This coming Sunday morning we are going to be introduced to one of the greatest themes to be found in the Bible. It is a theme, or a single word, that has compressed within it the whole story of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation. If someone outside of faith in Christ were to ask you what the Bible is really all about in the simplest of terms, this would surely be one of the answers you would give.

Now, we are all very familiar with other key themes of the Word of God, or topics related to the plan of salvation. We know about subjects such as redemption, grace, and reconciliation. And we could say most accurately of any of these that the Bible is all about redemption, or all about grace, or all about reconciliation.

The one-word theme we will encounter in Hebrews 8:6-13 is not as familiar to a good many of us. But as we make our way reading through this text, we see it used seven times in the span of eight verses! The first of these is found in verse 6:

“ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

Well, of course, the term I am referring to is “ covenant.”

In our sermon passage, the author will compare and contrast the “ first covenant” with the “ second,” or “ new covenant.” This raises some questions that we will try and answer on Sunday: First, what is a “ covenant” anyway? Second, what is the “ first” one, and what is the “ second” one? And then, why does the author of Hebrews want us to know so much about these covenants, and how is this important for us as New Testament Christians?