October 5 | Hebrews 8:1-13

Elaine Pierce
Oct 4
2 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

A New Covenant

By Elaine Pierce.

The writer of the book of Hebrews assumes his readers are familiar with scripture. After all, most of his audience were Jewish converts, so they would have been immersed in the Old Testament from a young age. They would have heard it read every week in the temple. They may have heard verses 8-12, which are taken directly from the book of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The writer is reminding these Jewish Christians that this new covenant, that God is making with his people, was foretold by the prophets many, many years ago.

How does this new covenant, this promise, differ from the old covenant? Four key differences come to mind:

God's law will be on my heart.
We will be one people with God.
I will know God.
My sins will be forgiven.

In the old covenant, the focus was on the people's obedience (see Exodus 19:5-6 and Exodus 20:1-17). As anyone who has tried to follow the law, it is a losing battle. We will never be good enough on our own merit. We will always fall short. The new covenant focuses on God's actions, not on our obedience. Yes, it's all about what Jesus has done on the cross, not what I do to earn God's favor.

So is this a 'get out of jail free' card to do whatever we like, trusting that Jesus will forgive us? Or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:1: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! A few verses later, Paul declares that 'In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). What a glorious day it will be when we are one and for all dead to sin! Until that day, let's resolve to ask God each day for strength, guidance, and grace to do his will. And when we fail - and we will - let us draw near to him, to rest in his loving arms and to experience the forgiveness that can only come from him.

PRAYER

Lord, I claim the promise that your law is on my heart, and that you are my God. You know me, and you will forgive my sins through the blood of Jesus. Help me to live in the new covenant and to recognize that your grace is always new, always forgiving, and your gifts are freely given. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!