Introduction
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, we find the Old Testament passage where the Lord prophesies a future new covenant for His people through the prophet Jeremiah. These verses are also quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12, which shows that the Lord fulfilled this prophetic word for His people, the Jews, and for the Gentiles alike, through His beloved Son’s death on the cross. And by the Lord speaking of a new covenant, He makes the old covenant obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).
Now, we know that this new covenant prophesied through Jeremiah is the covenant in the blood of the Lord Jesus and that there is no salvation of souls, neither Jews nor Gentiles, apart from the cross and the work on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, in Jeremiah 31:33, we read, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it,” and in Jeremiah 31:34, we read, “for they shall all know Me.” So, for us living these days in the new covenant era, some questions arise. What is it special about the blood of the Lord Jesus to be established as the new covenant, and what this new covenant means for us? How would we know the Lord, and how does He write His law in our hearts as the prophecy goes? Where do we find the Lord in our hearts, and how do we hear Him so we can know Him and His law? In this blog, we explore the teachings of the Lord Jesus from the Gospels and address three points from this Old Testament prophecy: the new covenant in the blood of the beloved Son of God, how we know the Lord, and how the Lord writes His law in our hearts.
The New Covenant in the Blood of the Beloved Son of God
In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus Himself tells us what the new covenant established by God the Father represents (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20, and John 6:53-58). Specifically, here, we discuss Matthew 26:26-29 Bible passage, where the Lord Jesus Himself instituted the Lord’s Supper, establishing the new covenant in His blood for the whole world.
26 And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, broke it, and having given to the disciples, He said, Take, eat; this is My body.
Reading this verse, one might ask what the significance of breaking bread is. For a follower of the Lord Jesus, the bread that we break should be unleavened bread. Many places in the Bible take significant meaning between leavened and unleavened bread, but the Lord used unleavened bread. When He broke the bread and shared it with the disciples, it represented His human body, and that is all that we should think about.
27 And He took a cup, and having given thanks, gave to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you;
28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
“This is My blood of the covenant ... ” This blood of the new covenant refers to the moment when they pierced the Lord Jesus’ side. The Bible states that blood and water flowed out of the Lord’s body; the blood is for cleansing, while the water represents water baptism. When the water from His body dropped to the earth, it spread everywhere on earth. Therefore, you can be baptized in every part of the earth to be born again in the water of His blood, and that is why you need to be baptized. Blood represents cleansing; when His blood was poured out, the cleansing water was also poured out all over the world to wash all the sins of humans. We should think about why it is written that blood and water flowed out. We need to be baptized in the water so we can benefit from His blood cleansing.
One question might arise about the kind of wine used for the Lord’s Supper. But, for the Lord’s Supper, we must use only grape juice; the color does not matter. When they nailed the Lord Jesus, it meant they had pierced the nails through His flesh for the sins of the world; all the sins of the world stay under His wounds (the wounds cover the sins of the world).
29 But I say to you, I will not drink from now of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it fresh with you in My Father’s kingdom.
This verse will take effect during the final judgment day, and it will take place on the parallel earth. The human eyes will see the parallel earth overlapping the old earth (for parallel earth reference, see Revelation 11:19). Don’t forget the Bible tells us that even the sun loses its shining; we don’t need the sun anymore at that time, the light of the Lord will be brighter and warmer than the sun we have now. All vegetation on the parallel earth is not the same as on this earth; it is entirely different. Still, there will be some fruit of the vine, but not the vine of the earth, the vine of the parallel earth.
So, what is the true meaning of the new covenant for us? The new covenant in the blood of the Lord Jesus signifies the Lord Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of the world; there is no cleansing of sins and salvation for human souls if not by the shed blood of the Holy Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, on the cross of Golgotha. With the new covenant in the blood of the Lord Jesus, the Lord God Almighty wiped out the old sacrificial law requirements for the cleansing of sins. However, when we take the Lord’s Supper, we must never forget that the Lord Jesus is the Holy Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world once and for all, and there is no further sacrifice that can wipe away any sins, only the shed blood of the Lord Jesus can cleanse our souls. But then, when we take the Lord’s Supper’s emblems, do we comprehend in our hearts the Lord’s suffering and the pain that He endured for us on the cross? Do we cry within our hearts that because of me, the sinner, the Lord Jesus has suffered so much, and do we truly repent of our sins and give Him glory, and do we meditate on His Word so we can grow closer to Him?
