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Doctrine of the Covenants Lecture 8 Jose Francis Martinez

The New Covenant
Purpose: To instruct the hearers concerning the New Covenant

Introduction
1. In our studies of Systematic Theology, we are now in the doctrine of Salvation. And we have
already considered the Plan of Salvation, and now are considering the Promise of Salvation, the
doctrine of the covenants.
2. In our previous studies, we have already considered an introduction to the doctrine of the
covenants, the Seed Promise, the Noahic Covenantal Complex, the Abrahamic Covenant, the
Mosaic Covenant, or the Old Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the Messianic Covenant. Now
we will move to consider the New Covenant.
3. And in considering the New Covenant, we shall do so under five headings.

Trans: First, consider with me…

I. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE NEW COVENANT
A. In connection with the third Divine intrusion for deliverance (the deliverance from the bondage
of sin) God made a covenant with Messiah, and then He made a covenant closely associated with
Messiah, that community God delivered from the bondage of sin, the New Covenant Community.
B. And when was this covenant made? Not in eternity but in history – particularly at the death of
the Lord Jesus and His ascension into glory.
1. Heb 9:15-29 (READ). Clear from this is that the New Covenant is a very specific kind of
covenant. For what is the essence of a covenant? It is a promise with an oath. And that is true
also of the New Covenant. However, the New Covenant is more than just a promise with an
oath. It is a covenant in the form of a “Last Will”. It could not take effect without the death of
the One who made it. Therefore, it was only at the death of Jesus that New Covenant was
inaugurated.
2. Lk 22:20 (READ). In anticipation of His death, here we find the Lord Jesus instituting a new
commemorative meal, the Lord’s Supper, to replace the old commemorative meal, the
Passover.

