Who is Included in the "New Covenant"?
Contributed by a brother who understands and appreciates the New Covenant.
The issue of the New Covenant, and who's included, has been examined
many times that I have seen. However, a brother that I've come to
know has a saying that keeps me grounded... "The truth is simple, it
only becomes complicated when we deviate from it". Back while Jesus
was on earth, we know how religious leaders were in charge of
teaching the Jews the law. However, we also have come to understand
that Jesus condemned them for corrupting that law, by adding to it
abundantly. (Matthew 15:1-6)
To better understand the New Covenant, we should review the
Abrahamic Covenant, and the subsequent Law Covenant Jehovah had made
with the nation of Israel:
“I shall surely bless you and I shall surely multiply your seed like
the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the
seashore; and your seed will take possession of the gate of his
enemies. And by means of your seed all nations of the earth will
certainly bless themselves due to the fact that you have listened to
my voice." (Genesis 22:17, 18)
It is good to remember that up to this point Jehovah's cryptic
promise about the "seed" that was to crush the head of the serpent
has not yet been expanded upon. (Gen. 3:15) Now, Jehovah, "the One
telling from the beginning the finale", has stated that this
promised seed will come through Abraham's lineage. This promised
seed will "take possession of the gate of his enemies" and, the most
important point of all: all nations of the earth will certainly
bless themselves because of this seed. Additionally, Jehovah
promised to multiply Abraham's seed "like the stars of the heavens
and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore".
Of course, Abraham's seed multiplied greatly, through his grandson,
Jacob, who had 12 sons. Jacob's name was later changed to Israel,
hence we have the 12 tribes of Israel. Under Joseph, this Abrahamic
family was protected, and grew exponentially over the course of 400
years. (Genesis 15:13)
After their miraculous escape from Pharaoh's army by Jehovah's hand,
Jehovah made a covenant with the nation of Israel:
"And now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my
covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of
all [other] peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. And YOU
yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the sons of
Israel." (Exodus 19:5, 6)
However, if we were to stop right here, one would ask: "Didn't
Jehovah promise that all nations will bless themselves by
means of this seed?" Yes, he did, which brings us to an important
point. Jehovah has always intended on turning his attention
to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. It was not predicated on whether or
not the Jews were faithful.
“Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I
will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a
new covenant; not one like the covenant that I concluded with their
forefathers in the day of my taking hold of their hand to bring them
forth out of the land of Egypt, ‘which covenant of mine they
themselves broke, although I myself had husbandly ownership of
them,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.” “For this is the covenant that
I shall conclude with the house of Israel after those days,” is the
utterance of Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their
heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they
themselves will become my people.” “And they will no more teach each
one his companion and each one his brother, saying, ‘KNOW Jehovah!’
for they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even
to the greatest one of them,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “For I
shall forgive their error, and their sin I shall remember no more." (Jeremiah
31:31-34)
Notice the reason why Jehovah instituted this New Covenant. True,
Jehovah did mention that the Israelites did break the first
covenant, but that was not the reason why he is concluding a new
one. This new one, as Jehovah says, will allow permanent forgiveness
of their sins. Remember, the original covenant had two very big
limitations:
(1) It only applied to the natural Jews, but Jehovah's original
promise to Abraham regarding his seed would benefit ALL mankind.
(2) As the Apostle Paul noted, the old Law Covenant, with the
sacrifices that were offered through the Levite priesthood, does not
allow for complete forgiveness of sins, but instead pointed out the
need for Christ's perfect sacrifice:
"For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come,
but not the very substance of the things, [men] can never with the
same sacrifices from year to year which they offer continually make
those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would the [sacrifices] not
have stopped being offered, because those rendering sacred service
who had been cleansed once for all time would have no consciousness
of sins anymore? To the contrary, by these sacrifices there is a
reminding of sins from year to year, for it is not possible for
the blood of bulls and of goats to take sins away." (Hebrews
10:1-4)
So this New Covenant was not instituted for the sole benefit of the
144,000 chosen to rule with Christ, but rather, it is what allows all faithful
mankind to have their sins permanently forgiven, and declared
righteous by means of their faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)
In Hebrews chapter 9, Paul compared the two covenants. Here are a
few excerpts, showing the superiority and subsequent need for the
New Covenant:
"However, when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that
have come to pass, through the greater and more perfect tent not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered, no, not
with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own
blood, once for all time into the holy place and obtained an
everlasting deliverance [for us]. For if the blood of goats and
of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been
defiled sanctifies to the extent of cleanness of the flesh, how much
more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit
offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from
dead works that we may render sacred service to [the] living
God?" (Hebrews 9:11-14)
We further read:
"Therefore he is the
mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive
the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that
redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first
covenant.[a] 16
For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must
be established. 17
For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as
long as the one who made it is alive.
18
Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
19
For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to
all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water
and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and
all the people, 20
saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for
you.” 21
And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and
all the vessels used in worship.
22
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Hebrews
9:15-22; English
Standard Version―ESV
Footnote:
a. Hebrews 9:15 The Greek
word means both covenant and will; also verses 16, 17)
As we can see, the purpose of the New Covenant, is the redemption of
all mankind, be it Jew or Gentile, anointed or non-anointed. The Old
Covenant Jehovah had made with nation of Israel was voided, serving
its purpose of pointing the Jews to Christ. (Galatians3:24)
Under this New Covenant, faithful mankind's sins are forgiven
permanently, something that was not possible until Jesus' death as
Paul mentioned. Through Jehovah's mercy and love for the entire
human race, he has opened a way out of the turmoil that Adam placed
his offspring in due to his disobedience. (John 3:16; Romans 5:12)
As Paul stated, under this New Covenant validated by Jesus' perfect
blood, all faithful Christians are finally able to worship
Jehovah with a clean conscience. Furthermore, as you can see, there
is no mention of these provisions being exclusive to the anointed
ones.
Jesus states that his blood validates the New Covenant: "This cup means
the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured
out in your behalf." (Luke 22:20)
In Revelation, John's vision of the "great crowd" that survives the
Great Tribulation references Jesus' words:
"These are
the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed
their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are
rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple…"
(Revelation 7:14b, 15a)
Consider this final point: Did you notice a parallel in John's vision, and what Paul stated in Hebrews 9:14? Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are all able to render "sacred service" that is acceptable to Jehovah. Or in other words, it is impossible to worship Jehovah without being part of the New Covenant! This fact alone precludes the notion that only the anointed are included in this covenant, for such a premise would mean that the vast majority of God's people are unable to worship him. Jesus' perfect blood gives all of Jehovah's people a righteous and clean standing (depicted by the white robes); and they are all "in his temple," which would be impossible unless they are in the New Covenant. The same was true with the physical tabernacle, where only those who were in the covenant mediated by Moses, and were clean in Jehovah's eyes, could worship God acceptably. (Exodus 30:17-21; Leviticus 22:1-3; 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18)