A covenant is a promise or agreement between two groups or people that usually includes responsibilities for each side. God made a covenant with the people of Israel through Moses and the giving of the law (Exodus 19–24). Later, God promised to establish a new covenant with his people (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Jesus started this new covenant (see Luke 22:19–20). He removes "the veil" of the old covenant (2 Corinthians 3:14). The apostle Paul uses the creation story from Genesis 1–2 to explain that the God of creation is also the God of "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 4:4–6; 5:17). God now reveals himself in Jesus Christ, who brings God close to us.
In the new covenant, God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Christ, is also our Father because he has spiritually adopted us (2 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 3:26–4:7). He is the faithful God whose Old Testament promises come true in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:18–22). He is the author of reconciliation. Christ became the way God reconciled the sinful world with himself (5:18–21). Jesus Christ became a human being (see 8:9). He released God’s saving power and righteousness to restore the relationship between God and the world.
Under the new covenant, God sends his Spirit to live among his people. The Spirit gives Christians life, freedom, and the ability to obey Christ (3:6, 17–18). The Spirit unites us to Christ and guarantees our complete salvation in the resurrection (1:22; 5:1–5). This is when Christians' mortal bodies will change into glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42–57). Paul fully explains this hope in 2 Corinthians 5:1–10. This will be the final result of the new covenant that God has made with his people.
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 9:1–17; 12:1–9; 15:1–21; Exodus 19:3–6; 2 Samuel 7:5–16; 1 Chronicles 10:13–14; Isaiah 59:20–21; 65:17–25; Jeremiah 2:1–3:10; 31:31–34; Matthew 26:27–29; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–32; 2 Corinthians 3:4–18; 4:4–6; Hebrews 8:6–13; 9:11–28; 10:1–25; 12:18–24