The Better Covenant
Grace doesn’t demand the climb—it provides the path.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
God has not merely improved the old way—He has replaced it entirely. The first covenant, built on law, had a divine purpose: to expose the need for righteousness and point sinners toward it. But it was never meant to impart life. Instead, it held up a mirror that reflected our inability to fulfill the law’s demands. As good and holy as it was, the law could never justify or sanctify.
That is why the Lord spoke of a coming day—a new covenant, not based on human ability but divine indwelling. This new covenant, mediated by Jesus Himself, doesn't just point to life—it delivers life. It doesn’t ask for performance to prove faithfulness; it grants the very presence of the Faithful One. The promises of grace are not conditional on our resolve, but anchored in Christ’s finished work.
This covenant is “better” not because we are better under it, but because He is. Jesus—our Mediator—is the better One, and the promises we now receive are as eternal and trustworthy as He is. We no longer relate to God based on what we can achieve, but based on what Christ has already done. Grace, not grit, is the foundation now.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I never asked you to perfect yourself through effort. That was the burden of the old covenant—a mirror to show your need, not a ladder to reach Me. But I have made a new way. I gave you My Son, not as a new lawgiver, but as the life-giver.
The covenant I made through Him is better because it is based not on your promises to Me, but on My promises to you. In Christ, you are justified apart from works. In Him, you are sanctified not by trying harder, but by trusting deeper. This covenant writes My laws on your heart, not on stone. It seals My Spirit within you, not commands upon you.
Do not return to the tutor once the Teacher has come. The law led you to Me, but now you are Mine. Let grace be your dwelling place. Let Me be your source, not your standard. My Son has mediated a covenant that cannot fail—because He cannot fail. Rest there.
You are not under law. You are under grace. And in grace, you are under Me.
Scriptures referenced: Hebrews 8:6–8; 1 Timothy 1:8–9; Galatians 2:16; Hebrews 7:19; Galatians 3:24; Romans 6:14; Hebrews 10:16
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like trading in a manual push mower for a self-propelled one. The old mower required your constant effort—every step powered by your own strength. But the new one carries its own power; your role is to simply guide it. You still move forward, but now the work is energized by something within it, not you. That’s the difference grace makes—it propels you.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You for ushering me into a better covenant—one that does not depend on my promises to You, but on Your unbreakable promises to me in Christ. I rejoice that I am no longer under the weight of performance but am carried by the grace of Your indwelling Spirit. I rest today in the finished work of Jesus, my Mediator, and delight in walking this new and living way You have opened. In Him, I have all I need.