaculate job in explaining this for us. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.{lxxviii} We are Christ’s first fruit.{lxxix} But, that does not give legitimate credence to then say that everything has been fulfilled. In Romans 8:23, Paul says, “We… groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Paul was not content to say that what we experience here and now is the absolute fulfillment of everything the prophets wrote.
Paul was jealous over a deeper expression of the new covenant. That deeper expression would mean the redemption of all nations, all tribes, and all peoples.{lxxx} However, with the first expression being wrought in the Church, the Kingdom of God has broken forth upon the face of the earth. We are ambassadors, because that Kingdom has not yet come to the earth in a literal form. We are ambassadors of a heavenly Kingdom that is pushing back the darkness; the light is already shining.{lxxxi} Because of that, there is a mastery over the demonic forces of darkness. We have an authority in the name of Jesus Christ over those powers of darkness. This is why Jesus brings the parallel of the Spirit of God casting out demons and the Kingdom of God coming upon us.{lxxxii} Notice, however, that Jesus is not saying that the Kingdom is here and that is the end of it.
Now, if we know that there is an authority over the powers now when we only have a seal, or a foretaste, of the full expression to come, what will the full expression then bring? Jesus told His disciples in Luke 9:1 that we have authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. There is an expression of mastery over the powers. The forces of darkness, whether in illness or in demonic possession, do not have the authority to stand against the bearers of Light. Matthew 28:18 tells us that all authority has been given unto Christ. This needs to be understood in the context of Hebrews 2:8, however, where it is said that “At present, we do not see everything subjected to him.” Though that subjection has not yet come, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.{lxxxiii} It is for this reason that Paul is able to say in Ephesians 6:12, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Millennium
The new covenant will have its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial reign of Christ.{lxxxiv} The issue that I’m pressing here is not an issue of semantics. I’m not pressing an issue of dogma, nor definitions. Joel prophesied that the Spirit would be poured out on “all flesh”. When Peter quotes that passage on the day of Pentecost, he was fully persuaded of a soon impending judgment upon all nations, and a return of Christ Jesus to rule over those nations.{lxxxv} It has been 2000 years, and that “soon coming” of the Lord has not yet happened. That impending judgment upon all nations has not yet happened. So, did Peter misspeak?
The Bible accurately records what men spoke, but sometimes they don’t say the truth. Take, for example, many of the words of Job’s friends. Where we would philosophically agree with Job’s friends, and we can even find Scriptural support for what they said, it was God’s opinion that they misspoke. They mischaracterized God by proclaiming that Job must have some sort of secret sin in his life that is displeasing God. When Peter said, “This is that,” he gave the correct translation upon the correct phenomenon, but lacked the full explanation of a time when that prophecy would be fulfilled upon all nations, all peoples, and all tribes.
Read the book of Joel. The context is clear. God is not limiting that outpouring of the Spirit to only Israel. He doesn’t limit that outpouring only to those that call upon His name. The fact is that Joel expected all nations to call upon His name. Salvation will be upon Zion, and we know from prophets before Joel (such as Isaiah) that all the nations will stream to Jerusalem. There would be a time of world peace. There would be a time when the law would go forth out of Jerusalem, and the word of the Lord out of Zion.{lxxxvi}
Now, just consider this. If what the first century Church experienced was glorious, how much more glory must the absolute fulfillment of these new covenant Scriptures mean? If we are given a foretaste now, and sealed with the Holy Spirit as first fruits to drive the Jew to jealousy,{lxxxvii} what will we experience when Christ returns and the Spirit is poured out without measure? The power of the resurrection is to free us from sin, to engage the principalities and powers, to set the captive free, to speak life into the ears of our listeners, and to perceive with a heavenly vision the glory of God forever. While Abraham sought for a City whose builder and maker is God,{lxxxviii} of that same City we’re told, “But you have come”.{lxxxix}
While Abraham sought for that city, and lived his days seeking the fulfillment of the promise given to him, we have now come to the obtaining of that heavenly promise. Yet, that obtaining is not to be experienced as though we have fully attained. We have not yet been brought to the place where heaven and earth meet. We still long and pray, “Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven…”{xc} There is still a yearning in our souls.{xci} There is still brokenness, because we are caught up with the heavenly vision of Zion, and that groping after the heavenly reality on earth as it is in heaven causes for burden.
