ISRAEL, THE CHURCH, AND THE ETERNAL COVENANT •PART III
THE POSITION OF THE CHURCH
Although, as we have observed, this covenant is obviously future for Israel — “when I take away their sins”[1] — it is equally clear that the Church already participates in this very covenant. A glorious mystery has been revealed: Gentiles have unexpectedly become part of this people, fellow heirs and fellow citizens of the kingdom that will ultimately be restored to Israel.[2] We can only participate in this covenant because we are in the Beloved One.[3] Because we are in Christ, we are no longer under condemnation or under the dominion of the law of sin and death.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.[4]
Throughout history, the law became a stumbling stone for Israel. This excessive dependence upon external righteousness remains visible even today within many religious communities. Israel’s error was not the law itself, which is holy and good,[5] but the attempt to attain righteousness and salvation through the works of the law rather than through faith. Yet this tendency is not unique to Israel. The same principle of self-righteousness can become a stumbling stone even for those who are already within the new covenant. Whenever the Church trusts in the flesh, exalts itself over Israel, or denies God’s covenantal purposes for the Jewish people, it falls into the very error that caused Israel to stumble.
Paul writes concerning Israel:
Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone.[6]
But Paul also exhorts the Church not to place confidence in the flesh:
We had the sentence of death within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.[7]
Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?[8]
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.[9]
We must be careful not to stumble over the very essence of self-righteousness — trusting in human ability rather than in the grace of God. Otherwise, we return to the same position Israel occupied under the curse and judgment associated with covenantal disobedience. This is the unresolved crisis presently experienced by Israel. The nation remains under covenantal discipline until the day when it receives the new heart and the new Spirit promised by the prophets. Only then will Israel fully walk in obedience and experience the blessings of the covenant.
For the Church, however, the eternal covenant is already active because we are in Christ. The Spirit has already been given as the guarantee of the inheritance to come.[10] Nevertheless, for national Israel the covenant remains only partially realized until the nation corporately turns to Messiah.
This is precisely the meaning behind Peter’s appeal in the early chapters of Acts:
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.[11]
The eternal covenant appears to unfold progressively throughout redemptive history, moving through different stages toward its ultimate consummation. The unconditional promises given to Abraham and David form the foundation for the future salvation and sanctification of Israel. The old covenant was characterized by Israel’s inability to keep the commandments and therefore enjoy the conditional blessings associated with the Mosaic covenant. The new covenant, however, is characterized by certainty — the certainty that all Israel, once regenerated, will recognize the One whom they pierced[12] and will walk in obedience through the power of the same Spirit now dwelling within the sons and daughters of God. The new covenant is eternal because it existed in the heart of God before the foundation of the world and rests entirely upon His grace. If the covenant ultimately depended upon human ability, its purpose would never be fulfilled.
And the LORD said to Moses, “This people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them… and they will forsake me and break my covenant.”[13]
“The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.”[14]
Yet because the covenant is grounded in divine election and grace, its fulfillment is guaranteed. For the sake of His holy name, God Himself will accomplish every promise He has spoken.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
In what sense does the Church already participate in the new covenant while Israel still awaits its national fulfillment
How can the Church fall into the same error as Israel by placing confidence in the flesh?
Why is the new covenant described as eternal and grounded entirely in grace?
How does Acts 3 connect Israel’s repentance with the future restoration of all things?
FOOTNOTES
[1] Romans 11:26–27 (ESV)
[2] Ephesians 2:11–22; Romans 11:17–24
[3] Ephesians 1:6
[4] Romans 8:1–2 (ESV)
[5] Romans 7:12
[6] Romans 9:31–32 (ESV)
[7] 2 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)
[8] Galatians 3:3 (ESV)
[9] Philippians 3:3 (ESV)
[10] Ephesians 1:13–14
[11] Acts 3:19–21 (ESV)
[12] Zechariah 12:10
[13] Deuteronomy 31:16 (ESV)
[14] Isaiah 24:5 (ESV)
Paulo Maranatha serves as a pioneer in the Muslim world with his wife and children.