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In Matthew 26:28 we read, “This is My blood of the new (lit.) covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” This verse reveals that the blood of Christ is the “blood of the new covenant.” This blood is especially for the establishing of a covenant. The new covenant was established through the blood; therefore, the new covenant is dependable; it is secure.
We need to understand why the new covenant must be established through the blood and why a covenant is effective only when it is established with the blood. To understand this, we must return to the story of Eden and the requirement of the law.
We know that when Adam was cast out of Eden, he lost the position of fellowship with God. He lost life, and he also lost his inheritance. From Adam to Moses, death reigned (Rom. 5:14). From Moses to Christ not only did death reign but also sin reigned (v. 21). This does not mean that from Adam until Moses there was no sin. The Scriptures tell us that “until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not charged to one’s account when there is no law” (v. 13). God gave Moses the covenant of the law on Mount Sinai. This covenant was conditional. If man would abide by the words of this covenant, God would bless him; if man would not abide by the words of this covenant, he would be cursed (10, Gal. 3:12). What then did the law do for man? The law brought man the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). Besides this, man was guarded, kept inward, under the law (Gal. 3:23). This means that man was formerly under the dominion of death because death reigned, but now he was also under the power of sin because sin reigned.
Therefore, before Christ came to the earth, man suffered two great losses: first, he suffered because of Adam’s sin, and second, he suffered because he could not keep God’s law. Because death and sin reigned, man was kept far from God and could not enjoy God’s presence. Man became foolish and could not know God; he lost the spiritual life and power to do God’s will. In Adam, under the law, what can man boast in? He can only cry out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). Is there then no way to solve the problem of sin and death? There surely is! By the Lord Jesus’ shedding His blood, these two problems are solved.
We have seen that from Adam to Moses death reigned and that from Moses to Christ not only did death reign but also sin reigned. Praise God, the blood of the Lord Jesus has solved these two problems for us! Due to the fact that the Lord Jesus shed His blood, we have been washed from our sins, and we do not have to die.
God’s original intention was to impart His own life and everything He is to us. But due to our sins and the death resulting from sin, we were alienated from God. We could no longer obtain all that is of God. We lost all that God had given, and we also lost all that God intended to give us. But the blood of the Lord Jesus cleanses us from our sins. He has also restored our relationship with God (Eph. 2:13) so that all God has given and will give to us can become ours without hindrance. Therefore, the blood of the Lord Jesus not only reconciled us to God (Col. 1:20) but also brings God Himself to us (Rom. 8:32).
The blood of Christ not only accomplished redemption; it also accomplished an eternal redemption. The blood of bulls and goats, upon which the people of the Old Testament depended, only reminded them of sin every year (Heb. 10:3-4). But Christ, through His own blood, entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having found an eternal redemption (9:12). The blood of Christ purifies our conscience (v. 14) so that we no longer have any “consciousness of sins” (10:2). Praise God, the blood of Christ eternally and completely solves the problem of sin!
The blood of Christ enables us to receive the forgiveness of sin (9:22; Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7). Just to realize this much is a most glorious thing. All those who sense the shamefulness of sin and know how hateful sin is realize this. But we praise God that the blood of the Lord Jesus not only solves the problem of sin and death, but it also restores the inheritance we have lost and brings us what we did not have in the past. This blood has done a most wonderful thing: it has enabled us to obtain God. The blood of the Lord Jesus not only redeems from sin so that we will not suffer its consequences but also completely restores what we lost in the garden of Eden and adds new things as well. The Lord Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant established in My blood” (Luke 22:20). On one hand, the Lord’s blood was shed for redemption. It removes on the negative side those things that damage us. On the other hand, His blood was shed for the establishing of the new covenant. It restores on the positive side the inheritance we have lost and also gives us new things. Therefore, the blood of the Lord Jesus is not only for redemption but also for restoration, restoring what we have lost and bringing that which we did not have in the past.
