hen we understand the significance of the
Promise in the Old Covenant the Scriptures will give revelation to its
significance for the New Covenant. The fulfillment of “The Promise” of
God is one of the most important concepts to witness His faithfulness
throughout the ages. The Church began with Abraham.
The First Promise Of Salvation To Mankind
And the LORD God said to the woman, "What
is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and
I ate." So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the
field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of
your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your seed and her Seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall bruise His
heel." -- Gen 3:13-15
The Covenant And Promise To Redeem Mankind
Was Made To Abraham
Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out
of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land
that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and
make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who
bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed." -- Gen 12:1-3
Canaan Was Given To Abraham For An
Inheritance
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had
separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you
are; northward, southward, eastward, and westward; "for all the land which
you see I give to you and your descendants forever. "And I will make your
descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the
dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. "Arise,
walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to
you." -- Genesis 13:14-17
God’s Children Are The Heirs Of Abraham’s
Promise
Then He brought him outside and said,
"Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number
them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he
believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. --
Genesis 15:5-6
The Blessings Of Abraham’s Descendants
"May God Almighty bless you, and make you
fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and
give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you,
that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave
to Abraham." -- Genesis 28:3-4
..... Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; the
sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; and the sons
of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of
Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.- Gen 35:22-26
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of
the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is
everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come
upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though
it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or
adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does
not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed,"
who is Christ. -- Galatians 3:13-16
The Church Is Part Of The First Covenant
For you are all sons of God through faith
in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put
on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise. -- Gal 3:26-29
Jesus, Our High Priest Over A New Covenant
Since Jesus’ redemption of the
believer from the curse of the law, He has begun His heavenly ministry as
our Great High Priest. By the grace of God through faith we have a more
perfect way unto the Lord God Almighty, our Father, through the blood of
Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. For, in that the blood
of goats and bulls was only a covering for sin; the sacrifice of Jesus
takes away the sins of the world, never to be remembered again.
Jesus has taken away the first
covenant and established a better one. The new covenant brings
sanctification through the body and blood of Jesus Christ; for by one
offering the lamb of God brought salvation to everyone that believes on
Him. The Holy Spirit bears witness to us through the scripture and gives
us comfort until we are reunited with Jesus for eternity. God’s purpose
is that whosoever He calls to rely on the name of the
Lord will be saved.
Our Advocate Shared In Our Humanity
Inasmuch then as the children have
partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that
through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is,
the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels,
but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He
had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful
High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins
of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is
able to aid those who are tempted. -- Hebrews 2:14-18
Seeing then that we have a great High
Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us
hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -- Hebrews
4:14-16
For every priest taken from among men is
appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both
gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those who are
ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also beset by weakness.
Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to
offer for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is
called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself
to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son,
today I have begotten You." As He also says in another place: "You are a
priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; who, in the days of
His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement
cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard
because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience
by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the
author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High
Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," --Hebrews 5:1-10
Jesus Established A New And Better
Covenant
Now this is the main point of the things
we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand
of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. For every
high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it
is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were
on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the
gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly
things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the
tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the
pattern shown you on the mountain." But now He has obtained a more
excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant,
which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant
had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming,
says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah; "not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant,
and I disregarded them, says the LORD. "For this is the covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will
put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people. "None of them shall teach his
neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall
know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. "For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more." In that He says, "A new covenant," He has
made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is
ready to vanish away. -- Heb. 8
"As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My
covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have
put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of
your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants,"
says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore." -- Is 59:21
"I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. "I
will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and
you will keep My judgments and do them. "Then you shall dwell in the land
that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your
God. -- Ezek 36:26-28
Jesus Came To Reveal God’s Grace And Truth
For the law was given through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. -- John 1:17
The New Covenant Was Revealed by Jesus
"Behold, I give you the authority to
trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing shall by any means hurt you. "Nevertheless do not rejoice in
this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your
names are written in heaven." In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit
and said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have
hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. "All things have
been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the
Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and the one to whom the Son
wills to reveal Him." And He turned to His disciples and said privately,
"Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; "for I tell you that
many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not
seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." -- Lu 10:19-24
Salvation By The Grace Of God Through
Faith
For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast. -- Eph 2:8-9
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In
truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. "But in every nation
whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. "The word
which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus
Christ; He is Lord of all; "that word you know, which was proclaimed
throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John
preached: "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with Him. "And we are witnesses of all things
which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they
killed by hanging on a tree. "Him God raised up on the third day, and
showed Him openly, "not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before
by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the
dead. "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it
is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. "To
Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in
Him will receive remission of sins." -- Acts 10:34-43
Grace Is A Gift Freely Given
Now to him who works, the wages are not
counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on
Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
- Romans 4:4-5
The Law Demanded A Blessing Be Earned
"Now it shall come to pass, if you
diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all
His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will
set you high above all nations of the earth. "And all these blessings
shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the
LORD your God: "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be
in the country. "Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of
your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle
and the offspring of your flocks. "Blessed shall be your basket and your
kneading bowl. "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall
you be when you go out. "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against
you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one
way and flee before you seven ways. "The LORD will command the blessing on
you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will
bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. "The LORD
will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to
you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His
ways. "Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the
name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. "And the LORD will
grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of
your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which
the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. "The LORD will open to you His
good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season,
and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations,
but you shall not borrow. "And the LORD will make you the head and not the
tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the
commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are
careful to observe them. "So you shall not turn aside from any of the
words which I command you this day, to the right hand or to the left, to
go after other gods to serve them. -- Deuteronomy 28:1-14
When we understand the
difference between the old and new covenants; the old one enslaved the
people into keeping the entire law, but the new is better giving us life
in the Spirit through the liberty and freedom found in our Lord. There is
no condemnation in Christ Jesus; for in Him we are set free from the law.
For it is written, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
everyone that believes. Those who believe have already passed from death
unto life. Our righteousness is by faith and not by the works of the
law. The law was a schoolmaster teaching us the letter of the law that we
would know that we are sinners. But the law was powerless in that there
was no life in it. No one can be born of the law, spiritually. And no
one will be born of the Spirit of God because of the works of the law.
For the law was powerless to put to death the lusts of the body and soul,
the corrupt nature. But in Christ Jesus the law of faith can set us
free. By the grace of God we are dead to sin but made alive in Christ.
God revealed His love for us in that while we were yet sinners He sent His
only begotten Son to die for us. For us that believe in Him and have
shared in His death, burial and resurrection through baptism are dead to
the power of sin and death. For it is written,' For He that is dead is
freed from sin.' Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin but to
righteousness.
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