What is a pact?

Inherent to any pact is the concept of a lasting commitment to a relationship.

clearly defined. Generally, a pact is a long-term agreement between two or
more parts that formalize a prescriptive relationship that binds them. Defines the obligations
basics and the commitments they have with each other.

In ancient times, important pacts were ratified and maintained through

symbolic rites that represented the acceptance, by all parties, of the
mandatory stipulations of the pact and their commitment to them. However, the rites
The terms of the pact are not the same as the obligations and commitments of the pact.

The rites related to divine covenants essentially serve as reminders.

symbolic and have a figurative value. The true value lies in the substance of the
commitments that are made! Through the substance of their pacts— their commitments
divine—God commits to fulfilling all the promises He makes.

In a divine covenant, God defines the basic obligations that He imposes on Himself and,
usually, to the other participants. Thus, a fundamental characteristic of a pact is
the list of blessings that God promises to give to those who comply with
his obligations.

A divine pact can be compared to a sacred constitution established to

regulate the relationship between human beings and God. It is a formal declaration of the
purpose and will of God. Generally expresses His deep love for the
humanity and reveals one or several fundamental aspects of its plan for the
salvation of humanity.

The character of those who received the pacts

God carefully chose certain special people to convey to the rest.

of humanity its commitments of covenant. Each of these people had been
serving God with all their heart. Each one had a personal relationship with him and lived
a fair life, according to the abilities and knowledge I had to do it.

Adam is the first person specifically mentioned as entering into a relationship.

in covenant with God. Then comes Noah and this event occurred at a time when
all human beings—except for Noah and, apparently, his immediate family—
they had surrendered to a wicked and evil way of life (Genesis 6:5-8; Genesis 9:8-
11).

The third person mentioned in the Bible with whom God made a personal covenant.
Abraham (Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17:1-2). Abraham had the same characteristics.
fundamentals of character that Noah. Just as God chose to make a covenant with Noah, a
righteous man (Genesis 6:8-9), chose Abraham, a man of faith and obedience
(Genesis 15:6; 26:5), for his second covenant. From these two examples, it is clear that God
took the initiative to make the agreements only if the people who were going to take part in them
they had already demonstrated their decision and willingness to obey him.
Those characteristics of faith and obedience were also present in Moses (Numbers 12:3;
Hebrews 11:24-28) and David, as well as the other prophets who participated in the
writing of the Old Testament. When speaking of David, God says: "I made a covenant with my
chosen; I swore to David my servant, saying: Forever I will confirm your descendants, and
I will establish your throne for all generations” (Psalms 89:3-4).

Pablo, when talking about the people of Israel, mentions that God "raised David as their king,"
of whom he also testified, saying: I have found David the son of Jesse, a man
according to my heart, who will do all that I want. From the descendants of this, and
according to the promise, God raised Jesus as Savior for Israel" (Acts of the
Acts 13:22-23.

Abraham and David are especially important in the divine promises and covenants that
are fundamental for the salvation of humanity. Therefore, the first words of
New Testament is: 'Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of
Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

This first sentence links the mission of Jesus directly with the promises made to
Abraham and David. The covenants that God made with these two people contain the
basic promises related to their plan to offer salvation to all humanity through
of Jesus Christ.

CONDITIONAL AND UNCONDITIONAL PACTS

The covenants of God contained in the Bible are classified into two types: those that are
conditional and unconditional ones.

A conditional pact is one in which theactionfrom God is in response to some action

on behalf of those to whom the Pact is directed, which guarantees that God will make His
it starts with absolute certainty when human requirements are met. But ifthe
man fails, God is not obliged to fulfill His part of the Covenant.

An unconditional pact, while it cannot include certain human contingencies,

it is a declaration of a certain purpose of God, and the promises of a Covenant
unconditional will certainly be fulfilled in ethe timeand in the way of God. A Covenant
unconditional is distinguished from a conditional one by the fact that its fulfillment
Essential is promised by God and depends on the power and sovereignty of God Himself.

