Why Is The New Covenant Better
At the last supper, Jesus offered His disciples the bread symbolizing His broken body. In the same way, also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
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. Hebrews 8:10
So, why is the New Covenant better than the old one? The quick answer is because the Bible says it is. But let’s not be satisfied with that answer, let’s dig a little deeper.
I found it interesting what the writer of the book of Hebrews said about the first covenant.
If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. Hebrews 8:7
Someone who wants to criticize God and His Word would immediately say “your God” made a mistake. But that assumption is far from the truth.
The beginning of verse 8 reveals to us what the fault was with the Old Covenant.
But when God found fault with the people. . . Hebrews 8:8
The Old Covenant started with the commandments written on stone tablets. These external laws were impossible for people to follow completely.
The reason why is because of our sinful nature. Man is more prone to follow his own set of rules than to fall into line with God’s.
Jeremiah Foretold of the New Covenant
The author of Hebrews quoted the prophet Jeremiah when he said the following.
The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. Hebrews 8:8-9
Now, we need to answer, how is the New Covenant different from the old one? I mentioned earlier that the Old Covenant was external. Look again at today’s verse.
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. Hebrews 8:10
The Lord wrote the New Covenant on our minds and in our hearts. And Jesus condensed it into two sentences.
Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39
How do we know those two sentences cover all of the Old Testament law? Because Jesus completed what He had just said with the following.
The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. Matthew 22:40
The Bible is Our Roadmap
You may be asking, how does the Bible fit into this? Look back at what Jesus said, love God and love each other.
The Bible is the road map to help us fulfill those two commandments. It tells us how to live a life of love. 2 Timothy 3 gives us a detailed definition of the purpose of the Bible.
- All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to. . .
- teach us what is true and
- to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
- It corrects us when we are wrong and
- teaches us to do what is right.
- God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Aren’t you glad that we not only have a New Covenant but, it is written in our hearts?
Lord, thank you for giving salvation to everyone who calls on the name of Jesus. We are most grateful that your law is written in our hearts. And thank you for the roadmap of the Bible that helps us stay on the right path.
Read this related post called Thursday of Holy Week – The Agreement Of The New Covenant.
Check out the entire chapter of Hebrews 8.
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