Picture this: You’re at a family gathering, surrounded by laughter, love, and the tantalizing aroma of your grandma’s famous apple pie. As you eagerly anticipate dessert, your uncle bursts into the room, holding a beautifully wrapped present. “Surprise!” he exclaims, as he hands you the gift. With bated breath, you unwrap it to reveal… a dusty old encyclopedia from the 1980s.

Now, before you start wondering if your uncle took a wrong turn in the attic, let me assure you—this isn’t just any encyclopedia. It’s a metaphor for something far more profound and life-changing: the New Covenant.

For ages, man sought a way to reconnect to God after the fall in the Garden of Eden. Recall that man flaunted the commandment of God not to eat the forbidden fruit. Consequently, he became naked, and fearful and ultimately lost his connection with God. He was lost. For the first time, God asked a very unusual question, “Adam, where are you?” This question suggests that man was indeed lost. God was also looking for man.

And right from that time, efforts were made to get the man back to God. Through the Scriptures, we see pockets of God’s manifestation through individuals. For example, Enoch walked with God, and Noah built the ark. Then, God began the process of redemption through a man called Abram (later called Abraham). This culminated in a nation called Israel. God raised a leader called Moses who led the people of Israel into making a covenant with God. In a loud and frightening celebration, God came down and presented the law to His people (Exodus 20). It was supposed to be the dawn of a new day.

Unfortunately, this covenant had several defects.

• People couldn’t get close to God which was the ultimate desire of God. They were terrified by the thundering, the lightning and the smoke from the mountain. They asked Moses to meet God on their behalf and simply tell them what God is saying (Exodus 20:18-19).

• People couldn’t stop sinning. Several animals were killed daily to appease God. The sin-problem that separated man from God was not solved. The blood of bulls, doves and goats was not potent enough propitiate for the sin of man.

• God’s law was written on tables of stone. So, people easily forget the commandments of God. They couldn’t keep their hearts focused on God. Sometimes, they had to write these laws in several places so that they will not forget.

• God’s Spirit only rested on selected few.

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second” (Hebrews 8:7). Therefore, there was a need for a better covenant; a new covenant that caters for all the deficiencies of the old. And after several years of waiting, the New Covenant was born when Jesus Christ was born.

The New Covenant represents a new relationship between God and humanity, mediated through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:6). It is prophesied in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and established by Jesus during his ministry on earth.

In essence, the New Covenant is characterized by grace, forgiveness, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Unlike the Old Covenant, which was based on adherence to the Mosaic Law and rituals, the New Covenant is based on faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection.

In the New Covenant, there is;

1. Forgiveness of Sins: Through Jesus’ death on the cross, believers receive forgiveness for their sins, reconciling them to God (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:15). There is no longer a need to keep shedding the blood of innocent animals, Jesus Christ paid the price once and for all through His death on the cross.

2. Personal Relationship with God: The New Covenant offers believers direct access to God through Jesus Christ, without the need for intermediaries (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22). Every child of God can now come boldly to the throne of grace. This is the significance of the tearing of the curtain of the sanctuary from top to bottom at the death of Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:51). Access to the holy of holies is no longer the exclusive privilege of the priests, everyone can now come in.

3. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit: Believers receive the Holy Spirit, who dwells within them, guiding, empowering, and transforming them to live according to God’s will (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9-11). Unlike the Old Covenant where only a select few possess the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, everyone in the New Covenant is now eligible to the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

4. Eternal Life: The New Covenant promises believers eternal life with God in heaven, secured through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, Romans 6:23).

5. Symbolized by the Sacrament of Communion and Water Baptism: During communion, Christians partake in the bread and wine, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, in remembrance of his sacrifice and the establishment of the New Covenant. The water baptism also symbolizes his death and resurrection. When a believer is immersed in water, he or she identifies with His death and His resurrection when the person is lifted out of the water into a new life.

Overall, the New Covenant represents God’s ultimate expression of love and redemption for humanity, offering hope and salvation to all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. With the New Covenant, man has no reason to blame the first Adam for his sins anymore because the second Adam has been sent.

“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many” (Romans 5:15).

Jesus Christ has eliminated sin and its consequences. We can now come boldly to the throne of grace. We can now serve God without fear all the days of our lives. We can now claim everything we lost in the Garden of Eden. We can live the same life Jesus lived while He was on the earth.

Hallelujah!

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