The Realities of the New Covenant | Pastor Raph | Jun 15, 2025

The realities of the New Covenant

Paul stayed in Corinth, a cosmopolitan port city, for about a year and a half (Acts 18). 

It was in Corinth that Paul turned his focus to the Gentiles. He worked as a tentmaker alongside Aquila and Priscilla, supporting himself while teaching the Gospel.

A significant and diverse church was established in Corinth.

Recently, while traveling to India, a group of faithful and dedicated Christian ministers approached me, Pastor John Warton, seeking support. During our conversation, Pastor John Warton told me that BPN only invests in Christian ministers who aim to advance business as a ministry. We, as Vine Church, do the same, but it is directly linked to church planting. 

Paul devoted himself entirely to sharing the gospel with the Gentiles. This is significant because it can be difficult to understand that the Lord guides us in ways that may exclude certain individuals. However, this was true for Paul on several occasions. His choice inspired some to follow while others were left behind. 

One of the most challenging aspects of ministry as a pastor is our love for all brothers and sisters. However, for the sake of the church, some decisions may cause some to give up walking with us, which is always a great pain.

My comfort is the words that the Lord said then, and they are so real for me right now:

Acts 18:10 … for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Ministers of the New

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The first contrast Paul uses between the religious preaching and the message of the new covenant is that there is no neutrality.

One is Holy Spirit-filled, seasoned, empowered and life-giving. The other is like a written code, a bond, a legal charging document demanding instead of liberating. 

The word in Greek is γρἀμμα [grámma].

God made each one of us ministers of the New Covenant.

Romans 7:6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Just think of your story. You are a public display of God’s transformative love.

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The letter, the law, brings death because it proclaims God’s will without providing the strength to fulfill it.

Recently, I watched this old comedy movie called Analyze This. It’s about a tough mafia boss—like, really tough—who suddenly starts having panic attacks and ends up in therapy. Yep, therapy. Not exactly what you’d expect from a mobster. He convinces a very unwilling psychotherapist to help him, and as the movie unfolds with all the awkward, hilarious moments you’d expect, something deeper begins to surface. You start to realize… both the mob boss and the therapist are walking around with the same wound. Behind all their success, their tough fronts, their degrees, and their power—there’s this haunting question: Was my father proud of me? Neither of them really knows. And because of that, they both live with this low hum of failure, like they’re still trying to earn something they were never sure they had.

The comedy ends up revealing a very real, very raw truth—we all crave our father’s approval. It’s wired into us. That deep longing to know that Dad sees us, believes in us, and is proud of who we are. 

But here’s the liberating truth: through Jesus, that question is no longer a mystery. We don’t have to guess, doubt, or earn our Father’s approval. Jesus satisfied the Father’s heart on our behalf. He didn’t just die for our sins—He opened the way for us to hear the most healing words we could ever receive: 

“You are my beloved child, and in you, I am well pleased.” That’s not a someday hope. That’s today’s reality. Because of Jesus, we can run—not crawl—into the arms of our Heavenly Father with full confidence, knowing we are seen, known, and deeply loved.

What is the New Covenant?

Sometimes, the best way to understand the new is to consider the contrasting aspects of the old. And that is what Paul does.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 

2 Corinthians 3:7 … the ministry of death …

vs.

the ministry of the Spirit…

2 Corinthians 3:9 the ministry of condemnation … 

vs.

the ministry of righteousness

Moses’ ministry is referred to as a ministry of death and condemnation.

Paul does not deny the glory of the law.

Hearing ethical and moral lessons has its glory and charm.

Where? In the deceiving understanding that our flesh, our self-reliance and effort can make a better version of ourselves.

Romans 7:10-12

The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Romans 8:3-4 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The law became obsolete, ineffective and powerless.

The way of God, the New Covenant, is the divine internal transformation made by the power of the Spirit.

It is the unmediated relationship with our Father. 

Using the terms of Hebrews 8, these are the realities of the New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:10-12 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

God internalizes His will in us. He changed our hearts, indwelling His thoughts with the Spirit. 