How Do We Know the Lord?
Then, based on Jeremiah’s prophecy, which says, “for they shall all know Me,” we must also ask ourselves how we can know the Lord today when the Lord Jesus is not physically among us on earth. First, we must believe that God is One (The Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One); therefore, today, knowing the Lord can happen only through the Holy Spirit and through reading and meditating on the Word of God (John 1:1). By reading and meditating on the Word of God we can better hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and we can better follow His commandments. If we constantly meditate on His Word, the Holy Spirit will help us to know to become closer to the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 2:11-13, we read:
11 For who among men knows the things of a man, if not the spirit of the man, which is in him? So also, the things of God no one knows, if not the Spirit of God. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches; combining spiritual things with spiritual words.
Furthermore, in John 14:5-14, the Lord Jesus tells us that by knowing Him and His word, we know the Father; and the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One.
5 Thomas says to Him, Lord, we do not know where Thou go; how are we able to know the way?
Now, the beloved Son of God in the human body has spoken to His disciples, and Thomas also has questions of his own. When you think with a human mind, you cannot imagine what the beloved Son of God is talking about right now. Regarding the way all have asked this question, even His disciples asked, and the beloved Son of God will tell them about the way they must follow; all true believers will know the way.
6 Jesus says to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, if not by Me.
“I am the way.” The beloved Son of God has said to all true believers, according to the way of living, you walk on the road, but when it is to come to be alive on both this earth and the earth to come, you must walk the way the beloved Son of God has walked for you; you can see what He has taught you, use that way for your walk. When He says He is the way, He also tells all readers: you have the beloved Son of God as a leader; use His teaching, meditate on His word, and you will know the way to walk on this life.
“And the truth.” The beloved Son of God in human form is the truth for humans. His way of being human has also shown all humans that they can be better than they are now. The Lord did not create humans just for His pleasure; He loves humans, and the beloved Son of God is the proof of His true love for humans. When the beloved Son has accepted the human form, the true love of God has been proven to all humans. He is the truth because He has come in person and taken the form of a human. Think of it this way: the God Most High came down and took human form to show the true love of God towards humans. The truth of God has been revealed in His love.
“And the life.” Through the beloved Son of God, you can have life after death. The life He will give to you is for eternity; that is the true life you will get if you keep the teaching of the Holy Bible until the last day of your life on earth.
“No one comes …” The Father is the Most High God, and to come to Him is only one way through the beloved Son of God. So, there is no other way to be close to the Father, but only if you are behind the beloved Son of God; the glory of the beloved Son will shadow your soul, and your soul will be safe in front of the Father.
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now you know Him, and have seen Him.
“If you had known Me…” Anyone who accepts the beloved Son of God and walks according to His teachings has known the beloved Son of God. Because of all the things the beloved Son of God has done, He has done according to the Father’s will, and when you follow the beloved Son of God in all directions, you have known the Father’s will for yourself as well.
Here, one might ask how they can claim to know the Lord Jesus and the Father. When you meditate on the Holy Bible, think that every word is alive because the Father Himself has made all the words to be alive. The Holy Bible is the living word, so when you meditate on the living word, that living word will give life to your soul, and deep down in your soul, you have met the Father Himself; His word is the way to the Father; the Father and the beloved Son are One, and when you have known the beloved Son of God, you have known the Father Himself, and the Father Himself loves you as well.
Also, how can you feel that the word of the Bible is alive? When you have memorized the word, you will feel that the living word touches you; the living word that you memorize will act in you and make you become a living soul for God.
“You would have known My Father also …” After you have known the beloved Son of God, at the same time, you have known the Father, and you have seen Him in the teaching that the Father has given to the beloved Son to give; and when you follow the teachings, you have seen the Father as well. Then, when you look at the cross, you have seen the beloved Son of God Himself; that is why the cross is important for all that want to know how His human form looks like; His human form was on that cross already for all humans, treasure the feeling that you have towards the cross that the beloved Son of God had been crucified for you.