Trans: But having considered the historical context of the New Covenant, consider 2ndly…
II. THE PIVOTAL PROMISES OF THE NEW COVENANT
Preface:
1. The New Covenant is a better covenant in comparison with the Old or Mosaic Covenant,
because the New Covenant is enacted on better promises (Heb 8:6). While the Old Covenant
promises where only common grace promises, and they were only shadows that pointed to a
more glorious reality, the New Covenant promises were saving grace promises.
2. The pivotal promises of the New Covenant are given to us in prophecies of Jeremiah (Jer
31:31ff), quoted in Heb 8:6-13 (READ). Note the pivotal promises here of the New Covenant.
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A. The Just Basis for the Forgiveness of Sins – Heb 8:12 (READ)
1. The word translated “For” o[ti , which can also be translated as because, indicates that this
just basis for forgiveness is the foundational blessing of the New Covenant. It is upon this
blessing that the other blessings will also be given by God.
2. Now, a question here arises, “What about believers before the death of Christ and the
ratification of the New Covenant? Did they receive forgiveness of sins even before the death
of Christ? That is a very good question but a little tricky to answer.
3. The Scripture is clear even before the death of Christ and the ratification of the New
Covenant; true believers did receive forgiveness of sin. Ps 103:1-5; Ps 32:1-2, 3-5 (READ).
4. However, the actual basis for that procurement of that forgiveness was only accomplished at
the death of the Lord Jesus that ratified the New Covenant.
a. Rom 3:25-26 (READ). The sins of God’s people prior to the death of Christ God just
“passed over” in His forbearance. But the final and actual reckoning of those sins only
happened at the cross of Calvary, when Jesus offered up Himself as a sacrifice for sin in
order to satisfy, and therefore, vindicate God’s righteousness or justice.
b. Heb 9:11-15 (READ). In both covenants (the Old and the New), sacrifices for sins were
offered to God. But the sacrifices offered to God under the Old Covenant could only
provide ceremonial cleansing. But the supreme and once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on
Calvary provided redemption not just for believers under the New Covenant but even
believers who lived under the Old Covenant. The just basis for the forgiveness of their sins
was only accomplished at the death of Christ. So while we look back in faith to sacrifice of
Christ for the atonement of our sins, the believers in the OT had to look forward in faith
to that sacrifice Christ would offer for sin.
c. Heb 10:1-10, 11-18 (READ). The constant repetition of sacrifices for sins under the Old
Covenant gave a clear indication that those sacrifices were not really effective in taking
away sin or in atoning for sin. The blood of bulls and goats had no real power to provide a
just basis for the forgiveness of sins. It could not effect the actual removal of sins. It only
provided a symbolical representation and a continued reminder that pointed to the need
of a better sacrifice for sin that would effectively take away the guilt of sin. And who
provided that better and effective sacrifice that will take away sin? The Lord Jesus Christ.
He became a true human being in order to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin for all time.
And because that once-for-all sacrifice of Christ effectively takes away sin, then there is
now no longer any sacrifice for sins.
B. The Internalization of God’s Law – Heb 8:8-10b (READ)
1. The reason why the Old Covenant failed is because the Old Covenant people of God failed to
keep the requirement of the covenant. God wrote His moral law on tablets of stones, gave it
to the Old Covenant community in Mt. Sinai, but it remained external to the people. They had
no heart to keep and obey that law.
2. But God under the New Covenant promises that He will do something radically different. He
will write His law not on tablets of stones but in the tablets of the hearts of His people. He
will internalize His law.
3. And what will be the effect of this? Ps 40:8 (READ). When the Law of God is internalized in a
person’s heart, then that person will no longer rebel against that Law. He will find delight in
doing.
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4. So does this mean then that believers under the Old Covenant did not enjoy this blessing? All
believers did enjoy this blessing, as clear from Scripture – Ps 119:70 (READ). However, this
was not a distinctive of God’s people under the Old Covenant. You can be bona fide member
of the Old Covenant community and yet be a stranger of this blessing of God. In fact, under
Old Covenant, only few of God’s people received this blessing. It was not a distinctive mark of
the members of the Old Covenant community.
5. But under the New Covenant, this has become a distinctive blessing. All who are receipts of
the New Covenant are partakers of this promise. And no one has the right to be part of the
New Covenant community who does not have the law written in their hearts. It is for that
reason that there is church’s disciple. When a person shows rebellion against the law of God
and will not repent of it, then he is removed from the church.
C. Personal Relationship and Loving Fellowship with God – Heb 8:10-11 (READ)
1. Again, this blessing was not a distinctive blessing of the people of God under the Old
Covenant. God never promised this blessing to the members of the Old Covenant community
– Due 29:4 (READ). Therefore, most of God’s people under the Old Covenant (the Jews) did
not know the Lord, only a few did – Jer 4:22; Isa 1:3 (READ).
2. But under the New Covenant, all without exception who are the recipients of the covenant
will know the Lord. They will have a personal relationship and have a loving fellowship with
God. There will be no need for internal evangelism in the New Covenant community; for all
without exception will know the Lord. This is a distinctive blessing of all the recipients of the
New Covenant.
D. The Preservation and Perseverance of God’s people – Jer 32:37-40 (READ)
1. Here is God’s promised preservation that would ensure the perseverance of His people. God
will never turn away from His new covenant people to do them good. Moreover, God will put
the fear of Him in their hearts that they will never depart from Him.
2. This is what was lacking in the Old Covenant. Whatever commitment the people had with
God was only temporary. Hosea 6:4 – “What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do
with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away
early.” We see this in what the people did after the parting of the Red Sea. But whatever
commitment the people of Israel had to God was very short lived.
3. But under the New Covenant, this will no longer be the case. God promised that they will
enjoy the blessing of the preservation and perseverance. God will put the fear of Him in their
hearts that they will never depart from Him.
E. The Blessing of a Permanent Home Land – Jer 32:41-44 (READ)
1. Now, New Testament revelation makes it clear that this land is not just to be the land of
Canaan. It is the new earth that has reunited with heaven – Rom 4:13; Mt 5:5; 2Pet 3:13; Heb
12:22 cf. 13:13-14 (READ).
2. Now, God has given a pledge of this inheritance? And do you know that is the pledge of that
inheritance? The Holy Spirit – Eph 1:13-14 (READ).

