In our home group, we are going through the book of Hebrews. This obscure book has a clear purpose - to bring believing Jews onto the better foundation of Jesus. It is a powerful argument of the new covenant (covenant means contract) in Jesus Christ being far, far superior to the old covenant given through Moses. The Law (nothing else) came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). It has been useful for us to go through the book and place two columns on the whiteboard to consider just how many contrasts are seen between the old and new covenants.
In Hebrews 8:7-12, we find one contrast regarding the problem of people. People have a big problem. It is called sin. Sin is the corrupt nature within all people that causes us to completely disobey God's Law. The old covenant was essentially a list of rules for Israel - hundreds of rules that God asked them to follow. The people at Mt Sinai agreed to follow them and so they entered into a covenant. If Israel obeyed the Law, then God would bless them. If they did not obey and thus break the contract, then God would forsake them (Deut 31:16,17). Now, because people are sinful, their corrupt nature chaffed against God’s divine Law and caused them to disobey entirely. So, He found fault with them, not the contract.
Now, God loves people. He LOVES people. But sin had broken the ability of God to have a loving relationship with people. God is loving but He is also just and cannot be in fellowship with any form of sin. However, God’s people didn’t want a relationship. Because of their nature, they preferred sin. Even if they knew God’s laws, they didn’t want to obey them. Further, they wanted a relationship with anyone or anything but God. People also needed human teachers to help them relate to God - and that didn’t work. Finally, people just couldn’t get rid of the problem of sin that killed the whole idea of relating to God. So, God needed to change the very nature of people. The contract could not depend on man’s effort or ability - he has none.
So, God made a way. He took the problem of people out of the way. He took sin out of the way. The New Covenant speaks to people’s deepest problem - sin. Jesus died on the cross to take my sin out of the way. So, the new covenant no longer depends on my obedience to Laws, but my belief in Jesus. I exchange working for a relationship with living in a relationship by receiving Jesus into my heart.
Now I find that I have an awareness of what He wants me to do AND I want to do it. Second, I find that I want to be in a relationship with Him and with no other. Third, I find that I don’t need to rely on anyone to teach me what He wants but He instructs me directly by His Spirit (though he still uses teachers in our lives). Finally, I find that the problem of my sin has been removed. I know that He is full of mercy and remembers my sin no more. This is the power of the New Covenant. This is now CHRIST IN ME.
