What Is the New Covenant — Meaning Explained

Jeremiah prophesied, 'Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel... I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more' (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Jesus inaugurated this covenant at the Last Supper: 'This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you' (Luke 22:20). The Book of Hebrews extensively explains how the New Covenant supersedes the Old: 'He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises' (Hebrews 8:6). The Old Covenant, mediated through Moses, depended on human obedience to external law. The New Covenant operates by grace through the indwelling Spirit: 'God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts' (Galatians 4:6). Under the Old, animal sacrifices atoned temporarily. Under the New, Christ's sacrifice is once-for-all: 'By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified' (Hebrews 10:14). The Old Covenant revealed sin; the New Covenant removes it. Both covenants reveal God's character, but the New fulfills what the Old only foreshadowed.