The Adamic Pact (Adam)

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will crush you...
He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. To the woman he said: I will greatly multiply
you will experience pain in your pregnancies; with pain, you will give birth to children; and your desire will be for
your husband, and he shall rule over you. And to the man he said: Because you have obeyed the voice of
your woman, and you ate from the tree that I commanded you saying: You shall not eat of it; cursed shall it be
the earth because of you; with pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

(Genesis 3:15-17)
The Adamic Pact was the first Pact that God made with man. It was a pact
conditional with Adam in which life and blessingor deathand curse depended
the faithfulness of Adam towards God. It included giving Adam theresponsibilityto be the
father of the human race, to subjugatethe earth,holdr domainaboutthe animalstake care of the
harvest and not eat from the tree ofthe knowledgeof good and evil. For having failed
Adam and Eve, by eating the forbidden fruit, imposed thedeathfor their disobedience.
Adam and Eve died spiritually immediately and needed to be born again to
be worthy of salvation. Later they also died physically.a sinsank to
the entire human race in sin and in death.

But later God made this Covenant with all of humanity after the fall.
It is a Covenant in which God declares to man what his life will be because of sin.

As a whole, this Pact conditions human life. The serpent is declared cursed.
used by Satan, the promise of the Redeemer is given, which is fulfilled in Christ,
it details the place of women in relation to being subjected to pain and sorrow in the
maternity, and regarding the position of the man as the head [Link] man,
from now on, you will have to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow, and your life will be painful and
with physical death as the end.

Version 15—And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and the
her descendants. Her descendant will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Continuing with the Adamic Pact, here we will see the second component of the
Curse for the serpent, its spiritual part. Describe the conflict allowed by God.
the participants in the battle, and the final destruction of Satan by the offspring of the
woman. This verse is called 'protoevangelium' because it contains the first good news.
news: the promise of a Savior; this is the reason why Jesus Christ came to
world, and gives us the good news of divine justice, which will solve the problems of the
humanity that unleashed the serpent, which has a limited lifespan
with a violent ending.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman

The language of this passage indicates a life-or-death conflict that the suffer.
fighters. Although here the snake and the woman are talked about as individuals, this
The verse shows us that the battle will extend to all humanity that is going to struggle.
between good and evil since the beginning of history. Here we see the origin of the conflict, and
the violence that humanity has experienced from its origins to the present day,
not only physically, but mainly from a spiritual point of view.

Nowadays, we are blessed because the mystery of human conflict with the
spiritual power of evil, which was hidden in the Old Testament, was
unmasked in the New Testament. In it, Jesus reveals to us that Satan is the one who
I was behind the snakeRomans 16:20;Revelation 20:2and that He is the Savior
through the descent of Eve(Galatians 4:4);And He is the one who gives us eternal life.(1
1 Corinthians 15:22

Very soon the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. May grace
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” —Romans 16:20 (RVC)
Just as all die because all belong to Adam, all who belong
In Christ, they will receive new life.” —1 Corinthians 15:22 (NTV)

The Scriptures teach us that it is of utmost importance that we know about this
spiritual conflict, as each person will face temptations and must overcome them.
battle to remain on the right side. This verse in Genesis shows us that
they are going to form factions, and the apostle John shows us how to identify them.

Therefore, we can identify who are children of God and who are children of the
devil. Anyone who does not act righteously and does not love the believers does not belong to
God." —1 John 3:10 (NTV)

Then he said to the woman, 'I will make your pregnancy pain more acute, and with
You will give birth in pain. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.

Continuing with the Adamic Covenant, now we have the sentence that God gives to the
woman. And unlike the curse that is given to the serpent for its deception; with the
woman is only pronounced a punishment as a result of the trial. Her guilt was due to the
deception of which he was a victim. As we will see in the following verses, it was the man
the one who is blamed for disobedience for eating from the forbidden fruit(1 Timothy 2:14).Like this
that the woman was the one who received the least of the punishments, which in turn includes the
greater blessing of God, which is the salvation of humanity and the liberation of
sin and death. For woman, the divine punishment is painful childbirth; and the
the consequence of her sin is the defeat in the conflict with her husband. The sentence
about the woman focuses on two aspects of the life of the married woman: as a wife and
as a mother.