Trans: Having considered the historical context of the New Covenant, and the pivotal promises of the
New Covenant, consider, thirdly…
III. THE RECIPIENTS/BENEFICIARIES OF NEW COVENANT
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Preface: Who are the recipients or beneficiaries of the New Covenant? There are four parts to the
answer of that question.
A. First, the first generation of Christ’s disciples, the believing remnant of the house of Israel and of
the house of Judah.
1. Heb 8:5 (READ). But who among them?
2. Remember that Abraham has two sets of descendants, the physical descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the Jews, and the spiritual descendants of Abraham, believers like Abraham.
Now, with the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God formed them into an
organized community and made a covenant with them in Mt. Sinai after He delivered them
from the bondage of Egypt.
3. However, God knew all along that this covenant with the nation of Israel will fail because the
people will break that covenant - Due 31:16-22 (READ). And true to Moses’ prophecy, the
people broke God’s covenant in the land of promise, and eventually God drove the nation out
from the land of Canaan, and many of them became captives in Babylon.
3. Now, since that covenant was sure to fail, what did God do? He promised to replace the
Mosaic Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah with a New Covenant - Jer
31:31-32 (READ). In fulfillment of that promise, God brought the Jews back to the land of
Canaan, and they rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. And God make clear that He will restore to
the glory of His people. And yet Israel never again became a sovereign nation, and they did
not have a rightful king. But according to God’s promise, the Jews waited for the fulfillment of
God’s promises of God.
4. And the fulfillment came at the first coming of Messiah. John the Baptist was sent to prepare
for the coming of Messiah, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. He came to make ready a
people for the Lord from the Jewish nation, warning those who will not repent that they will
be cut off from God’s covenant people - Lk 1:13-17; Lk 3:3-9; Mt 3:1-12 (READ). These
disciples of John became disciples of Jesus - Jn 1:35-39 (READ). Moreover, Jesus continued
the work that John the Baptist began -John 3:25-31; 4:1-3 (READ).
5. Now, it was with this first generation of Christ’s original disciples that God made the New
Covenant with, and gave them the New Covenant meal to replace the Passover meal - Lk
22:20 (READ). In anticipation of His death that would ratify the New Covenant, Jesus gives to
His original disciples (who were all Jewish) the commemorative meal of the New Covenant.
B. Second, included later to this first generation of Christ’s disciples were the believing Gentiles.
1. We see this developed the book of Acts. Gentile believers became recipients of the New
Covenant blessings and were grafted into this New Covenant community.
a. The first to be included were the believing Samaritans – Act 8:14-17 (READ). These people
have already believed in Christ after Christ has been glorified, and we would expect that
they could receive the Holy Spirit in the fullness of His saving operations (John 7:37-39).
So why had the apostles Peter and John had to be sent and lay their hands of them in
order to receive the Spirit? In order that these Samaritans believers, who were once
enemies of the Jews, will recognize apostolic authority.
b. The second inclusion where the believing Gentiles in Cornelius house – Acts 10:44-48;
Acts 11:15-18 (READ).
c. This finally came to hedge in the council in Jerusalem – Acts 15:1-23 (READ).
2. The apostle Paul speaks of this in Rom 11:19-24 (READ).
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3. Therefore, believing Gentiles, as well as believing Jews, constitute the New Covenant
community, the recipients of the New Covenant. Eph 2:11-22 (READ). The church here is the
Israel of God under the New Covenant.
C. Third, at the ratification of the New Covenant through the death of the Christ, the believers of
the OT also enjoyed the full blessings of the New Covenant.
1. Even prior to the saving work of Christ, the essential blessings of the New Covenant were
already retroactively applied. Not all the blessings were enjoyed because the Lord Jesus has
still not come, and the New Covenant community was still not formed. But the OT believers
did enjoy the essential blessings of the New Covenant.
2. However, at the ratification of the New Covenant, those OT believers came to full possession
of all the New Covenant blessings. Heb 11:39-40; Heb 12:18-24 (READ).
D. Fourth, the subsequent generations of Christ’s disciples from among the Jews and Gentiles.
1. Just like the Old Covenant, not only the first generation of Jews whom God entered into
covenant with were the recipients of the Old Covenant but also the generations after them
through natural procreation, so in the New Covenant, not only the first generation of Christ’s
disciples were the recipients of the New Covenant but also the generations after them
through spiritual regeneration.
2. So all disciples now of Christ are the recipients of the New Covenant.
E. But what about hypocrites and apostates? Are they recipients of the New Covenant blessing?
1. In a real sense “No”, because they are not partakers of the saving blessings of the New
Covenant.
a. This was true in the case of Judas. He was part of the New Covenant community and was
even part of the nucleus of 12 apostles, and yet, he was not a recipient of the saving
blessings of the New Covenant – Jn 13:10-11 (READ).
b. John also speaks of others who are like Judas in 1 Jn 2:19 – “They went out from us, but
they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us;
but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”
2. In some sense, “Yes”, because they are partakers of the non-saving blessings of the New
Covenant.
a. Heb 6:4-9 (READ). The key to a proper interpretation of this portion of Scripture, as John
Owen has pointed out, is 6:9 (READ). What ever blessings these apostates once enjoyed
are not blessings that accompany salvation. They are blessings from God that are short of
salvation. However, these blessings are very similar to what true believers also
experience. And these apostates will suffer greater judgment from God.
b. Heb 10:26-31 (READ).

