new covenant

This is best understood by also reading the entry on covenant. The word testament as used in Old and New Testament essentially means covenant and so shows the importance of this concept. The Bible is effectively divided into the Old and New Covenants. In fact there were several covenants in the OT but the emphasis was on the one made with Israel through Moses. This involved the keeping of all the commandments of the Law, but only served to show up more clearly their inability to do so. The OT story is a story of their failure to obey God as they continually go astray, falling into idolatry, injustice and evil. But in some of the prophets there is held out the hope of a new covenant, a new kind of relationship with God, in which all their sins would be forgiven once and for all. They would receive a new heart and new spirit, and the presence of the Holy Spirit within them, enabling them to obey God. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of the blood he was about to shed on the cross as the ‘new covenant in my blood’ and the writer to the Hebrews explains how Jesus is the mediator of a new and better covenant. This covenant is an everlasting covenant and is one in which we have direct access to God without the need for continual sacrifices or priests as intermediaries. This new covenant through Jesus Christ carries forward God’s purpose to make all things new. There is an excellent article on all the main covenants culminating in the new covenant here on Bible Project.

new creation

The Bible teaches that one day God is going to restore all things to how he originally intended them to be (see Restoration). He is going to make all things new. This new world, the new heavens and new earth, is sometimes referred to as the new creation. The new creation actually begins with the resurrection of Christ. The age to come has already broken into this age. The resurrection is therefore the basis for our hope of the new creation being realised. When we come to faith in Christ, and the Spirit makes us alive in Christ, we begin to participate in the new creation – we are born again. The church, living in the power of the Holy Spirit, is called to experience, anticipate and point to this new world. This new or restored creation is the kingdom of God in its fullness. It is a world united under to the headship of Jesus Christ. We therefore pray for that kingdom to come. In so praying, we are expressing a longing that the creation itself will be freed from its current decay and captivity. We are longing for the new creation, when all things will be made new.

Key Bible Passages: Ephesians 1:9-11; Romans 8:18-25; Revelation 21:1-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15

Providence

Providence is the idea that God is ‘behind the scenes’ governing and guiding things in the natural and social world for the good of his people and the furthering of his purpose. There are different ideas about how this providence works. Some think that God meticulously controls, and even causes, everything that happens. Others accept that, in someway that lies in mystery beyond our full comprehension, God uses the free choices and actions of people to work out his ultimate purpose. He weaves everything together to achieve the divine plan. It is a very encouraging truth for Christians because God’s providence includes his care for his people. We can know ‘that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28).

reconciliation

Reconciliation is one of a cluster of words/images used for describing aspects of our salvation (see redemption below for another). It presupposes that there has been some kind of breakdown in the relationship between humanity and God. Before our salvation, we were enemies of God, alienated from him, but, through Christ, God is reconciling the whole world to himself and our relationship to God is now restored. It is on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross that we are now reconciled and have peace with God. Because we are reconciled to God, the Bible encourages us to be reconciled to one another, to live in peace and unity. It also encourages us to share the message of reconciliation as ambassadors of Christ, urging people to be reconciled to God. Ultimately, the purpose of God is to ‘bring all things together‘ (a deeper meaning of the idea of reconciliation) under the lordship of Jesus Christ, for he is the one ‘in whom all things hold together.’

Key Bible Passages: Romans 5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Ephesians 1:10; 2:11-22; Colossians 1:15-20

For Further Study: Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology

redemption

Redemption is one of a cluster of words/images used for describing aspects of our salvation. It essentially means being set free from some kind of captivity, usually through the payment of a ransom price by a redeemer. In the Bible, the emphasis is sometimes placed on the deliverance – being set free – and sometimes on the payment of the price. People could be redeemed from slavery, debt, a curse, sin etc. The price was often paid by a relative of the one needing redemption, called the kinsman redeemer. God is said to be the Redeemer of Israel and when we consider that Jesus became fully human like us and that he refers to us as his brothers, it is wonderful think of him as our kinsman redeemer. In the New Testament, we are told Jesus gives his life as a ransom for us and redemption is connected to the forgiveness of our sins. Redemption is also given a future and eternal dimension as Paul explains that we still await the ‘redemption of our bodies’, when they will be set free from decay and corruption. The ‘day’ of Jesus’s return, when he will restore all things (see Restoration below), is referred to as ‘the day of redemption.’

Key Bible Passages: Leviticus 25:24-25, 47-49; Ruth 4:1-6; Isaiah 41:14; Psalm 130:8; Mark 10:45; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 4:30

For Further Study: Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology

restoration

In Acts 3:21, Peter used the term ‘the restoration of all things‘ to describe what will happen when Jesus, the Messiah, returns. It would be the fulfilment of all that the prophets spoke of and all that God’s covenants with his people were leading to. The idea behind the word restore is to return something to its original state and purpose, as in the restoring of a broken-down old house or piece of furniture. It presupposes that the world as it is now is not how it once was, is not how God planned it to be, and is not what it one day will be. But there will come a time, at the return of Jesus, when he will ‘make all things new’ and his purpose for all creation will be realised. It is also sometimes referred to as ‘the renewal of all things’ or ‘the reconciliation of all things.’ It is the beginning of the new creation, of the new heavens and the new earth, the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan and purpose. This restoration is very much a culmination of a process for the kingdom of God ‘is coming and has already come.’ It is now and not yet. New creation begins with the resurrection of Christ, and we begin to participate in something of this new creation when, through faith, we are united to Christ in his death and resurrection. What begins with his resurrection culminates in his return when he will make all things new, when he will restore all things.

Key Bible Passages: Acts 3:17-26; Matthew 19:28; Mark 9:12; Revelation 21:1-7.

restoration movement

The term ‘restoration movement’ is used to refer to different movements within church history. Here, we are referring to a recent movement (from early 1970s) in the UK, with some parallels in the US. Emerging mainly out of the charismatic movement of the 1960s, but with some elements of it predating that, it emphasised the need for ‘new wineskins’ for the ‘new wine’ of the Spirit being poured out in the charismatic movement. It regarded the institutional and denominational structures as restricting what God wanted to do. Many within it argued for a restoration to flexible New Testament models of church as opposed to the renewal of the old denominations. People often left their denominational churches and began meeting in houses, and so it was sometimes referred to as the ‘house church’ or ‘new church’ movement. It taught on the continuing relevance of Ephesians 4 ministries (see Ephesians 4:11-13) for the building up of the church, and became known for restoring the ministries of apostles and prophets. As the movement grew, many of these new churches came together into ‘networks’ relating to different apostles and their teams. It has therefore also been referred to as the ‘apostolic network’ movement. These ‘networks’ became a new way of churches operating, distinct from the traditional denominational structures. While many within the movement emphasised the primitivist inclination of returning to ‘purer’ New Testament models of church, there were some who used the word restoration increasingly in the sense of ‘the restoration of all things’ (Acts 3:21). For them, the movement was not so much a return to a certain pattern of church, but a refocus on the eternal purpose of God in restoring all things – see above. For this reason, the movement also became well known for teaching on the kingdom of God.

For further study: Wikipedia on the British New Church Movement; David Matthew on ‘Restorationism in British Church Life from 1970‘; Nigel Wright on ‘Restorationism and the ‘house church movement’; Restoring the Kingdom by Andrew Walker; Apostolic Networks in Britain by William Kay.