Now well, it was not

Adam was deceived by Satan; the woman was the one deceived and the consequence was the
sin.” —1 Timothy 2:14 (NTV)

When the woman ate from the forbidden fruit, she committed a great sin, motivated by the
rebellion against God that the woman had, since she: (a) She sought joy and happiness
in the forbidden fruit, and not in God and what He had given him; therefore, as
consequence suffered pain as a normal aspect of her life; and (b) she wanted to be
independent, and to be like God; but now she is completely dependent on her husband.

As we will see in the sentence that God gives to the woman, there are four main elements:

1. To multiply the pain in childbirth;

2. Increase the birth rate;
3. Problems associated with raising children; and
4. The husband's dominance and control.

The Lord has His reasons for each of the penances.

The Noemic Pact (Noah)

And God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I establish between me and you and every being
living being that is with you, for perpetual centuries: My bow I have placed in the clouds, the
what will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. And it will happen that when I bring
clouds over the earth, my bow will then be seen in the clouds. And I will remember the
my covenant, that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and there shall be no more
flood of waters to destroy all flesh. The bow will be in the clouds, and I will see it, and I
I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living beings, with all flesh that is upon
the earth.

Genesis 9:12-16

This covenant was made with Noah and his sons and, while it repeats some features of the Covenant
Adamical, introduced someprinciplesnew ones fromgovernmenthuman as a means
to stop sin.

The provisions of the Pact included the establishment of the [Link] those
that they will take the life of another man. The normal order of was reaffirmednaturey
Man was allowed to eat fresh meat from animals instead of feeding on plants.
only from vegetables, as it seems to have been done before the Flood.

The Covenant with Noah included the prophecy concerning the descendants of his three sons, and
designated Sem as the only one from whom the divine line would follow up to the
arrival of the Messiah. The dominion of the Gentile nations in the history of the world is
involved in the prophecy concerning Japheth (Genesis 9:25-27). Just like the Covenant
Adam introduced the dispensation ofthe consciousness,thus the Noemic Pact introduced the
dispensation of human government.

The Abrahamic Covenant (Abraham)

The covenant with Abraham

God promised Abraham: "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and
I will glorify your name, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and to those
I will curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.
(Genesis 12:2-3).

Here God manifests His intention to offer salvation not only to the
physical descendants of Abraham but also to "all the families of the earth." But
the descendants of Abraham would play a fundamental role in the execution of
this plan, especially that extraordinary descendant of David who would be the Messiah.

Pedro explained to his Jewish compatriots what would be the most demanding role of all.
functions of the Messiah: "You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made
with our fathers, saying to Abraham: In your seed all will be blessed.
families of the earth. To you first, God, having raised His Son, He
He sent to bless you, so that each one may turn from his wickedness.
of the Apostles 3:25-26.

This is what the entire world needs most. Only when all of humanity has
received a 'new heart' —through the active intervention of Christ, who
It will cause all the people to turn from their wickedness— the plan will be complete.
God. Peter explained that total reconciliation, as planned by God, requires
that "each one turns away from their wickedness."

This is God's goal. And He has promised that He will achieve it! His covenants contain His
commitments to fulfill it.

More details revealed about God's plan

In his covenant with Abraham, God first began to give concrete details of his plan. He
he said to the patriarch: 'And I will put my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.'
and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your
descendants after you in their generations, by everlasting covenant, to be your God, and
the one from your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:2, Genesis 17:6-7).

This pact encompassed the following crucial elements of God's plan: the relationship
God's special relationship with the descendants of Abraham, the establishment of the kingdom of Israel, the
birth of the Messiah and his reign in the Kingdom of God, and the final salvation of all
the nations.

Abraham's faith—his implicit trust and loyalty to God—is counted as

justice (Genesis 15:6). His total trust in God was the foundation of his character, and the
he demonstrated through obedience (James 2:21-24). Abraham not only believed in
God, he also understood and faithfully obeyed God's laws as a result of that
faith (Genesis 26:5).

