Free Podcast Downloads 189 - The Better Covenant As Christians, we understand that the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, is inspired, or “God breathed.” 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The word “inspiration” literally means “breathed”, in other words, all scripture is “God breathed.” We also know that the two parts of the Bible represent two separate Covenants. The word testament is from the Greek diathēkē, which means covenant. A covenant is an agreement or contract. A theological covenant is an agreement between God and mankind. Therefore, the Bible represents two covenants. The Old Covenant was a covenant between God and the Hebrews, and the New Covenant was a covenant between God and the followers of Jesus, Christians. Every theological covenant has a mediator. The dictionary defines a mediator as one who attempts to bring people involved in a conflict to an agreement, serving as a go-between. In the Old Covenant, Moses was the mediator; that is why the covenant was often called the “Law of Moses.” The New Covenant mediator is Jesus, who gave His life willingly to save us from sin and gave us eternal life with Him in Heaven. Notice that I said, “Jesus gave His Life.” That giving of life is why the New Covenant is called the Covenant of Grace. Back to the dictionary, grace is defined as: “(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” Put another way, Jesus giving His life for us is the very definition of grace. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Here is the crucial point: you can’t have two mediators! Too many Christians are trying to live under the Law and under Grace. Grace and Law are mutually exclusive, meaning that it must be one or the other; it can’t be both. Look at what the Apostle John said in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” And then the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
