Everything in me cringed. I was visiting a new church and it new member Sunday. The pastor asked all the people to make a covenant to the church–a covenant to give, to invite people, to attend regularly and more.

What???!

That pastor knew nothing about covenant. Covenant also has two things: 1) Death and 2) Blood. A covenant is always established in blood. Kay Arthur has a great book about covenant (here).

Jesus here is instituting a new covenant. The promised new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

IF a man could leave a perfect life, he could give his life in exchange for someone else. The problem is that he could only save 1 man. Because that is the principle of life for life.

But IF God clothed himself as a man, then the one who was fully God and man, who lived sinless, could give his life for all humanity. But only if that man were fully God and fully man. And that happened in Jesus.

And since Jesus was resurrected and never died, the covenant is permanent. Eternal. Unchanging.

“he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever” (Heb 7:24).

Under the new covenant, we have one who died and bled, giving us the ability to join into that covenant. That covenant does not change as there is no longer any death.

And the covenant is the covenant for the forgiveness of sins.

“for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

We stand in the place of forgiveness under the new covenant. And it’s an eternal and permanent covenant. That’s the power of the blood of Jesus.