Scripture Reading…Hebrews 9:11-15
Devotion
There are BIG differences between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. They represent two different covenants God has made with His creation. The Old Testament is vital for us to learn from, Romans 15:4. And it has been fulfilled in Christ, Matthew 5:17-20. Now we live under the New Covenant, and we should recognize how superior this covenant is to the first covenant, Hebrews 8:8-12. Let’s consider a few ways the New Covenant takes precedence over the Old Covenant.
The Old Covenant was a National Covenant. It was given to Jacob’s descendants, the nation of Israel. The New Covenant is a Universal Covenant. It was first promised through the prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 31:31-34. The Old Covenant was physical & first written on stone tablets, Exodus 34:1 & 28. God’s New Covenant is spiritual & is to be written on our hearts, 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. The Old Covenant was based on a physical birth, if one was born into the nation of Israel, they were automatically a member of God’s chosen people. As they matured, they would be introduced to the God they already belonged to, Deuteronomy 6:1-6. The New Covenant is based on a spiritual birth. It is enjoyed by all those who have put their trust in Jesus & grown in spiritual understanding to the point that they submit to God’s holy will, Acts 2:38-41 & 47. The most important way the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant is that sins are actually “remitted” or “forgiven” under the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant sins were “remembered” or “rolled forward” until Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness. In Christ we are to obey His Gospel, with is His death, burial & resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. When we believe, we then “die” to ourselves in repentance, we are “buried” with Christ in baptism & we are “resurrected” to live a Christian life when we come up from the burial of baptism, Romans 6:1-4. These are some of the important ways we realize the beauty of the Covenant we have with God through Jesus Christ!
While the Old Covenant is recorded for our learning, it was completed in the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will not answer to God for the requirements of the Old Law, but we will be required to give an account for our obedient faith under the New Covenant.
CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY
Walk at least one mile today.
Respond to the online community.
Pick a passage to commit to memory today. Not one you already know, but one that means something to you. Tell someone what your scripture is and ask them to ask you to quote it to them the next time you see them. Challenge yourself!!!