Two thousand years ago, God Jehovah came in the flesh as a son to save humankind. He was Jesus Christ. Jesus saved people by sacrificing Himself even to death. This can be compared to a kernel of wheat; when it dies, it sprouts, blooms, and produces a hundred or a thousand times more seeds than what was sown. Jesus established the New Covenant through His precious flesh and blood and opened the way of salvation.
Since the Old Testament times, God prophesied about the precious truth of the New Covenant through the prophets. Jesus used the Passover, the core of the New Covenant, to free His people who were enslaved to death.
The Covenant Established for the Forgiveness of Sins
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve died because they disobeyed God’s command by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Bible explains that this is the story of all humankind: Because human beings committed sins as did Adam and Eve, they were punished with death (Ro 3:9–10; 6:23). Humankind has become pitiful beings who cannot escape from sin and death by themselves (Ro 7:24). God showed compassion by establishing a law, a covenant, to give them the forgiveness of sins.
In the Old Testament times, God Jehovah chose the Israelites and gave them the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Through this, He established the law of the Old Covenant (Ex 34:28; Eze 20:10–12). In the Old Testament times, if an Israelite sinned, the law required them to sacrifice animals at the sanctuary. Through the shedding of blood on the altar of burnt offering, they were able to receive the forgiveness of their sins (Lev 4:1–35).
God Said He Would Establish a New Covenant
The Israelites constantly disobeyed God’s laws, and as a result, they were cursed and destroyed. Concerning this, Apostle Paul said, “The commandment actually brought death” (Ro 7:7–11).
When the people were put to death due to their disobedience, God Jehovah promised that He would establish a new covenant, through which people could receive life and become God’s people if they obeyed the new covenant.
“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them . . . This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time . . . I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jer 31:31–33
Jesus Christ Established the New Covenant
As prophesied through Jeremiah, God Jehovah came to the earth with the name of Jesus and established a new covenant through the Passover.
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” . . . In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Lk 22:15–20
Jesus established a new covenant with His blood. In the Old Testament times, people received the forgiveness of sins by shedding the blood of animals as a sin offering; however, in the New Testament times, people can receive the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ who is the reality of the Passover lamb (1 Co 5:7). Jesus clearly said that the wine of the New Covenant Passover is the blood of the covenant, which gives us the forgiveness of sins.
So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover . . . Then he took the cup, gave thanks . . . “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Mt 26:17–28
The Old Covenant law was established with the blood of animals. It was impossible for people to keep all the laws and receive the complete forgiveness of sins through it. So God gave the New Covenant which was established by the holy blood of Jesus. Through this law, anyone can freely receive the forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7).
Jesus Completely Forgives Sins Through the New Covenant
Apostle Paul wrote about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant as follows:
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Heb 8:7–8
The Israelites could not receive the complete forgiveness of sins and salvation through the first covenant; so Jesus established the New Covenant, the blameless and perfect truth that gives the forgiveness of sins. Jesus, who came to this earth to save humankind, had His disciples prepare the Passover and celebrated it as the New Covenant at the last moment of His life. He said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” and promised eternal life to humankind who was destined to die.
People cannot avoid death, regardless of how hard they work in this world. Jesus saved all people from the law of sin and death through the law of the Spirit of life, the Passover of the New Covenant (Ro 8:1–2). The Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt for a long time, were set free by keeping the Passover (Ex 12:1–14). Equivalently, God’s people are now freed from sin and death by keeping the Passover of the New Covenant and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.