HEBREWS 8:1–13 — WHAT IS THE NEW COVENANT?
More than 600 years before Jesus came, God promised a new covenant. Why was it necessary, what makes it better, and what happened to the old covenant?
Introduction: God Had Promised Something Better
The writer of Hebrews has spent considerable time explaining why Jesus is greater than the priests who served under the Law of Moses.
Now he brings us to the central point of his argument.
Jesus is not simply another priest.
He is the High Priest of a better covenant.
That raises several questions.
Why was a new covenant necessary?
Was something wrong with the covenant God established through Moses?
Did God change His mind?
And what does the new covenant mean for Christians today?
Hebrews 8 answers these questions by returning to a remarkable promise God made through the prophet Jeremiah centuries before Christ.
The new covenant was not an emergency replacement for something God had failed to accomplish. It was part of the purpose He had already revealed.
Let's follow the writer's reasoning.
1. Jesus Is Our High Priest in Heaven — Hebrews 8:1–2
The writer begins:
Hebrews 8:1
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
The expression this is the sum means that the writer is bringing his argument to its central point.
Everything he has said about Christ's priesthood leads here.
We have such a High Priest.
Jesus is not waiting to become our High Priest at some future time.
He is already serving in that position.
And where is He?
At the right hand of God in heaven.
This is the position of authority and honor described in Psalm 110:1.
Hebrews 8:2 describes Jesus as a minister of the true sanctuary, established by the Lord rather than by human beings.
The earthly priests served in a sanctuary made by human hands.
Jesus ministers in God's heavenly presence.
Our High Priest is already where we ultimately hope to be—with God.
2. Why Does a Priest Need Something to Offer? — Hebrews 8:3
Hebrews 8:3
For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
A priest's work included presenting offerings to God.
If Jesus is our High Priest, what does He offer?
The writer does not fully answer that question in this verse.
He will explain it in Hebrews 9 and 10.
But we already know the direction of his argument.
Unlike the priests who repeatedly offered animal sacrifices, Jesus offered Himself.
Hebrews 7:27 has already said that He did this once.
His sacrifice was not one more offering in the old system.
It was the sacrifice toward which the earlier offerings pointed.
3. Jesus Was Not an Earthly Levitical Priest — Hebrews 8:4
The writer makes an important observation:
Hebrews 8:4
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.
Why could Jesus not serve as a priest under the Law of Moses?
Because He belonged to the tribe of Judah.
The Law assigned priestly service to Aaron's descendants from the tribe of Levi.
Hebrews 7:13–14 has already explained this.
Jesus did not qualify to serve as an Aaronic priest.
But that is not a problem.
He was never intended to become another Aaronic priest.
His priesthood is different.
It is the priesthood promised in Psalm 110:4, after the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus did not come to take a place within the old priesthood. He came to fulfill God's promise of a greater one.
4. The Earthly Sanctuary Was a Copy and Shadow — Hebrews 8:5
The writer describes the earthly priests as serving:
Hebrews 8:5
Unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.
He then recalls God's instruction to Moses concerning the tabernacle:
See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
This quotation comes from Exodus 25:40.
God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle according to the pattern He had shown him.
The tabernacle was not designed according to Moses' imagination.
It was established under God's direction.
But Hebrews calls it a copy and shadow of heavenly things.
What does that mean?
A shadow is real, but it is not the object that produces it.
The earthly sanctuary had a genuine purpose.
It taught Israel about God's holiness, the seriousness of sin, sacrifice, and the need for priestly mediation.
But it was not the final reality.
The writer is directing our attention beyond the earthly sanctuary to Christ's ministry in God's presence.
The earthly arrangement was important because of what it represented, not because it was God's final destination.
5. Jesus Mediates a Better Covenant — Hebrews 8:6
Now we reach one of the chapter's central statements.
Hebrews 8:6
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Notice the three descriptions.
Jesus has a more excellent ministry.
He mediates a better covenant.
That covenant is established upon better promises.
A mediator serves between parties.
Under the old covenant, Moses played a central role in communicating God's covenant to Israel, while the priests carried out their appointed ministry.
Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant.
His work provides what the former arrangement could not finally accomplish.
What makes the new covenant better?
The writer answers that question by quoting Jeremiah.
6. Why Was a New Covenant Needed? — Hebrews 8:7–8
Hebrews 8:7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
This statement requires careful reading.
