Category: Covenants

PART SIX The New Covenant in the Gospels Coming now to the Four Gospels, let me begin with Simeon’s statement in Luke 2. Luke tells us that Simeon was, “waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Lk. 2:25). As far as Simeon was concerned Jesus was to have a dual salvific role to the Gentiles and also to Israel: For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of …

PART FIVE Looking at Isaiah 52:13 – Isa. 53:12 in Light of the New Covenant Many lists of New covenant verses do not include Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. But I believe there is justification for using it as at least a supporting passage for the study of the New covenant. Allow me to explain my reasons for this. Firstly, I have already drawn attention to the soteriological focus of the New covenant texts such as Deut. 30:6; Hos. 2:19-20; Isa. …

PART FOUR Although being cognizant of Fredrickson’s research regarding pre-19th century commentators on Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 I think a selection of quotes from representative scholarship will help drive my point home. My point being that it is not some novel view that understands the “covenant” in these texts as being, in fact, Jesus Himself. Many may wish to avoid saying “Jesus is the New covenant.” But I think it hard to circumvent the claim that “Jesus is the embodiment …

PART THREE The Form of a Divine Covenant Both Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 include a messianic prediction of the Servant of Yahweh being “made as a covenant.” However, one quite often reads the objection “a person cannot be a covenant.” When I read such a statement I wonder to myself what it is about a covenant that prohibits a person from being one? Is a covenant a piece of paper with some writing and signatures? Or is it the ancient …

PART TWO Let me repeat the conclusion I arrived at previously: Jesus is the Redeemer who saves by the Spirit through the New covenant!  Peter’s Speech at Jerusalem As Peter is rehearsing his experience at the house of Cornelius in Acts 11 he supplies as his main argument for God bringing salvation to the Gentiles the fact that they were given the Holy Spirit. And he made a point of saying the Spirit received by the Gentiles was “the same …

PART ONE Let me begin with a statement that will have to be defended, but which I think is difficult to argue against: Nowhere does the OT tell us that the New covenant is only intended for Israel. To that someone might (and will) very well direct my attention to Jeremiah 31:31-34 and its repetition in Hebrews 8:8-12. But that will not suffice. The context of the Jeremiah quote comes within what is known as “the Book of Consolation”, which …

Especially among Dispensationalists, the subject of the New covenant creates a bone of contention. Perhaps the majority Dispensationalists hold that the Church has no participatory relationship in the New covenant. Many others believe that the Church does participate in the trickle-down effects of the New covenant, which is still thought to be made with Israel as full parties. Then there are those, myself included, who believe that the Church is made a full party to the New covenant alongside of …