Abraham's pattern of faith, demonstrated by his obedience to God, is the model of faith.
Alive that Paul describes in the Epistle to the Romans, where he says that even the
obedient Abraham needed forgiveness. When speaking of Abraham and his faith, it says:
Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin (Romans)
4:7-8)
Abraham's way of life was one of obedience to God with all his heart. But
even he was not free from sin. He also needed forgiveness for the sins that
was doing the same as all of us.

This forgiveness is only possible through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But when
our sins have already been forgiven, we must follow the example of Abraham and
to demonstrate our faith, striving to please God to the utmost, obeying Him.
it is the right answer that our faith must produce in us

The Mosaic or Sinai Covenant (Moses)

The Mosaic covenant is a conditional covenant between God and the nation of Israel on the mountain.
Sinai (Exodus 19-24). It is sometimes referred to as the Sinai covenant, but it is generally known as
known as the Mosaic covenant, since Moses was the leader of Israel chosen by God
at that moment. The model of the pact is very similar to that of the other ancient pacts of
this time, because it is between a sovereign king (God) and his people or subjects (Israel). In the
At the moment of the covenant, God reminded the people of their obligation to be obedient to His law.
(Exodus 19:5), and the people accepted the covenant when they said, 'All that the Lord has said,
we will do" (Exodus 19:8). This covenant would serve to separate the nation of Israel from all
the other nations, becoming the chosen people of God and was equally so
binding like the unconditional pact that God made with Abraham, because it is also
a blood pact. The Mosaic covenant is a significant covenant both in history
redeemer of God, as in the history of the nation of Israel through which God
in a sovereign manner chooses to bless the world both with its written word and with the
living word, which is Jesus Christ.

The Mosaic covenant centered around the divine law that God gave to Moses in the
Mount Sinai. Understanding the different covenants in the Bible and their relationship to each other is
It is important to understand that the Mosaic covenant differs significantly from the covenant
Abrahamic, and then the biblical covenants because it is conditional on the blessings.
What God promises is directly related to Israel's obedience to the law.
mosaic. If Israel is obedient, then God will bless them, but if they disobey,
then God will punish them. The blessings and the curses that are associated with
this conditional covenant is detailed in Deuteronomy 28. The other covenants
that are found in the Bible are unilateral covenants of promise, where God himself
commits to do what he promised, regardless of what the recipients
from the promises they can make. On the other hand, the Mosaic covenant is a bilateral agreement,
that specifies the obligations of both parties in the agreement.

The Mosaic covenant is especially significant because God promises to make Israel
a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). Israel was to be the light of God to
dark world around him. They were going to be separated and called nation so that everything
the world around them knew that they worshiped Yahweh, the God who keeps the
covenants. It is of great importance because it is here where Israel received the Mosaic law that
it was to be a authority pointing the way to the coming of Christ (Galatians 3:24-25).
The Mosaic law would reveal to men their sinfulness and their need for a
salvador, and it is the Mosaic law which Christ himself said he did not come to abolish, but to
to fulfill. This is an important point because some people get confused thinking
which people in the Old Testament were saved by keeping the law, but the Bible is
clear in saying that salvation has always been only by faith, and the promise of the
salvation by the faith that God made to Abraham as part of the Abrahamic covenant, is still
in force (Galatians 3:16-18).

Moreover, the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant cannot truly take away the
sins (Hebrews 10:1-4); it simply announced that Christ would bear the sin, the
perfect high priest, who was also the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-28). By
Thus, the Mosaic covenant itself, with all its detailed laws, could not save.
nobody. It's not that there was some problem with the law, because the law is perfect and was
given by a holy God, yet the law had no power to give new life to the
people, and they were not able to perfectly obey the law (Galatians 3:21).

The Mosaic covenant is also known as the old covenant (2 Corinthians 3:14; Hebrews
8:6, 13) and was replaced by the new covenant in Christ (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians
11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24). The new covenant in Christ is
much better than the old Mosaic covenant, because it fulfills the promises made in
Jeremiah 31:31-34, as mentioned in Hebrews 8.