8 Philip says to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us.
The disciple with the beloved Son of God still wonders, and all humans, after the beloved Son of God is not on earth anymore, will also wonder how they will know the way. But also remember that the beloved Son of God has told us He will not leave us alone; He is going back to heaven, but He has promised to come back again to take us with Him. So, if you truly believe this, look forward to the day when we will all be with God’s beloved Son to glorify the Father with Him. At that time, we don’t have to ask where the Father is because we ourselves will be glorifying the Father and standing there behind the beloved Son of God to shout out and glorify the Lord.
Because the beloved Son of God has spoken many times about the Father, this has stirred up the hearts of the listeners to think they are with the beloved Son of God, and they haven’t seen the Father yet. Still, the beloved Son of God has talked about the Father, so where is the Father? The same question will be to all: show us the Father, but when you have seen the beloved Son of God, you also have seen the Father. So in this verse, Philip has asked the beloved Son of God, as all humans want to ask as well, but when the time comes, this answer will be in front of their eyes.
9 Jesus says to him, So long a time I am with you, and do you not know Me, Philip? The one having seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, Show us the Father?
“So long a time I am with you …” During this time, the beloved Son of God was physically present with the disciples, and Philip was also there with Him. The beloved Son of God had been teaching all the disciples; they had seen Him and listened to His teachings, but they did not yet completely understand or know who He was. When Philip asked to show them the Father, it also revealed that the disciples themselves did not fully understand the meaning of the Lord’s words. Still, the beloved Son of God would impart that understanding to them when the right time came, and they would all understand the meaning because each would have work to complete, and all things would happen in due time.
“The one having seen Me has seen the Father.” When the beloved Son of God has told the disciples that they have seen Him and have seen the Father at the same time, this answer that they have already seen Him and the Father who sent Him will be with them for the work to come. The work for all disciples in spreading the teaching relies on this knowledge they have; the full knowledge about God has not been given to them yet. Still, when the time comes, the full knowledge will be given to them for the work.
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak from Myself; but the Father dwelling in Me does His works.
“Do you not believe …” The beloved Son of God asks all believers this question: do you truly believe the Three in One? When the verse has told the Father, that means Two as well: the Father and the Holy Spirit are together, and both are in the beloved Son of God together. Therefore, when He was on earth as a human, the beloved Son of God was never alone; the Three in One were always together.
“The words that I speak to you …” When the beloved Son of God was on earth, everything He spoke was not from Himself alone; the living word comes out from His mouth because in Him is the Trinity of God at work on earth.
“… but the Father dwelling in Me does His works.” As the verse has told all true believers, the Father dwells in the Son and not just dwells alone, but He is at work as well; the work that the beloved Son of God has done on earth is the Father’s work as well. The beloved Son of God has not spent His life on earth doing nothing; He always did the work of the Father; the life on earth for Him, even if it was short, but every moment has meaning from the Father.
11 Believe Me that I in the Father, and the Father in Me; but if not, believe because of the works themselves.
Verses 10 and 11 talk about the Trinity of God and that the Trinity of God has given the living word to be the Holy Bible. As these verses have told us, the Holy Bible is from the Father, not from God’s beloved Son alone.
“... but if not, believe because of the works themselves.” Therefore, because the Holy Bible is from the Father, whosoever does not believe in the Holy Bible, believe in the death on the cross of the beloved Son of God, the love beyond human words can say: God of heaven was willing to taste the death in order to help the creatures He has created, no love is greater than this.
When the verse says, “but if not,” it refers to believing in the death on the cross and the resurrection of the beloved Son of God because, after the resurrection, He did not spend time alone but returned to the Father. In our faith, we must have both together: crucifixion and resurrection; to be complete faith, it must be faith in the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; when the beloved Son of God has accepted His death on the cross, the Father has already wept for what will happen to the Son.
12 Truly, truly, I say to you, the one that believes in Me, the works that I do, also will he do; and greater than these will he do; because I am going to the Father.
“… the works that I do, also will he do.” The verse has told all believers that if you believe in the beloved Son of God, the works that He did and is doing now already support who He is, and according to the Father’s will, true believers who follow all His commandments strictly will also be able to perform His works. But if that person doubts in his heart, this doubt refers only to himself; that doubt also will limit the person in doing the work, and that person will notice the limitation has occurred, which will remind the person to analyze their heart again. Then, when that person has analyzed everything, they will recognize the lack of faith. When they return to faith, they can continue the work again.
