10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”[a]
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
From Gracepoint Devotions:
Let us consider what the new covenant is. It is, as expressed above, grounded in Judaism (8:10). Consequently, any adequate understanding of Christianity must grasp its Jewish roots and the implication of those roots for Christian belief. It is about the internalization of religion, not merely the external practice of religion (8:10). God’s laws are written on the minds and hearts of true Christians. As such, transformation and intrinsic motivation form powerful, foundational elements of Christian life and living. The new covenant is about relationship with God (8:10 – 11), not merely service for God. Finally, the forgiveness of sins forms the basis for this new covenant relationship (8:12).
Any conception of Christianity, therefore, that neglects the idea of sin and forgiveness has departed from the understanding of covenant expressed in Hebrews 8 via the prophet Jeremiah. So the new covenant, in essence, has to do with a relationship with God established by the forgiveness of sins, lived out by the internalization of God’s laws, and conceptually set against the backdrop of God’s working through the people of Israel.
We should also pause to reflect on misconceptions about Christianity that could flow from a misuse of this passage.
The new covenant does not mean that Christians need not give attention to external practices such as morality, kindness, and church attendance. Hebrews 8 cannot be used to suggest that believers should just “follow their hearts” in attempting to discern proper behavior. For example, the author of Hebrews later challenges his hearers to love fellow believers in tangible terms, to be sexually pure, and to reject greed (13:1 – 6). Believers are encouraged to perform “good deeds” (10:24; 13:16), with which God is well pleased.
[…] when Jeremiah proclaims that God forgives the wickedness of those under the new covenant and remembers their sins no more, this neither implies that true Christians cease from sin completely nor provides us with a license to sin. Elsewhere the author encourage us to “throw off … the sin that so easily entangles us” (12:1) and warns that a flippant attitude toward sin brings about imminent judgment (10:26 – 27). Moreover, that those under the new covenant “know the Lord” does not remove our need to grow in our relationship with God, since growth is a hallmark of true Christian faith (e.g., 5:11 – 6:3).
2 comments:
I had typed out a post on this passage before realizing that it was your turn ;)
My thoughts were very similar!
How can this passage say both....
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
and
By calling this covenant "new", he has made the first one obsolete
Doesn't that imply that the law is obsolete?
No it does not! It means that the ceremonial laws are obsolete. But God's moral law, which reflects His character, will never be obsolete. In fact, because Jesus was able to live out the moral law to absolute perfection the moral law is actually elevated above and beyond the Mosaic laws. He upped the ante.
We cannot understand the absolute holiness of God and His hatred for sin until we understand the depth of our own depravity.
We cannot understand the magnificence of God's forgiveness until we understand how condemned we stand by our utter inability to keep God's moral law.
But God has written His moral law on our hearts and we strive to emulate Him. Though here on earth we will continue to struggle and fail (and thankfully receive His forgiveness), we can look forward to one day being able to live out that moral law perfectly for all eternity!
Sorry you did the extra work! But I like your thoughts. :)
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