The Davidic Covenant (David)

By the time we reach the reign of David in the Scriptures, centuries have passed since the
Exodus under Moses and the appointment of his successor, Joshua.

Those intermediate years included the following: (1) Joshua brought the Jewish people into the land.
that God had promised them. (2) The nation collapsed spiritually, as it
repeatedly shown in the book of Judges. (3) Samuel was the last judge and began
a new part of the prophetic ministry of the prophets of God for the Jewish people
stubborn. (4) The national Israel asked Samuel for a king, so that they could be
like the other nations, and God gave them Saul, who was not a good king at all.
God promised that the next king would be a man after God's own heart.
According to His word, God removed Saul and placed David as king over all.
Israel.
With this background in mind, we come to 2 Samuel, where David is firmly
established as King in Jerusalem. He looked around at the opulence and saw it in contrast
with the austere tabernacle where Jehovah dwelled with His special presence.

David decided to build a house (a building) for God. Instead, God informed him
David that God himself would build a house for David, for which God wanted to say a
dynastic lineage. The setting for such a promise is described in 2 Samuel 7: 1-17:

8-16 "Now, therefore, you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I
I took you from the fold, from behind the sheep, so that you would be prince over my people,
about Israel; and I have been with you in all that you have walked, and before you I have destroyed
to all your enemies, and I have given you a great name, like the name of the great ones that
there is on earth. Moreover, I will establish a place for my people Israel and plant them, so that they may dwell
in its place and never more be removed, nor let the wicked afflict him anymore, as at the beginning,
since the day I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all
your enemies. Likewise, Jehovah makes it known to you that he will make you a house. And when your days
You will have fulfilled your duties, and you will sleep with your fathers; I will raise after you one of your lineage.
he will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and
I will forever affirm the throne of his kingdom. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me.
son. And if he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, and with the blows of the sons of
men; but my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed
before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before your face, and your
the throne will be stable forever.

(2 Samuel 7:8-16)

In the promises of the Davidic Covenant made between God and David, He expands and confirms the
promises of the descendants that I had already made to Abraham and Moses. The Covenant
Davidic was an unconditional Covenant in which God promised David a royal lineage without
end, a throne and a kingdom, all of it forever. In the declaration of this Pact God
reserves the right to interrupt the reign of the sons of David if necessary
punishment (2nd Samuel 7:14-15), but the perpetuity of the Covenant could not be broken.

Since the day the Covenant was established and confirmed by God until the birth
from Jesus, David never lacked a son to sit on the throne of Israel (Jeremiah
33:21). And Christ, the eternal Son of God and descendant of David, completes the
fulfillment of the promise made to David that a son would sit on that throne to
always.

The Davidic Covenant contains the following points:

David was to have a son, who would succeed him and consolidate his kingdom.
This son, Solomon, would build the Temple of Jerusalem.
The throne of his kingdom would be established forever.
The throne would not be taken from him, even though his sins justified the punishment.
The house, the throne, and the kingdom of David would be established forever.
Jumping ahead chronologically, much after the life and death of David, the
Psalm 89 gives some details of this eternal covenant that God had made with
David and his lineage:

I will forever sing of the mercies of the Lord; with my mouth I will make known your
faithfulness to all generations. 2 Because I said: It will be built forever
mercy; in the heavens themselves you will establish your faithfulness. 3 I have made a covenant with
my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 4 I will establish your offspring forever, and
I will establish your throne for all generations.

The eternal nature of this covenant shows that God considers His covenant and His
Promises are eternal and forever. Consider Psalm 89:17-37:

Each verse in this psalm includes scriptural gold mines. It suffices to say that the
Psalm 89 gives reiterated testimony to the eternal nature of God's covenant with David and
his lineage. Nothing within this psalm would give any indication that God
considered of a temporary nature.

KEY TRUTH: The Davidic covenant has nothing to do with the death of Jesus, its
expiation and its propitiation for sin, which is one reason why to John the
Bautista and others would find it hard to understand if Jesus was the promised one. Many other Scriptures
they point to the sacrificial death of Jesus. The emphasis of the Davidic covenant is instead on
the reign and the government. The death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is eternally
important, but it is not the end of the story.

