In Matthew 26:26-30, Jesus transformed the Passover into a New Covenant commemorative meal as He instituted the Lord’s Supper. Because the Lord’s Supper and the New Covenant are so closely interrelated, it is imperative to understand the New Covenant: what is it? who instituted it? what was wrong with the Old Covenant? why is it so much better than the Old Covenant? what are the promises and blessings given to New Covenant members?
We first examined how the Covenant of Grace, announced in Genesis 3:15 through the promise of salvation by the seed of the woman, reaches its full revelation and conclusion in the New Covenant. We then took a step backwards to get a clear understanding of the Old Covenant: where it was deficient, why it failed, and why a new (and infinitely superior) covenant was needed. We observed that the Old Covenant promised things that were material, earthly, and temporal: fullness of bread, freedom from enemies, and fruitfulness of fields, flocks, and families.
But the New Covenant promises things that are spiritual, heavenly, and eternal: regeneration of heart, a personal relationship with God, and redemption from sin. Hebrews 8:6-13 is a key New Testament passage that we studied to understand the faultiness of the Old Covenant, and how the New Covenant had made it obsolete.
The New Covenant is a unilateral covenant where every part of this covenant is completed by the Maker of this covenant: the triune God. As the embodiment of what it means to be Israel, Jesus is the recipient of the New Covenant, which is made through Him, true Israel. Without Him, the New Covenant is meaningless. The participants of the New Covenant are those who are in Christ Jesus through faith (cf. Romans 10:11-12; Galatians 3:6-7; Galatians 3:26-29)
The New Covenant promises regeneration of heart, relationship with God, and redemption of sin. It provides extraordinary spiritual blessings to its members: peace with God, eternal forgiveness of sins, a humility and contrition over sin, a regenerated heart, the given indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, personal communion with the Lord, the gift of righteousness, holiness and obedience of life, adoption into the family of God, preservation, and perseverance in the faith.
And so, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which is the token of the New Covenant, we acknowledge that God has done it ALL, and that what He has done we simply receive through the empty hand of faith.
Listen to this teaching on the New Covenant in Matthew 26:26-30 by clicking on the link below: