Hebrews 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, said the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
‘This is the covenant that I will make …’ This is the 21st Old Testament prophecy in Hebrews (10:16-17; Jer. 31:33-34). The new covenant was not to be the same as the old, but an entirely new contract to take the place of the law of Moses. To say that the new is the same as the old covenant, the only difference being that the one was written on tables of stone while the other was written on tables of the heart, is erroneous to the extreme. An old contract written anew on some other material does not make it a new contract. It is the contents that make a difference, not the place where it is written. Jeremiah 31:33-34 states that the new contract was not to be the same as the old one made by Moses—”Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them … out of Egypt.” The two contracts could never be the same because of the differences in their terms, conditions, and blessings.
‘I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ The nature of the gospel system: I will put My laws in their mind (8:10). They will be fully enlightened and have perfect knowledge of truth. I will write them in their hearts (8:10). All their affections, passions, and appetites shall be purified so that they shall willingly obey My Word. I will be their God, and they shall be My people (8:10). I will make them new creatures and unite them to Me forever (2Cor. 5:17). They shall all know Me from the least to the greatest of them (8:11). I will be merciful when they commit injustices against God or man (8:12). I will forgive their sins and lawlessness, remembering them no more (8:12). All this implies genuine repentance and forsaking of sin (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rom. 11:25-29).
Living the Word 