Concerning the relationship between the blood and the covenant, we can say that the blood is the base, and the covenant is the contract, the writing. The blood is the base upon which the covenant is established, and the covenant is the contract established with the blood. Without the blood, a covenant cannot be established, much less become effective. The inheritance that God has given us is recorded in the contracted covenant. This is the new covenant that God made with us through the blood of the Lord Jesus. It is by this new covenant that we receive the spiritual inheritance that God has given us.
Therefore, the new covenant is an absolutely legal matter. It was established wholly according to the procedure of God’s righteousness. The new covenant is not a few mere verbal statements made by God but a contract in writing that God has established through Christ’s blood for us. It is important to realize that God’s salvation before the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was all accomplished by His grace but that after the Lord’s crucifixion it was accomplished by His righteousness. This does not mean that after the Lord’s crucifixion there was no grace but only that grace is like water, and righteousness is like the water pipe. God’s grace flows to us through the pipe of righteousness. Therefore, Romans 5:21 says, “In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Grace reigns through righteousness. God does not give grace to man by itself; He gives grace to man through righteousness. God loves us, and the Lord Jesus came to die for us. This is God’s grace. If God did not love us and give us grace, the Lord Jesus would not have come to accomplish redemption for us. But the Lord Jesus has died for us and redemption has been accomplished. Because of this, when we believe in the Lord, we are saved; this salvation is through His righteousness.
We cannot say that God does not have grace. If God did not have grace, there would be no new covenant. But if all that God has given us was based only upon grace, our faith might be shaken, for without passing through the legal process, grace may be discontinued. But praise God! He not only has grace, but He expresses His grace through a covenant. In order to give grace to us, He binds Himself in a covenant. Therefore, we may say that grace appears in the form of righteousness. Such righteousness does not annul grace, but it is the highest expression of grace.
What we receive is God’s grace, but God has used the blood to make a covenant with us so that through the covenant we may ask God to deal with us according to His righteousness. We stand upon the ground of grace, but grace comes to us through righteousness. The blood of Christ has become the foundation of righteousness so that the covenant God has made with us will not become void. We are standing upon the foundation of the blood, the foundation of righteousness, to deal with God. Therefore, God has no choice but to fulfill in us all that is in the covenant.
One experienced in the Lord has said, “God’s covenant is His therapy for the unbelieving ones. He uses His covenant to heal them.” For example, some may think that in order to have forgiveness of sins they must pray until they feel peace; then they will have evidence of forgiveness. But God’s Word says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). One thing to which we must pay attention is whether or not we have confessed our sins. Of course, the confession spoken of here is not a careless act without the least feeling of hatred towards sin. The confession here refers to really seeing sin as sin under the light and condemning it for what it is. Naked before God, we confess the sin we have seen; we confess the sin that we have condemned. When we confess the sins, God will forgive and cleanse us of our sins. Therefore, once we have confessed, we should believe that God has forgiven, and our hearts should have complete peace. A brother has said, “As you have done your part, is it possible that God will not do His part?” This remark is very meaningful. The problem lies in whether or not we have confessed. If we have truly confessed our sin, we should not care for our feeling, nor should we care for what others say about us. Neither should we care for the thoughts that Satan sends us; we should only believe God’s Word.
Therefore, the Christian life has no other secret than living by holding on to God’s Word, believing that God is faithful and righteous and that what He has said, He will do. If we stand fully upon the covenant that the Lord Jesus has established, God will care for us and fulfill what He has said in the covenant, for He has accepted the blood of the Lord Jesus. God binds His own will to the covenant and can move only within His covenant. If He had not established a covenant with us, He could treat us as He wished. However, since He has made a covenant with us, He can do only according to what is said in the covenant. He must fulfill His covenant; He cannot be unrighteous. We praise God that He loves us and has had mercy toward us to such an extent that He cannot treat us in any way other than righteousness. There is no grace greater than this.
We must say that without the blood of the Lord Jesus we are not entitled to anything. But through the blood of the Lord Jesus we are entitled to everything. Through the blood of the Lord Jesus we have the right to enjoy all that is in the covenant. When, by the blood of the Lord Jesus, we ask God to give His blessings to us according to the covenant, God cannot be unrighteous. He must give them to us according to the covenant. This new covenant was made by the Lord with His own blood. The Lord has paid the price of the blood. Now we can ask God to accomplish upon us all that is in the covenant according to the value of the blood that is before Him.
