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The Beginning of the End
because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood
of the first covenant.
But if the covenant to Abraham contained the promise of re-
demption, why was another covenant made at Sinai? In their slavery
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the people had largely lost the knowledge of the principles of the
Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God intended
to reveal His power and mercy so that they might be led to love
and trust Him. He bound them to Himself as their deliverer from
physical slavery.
But they had no true concept of God’s holiness, of the exceeding
sinfulness of their own hearts, their complete inability in themselves
to obey God’s law, and their need of a Savior.
God gave them His law with the promise of great blessings on
condition of obedience: “If you will indeed obey My voice and
keep My covenant ... you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation” (
Exodus 19:5, 6
). The people did not realize
the sinfulness of their own hearts and that without Christ it was
impossible for them to keep God’s law. Feeling able to establish
their own righteousness, they declared, “All that the Lord has said
we will do, and be obedient” (
Exodus 24:7
). They eagerly entered
into covenant with God, yet only a few weeks went by before they
broke their covenant and bowed down to worship the image of a
calf. Now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of forgiveness, they
felt their need of the Savior revealed in the Abrahamic covenant and
symbolized in the sacrificial offerings. Now they were prepared to
appreciate the blessings of the new covenant.
The New Covenant and Justification by Faith
The terms of the “old covenant” were, Obey and live: “If a man
does, he shall live by them” (
Ezekiel 20:11
). But “‘cursed is the
one who does not confirm all the words of this law’” to do them.
(
Deuteronomy 27:26
). The “new covenant” was established upon
“better promises,” the promise of forgiveness and the grace of God
to change the heart and bring it into harmony with God’s law. “This
is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it