God planned the New Covenant from Genesis 1:1 and we will see this later, but He actually spoke about it first to the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The book of Hebrews has the largest portion of it in the New Testament, but the author is quoting the prophet Jeremiah, so let’s first look at the original writing. Jeremiah 31:31-34(NASB)   "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the House of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 


Is this truly a brand new covenant?  We have underlined some key words that we will take a look at. First, you will notice the word “new”. This word in Hebrew is chadash and, according to Strong’s #H2319, it means “new, new things, fresh”.  The Hebrew language, however, can almost always be traced back to root words that are usually verbs.  Our God is all about action. This helps in getting a more solid grasp on what the word means, so let’s look at the root of the word here.  The root word is also chadash, (Strong’s #H2318) and it means “to renew or to repair”.

 We can tell by our definitions that this word can mean brand new or can also mean renewed. Next, let’s look at how this word is used in Scripture.  The first time this word is used is in Exodus 1:8(NASB) "Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."  This verse seems to imply that he was a “brand new” king.  Let’s look at another one.  Deuteronomy 24:5(NASB) "When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty”.  Again, this verse seems to have the same definition - brand new.

 Now, let’s look at what the word means in the New Testament, when Yeshua said in Luke 22:20(NASB) "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”  The Greek word for “new” used here is kainos and it is Strong’s #G2537 and it means “recently made, fresh, unused”.   So, just like we did with the Hebrew, let's look at how it is used in other verses. Matthew 26:29(NASB) “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”  In this verse, the word seems to be saying "renewed" rather than brand new. Again, just like the Hebrew counterpart, the word could mean new or renewed. However, there is another word used in the New Testament when talking about the New Covenant also.  Hebrews 12:24a (NASB)“…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant”.  This word for “new” is the Greek word neos and is Strong’s #G3501 and means “recently born, young, youthful”.  This word looks like it is closer to meaning brand new as opposed to renew. So, we believe this is speaking of a brand new covenant, not a renewed one, but let’s also look at the context in our Jeremiah Scripture.  That should be our determining factor.

Jeremiah 31:31 “..I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt,..”  In the context of this Scripture, it seems to be saying that this is a brand new covenant, not a renewed one.  It is a different covenant than the one that God gave on Mount Sinai to the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt, which we call the Torah, or the Law.  So, we believe our Messiah had a brand new covenant in His blood, not a renewed covenant.   

 What is this New Covenant and what are the promises given in it?  Jeremiah 31:33(NASB) "But this is the covenant which I will make with the House of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."


Just from this Scripture alone, let's list what the promises are in the New Covenant.











 We will look at more and more Scriptures on this covenant later, but let’s take a look at who will receive this covenant next. This is very important.




What, exactly, is the New Covenant?  Did our Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), come to renew the first covenant or is this a brand new covenant?  What did Yeshua (Jesus) mean in Luke 22:20(NASB), when He said, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”  Is this truly a NEW covenant or did He come to RENEW the original covenant? What are the promises that are given?

A common teaching in Christian churches is that we already have the New Covenant now.  From the day that Jesus was crucified, the Old Covenant died and as soon as a believer dies, they go to heaven to dwell with the Lord forever, where they are receiving their new bodies one by one and becoming the bride of Christ.


In Messianic circles, a basic teaching is that Yeshua (Jesus’ name in Hebrew) died on the tree to “renew” the original covenant – the Torah (or the Law) - and He will return at an appointed time to give His people, Israel, the New Covenant and will dwell with them on the new earth forever.  Is one belief right and the other wrong?  Or, could there be some truth in both?  We believe that Scripture has all of these answers.

 

New or Renewed Covenant?

The Covenant of Peace

  • God will put His Law (Torah) within us.
  • He will be our God and we shall be His people
  • We will all "know" the Lord
  • He will forgive our iniquity and our sin, He will remember no more.