Trans: Having considered the historical context, the pivotal promises, and the recipients/beneficiaries of
the New Covenant, consider fourthly…
IV. THE MEDIATOR AND SURETY OF THE NEW COVENANT
A. The mediator and surety is Jesus Christ. Heb 12:24; 9:15; 8:6 (READ).
B. And as Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is a better mediator, even better than Moses under
the Old Covenant. And why greater?
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1. Heb 3:1-6 (READ). This passage is no disparagement of Moses. He was a faithful servant of
God’s house. However, Jesus glory is far greater because His faithfulness is more
comprehensive. Moses was no more than part of God’s house, but Jesus made the house.
Again, Jesus as Son was over the house, whereas Moses was a servant in it. And “house” here
off course does not refer to a building but God’s people.
2. John 1:17-18 (READ) cf Exo 33:18-23 (READ). Jesus was a far better mediator than Moses
because Jesus is from the very bosom of the Father.
C. Therefore, if you want any of the blessings of the New Covenant, then you must come to Jesus.

Trans: Having considered the historical context, the pivotal promises, the beneficiaries/recipients, the
mediator and surety of the New Covenant, consider, lastly…
V. THE SIGNS OF THE NEW COVENANT
A. Water Baptism
1. All who are part of the New Covenant Community are to receive the initiatory rite of water
baptism. We see this in the ministry of John the Baptism, and the Christ (although He Himself
did not baptize with water but His disciples were), then Christ after His resurrection
commanded that His disciples to baptize all those who are made disciples. Mat 28:19-20
(READ).
2. And this water baptism signifies cleansing, the washing away of sins. It also signifies death to
sin and a new life.
B. The Lord’s Supper
1. Luke 22:20 (READ). Christ instituted this commemorative meal after they ate the Passover
meal (the commemorative meal of the Old Covenant). And He instituted this commemorative
meal in anticipation of His death.
2. And I hope you see the parallel. The Passover meal commemorated God’s deliverance of the
physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from the bondage in Egypt. The Lord
Supper is a commemorative meal to remember God’s deliverance of His people from the
bondage of the guilt and power of sin and of Satan.
C. The New Creation Sabbath
1. While the old creation Sabbath was taken up into the Old Covenant as a sign and memorial of
its establishment (the world having abandoned such a practice), so the new creation Sabbath
would serve as a sign and memorial of the establishment of the New Covenant and would
mark out God’s people under the New Covenant.
2. And that new creation Sabbath is the first day of the week, the day that Lord Jesus rose from
the grave, the inauguration of the new creation, and it is also the day God poured out the
Holy Spirit on His people on the day of Pentecost – Pentecost falls on the first day of the
week.
3. The observance of this day would serve to mark out God’s people from all the other people’s
of the world.

Conclusion
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1. How glorious are the blessings of New Covenant! Forgiveness of sins, the internalization of God’s
law, personal relationship and fellowship with God, and the preservation and perseverance of
God’s people, and a permanent home land.
2. Are these blessings yours?
a. If not, then go the mediator of the New Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, in repentance and
faith. And ask it from Him. Illustration: the golden clock that the Sunday School teacher
offered.
b. And to you who have known these blessings, how blessed you really are! You may have little
of the other lesser blessings from God, but you have God’s greatest blessings! And seek more
of these blessings in the person of Jesus Christ!