Hebrews 8:7 says, “For if that first covenant was faultless, no place would have been sought for a second.” We have mentioned before that the reason the first covenant had fault was not because the covenant itself was faulty, but because it was weak when applied to man. The first covenant composed of the commandments of letters was written upon stone tablets. It could only demand man to keep the law; it could not give man the power to do it. The reason the new covenant is a better covenant is because through it the law is imparted into man; it is inscribed on man’s heart. The new covenant law of life can cause man to obey God’s will and does not need man’s teaching. It enables man to know God from within. Therefore, we say that the new covenant is exceedingly glorious and extremely precious.
In the new covenant God’s laws are put into the inward parts of man. If God’s life moves to a certain part and cannot get through, it is hindered and will remain stopped there. It will be unable to spread out. This does not mean that there is something which the new covenant cannot do. No, the new covenant can do all things, for the new covenant means that “with God all things are possible.” The reason the new covenant can do all things is because the moving of this life is powerful. This power is the power of the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). The mighty power of the moving of this life is the same power which raised the Lord Jesus from the dead (Eph. 1:20). It is also the power of the moving of this life which is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
Let us now consider some examples.
We are told in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 that the hearts of the children of Israel became hardened. When they read the Old Testament there was a veil on their hearts. It also tells us that whenever their hearts would turn to the Lord, the veil would be taken away. This makes it clear that the veil of the Israelites was their hard heart, a heart which did not want the Lord. Whenever their hearts would turn to the Lord, the veil would be taken away. Therefore, whenever we have a veil within us, it means that our heart has a problem.
The question then is how can our heart be turned to the Lord? The Scripture says that man’s “heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever He will” (Prov. 21:1). As long as we are willing to put our heart in God’s hand He can turn us.
If we are willing to pray to the Lord saying, “Lord, I pray that You will turn my heart unto Your testimonies, and not to covetousness” (Psa. 119:36), God will be able to turn our heart. If we are those who are truly saved, whose heart has been renewed, even if we have turned to other things and become cold, yet we clearly realize within us that God is having mercy toward us, His life keeps moving within us, until one day it will move us to say aloud or in silence, “O God, I pray that You will turn my heart.” Based on this slight giving in, the life will move further and increase more. In this way our heart is stirred up and is being turned to the Lord.
Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Even as you have always obeyed, not only as in my presence, but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” How could they do this? The answer follows: “For it is God Who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” Many times, not only are we not able to obey God, but we do not want to obey God. However, if we are truly saved and our heart has been touched, even though at times we backslide and our heart becomes hardened, yet within us we know the story: God has mercy toward us, His life is still moving in us, and eventually it will move until our heart will again have the desire to obey God. We will then decide to obey God, and we will also be enabled to obey God. The reason is simply that God’s life has moved into our emotion and will. It has moved to the extent that we become able to obey God.
The conscience of a certain sister was so accused that she felt she would never want God’s will and never be able to obey God again. It seemed that all she waited for was the verdict of God’s judgment, so great was her suffering. But at this same time there was a prayer within her. She whispered to God: “O God, I may not be able to seek Your will, but I still ask You to make me to seek Your will. Even though I cannot obey You, I still ask You to cause me to obey You.” That was a wonderful prayer. Philippians 2:13 upheld her that day. She realized that if God had not been working in her heart she would not have had such a prayer. Since God’s moving had caused her to pray such a prayer, God must also be able to cause her to obey His will, for His moving is for the accomplishment of His good pleasure. When she saw this, she was revived with joy.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them.” This work was accomplished by God Himself in Christ Jesus. We can say that it is God’s masterpiece. A masterpiece is simply the most excellent, fine piece of work, the best production. Nothing can be better than a masterpiece. God has not only saved His people, but in Christ Jesus He has made them into a masterpiece. This has been done through the working of the power of His life in man. This is an aspect of the characteristic of the new covenant. God has made man into such a masterpiece that He could not do better. This has not been done so that man could be satisfied in himself, but so that God’s purpose of fulfilling the good works which He has prepared before might be accomplished. What a wonderfully high standard! The good works which God has prepared for us must be something which He considers to be good. Only that which has its origin in love is the good works which God considers good (Matt. 19:17). Any good work that does not originate from love, even bestowing all our goods to feed the poor, or even giving our body to be burned for others, is still not profitable (1 Cor. 13:3). The good works which originate from love are not ordinary good works, but good works which issue from a life of love and which are done based on the principle of love. The good works which God has prepared for us to do can only be fulfilled and lived out by God’s life. Praise God, He has saved us and put His life in us! It is through the power of this life that the masterpiece can be accomplished and that we can do the good works which He has prepared for us. This is the gospel. This is the glory of the new covenant! Hallelujah!