God’s Plan of Salvation: 2 | Solid Rock Centre Dublin

The promise of the New Covenant

The New Covenant in Christ was with God, waiting for the fullness of time. This is why Christ is “The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.”

God also gave his promise of the New Covenant through Abraham. ( See Genesis 15). God made promise to Abraham saying “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir”. God was speaking to the incarnation of Christ who was born through the “bowels” (womb) of Mary without the seed of a man. God also promised that Abraham’s seed would inherit the promised land, the land of the Gentiles. According to Galatians 3:16 this seed is Christ.

“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” Galatians‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Psalm 2 (which is quoted by the writer of Hebrews in Chapter 1:5) also alludes to Christ being the begotten son, heir of the Gentile nations and heir of all the earth:

““Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2:6-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In Genesis 15 which we referred to above, it is said that Abraham believed the word of God and God accounted it to him for righteousness. The righteousness of faith is something which only came with the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. God confirmed his covenant with Abraham by putting him in a deep sleep, then God (as the furnace of fire) passed through the cut pieces of the sacrifice. By this God was making the New Covenant wholly dependant on himself, God uttered the decrees and swore to Abraham concerning things to come. All Abraham had to do was believe – he received the promises while asleep. Interestingly our salvation only came through the “sleep” meaning the death of Christ; and all we have to do is believe in him that died. Through Christ we are children of Abraham by faith.

In Genesis 17, God promised Abram that he was going to multiply him exceedingly and make him the father of many nations. Abraham’s name had to be changed from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude). The transition from Exalted Father to Fatther of a Multitude was fulfilled when Christ (who is equal to God in authority and in power) veiled his heavenly glory and came down to earth in a body of human flesh in order to accomplish his death on the cross. By his death he qualified to be the founder of eternal salvation and the father of many nations.

God proceeded to lay down that which he wanted Abraham and his generations after him to do as a sign of the Covenant of God that was on them. He gave them the rite of circumcision which we shall explore further in the parts 3 and 4