"Covenant relationship"
And he said to them, "This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. (Mark 14:24 NLT)
Jesus here is celebrating the Passover with his disciples. But this Passover is different than every other Passover that has ever been celebrated. Instead of a lamb being sacrificed for the people's freedom, Jesus is laying down his life. Instead of unleavened bread, Jesus is giving his body. And instead of the blood of an animal it's the blood of God that is being shed. And it's this blood that is the promise of a new covenant. All things have become new in Christ.
The covenant that Jesus is establishing is a new covenant in his blood. But God has always been in covenant with his people. He has always chosen a people to love & set his grace on.
The New Testament is not the arrival of grace. God has always saved his people by grace through faith. Old Testament saints were not saved by keeping the law but by the grace of God.
And so we are kept in the same covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. Even thought they were a mess God's grace endured in their lives. And this is great news for us. That God's covenant love endures for us not based on our performance but on his grace.
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