Does it mean God made a mistake when He established the first covenant?
No.
The old covenant accomplished the purpose God assigned to it.
But it was not designed to provide the final and complete redemption accomplished through Jesus Christ.
The writer then says:
Hebrews 8:8
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Notice the words finding fault with them.
The people had failed to remain faithful to God's covenant.
But the larger argument also shows that the former covenant arrangement could not bring the people to the completeness made possible through Christ.
We must keep both truths in view.
Israel broke the covenant.
And the covenant itself was not intended to be God's final arrangement.
The new covenant would address the need for something greater.
7. Jeremiah Promised a New Covenant — Hebrews 8:8–9
The writer quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34.
Jeremiah ministered during the difficult years surrounding Judah's decline and Jerusalem's destruction.
The people had repeatedly broken God's covenant.
Yet God promised a new covenant.
Hebrews 8:9
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
The first covenant had been established when God brought Israel out of Egypt.
It was the covenant associated with Moses and Mount Sinai.
But the people did not continue faithfully in it.
God's promise through Jeremiah was remarkable.
He would establish a covenant not like the one made at Sinai.
This was not merely a promise to repair the old arrangement.
It was a promise of something new.
And God announced it centuries before Jesus came.
The new covenant was promised long before it was established through Christ.
8. God's Law Written on Hearts — Hebrews 8:10
Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
What does it mean for God's laws to be written on hearts?
It describes an inward relationship with God's will.
God's instruction is not merely something written on an external document.
It becomes part of the believer's thinking, desires, and way of life.
But we must be careful not to exaggerate the contrast.
God had always wanted His people to love Him sincerely.
Deuteronomy 6:5 commanded Israel to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength.
Deuteronomy 6:6 instructed them to keep God's words in their hearts.
So heartfelt obedience was not a completely new idea.
The difference lies in the promised covenant relationship and the work God would accomplish through Christ.
The new covenant is not simply another set of external regulations.
It brings believers into a relationship in which God's will is to shape their hearts and minds.
God does not merely want people to know His commands. He wants people who know Him and desire to follow Him.
9. "They Shall Be My People" — Hebrews 8:10
God promises:
I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
This language is familiar from the Old Testament.
God had already spoken of Israel as His people.
Therefore, the promise does not mean God had never previously enjoyed a relationship with human beings.
Rather, it describes the covenant relationship He would establish in a new and greater way.
The new covenant is not merely a religious institution.
It establishes a people who belong to God through the work of Jesus Christ.
Paul explains in Ephesians 2:11–22 that Gentiles who were formerly separated from Israel's covenant privileges are brought near through Christ.
Through Him, Jews and Gentiles can become one people.
God's saving purpose is not limited to preserving the former division between Israel and the nations.
Through Christ, God brings believers together as His people.
10. "They Shall All Know Me" — Hebrews 8:11
The promise continues:
Hebrews 8:11
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
What does this mean?
Does it mean Christians no longer need Bible teachers?
Obviously not.
The New Testament repeatedly describes teaching as an important part of Christian life.
Jesus commanded His disciples to teach others (Matthew 28:19–20).
The apostles taught Christians.
Churches were instructed to continue teaching.
So Hebrews 8:11 cannot mean that teaching becomes unnecessary.
Nor does it mean that no one under the old covenant personally knew God.
Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets clearly had genuine relationships with Him.
The point concerns the character of the new covenant community.
Under the old covenant, people belonged to the covenant nation through birth and circumcision. Not everyone born into that nation personally trusted and obeyed God.
The new covenant is different.
Those who belong to it are called to know God personally through Christ.
The promise describes a people whose relationship with God is not merely a matter of ancestry or national identity.
Knowing God is central to belonging to His new covenant people.
This does not mean every Christian possesses equal knowledge or maturity.
It means that knowing the Lord is a defining characteristic of the covenant relationship.
11. God Promises Complete Forgiveness — Hebrews 8:12
Now we reach the promise that lies at the heart of the new covenant.
Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
God promises mercy and forgiveness.
What does it mean that He will remember their sins no more?
It does not mean God loses His knowledge of past events.
It means He will no longer hold those forgiven sins against His people.
The old covenant provided sacrifices for sin.
But those sacrifices could not accomplish the final removal of sin that Christ's sacrifice would provide.
Hebrews 10:1–4 will explain that distinction in detail.
