Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
This scripture refers to the new, second covenant that God made with Israel. The first time the covenant was made between God, via Moses and His people, to rescue them from the Egyptians. God led them out of Egypt by His Hand, but they didn’t abide by the covenant so He had to turn away from them. This time the covenant for His people is made by Jesus who is seated at the right hand of God, than in an earthly tent with the specifications that were given to Moses, because Jesus knows that man may fail to keep their end of the agreement. Jesus is the Mediator of the better covenant – to unite God and man – which has been sanctioned and which rests on better promises.
What is the covenant?
Jesus says that He will:
- Put a watermark of God’s laws in His people’s minds, which means it will reach their innermost thoughts and understanding. The earlier laws were inscribed on stones.
- Inscribe the laws on His people’s hearts, which means it will affect their change, the regeneration of their hearts. God will give them the power to obey these rules through the Holy Spirit, who will live in the hearts of His people.
- Be their God, which means that they will know who is in control of them through their knowledge of God and their experience(s) of God in their lives so they won’t have to teach their fellowmen about God.
- Show them mercy and grace toward their wickedness, which means that God will no longer remember any of their old sins for always.
Important points to note:
- Jesus’ covenant replaced the old covenant.
- Jesus made this covenant for His people and also made a way for His people to achieve it.
- Jesus’ covenant includes the people of Israel and all who trust in Him; they will be able to speak directly with God.
Jesus paid the cost of all our sins. When we come to God in Jesus, He accepts Jesus’ sacrifice as the sacrifice for all our sins, what sins we have done and what sins we are going to do; God forgives us completely.
