Devotional Blog Monday, July 25

Daily Devotional for Monday, July 25

The New Testament

In making covenants in the Old Testament, sacrifices were made to ratify the covenant (Hebrews 9:16). A great example is when God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:7-10 and five different animals were sacrificed in the ceremony. The Old Testament Law covenant was also ratified by sacrifices (Exodus 24:1–8). In the New Covenant or New Testament, Jesus is the sacrifice that ratified the covenant. In instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

Jesus not only died to save people after His death, but His death retroactively redeemed all those who had believed in God under the Old Covenant. This is why the Bible says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Jesus was the way of salvation in the Old Testament, is the way of salvation in the New Testament and is the only way of salvation that ever will be.

The Hebrew writer then takes up the illustration of a covenant that is called a last will and testament (Hebrews 9:17, 18). A will is not actuated until the person dies. So, the illustration carries over to the fact that covenants require death to be ratified. The point is Jesus had to die to put the New Testament by His blood in force. He had to die to ratify God’s covenant of salvation for all who believe.