Hebrews 8-9 | The Internal Ingredient of the New Covenant

All of God's dealings with man are divided into an old covenant (testament) and a new covenant. Our Bibles are given to us in those two divisions.

THE OLD COVENANT

The old covenant was a shadow or a picture of the new. The Messiah had not yet come and so it pointed to the coming Messiah. The tabernacle and temple, the sacrifices made for man's sins, the high priests who would offer the sacrifices; they all pointed and pictured Christ. They were to show people that a Lamb was coming that would take away the sins of the world.

In the Old Covenant people looked FORWARD to the coming Lamb and believed, and they were saved by their faith in the coming Messiah. Abraham believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness." Salvation, prior to Christ, was still by faith in Christ alone.

THE NEW COVENANT

...has now come. Christ came, lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose powerfully over sin and death. He was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for our sins and then rose victorious. We are now saved by looking BACK at this sacrifice and believing in what Christ did as our payment for our personal sins. We believe in Christ and what He did to save and cleanse us and make us right with God.

BUT THERE'S MORE

In the New Covenant, God—knowing our hearts—did something extraordinary for us. He said, "I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts." He did something INTERNALLY to us, placing His Spirit in us that changes us forever, giving us the power to fulfill the law and all He desires of us. And ... He will never leave us.

Our faith in His death for us make us fit for heaven. Our faith and His work that places His Spirit in us, make us fit for earth.

Hallelujah for the finished work of Christ!

Father, thank You for sending Your only Son. Thank You that He did everything necessary so that all men from all times could be made right again with You and have the power to live and die with You. And thank You that we will never, never die!