What does “I will put my laws into their minds” mean?

Explanation:

The author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31:31–34, which states that God will establish a new covenant with Israel when he will put his law into their minds, and write them on their hearts. He also states that they will no longer teach each other to know the Lord, for they shall all know God, from the least to the greatest (Jeremiah 31:34). The language that Jeremiah chooses would have been familiar to his Israelite audience because it harkens back to the famous Shema, which served as an important Israelite prayer (Deuteronomy 6:4–6).⁷ In the original setting where the Shema was declared, the Israelites had journeyed through the wilderness and were soon to enter Canaan. Moses reiterated God’s covenant law, and then summarized it by stating that Israel shall love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). He then instructed the Israelites to put the commands that God has given them on their hearts and to diligently teach then to their children and each other (Deuteronomy 6:7).

Now the author of Hebrews is explaining that the old covenant, that is, the covenant God established with Israel through Moses, was not effective because the Israelites were not able to keep the laws on their hearts. Since the covenant was ineffective in that way, God established a new covenant through the ministry of Jesus. In this new covenant, the people will not have to put God’s laws on their hearts, for God himself will put them there.⁸ Further, because God will impress his laws on his people’s hearts and minds, there will be no need to teach these laws to each other, for God’s people will know his laws internally.

Counterargument:

It is hard to see how God has put his laws on the hearts and minds of his people because people continue to sin. If God’s laws were actually impressed on people’s hearts and minds, one would expect that people would not continue sinning. It does not take much to realize that sin is still prevalent in society and the world at large. It is not easy to see what it means that God will put his law on people’s minds and hearts, but because of the quantity and quality of sin, we should not conclude that people have God’s law on their hearts and minds.

Response to counterargument:

The author of Hebrews does not state that when God puts his laws on people’s hearts and minds they will never sin again. We know from Scripture, and the letter to the Hebrews specifically, that like Jesus, the pioneer of our faith, humans develop and grow in their relationship with God (Hebrews 5:8). Of course, we know that Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), but still, in his humanity he learned obedience to God through a process over time. Added to this, the author offers strong warnings not to forsake God after having been enlightened by the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4–6). This implies that even in the new covenant, sin remains a lethal possibility. How can it be that God puts his laws on people’s hearts and minds and yet they continue to sin? That God’s laws are on one’s heart and mind means that the instruction one needs to obey God's commands will be generated by internal motivation.⁹ This implies not that one will obey, but only that one will have the instruction to know what is required for obedience.

Explanation:

The author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31:31–34 to indicate that Jesus’ ministry ushered in a new covenant. The passage from Jeremiah 31 contains several elements, including that God’s laws will be written on people’s hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10), that all will know God (Hebrews 8:11), and that people’s sins will be forgiven. (Hebrews 8:12). The author of Hebrews will now spend time in Hebrews 9:1 – 10:39 explaining how Jesus establishes the new covenant described by Jeremiah. There are several elements to consider including the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice to forgive sins, but the author also points out that Christ cleanses the worshipper’s conscience. And the notion of a cleansed conscience is closely related to having God’s law placed on one’s mind and heart. This suggests that Jesus’ sacrifice contributes to the fact that in the new covenant, God’s laws are written on people’s hearts and minds.

For example, Hebrews 9:9 states that in the old covenant, the gifts and sacrifices were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshippers. This implies that even though the Israelites had the written record of God’s law, and even performed the external rituals related to it, their consciences remained defiled because God’s laws were not internalized. In the new covenant, Jesus’ sacrifice is able to purify the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. This implies that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the way is opened for God to write his laws on our hearts and minds, so that our conscience will be properly oriented.¹⁰

Counterargument:

It is possible that the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice opens the way for the Spirit of God to write God’s laws on people’s hearts and minds. Still, this is not clear from Hebrews 9:1–28, and in fact there is a sense in which Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses the conscience of believers because of his example, not because he opens the way for the Holy Spirit. All we know from Hebrews 9:1–28 is that the sprinkling of defiled persons with blood would purify the flesh, while the perfect sacrifice of Christ’s body purifies the conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:13–14). In other words, when we reflect on Jesus’ perfect sacrifice our consciences are purified by his self-giving example, so that we put off dead works and desire to serve God.

