THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine Economy
Message Three—Four Dispensations and Eight Covenants in the Divine Economy
Scripture Reading: Rom. 5:14; John 1:17; Acts 3:20-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6; Gen. 2:8-9; 15-17; 3:8-21; 9:1-17; 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18; Exo. 20—23; Deut. 29—30; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20
I. After God created all things and mankind according to His eternal plan, His economy, God began His work on the man of His creation in order to accomplish the purpose of His eternal economy; this work can be divided into four dispensations: the dispensation of the patriarchs (the pre-law dispensation), the dispensation of law, the dispensation of grace, and the dispensation of the kingdom (the dispensation of righteousness)—Rom. 5:14; John. 1:17; Acts 3:20-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
A. The dispensation of the patriarchs was from Adam to Moses; this was the dispensation before the law; hence, it is also called the pre-law dispensation; in this dispensation, God’s work on man can be divided into the following—Rom. 5:14: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
1. That the created man might receive God as life—Gen. 2:8-9. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
2. That the fallen man might receive God’s redemption in Christ—Gen. 3:21. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
3. That the man who received God’s way of redemption might be accepted by him through the sacrifices—Heb. 11:4; Gen. 4:4. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
4. The second step of man’s fall—rejecting God’s way of redemption—4:3, 5a, 8, 17-22. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
5. That the man who received God’s redemption might call on the name of Jehovah—v. 26. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
6. That the man who was redeemed and who enjoyed God might walk and work with Him—5:24; 6:13-14. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
7. That the man who fell from God’s government might be governed by His own conscience—2:8, 15. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
8. The third step of man’s fall—disregarding the government of the conscience—6:5, 11-12. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
9. That the man who fell from the government of the conscience might be governed by man—9:6. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
10. The fourth step of man’s fall—worshipping idols and conspiring to rebel against God—11:3. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
11. Calling a new race and giving it the promise of grace—22:18a; Gal. 3:14, 16. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
12. Gaining the first part of the new race of the new creation—cf. Rev. 12:1. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 9)
B. God’s intention in setting up the dispensation of law according to His economy was to accomplish the following things through the law—John 1:17: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
1. To keep the chosen people in custody—10:1: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
a. God did not decree the law that His chosen people might keep it by themselves; rather, His intention was that they would satisfy the requirements of the law through the offerings, which typified Christ, and thereby be guarded. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
b. Through Moses God gave the law as the custodian of His chosen people, to guard them as the sheepfold guards the flock. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
2. To provide the chosen people with a child-conductor—Gal. 3:24: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
a. God caused the law to be the child-conductor of His chosen people in order to lead them to Christ. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
b. As the child-conductor of God’s chosen people, the law also led them to obtain God’s forgiveness through the offerings. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
c. The law also led the devout ones in the Old Testament to come before God to contact Him and thereby enjoy all His riches through the tabernacle and the temple, both of which typify Christ—John 1:14; 2:21. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
3. To cause the chosen people to have the knowledge of sin and of themselves—Rom. 3:20: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
a. The law was not in God’s original intention, nor was it God’s original ordination for man; it was added later along the way because of transgression—Rom. 5:20; Gal. 3:19. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
b. The function of God’s giving the law, on the negative side, was for man to have the knowledge of sin. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
c. Since the law causes man to have the knowledge of sin, it causes him to know himself and thereby sense his need of God’s grace. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
4. In the dispensation of law, not only were God’s chosen people guarded by the law, but Christ was brought in under law to the chosen people who waited for Him in that dispensation, and to those who would believe into Him in the coming dispensation—Luke 2:25. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
5. God obtained this group of people as the second part of the new race of the new creation—cf. Rev. 12:1. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 10)
C. When God determined that the purpose of decreeing the law had been attained and that the law had been used to its full extent, that is, at the fullness of the time, He became flesh, thus terminating the dispensation of law and inaugurating the dispensation of grace—Gal. 4:4: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
1. The dispensation of grace began with the Triune God becoming flesh in the Son—John 1:1, 14. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
2. The Triune God not only became flesh in the Son but also passed through human living in humanity. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
3. The Triune God passed through the death of the cross in humanity; He died on the cross to accomplish an all-inclusive death for all men and for everything that He redeemed—John 1:29; Rom. 8:3; 6:6; Heb. 2:14; Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:14-16; John 12:24. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
4. The Triune God was raised from among the dead with a resurrected body in humanity—Luke 16:9; Acts 13:33; 1 Cor. 16:4. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
5. Through resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit; then He breathed Himself into those who believed in Him to make them His members. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
6. The resurrected and glorified Christ being exalted in ascension—Acts 1:11; 5:31. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
