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Based on the fact that Jeremiah prophesies concerning the new covenant, the book of Jeremiah may be considered an Old Testament book that is also a New Testament book; we need to see and appropriate the contents of the new covenant as God’s bequests to us—Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-12:
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In the new covenant four blessings are promised:
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Propitiation for our unrighteousnesses and the forgetting (forgiveness) of our sins—v. 12.
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The imparting of the law of life by the imparting of the divine life into us—v. 10a.
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The privilege of having God as our God and of being His people—v. 10b.
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The function of life that enables us to know Him in the inward way of life—v. 11.
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Since forgiveness of sins is only a procedure by which to achieve God’s purpose, this Scripture puts forgiveness of sins at the very end; however, according to our spiritual experience, we first obtain the cleansing that comes from forgiveness; then we enjoy God as the law of life, become God’s people in the law of life, and possess a deeper knowledge of God in an inward way—cf. v. 12.
Morning Nourishment
Jer. 31:33-34 But this is the covenant which I will make…after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law in their inward parts and write it upon their hearts….And they will no longer teach, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for all of them will know Me…, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.In the new covenant four blessings are promised: (1) propitiation for our unrighteousnesses and the forgetting (forgiveness) of our sins (Heb. 8:12); (2) the imparting of the law of life by the imparting of the divine life into us (v. 10a); (3) the privilege of having God as our God and of being His people—the divine life’s enabling us to participate in the enjoyment of God in fellowship with Him (v. 10b); and (4) the function of life that enables us to know Him in the inward way of life (v. 11). According to the covenant that God consummated, these four blessings are His promise. But according to the testament that the Lord bequeathed to us, they are His bequests. (Heb. 8:12, footnote 1)
Today’s Reading
We will now look specifically at the characteristics of the content of the new covenant….According to Hebrews 8:10-12 the contents of the new covenant include three major parts. According to God’s eternal purpose, He first imparted His life and power into us; then He became our God in the law of life that we might be His people in the law of life, that we might have a deeper knowledge of Him, and that we might live Him out through us. Since forgiveness of sins is only a procedure by which to achieve His purpose, this Scripture puts forgiveness of sins at the very end. However, according to our spiritual experience, we first obtain cleansing, that is, the cleansing that comes from forgiveness, then we become God’s people in the law of life, and then we possess a deeper knowledge of God in an inward way.Now let us look at the matter of forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 8:10 and 11 form one continuous thought, and verse 12 is another start. Notice the word for in verse 12. It says, “For I will be propitious to their unrighteousnesses, and their sins I shall by no means remember anymore.” The word for shows us that God’s being propitious to our unrighteousnesses and no longer remembering our sins occurs before we receive the life. In other words, what is mentioned in verse 12 occurs before that which is mentioned in verses 10 and 11. For this reason the first thing to see is how our sins are forgiven and cleansed according to the covenant.
How regrettable it is that what God remembers we forget, and what God does not remember we continue to keep in mind! Some people keep thinking, “I have committed so many grievous sins—has God really forgiven them all? Does God really forget them?” Others think, “God has blotted out my sins, but the trace of the blot is still there. Whenever God sees it, He will again remember what kind of sinner I am.” Those who have such thoughts do not know what the new covenant is. Hence, they do not know how to enjoy the rights of the new covenant.
We must not forget that God’s forgiveness of our sins and no longer remembering our sins is the fulfillment of the first item in the new covenant….When God sees the blood of the Lord Jesus, He forgives our sins and by no means remembers them anymore. (Watchman Nee, The New Covenant, pp. 67, 72-73)
Today there are many who have believed in Christ, who have received the blessing of the new covenant, and yet are not aware of the content of the new covenant and what it accomplishes and produces. Therefore, we have the burden to emphasize the new covenant again and again. May we all see the new covenant and be fully occupied with it. (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 258)
Further Reading: Watchman Nee, The New Covenant, ch. 6; Life-study of Jeremiah, msg. 39