New Covenant

Hebrews 10:16-17 (MSG)

“Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this: “This new plan I’m making with Israel isn’t going to be written on paper, isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;” This time “I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.” He concludes, “I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.” Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.”

The Old Covenant system of sacrifices for sins was never meant to take care of the real issue. It wasn’t a cure. It was just a treatment. The problem is our sin nature. Giving us the law pointed out all the myriad ways that we miss the mark and fall short of God’s high standard of living. The law drew our attention the real problem: sin. But the law didn’t solve our problem. It just put a band-aid on them. A sacrifice covered the sin for a period of time, but it couldn’t solve the problem because it didn’t change our nature. God had a bigger plan all along!

The New Covenant wasn’t going to be just a band-aid treatment for our problem. This time it was going to be different. Jesus died to offer the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and His sacrifice didn’t just cover our sin for a brief time. No! His sacrifice changed our very nature. Now, we are a new creature with a new nature–a nature that desires to do the will of God! This changed nature and renewed mind that we are offered as a part of the body of Christ means that the standards of God are now written on our hearts. Because Jesus kept the law perfectly, He had perfect righteousness. When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, we exchange our sinful nature for Christ’s righteousness. Our sins are forgiven and remembered no more, and we are changed to be more like Him every day!

Father, thank you that you always intended to take care of the real issue of sin: our nature. You didn’t want us to sacrifice over and over, but you did want us to understand what sin was and how ugly a cost it took to cover it over and make it right. Then you did even more than that. You took the cost on yourself. You became sin for us. You paid the price we could not pay to change the nature that was the very heart of our problem. Now, I am righteous because you paid the price for my righteousness and bought me back from sin. You changed my nature and made me a new creature! Now your law is written on my heart. My spirit desires to do your will. Your word renews my soul. I become more like you every day. Thank you! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.