“And greater than these will he do.” When the verse says, “greater than this,” it refers only to the works but does not include the raising up of themselves from the dead, but many miracles the true believers can do. As the verse has told, the beloved Son of God has returned to the Father, and whatever the true believers will do will be under the guidance of the beloved Son of God as well.
13 And whatever you will ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father might be glorified in the Son.
When a true believer has done the works that the beloved Son of God has done and abides at all times in the blood of the beloved Son of God, all the actions that the true believer has done will glorify the Father at the same time as well. The Father Himself will be happy to do all that work in the name of the beloved Son of God.
This verse confirms the Trinity of God; when you ask the beloved Son of God for something, the Holy Spirit also will take that request to the Father, and the beloved Son of God will do according to the Father’s will.
14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do.
When the verse has told, “ask anything,” if that asking is not against the will of the Father, the beloved Son of God will do it according to the purpose and the faith of the person who asks and receives.
Whatever you ask, if it is not against the Holy Word, the Father will also listen to that. However, the majority of people also interpret the meaning of the Holy Word according to their own understanding. But, if you did not ask the Holy Spirit to guide the meaning of the Holy Word for yourself, you would not feel that what you ask is against the Father’s will or not.
Therefore, we know the Lord when we understand the work that the beloved Son of God came to do on earth and when we believe and meditate in His word. Furthermore, when we look at the cross, we see the beloved Son of God Himself if we believe that the Lord Jesus died for the sins of the world and shed His blood for us on the cross of Calvary. However, we cannot put any human image to represent the Lord Jesus’ death on the cross; we cannot know Him by looking at a human image on a cross; we can know the Lord only by His suffering on the cross and His shed blood for our sins; the cross must be only a remembrance of the suffering of our Lord for the sins of the world; so, we cannot put human images of any kind depicting our Lord Jesus or worship the cross. However, some people today have exchanged the glory of God for a human image, following the evil deeds of the past when they exchanged the glory of God for an ox that eats grass (Psalm 106:20).
How Does the Lord Write His Law in Our Hearts?
Finally, we must understand Jeremiah’s prophesy, which says, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it.” After the Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He sent the promise from the Father, the Holy Spirit, into the world to be with us and guide us. A faithful follower of the Lord Jesus must believe in the Trinity of God and acknowledge all Three Persons of the Trinity; they must have faith in the Lord Jesus and believe in the Holy Spirit baptism and personally invite the Holy Spirit to be the guide of their faith. A true believer must make a distinguish between the water baptism and the Holy Spirit baptism and must believe that the Holy Spirit baptism is a separate experience, apart from the water baptism: a true believer must baptize in water by immersion and believe in the Holy Spirit baptism and seek the Holy Spirit baptism from the deep of their hearts (see our articles, Water Baptism for a Christian and Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian). Then, we are responsible for seeking the Holy Spirit’s baptism and praying for understanding of the Word of God, so indeed, we can truly find the law of God in our hears as the prophecy says, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it.”
There are many passages in the Gospels where the Lord Jesus teaches about the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, and His role in our lives. However, here we comment on John 14:25-26 (see also our article: Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian).
25 These I have talked to you, remaining alongside you.
During the Lord Jesus’ speaking of the Word, the disciples benefited, but at the same time, His Word would be recorded in the Holy Bible, benefiting all humans as well, not just the disciples of that time.
The beloved Son of God does not have much time to be with the humans on earth; the Holy Word that the beloved Son has given in the Holy Bible during the time He spent as a human on earth will remind all humans how much God loves them. The Father has created all humans and loves them, and He loves them so much until the point that He has sent His begotten Son to save them. So, while the Holy Word is still with us on earth, read and meditate on the Holy Word before the dark will rise up again and put an order for humans not to spread the Holy Word anymore. So, all people should be aware of the dark side activity; when you see them attacking the Holy Word, be aware that the time is close for them to persecute all true believers left over on earth.
26 However, the Intercessor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Other verses to check: Romans 8:9-10, Romans 8:34, Romans 8:26-27, John 17:9-11, John 17:20-21, Romans 8:36-39, Acts 16:6-7, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 3:19-21.