Jesus offered Himself once for all.
His sacrifice provides the basis for the forgiveness promised in Jeremiah.
Notice how the promises fit together.
God's law is written on hearts.
His people know Him.
And their sins are forgiven.
These are not unrelated blessings.
They belong to the covenant God established through Jesus Christ.
The new covenant rests upon the saving work of Jesus, not upon repeated animal sacrifices.
12. What Happened to the Old Covenant? — Hebrews 8:13
The writer concludes:
Hebrews 8:13
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
This is a remarkable argument.
The writer reasons from the word new.
When God promised a new covenant through Jeremiah, He was already indicating that the first covenant would not remain the final arrangement.
The writer says that God made the first covenant old by speaking of a new one.
His description of the old covenant as aging and approaching disappearance emphasizes that its appointed role was coming to an end.
We should notice what he does not say.
He does not say the Old Testament Scriptures have become useless.
In fact, his entire argument depends upon those Scriptures.
He quotes Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, and Jeremiah to explain Jesus Christ.
The distinction is between the covenant established through Moses and the Scriptures that reveal God's purposes.
Christians are not under the old covenant as their governing covenant.
But they should continue reading the Old Testament because it helps them understand the promises fulfilled through Christ.
The old covenant has been superseded. The Old Testament remains Scripture.
13. Did God Change His Mind?
Some might wonder whether the establishment of a new covenant means God abandoned His original plan.
But Jeremiah's prophecy shows otherwise.
God announced the new covenant centuries before Jesus came.
Psalm 110 had already spoken of a different priesthood.
The prophets had spoken of God's future saving work.
The new covenant was not an unexpected correction.
It belonged to God's unfolding purpose.
The Law, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the sanctuary all had important roles.
But they pointed toward something greater.
Jesus is the fulfillment of that purpose.
God did not replace the old covenant because He discovered that His plan had failed. He established the new covenant because His plan was reaching its intended fulfillment.
14. What Does This Mean for Christians Today?
Why should Christians study these distinctions?
Because Hebrews wants us to understand where our confidence belongs.
Our confidence is not in an earthly priesthood.
It is not in repeated animal sacrifices.
It is not in returning to the covenant established at Sinai.
Our confidence is in Jesus Christ.
He is our High Priest.
He is the mediator of the new covenant.
His sacrifice provides forgiveness.
And through Him, we can approach God.
This also helps us understand why the New Testament does not instruct Christians to restore the Levitical priesthood or resume animal sacrifices.
Hebrews presents Jesus as the fulfillment of what those arrangements anticipated.
Returning to them as though they could complete Christ's work would misunderstand the writer's argument.
We do not need to return to the shadow when God has provided the reality through His Son.
Conclusion: What Makes the New Covenant Better?
Hebrews 8 gives us several answers.
Jesus is our High Priest in heaven.
His ministry is greater than that of the earthly priests.
He mediates a better covenant.
God's will is written upon the hearts and minds of His people.
Belonging to God's people involves knowing Him through Christ.
And the new covenant provides the forgiveness promised through Jeremiah.
The first covenant served God's purpose.
But it was not intended to last forever.
God promised something greater, and He fulfilled that promise through Jesus Christ.
The new covenant is better because its mediator is better, its promises are better, and its provision for forgiveness rests upon the sufficient sacrifice of Christ.
That is why Hebrews continually directs our attention to Jesus.
Questions for Personal Study
Where does Hebrews 8 say Jesus is serving as our High Priest?
Why does the writer call the earthly sanctuary a copy and shadow?
What does it mean that Jesus mediates a better covenant?
Why did God promise a new covenant through Jeremiah?
How is God's law written on hearts different from merely possessing written commandments?
What does it mean that all members of the new covenant know the Lord?
How does the new covenant provide forgiveness?
What does Hebrews 8:13 teach about the old covenant?
Why is the Old Testament still important for Christians?
Continue Exploring Scripture
Read these passages alongside this study:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 — God's original promise of the new covenant.
Hebrews 7:11–28 — Why a different priesthood was necessary.
Hebrews 10:1–18 — Why Christ's sacrifice does not need to be repeated.
NEXT STUDY: HEBREWS 9 — WHY DID GOD GIVE THE TABERNACLE?
Why did God command Israel to build an earthly sanctuary, and what did its priests, furnishings, and sacrifices teach about Jesus Christ?
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