You and I are thinking about the statement, "Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, because he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is based on better promises"(Heb 8:6-8). In this lesson we consider the question: Who was the New Covenant for?
God wants all men (all human beings) to know the truth and be saved (1Tm 2:4).
God made Jesus the mediator for everyone he wants to save (1Tm 2:5).
God made the life of Jesus a ransom for as many as he wants to save (1Tm 2:6).
We conclude that if God wants all mankind to be saved, and Christ gave his life as a ransom so that all mankind could be saved, then Christ mediated the new covenant to all mankind.
The New Covenant is Mediated to All for Whom Christ Shed His Blood.
Mtt 26:28, 1Jn 2:2-5
The blood of Christ is "the blood of the new covenant"(Mtt 26:28).
Thus Christ mediated the new covenant to everyone he shed his blood for.
Christ shed his blood "not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world"(1Jn 2:2-5).
We conclude that if Christ shed his blood for the whole world, and his blood is the blood of the new covenant, then he mediated his new covenant to the whole world.
The New Covenant is Mediated to Everyone Whom God Invites to Eternal Life.
2Co 3:6-7, Jhn 17:2-3
The "new covenant... gives life" whereas the old covenant is "the ministry of death"2Co 3:6-7.
Thus Christ mediated the new covenant to everyone he was authorized to give life to.
Christ was given "authority over all mankind" so that they might have eternal life (Jhn 17:2-3).
We conclude that if Christ has authority to give life to all mankind, and his new covenant gives life, then he mediated the new covenant to all mankind.
The New Covenant is Mediated to All Who Should Hear the Gospel.
Mrk 16:15-16, 2Co 3:6,4:3
The "new covenant" and the "gospel" are the same (2Co 3:6, 4:3)
Thus Christ mediates the new covenant to everyone who hears the gospel.
The gospel is preached in "all the world" to "all creationn"(Mrk 16:15-16).
We conclude that if Christ commanded the gospel to be preached to all creation, and his new covenant is the gospel, then he mediated the new covenant to all creation.
The New Covenant is Mediated to Whoever Can Receive or Refuse it.
Heb 12:22-29
The "new covenant" is mediated by Christ as "him who warns from heaven"(Heb 12:24-25)
Thus Christ mediates the new covenant to people whom he warns not to refuse it.
Those who "turn away from him" when he mediates the new covenant to them, will find God to be "a consuming fire"(Heb 12:25-29).
We conclude that if Christ mediates the new covenant with a warning not to refuse it, and people can refuse it and be punished, then he mediates the new covenant not only to all who receive it, but also to all who refuse it.
God has so designed the new covenant (the gospel) that whether one chooses to receive it, or rather to refuse it, one becomes more and more entrenched in that choice --hardened in a relationship of wrath, or established in a relationship of grace. Which will you choose?
God has so designed the new covenant (the gospel) that whether one chooses to receive it, or rather to refuse it, one becomes more and more entrenched in that choice --hardened in a relationship of wrath, or established in a relationship of grace. Which will you choose?