Chapter 10 A Minister of the Gospel Is a Minister of the New Covenant

The Scripture says that the gospel is the new covenant. As it is written;

【Eph. 3:7】 「I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.」

【2Cor 3:6】 「He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant.」

Paul called himself a minister of the gospel and, on the other hand, a minister of the new covenant. And when he wrote to the church in Rome, he said;

【Rom 15:16】 「to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God」 And the Scripture says,

【Heb 9:15】 「For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant」

The Lord himself set the seal on the new covenant with the testimony saying “This cup is the new covenant in my blood’, while keeping the Passover.(lUKE 22:20) Both of the gospel and the new covenant are the teaching of Jesus which was given before His crucifixion. After the cross, the Lord never taught other truths or doctrines, but merely reiterated His teaching which was given before His crucifixion, saying “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded”.(Matt. 28:20)

By the way, the new covenant in Luke 22:20 is called the new commandment in John 13:34. But these two different words are the same one in content. Jesus’ mention about the new covenant was spoken at the Passover Supper(Luke 22:20), and the place where He mentioned the new commandment was also the same place(John 13:34).

There is only the word, new covenant in Luke, and no record of new commandment. On the other hand, there is only the word, new commandment in John, and no record of new covenant. It is because the two words have the same meaning actually.

As the covenant is called the commandment in Exo. 34:28, “And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant – the Ten Commandments”, the new covenant indicates the new commandment.

Some may think that the new covenant and the new commandment are different, because the cup(wine) is called the new covenant in Luke and to love one another is called the new commandment in John. But if we realize the principle of love Jesus has told, we will understand why the new covenant and the new commandment are the same one.

The Lord spoke at the Passover Sacrament:

【Luke 22:19-20】 「And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.」

When the members eat the flesh and blood of the Lord together, they become one body in the Lord, and come to love one another just as they love their own bodies. As it is written;

【1Cor 10:16-17】 「Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.」

How can anyone hate his body because he is one in the Lord? We cannot love one another due to our wickedness, but when we become one body in the Lord, we come to love one another as like my own body. Whenever we obey the new covenant which was given in the Last Supper of Passover, we become one body in the Lord, and by loving one another through the principle of the Passover new covenant, we can fulfill the new commandment also.