I've seen a lot of discussion of Old vs. New covenants, but feel like RENEWED covenant is not really referenced at all.
The terms
New Testament or
New Covenant are used in the Testimony of Yeshua portion of the English Bible in exactly nine places (
Matt 26:28;
Mark 14:24;
Luke 22:20;
1 Cor 11:25;
2 Cor 3:6;
Heb 8:8,
13;
9:15;
12:24), (With most of the Hebrews verses being italicized and added for translation rather than being in the original texts.)
In the Testimony of Yeshua, there are two Greek words for
new:
neos and
kainos, and each one has a different connotation.
Neos more often means “brand new or numerically new,” while
kainos means “renewed, refreshed or repaired or qualitatively new.” When you see the term
New Covenant or
New Testament used, in eight of nine time the authors use
kainos. Only in
Hebrews 12:24 is
neos used in reference to the
new covenant.
The Testimony of Yeshua’s preference over using the Greek word for
renewed over the word (brand)
new is exactly consistent with the author of the Epistle to the Hebrew’s usage of the word in
Hebrews 8:8, The author is here quoting directly from
Jeremiah 31:31.
Based on this linguistic evidence it seems that the terms
new testament or
new covenant should be more accurately translated as
renewed covenant instead of
new (as in
brand new) covenant. This was the preference of the apostolic writers, although, it can be clearly demonstrated from
Hebrews 12:24 that the term
new covenants is acceptable as well.
Thus the case would be made that the New Covenant renews the Old Covenant.
After all, the New Covenant is a separate and New Covenant. At the same time, it is a reworking or refreshing of the Old Covenant, but with two major additions: the blood of Yeshua to wash away the sins of his people once and for all, and the Set-Apart Spirit of Elohim who will write his laws on their hearts, so that they will not only want to obey them, but will have the internal spiritual power to do so.
In reality, Yeshua the Messiah is not really going to make a
brand new covenant with his people when he returns to marry his spiritual wife, which is the spiritual body of believers of whom he is the head. Instead, he will repair or renew the former covenants (plural, see
Eph 2:12) that ancient Israel broke and that many people are still breaking today by not keeping Yeshua’s Torah-commandments as they should (remember
John 14:15?). After all, there was nothing wrong with the covenants themselves. The problem was with the people—they failed to be faithful to the terms of that covenant to which they agreed as
Heb 8:8 states. Under the Renewed Covenant, the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants will be combined to make this new covenant or what the Bible also refers to as the Everlasting Covenant (
Jer 32:40;
Ezek 37:26) as well as the Covenant of Peace (
Ezek 37:26).
The fault was with Israel (it wasn’t with YHVH or his Torah-laws—the terms of the covenant), since they failed to keep the terms of the covenant to which they agreed at Mount Sinai. What did Elohim require of them? Simply this: faith in him and obedience to his laws. YHVH Elohim married Israel the first time at Mount Sinai, when they said, “I do” to Elohim three times (
Exod 19:8;
24:3,
7). However, they quickly broke their vows when they failed to remain faithful to Elohim and instead worshiped the golden calf (
Exod 32 cp.
Ezek 16:1–31).The renewed covenant that Jeremiah prophesied that Elohim would make with his people (
Jer 31:31,
33) will still have the Torah-law as the terms of the agreement, but this time, YHVH will pour out his Set-Apart Spirit onto his people to soften their hard hearts and write his laws on their hearts. This time, they will want to obey his laws. With Yeshua, the Messiah, the Living Torah-word of Elohim, living in their hearts through the power of Elohim’s Spirit, this time they will be an obedient wife to YHVH instead of a rebellious one. This bride will be made up of both Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Yeshua the Messiah, which Scriptures refers to as “the one new man” (
Eph 2:15) or as “the Israel of Elohim” (
Gal 6:16).
In
Ephesians 2:11–19, Paul talks about the Gentiles coming into a spiritual and covenantal relationship with the Elohim of Israel, becoming part of the nation of Israel, and being brought into a relationship with Elohim through the
covenants (plural) of Israel. What were these
covenants (plural)? This is the Torah Covenant, which can be subdivided into the Abrahamic and Mosaic (Sinaitic) Covenants, along with the New or Renewed Covenant, which the Tanakh refers to as the Everlasting Covenant (
Jer 32:40;
Ezek 37:26). The latter was prophesied about by Jeremiah, and came into reality during the time of Yeshua and the apostles. It is the New Covenant that is the spiritually renewed or refreshed Torah Covenant of old that becomes a reality in the lives of born-again, spiritually regenerated believers through a spiritual relationship with Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel. Paul makes this abundantly clear as he relates the Abrahamic Covenant subsection of the Torah Covenant to the salvation of the believer in his epistle to the Romans chapter four. Paul then references the Mosaic Covenant aspect of the Torah Covenant to the life of the believer when he clearly indicates that YHVH’s Torah-law is to be the standard of righteousness for the saints (see
Rom 3:31;
7:12,
14,
22;
13:8–10;
Act 24:14;
25:8 compare with
John 14:15 and
Matt 5:19).
So the New, Renewed Covenant is a both a new and separate covenant, yet at the same time, it is a renewed or refreshed form of the Torah Covenant made up of the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants. This time the covenant is sealed not with the blood of a sacrificed animal as was the case with the Mosaic Covenant (
Exod 24:5–6), but with the blood of Yeshua who once and for all paid for man’s sins (
Matt 26:27–28;
Heb 9:26,
28;
10:10,
12).
Moreover, those who come to faith in Yeshua are promised the gift of the Set-Apart Spirit to live inside of them, to write YHVH’s laws on their hearts, and to empower them to be a faithful bride and eventual wife of Yeshua as they remain faithful and obedient to him and love him by keeping his Torah-commandments (
John 14:12).
There can be arguments made whether this New Renewed covenant is fully in affect now, or if it will not fully be so until Yeshua returns. This new renewed covenant being like the Abrahamic covenant which had a delay in being promised and fulfilled completely. Furthermore, the original Mosaic Covenant was bilateral (had the approval of both parties) but the renewed covenant is mono-lateral (similar to Abrahamic). In other words, a Yahweh only Covenant, who freely offers the renewed Covenant to all that are willing to accept it and keep it, everyone under the same terms.
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