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CHAPTER 3

Jesus Christ, the Fulfiller of the Eternal Covenant

All of the previously discussed covenants are connected to Jesus Christ: every covenant testified about the coming of Jesus Christ and He came according to the promise. The history of redemption is God’s work of establishing and fulfilling His covenant. The purpose of God’s covenant is to send the Messiah and save mankind. The Bible testifies of the establishment, the succession, and the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant through the coming of Jesus Christ. Thus, we can correctly understand God’s administration in the history of redemption when we examine the close relationship between the covenants found in the Bible and Jesus Christ.

When Adam and Eve broke the covenant of works in the beautiful Garden of Eden, an actual place in history, they were expelled (Gen 3:24). All who were born after Adam became children of death and wrath, deserving only to die because of sin (Rom 5:12; Eph 2:3). Founded upon the promise of the “seed of the woman,” which God gave to mankind after the fall (Gen 3:15), the various covenants that have since followed have progressively built up toward the coming of Jesus Christ.

1. The Noahic Covenant and Jesus Christ

God established the covenant of the bow with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. The essence of this covenant is that God would no longer judge the world with water so that the sons of promise would not be cut off (Gen 9:11, 15).

The sign given for this covenant is the bow in the cloud (Gen 9:11–17). While the world was in ruins and despair because of the flood, God gave Noah hope and promise by setting His rainbow in the cloud.

The people during the days of Noah must have trembled in fear of another judgment in the form of a flood every time it rained since the time of the great flood. However, they probably found a sense of security and peace in their hearts when they saw the rainbow. A rainbow stretches across the sky over the land in harmonious order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo/navy, and violet/purple, and fills us with a deep impression of wonder, joy and peace. This rainbow of eternal hope is Jesus Christ (Col 1:27). Today’s Christians should have no fear as well, as long as they have this rainbow of hope. Even when the powers of tribulation encroach upon us, we will find comfort and hope as long as we have the rainbow.

Just as the people in the days of Noah found comfort by beholding the rainbow, and the people during the wilderness journey found life by beholding the bronze serpent, we need to find eternal life by wholeheartedly fixing our eyes upon Jesus Christ (Heb 12:2). The covenant of the bow is our living hope, foreshadowing Jesus Christ, our eternal comforter (2 Cor 1:3–7; 1 Pet 1:3).

2. The Abrahamic Covenant and Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:1 states, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” To say that Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham first means that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the Jews who are “sons” of Abraham. However, all who have faith in Christ, regardless of their lineage, whether Jews or Gentiles, are sons of Abraham (Gal 3:7–9, 29). Thus, Jesus is the Savior of all who believe.

God made several covenants with Abraham, wherein only Jesus Christ was promised (Gal 3:16). First, God promised Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” in Genesis 12:3. The expression in you is (beka) in Hebrew and does not simply mean that all the families of the earth will be blessed because of the man Abraham, but that all the families of the earth will be blessed through Jesus Christ who will come as a descendant of Abraham.

Second, God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:5, “‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” The Hebrew word for “descendants” is in the singular form, initially referring to Isaac, but ultimately to Jesus Christ who was to come in the future (Gal 3:16). Jesus Christ was the true heir of the covenant, who would fulfill the covenant of God given to Abraham (Gen 15:2–4). Therefore, this covenant prophesies that there will be as many saints as there are stars in the heavens who will inherit the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ.

Third, God promised Abraham in Genesis 18:18, “…Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” It means that all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham, but even more so through Jesus Christ who was coming “in him” as his descendant.

Fourth, God promised Abraham in Genesis 22:17–18, “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

God promised three things about “your seed” in this covenant. In all three of the promises is used in the singular form, signifying Jesus Christ who is coming. The first promise was “I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore” (Gen 22:17). Again, “your seed” refers to Jesus Christ, who would come as the son of Abraham, and thus a countless number of people would be born again in faith through Him.

The next promise was “your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Gen 22:17). Initially, this means that his seed will possess the enemy’s city, but ultimately it is a promise that Jesus Christ will destroy all of Satan’s authority and gain victory.

Lastly, God promised, “and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 22:18). Here again, the expression in your seed describes Jesus Christ, who will come as the son of Abraham and bring blessings to all the nations of the earth.

3. The Sinaitic Covenant and Jesus Christ

Four hundred and thirty years after the “promises” that God had given to Abraham and his descendants (Gal 3:15, 17), God gave the Ten Commandments and the Law to the Israelites through Moses in the Sinaitic covenant (Exod 20–23). Here, God gave the Law to Moses and Moses recounted to the people all of the Lord’s words, and all the people answered that they would do all that God had spoken to them (Exod 24:3, 7). The promise of the coming of Jesus Christ is foreshadowed even in the Sinaitic covenant.

First, the “blood of the covenant” foreshadows that of Jesus Christ’s.When the people promised that they would follow the covenant, Moses sacrificed young bulls and sprinkled their blood. In doing so, he confirmed the covenant and declared, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exod 24:8).

The blood of the covenant that Moses established was a foreshadow of the perfect and eternal blood of the covenant that Jesus Christ would establish on the cross. With the time of the crucifixion drawing near, Jesus said at the Last Supper, “...this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness” (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). The blood of beasts forgave the sins of man only once when it was shed, but the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross completely removes all sins once for all (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:2, 10; 1 Pet 3:18).