Response to counterargument:

While there is a sense in which Jesus is an example to us, and that his example can influence us toward purer motives, Jesus’ sacrifice also does far more. The author of Hebrews draws this out in chapter Heb 10 where he explains that the animal sacrificial system could never clear the conscience of sin, not because the example of dying animals was not sufficient but because animals cannot bear the punishment for human sin. Indeed, the author of Hebrews writes that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). Only Jesus, because he is a sinless human, could offer himself to God as a sacrifice to take the punishment that our sins deserved. And Jesus’ sacrifice is effective, not only because he is our example—although he is that—but because his one sacrifice has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus’ perfect sacrifice appeased God’s wrath against sin, and this opens the way for God to put his laws on people’s hearts and minds.

Possible weakness:

The author of Hebrews quotes a prophecy from Jeremiah 31:31–34 to show that the new covenant established by Jesus’ ministry is superior to the old covenant. The quote is the longest quote from the Old Testament by a New Testament writer. This makes it difficult to determine precisely which aspect of the prophecy the author of Hebrews wants his reader to prioritize. The passage from Jeremiah 31:1–40 indicates that God will put his laws on the hearts and minds of the people, but the author of Hebrews never comments directly on what this means. Does God put his laws on the hearts and minds of people because Jesus is the mediator in heaven? Why could God not do this in the old covenant? And what role does the Holy Spirit play in all of this? Given the length of Jeremiah 31:31–34, it is difficult to pinpoint precisely what the author of Hebrews wants his reader to understand when it comes to God putting his laws on people’s hearts and minds.

Explanation:

In Hebrews 8:8 the Greek verb συντελέω carries a sense of completion or fulfillment. The idea here is that Jesus completes the new covenant by obeying God’s laws perfectly. This makes Jesus our anchor of hope when it comes to fulfilling God’s law.¹¹ The Israelites were unable to follow the old covenant, but Jesus, in his humanity, was able to do this, thereby completing the new covenant. Since the new covenant is complete God will put his laws on the minds and hearts of people (Hebrews 8:10). Jesus is our example who inspires us to live by God’s law.

Counterargument:

While it is true that Jesus fulfils the law, there are several problems with this interpretation. In the first place, the verb συντελέω (to complete/establish) in Hebrews 8:8 also carries the meaning of bring into being something that has been promised.¹² Given the original Hebrew, and the context, this meaning makes the most sense. The author of Hebrews relied on the Septuagint to reproduce this section of Jeremiah, and the Septuagint is based on a Hebrew original. In the Hebrew, the term used to indicate that God is making/establishing a new covenant is כָּרַת (to cut), which was a common verb to express the notion of making a covenant. To make a covenant is not quite the same as completing, or fulfilling, a covenant.

Added to this, the context of the prophecy suggests not that God is completing a new covenant, but that he is establishing a new covenant. The prophecy states that God will establish a new covenant with Israel. It then contrasts this new covenant with the old covenant that Israel failed to uphold. Finally, it reiterates that God will make a new covenant, before explaining that in the new covenant, God will put his laws on the people’s minds and hearts.

Finally, if we recall Hebrews 8:6, we notice that before the author of Hebrews introduces the prophecy from Jeremiah, he explains that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant because it is enacted on better promises. He then reveals that the better promises are that God’s laws will be written on people’s minds and hearts (Hebrews 8:10), and that God will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12). In other words, the new covenant is better, not only because Jesus is our example, but also because God will put his laws on people’s hearts and minds.

Possible weakness:

The weakness of this view is that it overlooks the context and instead imports ideas from outside the text to inform the text’s meaning. While it is true that Jesus is the pioneer and author of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and therefore our example, Hebrews 8:1 – 10:39 is focused on the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice, not his example. Since Jesus is the perfect Son of God, when he offers his body as a sacrifice for sin, it is necessary that his sacrifice is perfect and complete. The efficacy is due to Jesus’ perfect obedience, which was possible because of his essential nature as God. Since Jesus is God, it is impossible for him to offer a sacrifice that is lacking in any way. Therefore, by a single sacrifice, Jesus has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Relatedly, since Jesus’ ministry is the foundation of a new covenant that brings perfect reconciliation, in this new covenant God puts his laws on the hearts and minds of the people.