“THE NEW COVENANT” is repeatedly mentioned in scripture.

It should not be misconstrued as being God’s covenant with us – “the seed;” no, that was part of the Abrahamic covenant, and although in harmony with each other, they are not the same, nor is the “new covenant” made with the church at all. It does not come into operation until the spiritual seed as well as the fleshly children, have come into possession of what was promised them under the Abrahamic covenant.

It, like the law which was its shadow or type, is between God and fleshly men – the world. If, therefore, this covenant is between two parties (God and the world), there must be conditions binding upon both; hence there must be a mediator (as in the type) to stand responsible for the fulfillment of the conditions of both.

Who, then, is to act as mediator of the new covenant?

Let Paul answer: “Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.” [Heb 12:24]. Yes, Jesus, our Head, is the one, and the only one, who can stand un-condemned before God’s righteous law. In Him God recognizes His holy Son, separate from sinners, and in Him humanity may, and soon will, recognize their Lord, now highly exalted, but once “the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, who, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man;” and “who is a faithful High Priest,” able to sympathize. Only through Him can the world ever be made at-one with God – His great work is at-one-ment. He will associate with Him in this work His tried and faithful bride.

Now, what are the conditions of this new covenant?

They are, as in its type, the law, do and live. God can never be a party to any covenant recognizing sin. Perfect righteousness [“Be ye perfect“] has always been the condition on which God recognizes or communes with any of His children.

Christians in the present age, although not individually perfect are reckoned so, being hid in Christ, and as members of His body are covered by His robes of righteousness. But in the coming time, the imputed righteousness of another will not avail, but “every man shall die for his own sin” [not the sin of Adam], or vice versa, live by his own righteousness [perfect obedience].

It may be asked, then: In what way will the new age under the new covenant differ from the Jewish age under the law covenant?

If the conditions of life are obedience to God’s perfect law, will it not result, as the law covenant did, in condemning all under it to death?

We answer no, the difficulty then was, not with the law, but with man. Man, in his fallen, imperfect condition, could not keep “the law ordained to life.” But the conditions of this new covenant on God’s part are, that man shall be brought to a condition in which he can obey the perfect law, and always keep it in his heart, as it is written, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah….This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my law in their inward part, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

“In those days they shall no longer say, the fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge, but every one shall die for his own iniquity.” [Jer 31:31.]

“And in that day, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowl of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow, and the sword, and the battle, out of the earth.” (Hos 2:18. See also Jer 32:37-41, Ezek 37:26.) We see clearly that the new covenant is yet future and also that a great change will be affected in the condition of Israel, who, under the Law previously, were unable to keep it.

The trouble then was, “the fathers [Adam and his successors] had eaten the sour grape of sin, and the children’s teeth were set on edge so that they could not keep the Law of God; so the “Day of Atonement” is brought in [the Gospel Age] and during it, they, and all men, are redeemed from sin and the curse, through Jesus Christ, who, by the grace of God tasted death for every man, The man Christ Jesus, holy, harmless, separate from sinners, made a curse for us, made sin [i.e. dealt with as the sinner] for us, [he] who knew no sin.”

And it is consequently after the gospel age when they are pardoned freely for Christ’s sake, and restored to the condition of sinless perfect manhood, that the new covenant comes into force. And to this thought agree the words of Paul [Rom 11:27.] “This is my [new] covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.”

The nations (the rest of mankind) are to be blessed also under this new covenant, by becoming “daughters” to Israel. “I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy (old) covenant.” Ezek 16:61.

It is abundantly clear from the forgoing scriptures that 1) the law covenant was only made with Israel, and 2) that the New Covenant is to be made only with them, NOT with the Church, and 3) the rest of mankind will only come under the New Covenant by becoming linked to Israel as her “daughters“.

Continued with next post.