November 11, 2025 - Jeremiah 31:31-34 - "Christ the Mediator of a Better Covenant"

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

In this pivotal passage of the Old Testament, a message of hope shines through amidst judgment. The prophet foretells a coming day when the LORD will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Unlike the former covenant made when the LORD took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt—a covenant they broke—this new covenant is not a mere restoration of what was lost under the law. Rather, it is the Revelation of God’s eternal purpose fulfilled in His Son, the True Israel.

In the old covenant, the law was written on tablets of stone. It demanded obedience, yet such obedience could never be achieved by fallen man. Even Adam, though created upright, fell. His fall was necessary, for Christ had already been appointed as the last Adam—the One Who would fulfill all Righteousness on behalf of His people (1 Corinthians 15:45-47). The law required perfect obedience; Christ alone rendered it perfectly. In Him, every demand of the law is fully satisfied (Galatians 4:4-5). Thus, the new covenant does not abolish or lessen the law, but brings it to completion in the Perfect obedience of the LORD Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:17).

The LORD declares, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (v.33). This is the work of the Spirit in conversion. The Spirit takes and writes upon the heart that obedience which the law required. It is not the hand of man carving cold commandments upon stone, but the Hand of God engraving the Life and Love of Christ upon the heart. This is what it means to be born of God—to have Christ revealed in the inward parts. When the LORD says they shall no more teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD," He is revealing the nature of this new covenant. It is personal, Spiritual, and inward. The knowledge of God is not learned through outward ordinances or enforced by human instruction. It is the Revelation of Christ through the Gospel, the work of the Spirit opening blind eyes to behold Him. That is what true preaching is—a declaration of Christ, not a preaching of rules, regulations, laws, and conditions.

Many go back to the old law and try to mix grace and works, but “if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21). The new covenant leaves no room for human merit or boasting. It is all of Grace. It rests entirely upon the finished work of Christ. The LORD Himself declares, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah v.34). No law can do that. No mortal man’s obedience can accomplish it. This is the work of Christ the God/Man alone. At the cross, the debt was fully paid. There, in His death, Righteousness was established and sin was put away. From that moment, nothing remained but Righteousness for God to impute to His elect people. It was not accomplished when one believed it, nor when one saw it—it was accomplished at the cross. The new covenant is the covenant in His blood, shed for many (Matthew 26:28). It is the covenant of Grace, not of rules and regulations, not of do’s and don’ts, but of mercy obtained in Christ Jesus.

Here is hope for the true Israel—those chosen in Christ, redeemed by His blood, and indwelt by His Spirit. The covenant made in Him cannot be broken, for it rests not on man’s will but on God’s Purpose. In the face of judgment and condemnation, this promise stands: “They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them” (v.34). The LORD reveals Himself to elect sinners through the Gospel. He forgives their iniquity. He remembers their sins no more, because of Christ's work at the cross, (Hebrews 8:12).

This is the heart of the Gospel—the new covenant sealed in His blood. It is not written on stone, but on the heart. It is not upheld by the law, but sustained by Grace. It is not accomplished by man, but by Christ, the True Israel, Who perfectly fulfilled the law, bore its curse, and obtained eternal redemption and forgiveness for His people (Hebrews 9:12). All glory be to the LORD Jesus Christ, the Righteousness of His people and the Everlasting Seal of the new covenant.