John 17:3 states: "This is eternal life that that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." The nature of eternal life is a relationship.
We have eternal life because we have a new covenant based upon the gracious sacrifice of Yeshua/Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. But what does that mean? George Mendenhall and Gary Herion, in the Anchor Bible Dictionary, defined a covenant as "an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both make promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance."1
From this definition one can establish two principles: First, The people of God have a responsibility which scripture defined. Second, The nature of the covenant, initiated and completed by Yahweh God, forms the foundation upon which we can enter a relationship.
Why do we have a new covenant? Jeremiah prophesied the passing away of the old covenant established at Mount Sinai due to the failure of people to follow it. (Jeremiah 31:32). We are all sinners and in the same position of failure to follow God's instructions. (1 John 3:4) We need a change of heart, mind, will, emotion, and being to facilitate a change of heart. (Ephesians 4:21-24)
A person who enters the new covenant incurs a responsibility because God's name now calls them His own. (1 John 3:1) Jeremiah stated that the new covenant would consist of "My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it." The word "Law" here is (תּוֹרָה Torah). The word Torah more fully translated, indicates a teaching, principle, instruction, custom but can also be rendered law. Simply put, rather than writing His commandments on stones for a person to try to keep them the best one can, God has sent the Holy Spirit to place His instructions into the very innermost being of who we are. This act of God requires a response from the believer and results in the transformation of the life of the follower of Yeshua/Jesus.
The sacrifice of Jesus/Yeshua is the foundation for this. We cannot and do not, on our own accord, live according to the principles and teachings of God. We need a savior. John 1:12 stated: "To as many as received Him He gave the authority to become Children of God, that is to those who believe in His Name."
Seek God, accept His sacrifice, and trust in His name above all other names. But then the follower of Yeshua must live according to the principles which He taught.
The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Je 31:33.
- George E. Mendenhall and Gary A. Herion, “Covenant,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 1179