The issue of the end times, which is the issue of the Church, is the issue of the glory of God forever. The glory of God forever is the issue of Zion. Unto that glory do we attain, and City that is pure and spotless. It is the beauty of holiness. All of its radiance and splendor brings one to tears. The streets are of such refined gold that they are as clear as glass. The foundations are mighty stones, representing the apostles. The gates are the tribes of Israel. The Church and Israel are one, and there is no separating the one from the other. That unity and beauty is the unadulterated reflection of Divinity.{xcii}
When we see that glory, which God claims is ours here and now,{xciii} anything less than it is apostasy. We do not merely strive for that reality. We do not simply pray and hope that “one day” when we’ve passed away and “gone through the fire”{xciv} that we will suddenly be made likened unto the image of Christ. We either reflect His glory here and now or not at all. What we create in our souls in this life carries over into the next life. That which does not line up to the heavenly glory, the gold, silver and precious stone, it is burned up like hay, wood, and stubble.{xcv}
We have been given a down payment. The outpouring at Pentecost is a sufficient weight of glory to transfigure us and give us a new birth. From that new birth, we continue to learn what it means to live from the resurrection. All things have indeed become new. We are no longer governed by our mindsets and secular lusts. Our hearts covet after the Kingdom of God, and our spirits moan and groan for the ultimate attainment of reality. Anything short of that apostolic glory causes grief and despair. The reason for my tears is that I have seen and experienced truth in heaven, and when I speak to others about that grandeur that is theirs in Christ, they get hostile and reply, “There is no such thing as a perfect church.”
My Jesus calls the Church a pure and spotless Bride! Yet, so many of my friends are whores! We have the ability to be free in Christ, and that freedom is not holiness in the sense of “sinlessness.” Far be it from you to think that we’re called to be sinless. We’re called to be lovers. They that hear the call for truth and reality will pursue it with everything in their being. They will strip off every weight that hinders them.{xcvi} If that weight is sin, then we cast it aside. If that weight is doubt, then we proclaim, “I believe, Lord, help me with my unbelief!”{xcvii} If we simply don’t think that it is worth it, and that we ought to continue in the path that we’ve always walked, then by what do we call ourselves ministers of the new covenant?{xcviii}
Though we only have a foretaste here and now, the veracity of that baptism in the Holy Spirit is enough to cause us to long for the completion. The day spirit and flesh no longer war against one another is the day that I will live in a resurrected body. Though Paul was able to speak of being crucified with Christ,{xcix} and that he dies daily,{c} and that those who are dead to sin no longer live in it,{ci} he also said, “I do not want you to think that I have already attained”{cii}. There is a certain sense in which we know and understand full well the expression of the new covenant, and then there is another sense in which we have absolutely no idea what we’re even talking about.
When all Israel shall be saved,{ciii} the Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh. The nations will send representatives to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.{civ} When the nation Israel is finally born again, and has entered into her rest, all other nations, as nations, will also be able to enter into that rest. Christ is the embodiment of Israel, and through Him we have access to that rest as individuals. Yet, Israel will be the mediator, as the firstborn son of God,{cv} not for individuals, but for nations.
This is a deep subject in which our wording needs to be extremely precise. Though it is the calling of Israel to be the mediator nation for all other nations, it is not their calling to somehow “win the nations.” There is too much tied up in what it means to have a nation repent and come under submission to Christ Jesus to simply say that it is Israel’s job. I desire to at least attempt to explain this at a later time.
The fulfillment of the new covenant is when all people, all nations, all tribes, all languages, etc come into relationship with God through Christ Jesus, and therefore receive the exact same outpouring of the Spirit that we have, and then some. Ours is a shadow of things to come; theirs will be without measure. Our baptism is a uniting to God through Christ as individuals; their baptism will be a uniting to God through Christ as nations. Do you have faith to believe that? When you look around at our world today, and you see the calamity, can you believe that the nation that you live in has a prophetic purpose in the Kingdom of God?
It is the calling of the Church to know the heart of God, and to be a prophetic presence in the nations, so that we might perceive that prophetic purpose for our own nations. While our nations might or might not exhibit that prophetic purpose, the Church within the locality and nation should. The judgment of the nations does not fall because the atheist politicians decided homosexual marriage was to be legalized. The judgment of nations comes because the people of God within that nation are playing games and twiddling their thumbs.
To all of the preachers and Christians that want to condemn America to persecution, judgment, and suffering, you better believe that Christ will hold you fully accountable. If judgment comes upon our nation, state, county, city, or neighborhood, it is solely because we have not been obedient to Christ. Obedience is more than the focus of obeying the Bible. Obedience is only obedience when our lives are reflections of God’s heart. What good is it to achieve some sort of righteousness through “do this” and “don’t do that”?{cvi} If we lack to understand the heart of God, then we lack to understand the commandments in the Bible. If we do not understand the purpose of the command, then we cannot live in obedience to that command.
Our obedience to Christ is this: Take up your cross and follow me. Just as Christ was a ransom for many, so too shall our lives be a ransom for many.{cvii} Any lesser living is not true living. We might be breathing. We might be eating and digesting food. We might be going through the motions day after day. But how much of that truly constitutes life, and life abundantly? There is a life that emits from the believer who is occupied with the purposes of God.{cviii} Those eternal purposes, both for our own nations and for the nation of Israel, are the sole purposes that will deliver us from monotony and being “imperfect people.” There are perfect people, and there is a perfect Church. They are both defined as they who take up the purposes of God, even at their own peril, for the sake of the glory of God forever. That is the fulfillment of the new covenant. When we reach the Millennium, we will see the expression of that new covenant being worked out even among nations. So for now, we live as close to that reality as we can, knowing that one day the ultimate fulfillment will come upon us, and the glory of that day is beyond expression.