As we begin to think about the new Covenant that God has forged for us in Christ, it is worth noting the foundational truth that the new stands atop the old that we rejected in our sin and hatred. It is further worth noting that apart from the gracious intervention of God we cannot keep the new covenant any more than we could the old. What is more, it is up to God to make us able, according to His own good will and pleasure and that reality shapes everything that is. GOD alone is the author of life, GOD alone is the one who draws us into fellowship even while we hated Him. If God does not do this, we are without hope.