Riff's Christian Journal

A Layman's View Of Christian Theology

Posts Tagged ‘Israel

Why The Need For A New Covenant


April 28, 2026

Hebrews 8:7 KJV

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

It would be easy to say that the first (Old Covenant) was a failure because it was based on the will of man, but I believe scripture explains what happened better than my simple words would say. The sad thing is that many Christians do not know nor understand “Why” there was a need for a New Covenant. Scripture speaks about it quite well.

Read these verses from the letter to the Hebrews; author unknown.

Hebrews 8:8-13 KJV

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: 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.

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: 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. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A New Covenant, he hath made the first obsolete. Now that which Is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone and depended on the will of man in being obedient to them. However, man (Israel” failed in their obedience and God disregarded them.. The New Covenant is written into our heart and placed into our mind, and is depended on the will of God.

This action of God made the Old Covenant obsolete and was allowed to vanish away, because of man’s failure of his own will in being obedient to the Covenant.

Now, as for the Israel, of whom God spoke, these verses from Romans 9 will explain who is this Israel.

Romans 9:6-8 KJV

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

So, who are the children of the promise that has become the Israel of Romans 9 and Hebrews 8? One simple verse from Galatians 4 explains quite simply.

Galatians 4:28 KJV

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

You see, the true Israel of God are us, the children (Christian’s) of God. We are the true Israel upon whose hearts are written the Law by God Himself. He saves us, teaches and guides us by working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, and keeps us saved for eternity.

The Old Covenant, based on man’s will to be obedient, was a failure. The New Covenant, based on God’s will, succeeds in doing what man could never do.

For by the Grace of God are we saved and kept saved. If it were not for this New Covenant about the Gospel of Grace based on the will of God, not by man’s will, and established by Jesus, no one would be saved. Thank God He does.

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Written by Glenn C. Riffey

May 3, 2026 at 6:00 am

The Blessing Of Abraham… Who Is It For?


So many times we have heard about the blessing given to Abraham. And the tag given to it is that this applies to the Jewish people. But, does it really apply to them?

Here is the blessing as found in Genesis 12:

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

From this one verse it is said that this is talking about the people of Israel and that those who bless Israel they will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. However, does this really apply to the Jewish people?

Let’s look at some other verses to see what the Bible says about it. What we need to find is a “key”. It needs to be a word or a verse that can tie all of this together.

First, let us look at Genesis 22: 17 – 18. God is talking to Abraham…

“Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Next, in Genesis 26: 3 – 5, we find the God talking with Isaac and He tells him…

Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your
descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to
Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of
heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My
voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Lastly, we look at Genesis 28: 13 – 14 and now we see God talking with Jacob and telling him basically the same as what He told Abraham and Isaac…

And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham
your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you
and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth;
you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south;
and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

In all three of these verses God has made two promises, and they are the same to all three of the men. The first one is “your descendants” and the second one is “your seed”. Now we need to ask the question – do these both refer to the same people?

It is safe to say that the promise made to “your descendants” would refer to the Jewish people. The literal people of Israel. However, the second promise being given to “your seed”, to whom does it refer.

Well, if we let the Bible give us an answer we will know what is the truth…

For the answer, let us first look at Galatians 3: 8 – 9. Here we first see who are those who will be blessed with Abraham:

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Then we can look at Galatians 3: 16 – 18. And this is the most important scripture verse that we need to read, for it tells us who is “the seed” in whom all of the families of the earth shall be blessed…

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to
seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,
who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four
hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed
before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance
is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

It is very clear that the “seed” through whom the promise would come is Jesus Himself. So, if Jesus is the “seed” which God tells Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through whom the blessing will come, then it stands to reason, and it is very clear, that the blessing is for the followers of Jesus. Namely all of the born again Christians who are followers of Jesus.

For support verses on this, let us first look at Romans 9: 6 – 9 and we will see something very interesting…

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Now, if the children of the flesh, that is the direct descendants are not the children of God, then who is? Well, once again the Bible gives us a very clear answer. In Galatians 4: 28 we read the following:

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

You see, it is the children of God, the born again believers of Jesus who are the children of the promise. It is Christians about whom God is referring when He gave Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the promise that…

in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

If you think about it you will see the truth and it makes great sense. God’s people are Christians, the followers of Jesus. It is through them that all of the families of the earth are blessed and it is the Christians that the promise belongs. And when God says, “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It is the Christians about whom He is talking.

If one blesses the Christians they will be blessed and if someone curses Christians it is they who will be cursed. It is through Jesus and the born again believers in Jesus through whom the families of the earth are blessed. It is through Jesus and the born again believers in Jesus that the blessings and the curses come.

Now, I can see some of you not wanting to believe this. But if you will just go back through and read the verses that I’ve quoted, the verses that talk about this, there is no way you can arrive at a different conclusion. Don’t let anyone, not even what I’ve been saying, make the decision for you. Read the verses for yourself and pray that God will give you insight to them.

God has said, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” The seed, according to scripture is Jesus and the children of the promise (the blessings and the curses) are the Christians, as we have read in Galatians.

So now you have to ask yourself this question. According to the Bible who is it through whom all of the families of the earth will be blessed? And second, according to the Bible, who are the children of the promise?

As we have seen, according to Scripture, the answers are Jesus and the born again believers of Jesus who we call Christians.

Written by Glenn C. Riffey

September 2, 2012 at 8:01 pm