Second, this “first covenant” foreshadows the “new covenant” through Jesus Christ. The “first covenant” in Hebrews 8:7 is the Sinaitic covenant that God established with the people of Israel through Moses (Heb 8:7; 9:1, 15, 18). Although the people of Israel had vowed to keep this covenant, they could not completely keep it because of the sinfulness and weakness that resulted from the total depravity and fall of mankind. The first covenant caused the people to yearn for the new covenant that would be established through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new covenant (Heb 9:15; 12:24). Therefore, it is not that Christians abide by the covenant with their own strength, but rather through God’s power and the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ (Rom 8:2–4).

4. The Davidic Covenant and Jesus Christ

The New Testament begins with (huiou David huiou Abraam)” (Matt 1:1). This is a declaration that Jesus Christ is both the son of Abraham and David at the same time. The most important principle in the Davidic covenant is the promise of “a son,” the son of David (2 Sam 7:12–14; 1 Chr 22:9–12; Ps 89:28–29). The son that God promised to give David was a “man of rest,” and he was to build a house for God, and God would establish the throne of the son’s kingdom forever (1 Chr 22:9–10).

This covenant was first fulfilled when David’s son Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem and dedicated it to the Lord. However, the promise that a son would come and establish the throne of the kingdom forever is ultimately the promise of the coming Jesus Christ, who would establish the eternal kingdom of heaven.

The archangel Gabriel said to Mary, “…and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32–33). This message is a reassuring testimony that Jesus Christ came as the One to fulfill the Davidic covenant (Ps 2:7, 12; Acts 13:33–34).

5. The New Covenant of Jeremiah and Jesus Christ

God sent the prophet Jeremiah and established a covenant right before Jerusalem perished. The center and the executor of this new covenant was Jesus Christ. Jesus called it “the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25) and the author of Hebrews refers to Jesus as “the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb 9:15; 12:24).

How is Jesus described in the new covenant?

First, it foreshadows the changing of the character and hearts of the people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

The Hebrew word for within in this verse is < (qereb), meaning “inward part” or “midst.” It refers to the inner thought, inward feelings, or character of a man. The Hebrew word for heart is , which means “inner man” or “mind.” While the Old Testament law was the covenant that changes the outer aspects of a person, the new covenant is one that changes the character and the inner man of a person (Ps 40:8; Ezek 11:19–20; 2 Cor 3:2–3).

Jesus woke the people to the essence of sin when He spoke about how adultery stems from a person’s character and heart. Up until Jesus’ teaching, people were condemned only on the basis of their outward behaviors.

He said in Matthew 5:27–28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Until the time of Jesus, the law was not written on the hearts of the people, but the new covenant in Christ is the law that is written upon the heart (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10). The new law that is written upon the heart is nothing other than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word write is , meaning “to inscribe.” It is in Greek, which also means “to inscribe.” The word is used for something that is carved permanently in stone rather than just written down superficially. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is inscribed on our hearts, we can enter into an eternal relationship with God and thus the promise, “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10), is fulfilled.

When God’s law was not inscribed on the Israelites’ hearts, they forsook, betrayed, and rebelled against Him. However, when God’s law is eternally inscribed on their hearts, they will become faithful people who will never forsake God.

Second, it foreshadows the complete forgiveness that Jesus Christ will give.

Jeremiah 31:34 “And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

The word know used in this verse is in Hebrew, signifying a knowledge attained through one’s whole personality, not merely through the intellect—knowing fully just as we see “face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).

How is such a phenomenon possible? Jeremiah 31:34 explains that it is possible because God forgives their iniquities and remembers their sins no more. In the Hebrew text of Jeremiah 31:34, there is a subordinating conjunction for , which expresses cause. In other words, people will come to know God personally as a result of His redemptive work (Heb 8:11).

The work of redemption, which grants forgiveness of all sins, is fulfilled through the cross of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:7; Heb 9:12–13, 28). Hence, the cross of Jesus Christ becomes the foundation upon which people can come to know God personally. For this reason, God says that He will establish a covenant with “those who turn from transgression in Jacob” in Isaiah 59:20–21. Those who repent through God’s sovereign grace and partake in the redeeming work of the cross of Jesus Christ will receive the new covenant. Isaiah 59:21 presents two kinds of phenomena that result from the new covenant.

Isaiah 59:21 “And as for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”

According to this verse, God’s Spirit and Word will not depart from the mouth of God’s people forever once the new covenant is made. The Hebrew word used for My Spirit in this verse is , referring to the Holy Spirit (Isa 61:1; 1 Jn 2:27). For My words, the Hebrew word is used, referring to “the Word of God.” The Holy Spirit and the Word of God worked together during the time of the early church. When Peter proclaimed the Word, the Holy Spirit came down upon all who were listening to the Word (Acts 10:44). The time of the new covenant has come in Jesus Christ, but the final completion has not yet been achieved. When the new covenant is completely fulfilled through the Second Coming Lord, the Word and the Holy Spirit of God will not depart throughout the generations.

The focus of all the covenants discussed in this chapter is none other than Jesus Christ Himself; Jesus Christ is the final fulfillment and completion of all the covenants in the Bible. Every covenant testified to Jesus Christ progressively through clear revelations in the flow of redemptive history. The genealogy of Jesus Christ is a synopsis of God’s redemptive administration by which His covenants have manifested throughout history.

We will be able to understand clearly the essence of the redemptive history in the Bible as we carefully study God’s covenant and its fulfillment in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.