7. Christ, who was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit and was glorified, after His exaltation in ascension, poured Himself out as the consummated Spirit of the Triune God, baptizing all His believers, who became His members, into one Body in the Spirit—2:33; 1 Cor. 12:13. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
8. Preaching to sinners the above seven items as the gospel—Luke 24:47; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Cor. 4:15; Matt. 4:23; 24:14. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
9. God is constituting all those who have believed into this gospel and are saved and regenerated to be the churches in different places—cf. Acts 8:1; 13:1; 1 Cor. 1:2. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
10. Obtaining the third part of the new race—cf. Rev. 12:1. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 11)
D. After the conclusion of the dispensation of grace, God will change for the last time the way of His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation; that is, He will set up His kingdom on the earth to carry out His administration and by His absolute righteousness bring to a conclusion the different kinds of people among the human race, that He may accomplish His work of the new creation in the old creation. This dispensation is called the dispensation of the kingdom—Rev. 11:15: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
1. In the first two dispensations, the dispensation of the patriarchs and the dispensation of law, God obtained a group of perfected just men, the overcomers in the Old Testament, who are able to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to participate in Christ’s kingship and joy—Matt. 8:11; Rev. 20:4, 6. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
2. In the dispensation of grace God is also gaining the overcoming believers in Christ, who will enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, becoming its main part, to be co-kings with Christ, ruling over the nations on the earth in the millennial kingdom—Rev. 2:26-27. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
3. When the dispensation of the kingdom comes, on the one hand, Christ will reward, according to righteousness, the overcoming believers in Christ, and on the other hand, He will perfect, according to righteousness, the immature believers in the New Testament, disciplining them that they may pursue maturity in life and come to perfection—Matt. 24:48-51; 25:26-30. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
4. At Christ’s second coming all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). They will be saved by repenting and calling on the Lord’s name through God’s pouring out of the Holy Spirit—Rom. 11:26; Zech. 12:10; Acts 2:18-21. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
5. Completing God’s work of the new creation on the man of the old creation—3:21. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 12)
II. In the entire Bible God made eight covenants with man: seven in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament—Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17; 3:8-21; 9:1-17; 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18; Ex. 20—23; Deut. 29—30; 2 Sam. 7:8-16: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
A. The first covenant which God made with man was a covenant that God made with the created man—Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
1. The One who made this covenant was Jehovah God, the One who always is and the mighty One who is faithful—Ex. 3:14-15; cf. Rev. 1:8. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
2. The one with whom the covenant was made was the created man who was without God’s life and without sin, but who had a spirit and a free will and who was assigned to dress and guard the garden of God. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
3. God made a covenant with him that by eating he should receive the tree of life, which signifies God as the source of life, so that God might enter into him to be joined and mingled with him, thus fulfilling God’s purpose in creating man; furthermore, God wanted man to reject the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which signifies Satan as the source of sin and death, lest Satan’s evil, poisonous element should enter into man, thus damaging the upright and pure man whom God created for His eternal purpose. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
4. Eventually, man acted contrary to God’s covenant and, having been deceived by the serpent (the Devil), ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus receiving Satan and having sin and death. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
5. Hence, man was driven out of the Garden of Eden and was kept away from the tree of life, that is, kept away by the cherubim, which signify God’s glory, by the flame, which signifies God’s holiness, and by the sword, which signifies God’s righteousness; it was not until the accomplishment of Christ’s redemption, which satisfied the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness, that the way to the tree of life was opened once again. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 1)
B. In the Old Testament, after man’s creation, God made the first covenant with man; after man’s fall He made the second covenant with man—Gen. 3:8-21: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
1. The one who made the covenant—Jehovah, He came to the place of fallen man, to seek and to call fallen man. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
2. The one with whom the covenant was made—fallen man: it was with such a man who transgressed God’s prohibition, who had sin and death, who had the knowledge of good and evil, and who knew his nakedness and made skirts of leaves to cover the shame. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
3. In this covenant God cursed the serpent, restricting it so that it would creep only on the earth and that it would eat dust during its entire life; He also promised that the seed of the woman, Christ, would come to bruise the serpent’s head, that is, to cause Satan’s death; finally, He required the woman to suffer in childbearing and to be ruled by the husband, and He required the man to labor and sweat until he should return to the ground so that fallen man, being restricted by suffering, would have security and protection and would turn to God to receive deliverance through the seed of the woman. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
4. Eventually, Adam believed in what was promised in God’s covenant and called his wife Eve, meaning “living” or “life;” by faith he also had the hope of life; then God made coats of skins for them that fallen sinners, having been justified by God through Christ, might be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