Paul draws on Ezekiel and Jeremiah, distinguishing external law (γράμμα) vs. internalized Spirit (πνεῦμα).

The GPS instead of the old maps

On a road trip, you can try to use a folded paper map—old-school, precise, filled with routes and rules for navigation. It requires constant unfolding and interpretation, and if you take a wrong turn, it takes serious effort to figure out where you went wrong and how to get back on track.

That’s the Old Covenant—it was accurate and valuable, but it depended entirely on your ability to read and follow it perfectly.

But God installed in your heart a real-time GPS system, powered not by a satellite system, but by heavenly directions. It recalculates every wrong turn, guiding you with a living voice saying, “Turn left,” “Recalculating,” “You’ve arrived.”

That’s the New Covenant—not abolishing direction, but fulfilling it.

It brings the same destination but does what the map could never do: it walks with you, speaks to you, and gets you there by grace, not effort.

Jesus didn’t throw away the map. He fulfilled every detail of it and gave you the indwelling voice of the Holy Spirit to guide you into the life the Law had always pointed to.

The New Covenant replaces external adherence with internal transformation, activated by faith.

Now it is about your trust in Jesus Christ. His death ratifies it. It fulfills the old covenant by achieving its intended moral standards and credits us with His righteousness.

The veil was removed.

Confident of the greater glory of the New Covenant, Paul states the remaining part of the chapter.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In 2 Corinthians 3, the terms "Moses," “The old covenant,” "The ministry of condemnation,” and "the ministry of death” all represent the same reality. They bring awareness of sin but do not transform the heart. This leads to condemnation and death because it relies on human effort and external law.

Paul also explains that if someone reads the Old Testament apart from the Holy Spirit and without faith in Christ, they will only see it from a natural, limited perspective. This results in a hardened mind and a spiritual veil over the heart.

The problem: they’re reading it in total darkness. No lamp. No flashlight. No sunlight. They might see the shape of the book, maybe feel the pages, even recognize a few words here and there if the moonlight hits just right. But the story? The message? The power? Completely missed. Only when the light of Christ is turned on—when someone turns to the Lord—is the veil removed. Christ is the lens, the light, and the meaning. Without Him, it’s like reading in the dark. 

Remember when Peter, James and John witnessed Moses and Elijah; they only saw the two major representatives of the Old Testament through the glory of Jesus' transfiguration. And you know what Jesus was talking about? 

Luke 9:30–31 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

He discussed the completed work of the cross, which is where our glory lies.

It is finished. 

Jesus achieved everything.

Now, it's time to embrace everything we can have in Christ.

Only through a relationship with Christ can someone truly understand and experience what Scripture points to.

2 Corinthians 3:6 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 

The new covenant, the ministry of the Spirit, life, freedom, and reconciliation, where only Christ is glorified.

How does transformation happen?

We are being transformed as we fix our eyes on Him—seeing His glory, love, and goodness.

How can someone see God's glory? One day, Moses saw God’s glory.

Israel had betrayed God by worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32). In response, God declared His justice and stated that He would not be among the people. Moses interceded for them, pleading with God not only for mercy and forgiveness but also for His ongoing presence to accompany them.

Moses stepped on the threshold of grace.

When the people deserved the least, Moses asked for God’s blessing. That is the scandal of grace.

God answers 

Exodus 33:17 And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

God releases favor and grace only for those bold enough to beleive.

Moses boldly asks to see, to behold God’s glory.

Exodus 33:18–19 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

God shows Moses His goodness, name, and merciful nature.

How are we transformed?

2 Corinthians 3:18 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Grace, undeserved, freely given.

His goodness is the transforming, glorious power.

His goodness, grace, and mercy reveal God's true glory. The more we look at Him, behold His glory, love, and goodness, the more we are being transformed from one measure to another, from one degree of glory to another.

Transformation is not our work; it is entirely the work of the Spirit. We are changed step by step, “from one degree of glory to another,” as we behold the Lord with unveiled faces.

Hebrews 12:2 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is the power of the new covenant: it brings true spiritual renewal, freedom, and the image of Christ being formed in us.