Dr. Couch, what are your views on the new covenant? Is it the same as Miles Stanford?
ANSWER: I am not sure of his views but I can tell you the views that I know are not biblical and the one that is biblical.
Some believe (1) the church picks up the new
covenant forfeited by Israel. (2) Some believe the new covenant is now
fulfilled by the church. The correct view is that (3) the new covenant
(testament) was ratified by the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20) and that
the church now benefits by it but does not fulfill it. The new covenant
was promised to Israel in Jeremiah 31 starting with verse 31. It
contrasts with and replaces the Law, the Mosaic covenant.
The new covenant was launched in Acts 2 and
will not have to be launched again for Israel when the kingdom begins.
Christ ratified the covenant for Israel but the Jews did not come on the
stage and accept His sacrifice.
The apostle Paul makes it clear that for now
the church is the beneficiary of the new covenant and is responsible for
it. The church believers are the “deacons” of the new covenant. See 2
Corinthians 3:1-10.
Paul alludes to how we presently benefit by
the new covenant in the 2 Corinthians 3 passage and at least two other
references: He writes that true circumcision is “by the Spirit (the
Initiator of the new covenant), not by the letter (of the Mosaic Law)”
(Rom. 2:29). And he writes: “But now we have been released from the Law,
having died to that by which we were bound so that we serve in newness
of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter (the Mosaic Law)” (7:6).
In both of these passages Paul is alluding to the first reference of the
new covenant found in Jeremiah 31.
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