The New Covenant or Covenant of Grace

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah. Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers the day I took
his hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; because they broke my covenant, although
I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their mind, and I will write it on
their heart; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they will no longer teach
none to his neighbor, nor any to his brother, saying: Know the Lord; because
All will know me, from the smallest of them to the greatest, says the Lord;
for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The last of the great covenants made by God is the New Covenant, called
also Covenant of Grace. It is a covenant made "with the House of Israel and the House of Judah"
(Jeremiah 31:31). It is a new Covenant, in contrast to the Mosaic Covenant, which was broken.
for Israel (Jeremiah 31:32).

In this Covenant, God says: 'I will put my Law within them, and upon their hearts I will write it.'
I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33). Because of this
intimate and personal revelation of God and his will for the people, God continues
saying: "They will no longer have to teach each other, saying: 'Know the Lord,'
Yahweh, for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest - oracle of
"Yahweh, when he forgives his guilt and does not remember his sin again" (Jeremiah)
31:34)

The New Covenant guarantees everything that God intends to do for believing individuals.
through the Blood of His Son Jesus. The act of believing is not a part of the Covenant, but
the basis on which the believer is admitted to enjoy eternal blessings
that the Pact offers. The New Pact is not made with the unredeemed, but with those who
they believe in God, and promise that in favor of them will be the faithfulness of God Himself. And
any other promise similar to this one, related to the power that God manifests in the
salvation and care for his own is part of this New Covenant of Grace.

There are those who emphasize the importance and power of human will, saying that the
salvation and preservation must have as a condition the free cooperation of the
human will. This may be reasonable for the human mind, but it is not
agreement with the revelation that God has given us in the Holy Scriptures.

It is evident that God has left room for the free exercise of human will. He
help to the will of men, and those already saved are aware that both their
salvation asyour servicethey are in complete harmony with the choice they themselves
they have done in the depths of their hearts. We know that God governs the will
human, but at the same time we see that He appeals to the will of man and causes that
depends in a certain way on her for the enjoyment of her divine blessing.

The future salvation of Israel is promised in the New Covenant (Romans 11:26-27). This
salvation will be carried out on the sole basis of the Blood that Christ shed on the cross.
Through the sacrifice of His Son, God is as free to save a nation as He is
to save a single individual or all of humanity.

It was expected that everyone would become loyal members of the Covenant from the moment of their
birth, and also faithful to the obligations imposed on them by the Pact, in order to thus be able to
receive the benefits and blessings of it. Likewise, it is expected that those
who have been born again and have become part of the New Covenant or Pact of
Grace may they remain holy and keep the commandments of the Covenant.

Through historyyes, God didor various pacts or agreements with human beings. These
covenants established the terms of the relationship that God wants to have with humanity.
Two key covenants recorded in the Bible are:

The pact that God made with ancient Israel on Mount Sinai, also called
as 'the Old Covenant'.
The 'New Covenant', which was inaugurated by Jesus Christ, is the covenant that is
currently relevant with the spiritual Israel, the Church.

The Scripture states that the New Covenant has made the Old Covenant obsolete (Hebrews
8:13). What does this mean? Did God create a different set of terms in this new
covenant? What exactly is the 'new' about the New Covenant?

A change in the sacrificial law

The Bible states that sinners deserve the penalty of death (Romans 6:23).The
sorryof these sins requires that blood be shed to satisfy this
punishment (Hebrews 9:22). Under the Old Covenant, the Israelites sacrificed animals as
offerings for sin, pouring out the blood of those creatures as God commanded.

However, animal sacrifices were insufficient as substitutes for beings.

humans. The sacrifices did not truly cleanse the Israelites of their wrongdoing,
"for the blood of bulls and male goats cannot take away sins"
(Hebrews 10:4).

