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Oasis Higher Ground Trainings Draw Near Others - Chinese - English Languages
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The New Covenant
(12th in the series of expositions on Communion delivered on Dec 10, 1978)
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Cor 11:25)
What does it mean that the cup we receive at the table is the cup of the new covenant? What is this covenant with the blood?
The word 'covenant' is used 33 times in the NT. It involves the basic idea of our relationship with God, stated as below:
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It is the relationship that binds two parties together.
The word itself has the meaning of binding together (as used in OT). It can be used between men and men also, e.g. in Josh 9:6,7,11,15,16, the word 'covenant' deals with a treaty, a league, alliance between two nations or two groups of people. The Gibeonites established a treaty with the Israelites.
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To build a relationship between the king and his subjects, e.g., in 2 Sam 5:3. In this sense it is the relationship between David and his people.
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Involves a pledge, a solemn agreement, a promise, e.g., in 2 King 11:4, it is an agreement that is made in a very solemn way, usually made on oath.
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Alliance of friendship.
Friendship is very central to the idea of 'covenant'. There is no human relationship that is deeper than friendship. Even a marriage can survive only when the husband and wife are still friends. The moment that the friendship is broken, there is no marriage to talk about; the friendship has become an external relationship, with only a legal bond to tie the two together. Therefore friendship has to be from the heart in all human relationships.
In a covenant, the friendship is so deep that the two persons are bound together. The best illustration would be the friendship of David and Jonathan. They entered into a solemn covenant of friendship that bound them together. E.g. 1 Sam 18:3, 20:8, 23:18.
The essence of a covenant can be listed as below:
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Mutual agreement of the two parties - nobody enters into a covenant as being dragged into it. Both parties must be willing, just like the marriage covenant, wherein both parties enter willingly and joyfully. Only death can break the covenant.
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This agreement constitutes a commitment - it is a total commitment of one party to the other. The two parties must be totally committed.
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This committed entails a promise, that is, I commit myself and I promise certain things with it, a promise in which one or both parties are involved. E.g. when you get married, you have a commitment to each other which involves a certain promise.
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The promise is relative to certain conditions - the condition of friendship is 'faithfulness'. If one party is unfaithful to the other, the promises are no longer in effect.
There is no imaginable relationship which is deeper than the covenant between God and us. God has committed Himself to us with this covenant by giving His Son to us, then it requires the commitment on our part. A covenant involves mutual commitment, e.g., God commits Himself to us and we also commit ourselves totally to Him. This commitment is from our heart with an unconditional obedience to Him. It is voluntary, as the Israelites accepted the covenant voluntarily (God didn't force the Israelites into the covenant). Through this God and men are bound together.
It does not mean that there is an equality between the two parties, e.g., in the covenant between the king and his subjects, although they enter into the covenant yet there is no equality between them. It is the higher and superior one who initiates the covenant; so God initiates the covenant by which He binds Himself to us.
Our covenant with God can be summed up beautifully and simply in Ps 25:14:
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.
Notice friendship and covenant are standing in parallel relation, one is speaking of the other. This 'fear' does not mean cowardly fear but reverent awe. God brings us into His covenant and reveals His covenant to us. This parallels exactly what John said in Jn 15:13-15:
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Covenant always involves privileges and responsibilities. Covenant can actually mean 'command'. For example, Ps 105:8 says:
He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations."
'Of the word that he commanded' is parallel to the covenant. When there is covenant, there is commandment, and there is no privilege without responsibility.
The covenant does not exist automatically; it has to be made. Jesus establishes this covenant through His blood. Then the covenant is to be confirmed by receiving the promises. (E.g. Lev 26:9; Deut 8:18). And the condition of receiving the promises is that we have to keep the covenant (Ps 78:10; 103:17,18). Failure to keep the covenant is the failure to receive the promises, and failure to keep the covenant in the OT is regarded as treachery, and is punishable by being cut off, i.e., by death. (e.g. Gen 17:14; Lev 26:14-45). If the Israelites repent though they had broken the covenant, God will still forgive them, but if they insist in their disobedience, then they would have to face the judgment. Therefore, meditate on the relationship of God to us!
The new covenant, like the other OT covenant, is established by blood, which indicates the solemn nature of life and death. There is nothing superficial about the covenant. The OT covenants were established by the blood of animals' blood (Exo 24:5,8; Heb 9:20) but the new covenant is established by the blood of Christ, which is so much superior to the old covenant. Because it is established through the blood, it can bring forth the nature of a 'will', i.e., it becomes effective through the death of the Lord Jesus. This is why the word 'covenant' is sometimes translated by 'the will'. It is the blood of Christ which makes this covenant possible, therefore without His blood, there is no relationship between God and us. This is why it is the new covenant, because it is established on the basis of His blood.
We have entered into the new and living relationship with God, a relationship which He counts as forever, provided that we fulfill the terms of the covenant. There is no doubt that He will fulfill His terms on His part. It is deeper than any other relationship, even deeper than marriage, as the relationship of marriage is terminated by physical death, while the relationship with God never ends and is eternal. Therefore, we should praise God and give thanks to Him for making this covenant possible to us.
May God help us to understand this eternal covenant that we may be found faithful in this relationship of friendship.
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Communion Series:
- Worship
- A Sharing in the Body of Christ
- God's Expression of Love to Us
- Pressing toward the Mark of the High Calling
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