A New and Everlasting Covenant

“Great is the Mystery of Godliness, GOD was manifested in the flesh.”
1 Timothy 3:16.

“If I have the Gift of Prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not Love, I am NOTHING.” 1 Corinthians 13:2. Where the Old Covenant failed, the New Covenant would succeed, for the entire New Covenant is based upon Love, for without Love it does NOT exist.

This Covenant would be far different than the Covenant of Circumcision and the Law, for these were taught by word from an unseen GOD, but the New Covenant would be taught by EXAMPLE by the Second Person of the Trinity incarnating in a body of flesh to dwell with man on earth.

Jesus Christ showed us that the principles of relationship between the Persons of the Trinity would be the same principles man was to live by on earth, that is, complete selfless Love. This would be the full and perfect imitation of GOD. Love that had no limit, no boundary, no ulterior motive, and absolutely no regard for the SELF.

But how could man attain such perfect selfless Love? Through the Law? No, for the Law did not teach how to Love. It only taught how to refrain from Sin and that was it's limit. Such a perfect and selfless Love could NOT be taught, it had to be SHOWN. “Greater Love has no one than this, that to lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. This was the Love Jesus showed us. “For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. This was the Love the Father showed us. Note it is exactly the same type of Love Jesus showed us.

Jesus manifested the Father's Love perfectly to man. “I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught Me.” John 8:28. By His incarnation, by His works, and by His final act of dying on the Cross, Jesus showed us that His Love had no limit, no boundary, no ulterior motive, and absolutely no regard for the SELF.

What Happened at the Cross?

To understand what happened at the Cross, spiritually, imagine this for one moment: Jesus takes your “soul” in Himself and gives you His “soul” in return. Note I use the term “soul” only as an metaphor. Because your soul is defiled with Sin, it must die. “... the Soul that Sins will die.” Ezekiel 18:4. Jesus dies in your place. He dies the Second Death (of the soul) in your place. Note I say the Second Death, NOT the first Death. The first Death is Physical, the Second Death is Spiritual.

Thus we who live in Christ no longer have to undergo Spiritual Death, for Christ underwent that Death for us, and not only that, He also gave us His Spirit in return. The Cross is the breadth, depth, and height of GOD's Love for us.

What else happened at the Cross? And He said to them: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Luke 10:18. With Christ's resurrection, Satan looses his dominion over the Physical Dimension which he gained through Adam's Sin. Why then does Satan still have access into the Physical Dimension you will ask? Because people Sin, and where there is Sin, there Satan is also.

A New Commandment

Jesus leaves us with this wonderful commandment: “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34. But why is this a commandment? How can Love be commanded? Jesus gave us this teaching as a commandment so that we may fulfil it in obedience, thus negating the disobedience in Eden. This shows us just how complete and perfect the New Covenant is, for it reaches back into Time, and by our obedience to Christ, He removes the stain of original Sin from our soul. This give us another profound insight - ALL Sins are rooted in Disobedience - as this was the original Sin passed down to all generations.

Can we truly comprehend the profundity of this? Jesus removes the stain of original Sin (the nature of Satan) from within us, thus making us PERFECT and ACCEPTABLE to GOD the Father. With this one act, Jesus cleanses us from ALL sin, and unites us back to GOD. Let me reiterate: what does it take for Jesus to make us perfect? Obedience to His Word, and that Word is: Love one another as I have Loved you.

Yet Jesus does not base our reponse on obedience alone. Our obedience must be based on Love. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15. “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14:21. See how ALL things are tied back into Love. Love is the reason we are obedient to Christ in the first place.

“For by Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17. We can read this as: “For by LOVE all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things were created by LOVE and for LOVE. LOVE is before all things, and in LOVE all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17.

Jesus Christ is the LOVE of GOD made manifest. “... until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of GOD and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13. When do we attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? When we Love others the same way Christ Loved us.

Love ~ the Fulfilment of ALL Law

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to Love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the Law.” Romans 13:8. Love is the fulfilment of the Law because once we have attained the perfect measure of Love, we no longer need the Law instructing us to stop doing evil and start doing good. Note: most Christians have NOT attained the perfect measure Christ's Love, so they still need the Law to guide them in some areas.

If we Love our fellow man, how can we steal, murder, covet, lie, slander, etc? We can no longer do these things because Love does no evil. If we have Love in our hearts, we know when and how to do good because Love only does what is Good. Thus we no longer need the Law telling us to feed the widow and the orphan, or to be kind to the stranger. We feed them and are kind because we LOVE them. Thus the Law no longer has any application in our lives.

The Mystery of Christ's Mediatorship

“For there is One GOD and One Mediator between GOD and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5.

The mystery of Christ's Mediatorship lies in the Hypostatic Union. The Hypostatic Union is the union of two natures, Human and Divine, in the One Divine Person of Jesus Christ.

It is because Christ is Human that He is able to fully unite to man, and it is because Christ is Divine that He is able to fully unite to GOD the Father. Thus humanity is fused in the Human nature of Christ, and because Christ is One with the Divine, He unites humanity (in His Human nature) to the Divine (to Himself and to GOD the Father).

This a truly profound concept. The Human nature of Christ was PERFECT because He was GOD. Had Christ not had a Divine nature, His human nature would have been imperfect. Thus not only is humanity united to the Divine through the Humanity of Christ, but humanity is elevated into perfection by the perfect Humanity of Christ.

Thus in the Hypostatic Union, ALL things are reconciled - GOD to man, through the GOD Man.