As the verse has told to all true believers, the Holy Spirit will be given to you under the name of the beloved Son of God; all that have asked of Him will be filled with the Holy Spirit in their soul because the Father loves the beloved Son, and He will do according to what the beloved Son of God is asking Him for that true believer.
“… He will teach you all things.” When you read and meditate on the Holy Bible, ask for the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to be your teacher to give you the understanding, and then you will get the right understanding of the Holy Word. Humans alone cannot understand all the Holy Word because the Holy Word does not tell about the physical earth itself alone, but also tells us about spiritual things and life; the things humans cannot see and understand without the help of the Holy Spirit, and that is why everyone who reads the Holy Bible must ask the help.
“… and will bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The Holy Bible may be small, but the Holy Bible has compacted all knowledge about the unseen things and seen things. Humans will not be able to remember all that the Bible has told; for a human to be able to remember the Holy Word, it needs help from the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father, and He will bring all the teachings to your remembrance to guide your life on this earth and lead the soul to the unseen world; the soul itself needs the guidance from the Holy Bible, and the Holy Spirit will help the soul to remember all the teachings.
The verse has told not only for the disciple in that time alone, but the Holy Word will guide the whole world after as well; the disciples have received the Holy Word and put it down, and what the disciples have put down is from the Father Himself, and that will be the true living word for the next generations to come.
Furthermore, after the Lord Jesus’ ascension to the Father, He sent indeed the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-4, we witness the miraculous coming of the Holy Spirit to earth upon humans with mighty power and mighty signs.
1 And in the day of Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
“... they were all together in one place.” When believers join together in faith, the mighty work will happen.
“And suddenly came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind.” The Lord has created everything; as it is written, no one knows where the wind comes from and where it will go, and here in this place, the Lord comes with the mighty wind. See Comments John 3:8.
“And it filled all the house where they were sitting.” When the wind filled up the place, all those who were in it were covered with the wind; the Lord would use everyone to do the work.
3 And there appeared to them tongues parting asunder, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them.
“And there appeared to them tongues parting asunder, as of fire.” Let all readers pay attention to what the mighty work the Lord performed here. When the fire comes upon a person, that person has received a gift. A special gift from the Father has been revealed here.
“And it sat upon each one of them.” The blessing from the Lord is unlimited; as many people gather, the blessing is enough for all.
Note: The human eye could see the shape of fire leaping above each person; this miracle strengthened the person who received this gift.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Give attention to what the word says: all, not part, but all were filled with the gift from the Father.
“And began to speak in other tongues.” Here, it confirms the sign of the gift: when you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, the gift of other tongues also will be there. And this also shows humans that the will of the Lord has been spoken out for all to know.
Q: What type of tongues were given here as the sign of the baptism with the Holy Spirit? A: Human language does not need interpretation, but the angelic language must be accompanied by interpretation. Here, the disciples spoke both angelic and human languages.
“As the Spirit was giving them utterance.” When the will of the Lord has been proclaimed, understanding will also come. When the word says, “giving them utterance,” that means they spoke in angelic languages and then translated into various human languages as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Here, utterance means a spoken word about the work of God.
Therefore, the only way the Lord God can write His law in our hearts is by the Holy Spirit, which is the Third Person of the Trinity and is present on earth to testify about the salvation work accomplished by the beloved Son of God, the Lord Jesus. And for us to know the law of God, we must believe in the Lord Jesus’ work on the cross, surrender to Him, and seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit in His name.
Conclusions
In conclusion, since there is no other name under the heaven by which we can be saved if not the name of the Lord Jesus, to understand the new covenant, to know the Lord, and to find His law written in our hearts, we must believe in the Lord Jesus as the Savior of our souls and we must want to serve Him. But, before all things, we must confess our sins, ask for forgiveness from the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus, and invite the Lord into our hearts to be with us and help us grow in our faith so we can do great works in the name of our Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit; not by our power and our mind and own spirit but by the mercy of the Father through the blessed Holy Spirit living in us. However, to complete the salvation seal of our souls and be ready for work, we must baptize in water through immersion in the name of the Father, Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, then believe in the person of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity and that the Lord Jesus sent His promise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit to all those that call upon His name and we should seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit to complete the seal of the salvation of our souls; furthermore, we must live the life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit daily by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
Meditation Tasks:
- Meditate on the new covenant and what it means for us. Find the Bible passages that talk about the new covenant.