新約The New Covenant
譯者/校對者:Maria Marta/誠之
「看哪！日子快到（這是耶和華的宣告），我要與以色列家和猶大家訂立新的約。這新約不像從前我拉他們祖先的手，領他們出埃及地的日子，與他們所立的約；」（耶三十一31-32a）
-----耶利米書三十一31-40
有鑒於古代以色列人的罪-----畢竟， 在舊約被設立時，百姓違背了這盟約（出三十二）——人們很自然地想知道耶利米書光榮恢復的應許是如何，和在什麽地方會得到應驗。在今天的經文中可以找到耶利米的答案。上帝會設立一個帶來恢復的「新約」----由我們的主耶稣來創立（路二十二20）。
確定這盟約的新樣（newness）並不容易。然而，在透過摩西與以色列所立的舊約，與透過基督與以色列所立的新約之間，明顯地有一致的連續性。在耶利米書三十一31中，翻譯成「新」（new）的希伯來文可以指「全新」（brand new）或者「新版本」（new edition）的意思。當翻譯這詞的時候，被稱爲七十士譯本的舊約聖經的希臘文譯版中，使用kainos這希臘詞----是「新版本」的意思----而不是用neos----「全新」的意思。新約聖經同樣使用kainos，所以我們看到新約是舊約的新版本或者舊約的更新版本。因此，新約與舊約有很多共同之處。例如，舊約與新約都是由同一位上帝所設立（約五30–47），有相同的道德律（羅十三8–10），先是賜給猶太人，然後賜給外邦人（創十二1–3；羅一16）。
不過，新約與舊約也有差別。新約不像舊約那樣， 被絕大多數的古代以色列人違背了（耶三十一32）。新約群體作爲一個整體，將展現對新約的忠誠， 這是一個暗示，暗示這是舊約群體所缺乏的。上帝通過把律法寫在我們的心中，赦免我們的罪孽，不再記念我們的罪惡等作爲，使新約實現了（33–34節）。大衛知道赦免的祝福，並以律法爲樂，所以舊約信徒不是從來沒有享受過這樣的事（詩三十二1–2；四十8）。耶利米是說新約提供了這些祝福更大和更全面的經驗，上帝同在的大能，並保證上帝的赦免，在舊約底下這些赦免是不能賜給以色列的。希伯來書第九至十章發展了這個主題，說明舊約獻祭不能對付罪，只有基督的贖罪才能解決罪惡的問題，確保我們上帝的恩惠。在新約的治理下，父上帝向所有祈求祂的人提供了更加充分的聖靈能力（路十一13；約翰三34）。在舊約中看到的恩典是暫時的，今天我們看到的恩典更加清楚。
活在上帝的面光中（Coram Deo）
約翰加爾文寫道，「現在上帝公開地向我們說話，可以說是面對面，而不是在帕子底下，如保羅對我們的教導，當說到摩西，當他出去以上帝的名與百姓說話時，用帕子蒙上自己的臉……。在福音底下……帕子被揭去，上帝以耶稣基督的面顯現給我們看。」新舊約都教導我們同一件事情----唯獨上帝的恩典拯救我們。但是新約展示上帝的愛的方式，在舊約中是看不到的。
延伸閱讀：
申四31；羅馬十一25–36；林後三；來八。
The
New Covenant
“Behold
the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made
with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of
Egypt” (vv. 31–32a).
-
Jeremiah 31:31–40
Given
the history of ancient Israel’s transgression—after all, the people violated
the old covenant while it was being established (Ex. 32)—the people naturally
wondered how the glorious restoration promised in Jeremiah 31:1–30 and
elsewhere could be accomplished. Jeremiah’s answer is found in today’s passage.
God would make a “new covenant” that would bring the restoration—a new covenant
inaugurated by Jesus our Lord (Luke 22:20).
Identifying
the newness of this covenant is not always easy. Clearly, however, there is an
essential continuity between the old covenant made with Israel through Moses
and the new covenant made with Israel through Christ. The Hebrew term
translated “new” in Jeremiah 31:31 can mean “brand new” or “new edition.” When
translating this term, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament
called the Septuagint used the Greek word kainos—“new edition”—and not
neos—“brand new.” The New Testament uses kainos as well, so we see that the new
covenant is a new edition or renewed version of the old covenant. Thus, the new
covenant has much in common with the old. For instance, both covenants are
instituted by the same God (John 5:30–47), have the same moral law (Rom.
13:8–10), and are for the Jew first, then the Gentile (Gen. 12:1–3; Rom. 1:16).
Still,
the new covenant also has differences from the old. The new covenant is unlike
the old covenant which was broken by the vast majority of ancient Israelites
(Jer. 31:32). This is a hint that the new covenant community as a whole will
exhibit a faithfulness to the new covenant that the old covenant community
lacked. God makes this happen by writing His law on our hearts, forgiving our
iniquity, and remembering our sin no more (vv. 33–34). David knew the blessing
of forgiveness and delighted in the law, so it is not that old covenant
believers never enjoyed such things (Ps. 32:1–2; 40:8). Jeremiah is rather
saying that the new covenant provides a greater and fuller experience of these
blessings, the presence of God’s power, and an assurance of divine pardon
unavailable to old covenant Israel. Hebrews 9–10 develops this theme,
explaining that the old covenant sacrifices could not deal with sin and that
only Christ’s atonement solves the problem of evil and assures us of God’s
favor. Under the new covenant administration, the Father also gives a fuller
measure of the Spirit’s power to all who ask of Him (Luke 11:13; John 3:34).
The Lord’s grace was seen provisionally under the old covenant. Today we see it
far more clearly.
Coram
Deo
John
Calvin writes, “God speaks to us now openly, as it were face to face, and not
under a veil, as Paul teaches us, when speaking of Moses, who put on a veil
when he went forth to address the people in God’s name… . Under the Gospel …
the veil is removed, and God in the face of Christ presents himself to be seen
by us.” Both covenants teach the same thing—the Lord saves us by grace alone.
But the new covenant shows God’s love in a way not seen under the old covenant.
Passages
for Further Study
Deuteronomy
4:31
Romans
11:25–36
2
Corinthians 3
Hebrews
8