5. By faith Abel received God’s way of redemption, offering the sacrifice with the shedding of blood and being accepted by God; however, Cain refused God’s way of redemption, offering produce without the shedding of blood; rejected by God, he killed Abel his brother and was cast out of the presence of God, producing a culture that corrupted his descendants and that was judged by God. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 2)
C. After God judged the corrupt generation by the flood and saved Noah out of that generation, He made the third covenant with man—Gen. 9:1-17: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 3)
1. The contents of the covenant include the following items: man would be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, have dominion over all living creatures, and be allowed to eat animals for food but not to eat blood; and God would give man the authority over others to maintain the existence and order of the human race, promise to destroy the earth by a flood no more, and use the rainbow as a sign of His faithfulness in keeping the covenant. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 3)
2. The result was that the earth was preserved, that all living things were able to grow, and that man was able to multiply endlessly and fill the face of the earth; however, man abused the God-given authority to form nations, exalted himself to oppose God, fell into idolatry, and was scattered abroad by God upon the face of the earth; eventually, God was forced to give up the descendants of Noah, the created race of Adam. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 3)
D. When the descendants of Noah violated the covenant that God had made with Noah, forming nations to oppose God and eventually falling into idolatry at Babel, God came to call Abraham as the head of a new race and to make a covenant with him, the fourth covenant that God made with man—Gen. 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
1. God made a covenant with Abraham at six different times, the contents of which mainly included the following items: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
a. God would make him a great nation, and nations would be made of him and kings would come out of him—Gen. 17:6. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
b. God would bless him and make his name great—17:5. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
c. God would give the land of Canaan to him and to his seed for an eternal possession—17:8. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
d. God would cause Sarah, his wife, to bear a son, would multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and would make him the father of many nations and Sarah, a mother of nations—Gen. 17:15-16. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
e. God would give him the promise of grace that all the nations of the earth might be blessed in him and in his seed—22:18; Gal. 3:14. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
2. The result was that although he kept the covenant, he left the land of promise twice. Furthermore, the house of Jacob, his descendants, all left the land of promise and went down to Egypt, falling under the tyranny and bondage of Egypt—Exo. 5:9, 14, 17-18. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 4)
E. After God through Moses delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt’s oppression and slavery, He brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai, where He made a covenant with them, the fifth covenant that He made with man—Exo. 20—23: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 5)
1. The One who made this covenant was the God who redeemed the children of Israel; the One who set up the Passover to redeem the children of Israel; the One who delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand; the One who led the children of Israel through the wilderness with the heavenly and spiritual provision; the One who would lead and dwell among the children of Israel according to the way of His redemption and the grace of His promise—Exo. 14:5-9, 15-30; 16:14-35, 17:5-6. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 5)
2. The ones with whom the covenant was made—the children of Israel: those who had kept the Passover; those who had been delivered out of Egypt; those who had passed through the wilderness; those who did not know themselves—Ezek. 20:7-8; Exo. 14:10-12. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 5)
3. The basic content of this covenant is the law; God gave the law to the children of Israel as a covenant that He made with them and through which He also revealed Himself to them. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 5)
4. Before the covenant was consummated, the children of Israel, who were to receive the covenant, made a golden calf and worshipped it; moreover, after the consummation of the covenant, they disobeyed all the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the covenant throughout their generations; however, there were some just men who were perfected by God and who were kept and shut up by the covenant and were thus brought to the way of God’s redemption—Exo. 32:1-6. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 5)
F. Through Moses God brought the children of Israel to the east of Jordan, to the land of Moab, and before they went on to take the good land of Canaan, He made a covenant with them through Moses, the sixth covenant that God made with man—Deut. 29—30: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
1. The One who made the covenant is Jehovah God, the one who brought the children of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the one who led the children of Israel forty years through the wilderness, the one who was about to bring the children of Israel through the Jordan to take the good land of Canaan—Exo. 19:1-2; Dent. 8:15. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
2. The one with whom the covenant was made—a new generation of the children of Israel: the descendants of the old generation, who tempted God and were punished by God and strewn along in the wilderness; those whom the old generation considered a prey and too weak to enter Canaan; those who wandered in the wilderness and bore the whoredoms of the old generation forty years; those whom God would bring into the good land of Canaan—cf. Num. 14:28-31; 33-34; Deut. 1:39; 9:1, 3. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
3. The contents of the covenant: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
a. They were to keep the covenant that God made at mount Sinai and to love Jehovah God with all their heart and with all their soul—Deut. 30:9-10, 16, 20. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
b. If they would keep the words of the covenant and do them, they would live and be blessed—29:9; 30:16, 20. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
c. If they would disobey the word of the covenant, they would be cursed and scattered among all the nations—29:28; 30:1, 3. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
