This book defines the nature of covenant and shows through the Jewish prophets that it promises and new spirits as God inter-dwelled with man, extending to them remission of sin. In the first century the presence of Jesus as the reality and substance of the covenant meant that God's agreement with man was again renewed and reaffirmed, reaching its final development by embracing the Gentiles.
"And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and on her head was a crown of stars..."
Embodied in these words of John the Revelator is the lofty concept of a personage who represents all the Jewish faithful of old and believers in Christ throughout the ages - all enjoying the same gracious, saving relationship with God in the eternal covenant. This continuity is reflected in such concepts as kingdom, body, and church, as well as in Paul's olive tree in the 11th chapter of Romans.
This book begins by defining the nature of covenant, and follows with what it militates against: Rabbinic Judaism. As God in loving-kindness extended to Abraham the covenant, He promised man a covering for sin and a constant concern for his seed, forever. Through revelations to Moses, the covenant was extended to one people, the children of Israel.
By the time of David, the eternal covenant had been renewed and extended with the promise of the coming of the Anointed One. Prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel enlarged upon conventional concepts, promising the law in the heart and new hearts and spirits as God inter-dwelled with man, extending to him the remission of sin. Through Jeremiah and the New Testament author of Hebrews describe each of these covenantal terms as "new," they all indeed restated long-established concepts.
The presence of Christ as the reality and substance of the covenant and His one-time pleasing sacrifice mean that God's agreement with man now reached its final development by embracing the Gentiles.
Here is a fresh approach to a vital subject, one which the author considers "the marrow of all faith." As he aptly states, "God's people now enjoy the certainty of salvation because of the positive covenantal relationship. They have drunk of the water given by Christ, and it springs up into everlasting life,"
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