A brother once said, “No one really knows how much the blood includes.” We may not understand the value of the blood, nor do we need to see the value of the blood. But we can ask God to treat us according to the value of the blood before Him and according to the covenant that the Lord made with His blood. We need only tell God, “I want this, for You are the God of the covenant.” Our God can never be unfaithful; He will not break His covenant.
The blood of the new covenant solves the problem of our sins and removes the hindrances between God and us. It also restores the inheritance we lost and enables God to give us all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and all things that pertain to life and godliness (Eph. 2:12-13, 18-19; 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:3). All the things that are clearly written in the new covenant are our rightful blessings through the blood. According to Hebrews 8:10-12, the new covenant includes three very precious parts, mentioned in earlier chapters: cleansing, life and power, and the inward knowledge. More will be said about these items in chapters 6 through 8.
The reason we do not know how to speak to God according to what is explicitly written in the covenant is that we do not know how much blessing the blood has brought us. It is important to realize that all spiritual blessings and spiritual inheritance are given to us through the covenant established by the blood. The blood is the basis upon which we receive the new covenant.
Therefore, when we ask according to the covenant, we are not asking for things that do not belong to us. Rather, we are claiming the items that have always belonged to us and have been reserved in God for us (1 Pet. 1:3-4). To pray according to the covenant is not to pray without basis but to claim what God has given us in the covenant. When we pray according to the covenant, God cannot but stand on our side. Therefore, when we come to God through the new covenant established by the blood, many times we just need to claim and not to ask. This does not mean that today we do not need to pray but that our prayer should consist more of claiming than of asking.
A brother who knows the Lord has said that since the time of Golgotha all the asking in the Scriptures should be changed to taking. Those who know the Lord, who know the place Golgotha, and who know what the blood means will say Amen! Brothers and sisters, we must remember that through the blood we are asking God to give us that to which we are entitled. This is why we say repeatedly that the principle upon which God now treats us is based upon His righteousness, not only upon His grace. What is offered to us in the new covenant, then, is all that we are entitled to receive. According to His righteousness, God has no choice but to give us what is clearly written in the new covenant, for we are claiming it from God according to the covenant.
Sometimes it seems God has forgotten His covenant. At these times we can remind Him. In Isaiah 43:26 God said, “Put Me in remembrance.” God wants man to remind Him. Sometimes we can reverently speak to God in this manner: “God, we ask You to remember Your covenant, Your promised word. We pray that You would act according to Your promise and Your covenant.” When we ask like this and believe like this, we will receive that for which we ask.
In Hebrews 13:20-21 we read, “Now the God of peace, He who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of an eternal covenant, perfect you in every good work for the doing of His will, doing in us that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” This is a prayer of faith. This is also a great prayer in the Scriptures. The writer of Hebrews asked God, through the blood of the eternal covenant, to cause the resurrected Jesus Christ to dwell in us so that we may do God’s will and accomplish the things well pleasing to Him. This shows us that a prayer with faith, a great prayer, is one prayed by standing upon the eternal covenant of the Lord’s blood.
We need the faith to pray by clinging to the covenant. We must tell God by the covenant, “O God, I am praying to You by Your covenant.” This kind of prayer is powerful and effective. Our faith in the covenant will increase our boldness in prayer to God.
We must remember that we have the right to pray to God according to the covenant. We may ask God to act according to the covenant, but without faith the prayer will be useless. All that God has given us in the new covenant is deposited as one deposits money in the bank. If we believe, we have only to draw it out.
The new covenant was established with the blood of the Lord Jesus; therefore, the new covenant is secure and dependable. Our God restricts Himself in the covenant. God condescended to covenant with man because He wants man to believe Him and draw near to Him. God humbled Himself to make a covenant so that He can give man a bond to take hold of. Man can come to ask of Him by this bond. Therefore, we can boldly sing,
Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
(Hymns, #340)
Moreover, we joyfully proclaim,
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
(Hymns, #339)