d. If they would repent and obey the words of the covenant, God would restore them—30:1-5. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
e. God would circumcise their heart to love Jehovah God with all their heart and with all their soul and to obey His voice—30: 6-10. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
4. The result of this covenant was that the new generation of the children of Israel, like their fathers, turned away from God through all their generations and disobeyed God’s covenant; they were cursed and suffered calamities; they have been carried away to the nations; until this day they still have not turned to God, who has been eagerly expecting their return; not until the coming again of the Lord Jesus will their whole house repent and be saved—2 Kings 17:20; Zech. 12:10-14; Rom. 11:26. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 6)
G. After the children of Israel entered into the good land of Canaan, and from the time that David became king and there was peace in the entire nation, David desired to build a holy temple for God. At that time God made a covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, the seventh covenant that God made with man—2 Sam. 7:8-16: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
1. The One who made this covenant is Jehovah of hosts, the Commander of all the host. This divine title was used beginning with the fall of the priesthood—7:8. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
2. The one with whom the covenant was made was David, a man after God’s heart and the one who prevailed against the enemies to become the king—1 Sam. 13:14, 22. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
3. The covenant which God made with David was included in the covenant which God made with Abraham; the former is a strengthening of the latter, especially in the aspect of the kingdom: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
a. God would be with him, would cut off all his enemies from before him, and would make him a great name—2 Sam. 7:9. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
b. God would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies—vv. 10-11a. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
c. God would make him a house—v. 11b. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
d. God would set up his seed after him and would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed—vv. 12, 13b. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
e. His seed would build a house for God’s name—1 Kings. 6:2; 10:23-24; Matt. 12:42. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
f. God would be a father to his seed, and his seed would be a son to God—2 Sam. 7:14. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
g. If His seed would commit iniquity, God would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed—vv. 14b-15. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
h. His house and His kingdom would be made sure before God, and his throne would be established forever—7:16. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
4. The result was that his son Solomon succeeded him to the throne and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, Solomon lusted after his foreign wives and followed them to worship idols, so that God was angry with him and tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, thus dividing the kingdom of Israel into two; when both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen, and his throne was suspended; when Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle that has fallen and will succeed to the throne to reign forever—1 Kings 1:39; 6:1; 11:12, 29-36; 9:11; Acts 15:16; Mark 11:10; Luke 1:32-33. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 7)
H. The preceding seven covenants were covenants that God made with man in the Old Testament; in the New Testament, through the death of the Lord Jesus, which accomplished redemption for all men, God made a covenant with all sinners, the eighth, and the last, covenant that God made with man—Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
1. The One who made the new covenant is the Lord Jesus Jesus is a wonderful name which means Jehovah the Savior, or the salvation of Jehovah; the One who made the new covenant is also God—Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8; Jer. 31:31. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
2. The ones with whom the covenant was made are all the sinners, who are the descendants of fallen Adam, sinners who must die; those who sin and do evil according to Satan, transgressors who deserve death; those who should perish under God’s condemnation—John 8:44; Rom. 3:23-24; 5:18. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
3. The nature of the covenant: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
a. This covenant is the new covenant; through the Lord Jesus, God made another covenant, the new covenant, with all sinners; this covenant is eternal, and it is eternally effective—Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13; 13:20. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
b. This covenant is also a better covenant; this better covenant was not only enacted upon better promises of a better law, the inner law of life, but also was consummated with Christ’s better sacrifices, and with the better blood of Christ—7:22; 8:6, 10-12; Heb. 9:23. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
4. The new covenant has been enacted upon better promises; these promises are given in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and are quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12 and in 10:16-17; the contents of the new covenant include the following four items: (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
a. The first item of the new covenant is that God will forgive the sins of all those who believe in Christ and will not remember their iniquities anymore—Heb. 8:12. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
b. The second item of the contents of the new covenant is that God will impart His laws into the minds of those who believe in Christ, and on their hearts He will inscribe them—v. 10. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
c. The third item of the contents of the new covenant is that God will be God to them and they will be a people to Him—v. 10b. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
d. The fourth item of the contents of the new covenant is that they all will know God and will not need anyone to teach them—v. 11. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)
5. The new covenant was consummated with Christ Himself as the better sacrifices and with His better and precious blood, causing the believers to have forgiveness of sins, the law of life, and a union with the Triune God in the Triune God. This is the ultimate issue of God’s making covenants with man throughout the generations—Eph. 1:7, 14; Rom. 8:2; Gal. 2:20. (Truth Lessons, Lev. 2, vol. 1, msg. 8)