The New Covenant Relationship

UV 1215/10,000 The New Covenant Relationship

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Hebrews 8 v 10



The old covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants that as long as they were faithful to the laws of God, He would be faithful to them and bless them for a thousand generations. The relationship between God and men was that of a Law Giver or King and his subjects. But the new covenant relationship is based on being part of God ‘s family by receiving His Son Jesus into our hearts. It was not just old wine in a new bottle but new wine in a new bottle. This is the reason that Jesus said that no one makes new wine and puts it in an old leather flask for it will ferment, swell, break and leak through the weak parts of the old flask.

The old covenant was written on stone by God and given to man through Abraham and Moses to Israel. It was then transcribed to leather parchments that came down to our present day. The new covenant given through Jesus is written on our minds and hearts. Our bodies, hearts and minds are the new flasks that contain the new wine of God’s grace. The Lord wants us to hold the contents of His law of love in our flasks- our bodies, hearts and minds. It should shape the way we think, speak and do things. The Word is to be treasured, cherished and internalised if we are truly to be in a new relationship of God as our Father and we as His children.


The Word is written not with a pen or ink in our bodies, minds and hearts but with the blood of Jesus. It is written by the Holy Spirit. It is so written not in a day or a week but over our whole lifetime. Each of us by virtue of our faith become a part of the Commonwealth of the new Israel- the Kingdom of God. The operative part of the Word in our lives depends on how much has been transferred from the printed word to our minds, hearts and physical lifestyle. As it is being written, God will also manifest and act according to what is written in our hearts and minds. A covenant is a sacred agreement between two people or parties. The closest thing to it in human society and on earth is the covenant of marriage. Marriage is a second best or a shadow of our relationship with God as this covenant can be dissolved by death or divorce, whichever is earlier. We need to show or prove our commitment to God through thick or thin. God will prove His commitment to us through all the vicissitudes of life. The route of life is neither up or down or inclined but it is zig-zag so that God can always have a view as we take each step and intervene where He should, catch us as we fall or prop us up at times.

Prateep V Philip