Since the animals could not erase sins, why did God require them in the
Old Covenant? Because these sacrifices reminded Israel of their sins and
they represented a time when it would be possible to remove the death penalty. God never
he intended for these sacrifices to be permanent. He had a
plan ready "since the beginning of the world," in which Jesus Christ would make the sacrifice
definitive (Revelation 13:8).

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ made it possible to "take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Because He is God, and human beings were created by Him (Colossians 1:16),
his life is of immeasurable value, more than all the other lives of beings
humans who have lived throughout history. Thus, their sacrifice was enough to
to pay in full the death penalty for the sin we had incurred.

When Christ instituted the New Covenant with his shed blood (Luke 22:20), He made
possible that we could be completely cleansed from sin (Hebrews 9:13-14; 1 John)
The result was that animal sacrifices were no longer required as symbols,
since Christ was the definitive fulfillment of that symbolism. In thebaptism
we accept the sacrifice of Christ. Although it must stillwe regret itonce
We sin, the sacrifice of Christ is applied according to our repentance—no
more sacrifices are needed for our sins (Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:12).

A change in the priesthood

In the Old Covenant, the priests came from the family of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi.
In ethe Day of Atonement,the High Priest was required to offer a sacrifice for
the sins of the Israelites (Leviticus 16:29-34). Only He was allowed to enter
to the Most Holy Place (the place that was deepest inside), in the tabernacle and approach
to the throne of grace—which represented the throne of God.

All the Israelites deserved the death penalty for their sins and the High Priest
he had the responsibility of interceding for them. Since he was also
"surrounded by weakness," he understood how easy it was to sin and could show compassion for the
persons (Hebrews 5:1-4).

However, as we saw, the spilled blood came from the sacrifices of

animals in the physical system. Thus, the priests in the Old Covenant could not achieve
for people to be well before God and a change was necessary (Hebrews
7:11-12).
This change occurred with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all humanity, that
It fulfilled the symbolism of the annual offering for sin on the Day of Atonement. But
Christ also fulfilled the role of High Priest by offering himself. Continues
serving as our High Priest, interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:23-
28).

In the New Covenant, Christ does not serve in a physical tabernacle (Hebrews 9:11). Instead of
Hello, He performs His duties as High Priest in 'the true tabernacle' (Hebrews
Currently, the Church is the 'house of God' and the 'Holy Temple' (Ephesians 2:19-
22).

Due to the change of the Levitical priesthood and the physical tabernacle, the associated rituals
with the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Covenant no longer required—including
various types of food and drink offerings, as well as ceremonial washings.

These physical rituals were only 'imposed until the time to reform things.'
(Hebrews 9:8-10)

In the New Covenant, the people of God now have a High Priest in Jesus Christ.
who intercedes for him continuously. Since Christ lived as a human being, He
understands our weaknesses, can help us when we are tempted and can
show us compassion when we sin. We can go confidently, seeking
forgiveness when we repent (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16).

A change of heart

God gave Israel its eternal laws that define itthe sin—withthe 10 commandments
as the basis of the responsibility that Israel had in the Old Covenant (Exodus 34:27-28;
Deuteronomy 4:13). However, there is a fundamental problem with this arrangement:
Although the law of God was and is perfect (Psalm 19:7), people were not.

God knew in advance that the Israelites were missing something very important. They did not
they had the heart they needed to be truly obedient to Him
(Deuteronomy 5:23-29). The Israelites agreed to obey God for
an external motivation. They were afraid of God's punishment (Exodus 20:18-21), but
this type of motivation does not guarantee correct behavior. Unless a person
is internally convinced to do what is right, can easily choose
to do what is wrong.

Ancient Israel unfortunately fell into this trap and repeatedly disobeyed.
to God throughout its history, despite receiving a severe punishment as a result of it.
Time and again, the Israelites broke the covenant they made with God, putting in
I am manifesting a colossal failure in the pact. The failure has nothing to do with the laws that they
they agreed to obey, but in the persons themselves (Hebrews 8:7-8).

The Israelites did not have a heart that truly knew God, because
it was not yet the time for God to give them that kind of heart (Deuteronomy
29:4). But even without a right heart, it was still possible for the Israelites to respond
to God's correction when they made poor decisions. Unfortunately,
they failed and did not change their behavior. However, their example gives us a
powerful lesson for us, about how easy it is to sin (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).

In the New Covenant, the people of God have the opportunity to receive a heart to
obey Him. In the Old Testament, God announced that a time would come in the
that their people would internalize their laws and they would be written on their hearts—when
truly they could know Him (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

When the Spirit of God was widely available in thePentecost day,

that goal was possible. Through the power ofHoly Spirit, theChristians can
learning to think like God (1 Corinthians 2:11, 16). The mind of God—reflected in His
law of love—can now be internalized in its people.

A change of promises

In the Old Covenant, Israel agreed to obey God; and in return, God
He agreed to treat Israel as 'a special treasure' (Exodus 19:5-6). He made to
Israel specific promises, including rain in due time; victory in the
battles; free from disease; a fear of Israel among other nations; and a
such great prosperity that Israel would lend to other nations and would not have to
borrow from them (Leviticus 26:3-13; Deuteronomy 7:12-15; 28:1-14).

These promises were incredible. But they were also limited to physical existence. No
there was opportunity in the Old Covenant for the nation of Israel to receive
access to the gift of eternal life. In this way, the Israelites could only enjoy the
blessings of the Old Covenant while they had physical life here on earth.

Why was eternal life not offered in the Old Covenant? Because Jesus Christ had not yet.
has yet come to this earth as the Savior of humanity, and "there is no other name
under heaven, given to men, in which we may be saved" (Acts 4:12). The
Christ's sacrifice provided humanity with the way to resolve the fact of
that they had not lived perfectly (all of us) and to avoid the death penalty. The
sorry it was a key requirement for humans to "receive the promise of the
"eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15) —eternal life (Titus 3:7).

Another essential component that was needed is the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ called him the
"Comforter" (John 16:7), a "promise" from God, that He poured out on the Day of
Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4).

As we spoke earlier, the Holy Spirit allows the laws of God to be

written in our hearts. But beyond this, the Holy Spirit makes it possible that
we may be 'heirs of God', so that 'together with him [Christ] we may be
"glorified" (Romans 8:16-17). The Holy Spirit serves as a guarantee, as a mortgage,
from our promised inheritance of eternal life in the family of God (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit was made available to a few selected as servants of

God who lived before the inauguration of the New Covenant made by Jesus Christ (1
Peter 1:10-11). However, the vast majority of the Israelites did not have access to
that Spirit, and therefore they did not have access to eternal life. But God, from the
The principle intended that all human beings should have that opportunity (Titus 1:2)—
its purpose is to 'bring many children to glory' (Hebrews 2:10) and thus expand its
family.

Access to the“salvation” with the New Covenant makes this 'a better covenant' than the
covenant of Mount Sinai, because the New Covenant was "established on better promises"
(Hebrews 8:6). Finally, all human beings who have lived in the history of
humanity will have the opportunity for eternal life as part of the New Covenant.
Those who become part of God's family will dwell with Him forever.
always, and there will be no more death (Revelation 21:1-4).

The New Covenant amplifies the terms of the Old Covenant.

This article has not covered all the differences that exist between the Old and the
New Covenant. However, the changes we have examined illustrate a trend
consistent: contrary to what many think, the New Covenant does not annul all the
terms of the Old Covenant!

Both covenants include sacrifices for sin, a priesthood that serves in the
tabernacle, obedience to God's laws, promised blessings from God. Without
embargo, in each case, the changes in the New Covenant amplify the terms of the
Ancient Covenant.

In the Old Covenant, God offered the Israelites two options and told them that
"choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). God offers the same today,
for those he calls to the New Covenant. What makes the New Covenant 'new' is that
it is a much better agreement than the one offered at Mount Sinai.

Finally, all of humanity will have the opportunity to be part of the New Covenant. But
God is calling you to be part of that Covenant now, by helping you to
understand your“truth”You have to make a decision. Will you choose life—life
Eternal? The decision is in your hands