Introduction
It is correct to call the New Testament the New Covenant because the word in the Greek from which ‘testament’ is translated also means ‘covenant’.
When Christ died on the cross, He left a testament (or will). This testament was also a covenant between God and man. (A covenant is an agreement or contract between two or more parties.) The Bible recognises two such covenants that God has made with man, Hebrews 8:7. In both of these contracts God promised certain blessings to men, conditioned on man’s obedience to God’s laws.
THE FIRST OR OLD COVENANT
The old covenant was first made with Abraham, and later repeated (except for that portion fulfilled in Christ) in the Law of Moses. In a previous lesson we learned that God promised Abraham, Genesis 12:1-7.
1. To make of him a great nation.
2. To make his name great.
3. To give him a land.
4. To bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him.
5. To bless all of the nations of the earth in his seed.
As a sign of his agreement, God required Abraham and his descendants to be circumcised.
This covenant was not in written form until repeated in the Law of Moses. The Law restated the promises and added regulations to be obeyed by the children of Israel.
It included the following.
1. The ten commandments, written on tables of stone, Exodus 34:27-28.
2. The other portions of the Law called the book of the covenant, Exodus 24:7.
The Law of Moses was given only to the Jews, and lasted only until the death of Christ. It was a law of the letter rather than of the spirit, and was sealed by the blood of animals which the Jews offered regularly to God, Hebrews 9:18-21.
The Old Covenant accomplished several things.
1. It fulfilled the promises made by God to Abraham except that which pertained to Christ.
2. It revealed the true nature of sin, Romans 5:20.
3. It served as a reminder of sin, Hebrews 10:3.
4. It was a temporary expedient until Christ would replace it with a better covenant by His death on the cross, Galatians 3:19-25.
THE SECOND OR NEW COVENANT
The New Covenant is far more important to us than the Old. The prophecy of Jeremiah that God would make a new covenant with His people, Jeremiah 31:31-34, was fulfilled when Christ ushered in the New Covenant by shedding His blood on the cross.
This was the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the earth in his seed, Genesis 22:18. Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, blessed all mankind by making salvation from sin possible through His shed blood.
The terms of the New Covenant are revealed in the twenty-seven New Testament books.
A major difference between the two covenants is that while the first was made only with the Jews, the second is for all who will obey the gospel of Christ.
The universal nature of this New Covenant is expressed in Galatians 3:26-29. Thus, the promises of the New Covenant are intended for all who obey Christ, regardless of race, sex, or condition of servitude.
The two covenants differ in other ways. The Old was sealed with the blood of animals, but the New was sealed with the blood of the Son of God, Hebrews 9:11-15. The New is a law of the spirit, not just a law of the letter as was the Old, Romans 7:6 / 2 Corinthians 3:6.
As an example of this difference, we find that under the Old Law a man who hated his brother but did not kill him had not broken the Law. But under Christ whoever hates his brother is a murderer, 1 John 3:15.
Furthermore, the two covenants differ in that the first served to reveal the enormity of sin, but the second to remove sin. In a previous lesson we saw how this is done. Thus, the New Covenant is a permanent agreement rather than a temporary one as was the Old.
HOW THE NEW COVENANT REPLACES THE OLD
(See chart below)
In His death, Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant, Matthew 5:17. Its purpose having been completed, it was replaced by the New Covenant, Hebrews 10:9 / Romans 7:4 / Romans 7:6 / Colossians 2:14 / Ephesians 2:14-15.
Surely no one can rightly contend in view of this evidence that we are still under the Old Covenant. These passages also show the fallacy of those who teach that we must keep the sabbath (or Saturday). This command was a part of the Law of Moses, the Old Covenant, and was never repeated in the New.
We are no more obliged to keep this day than we are to offer animal sacrifices, another commandment found only in the Old Covenant. The first day of the week on which Christians worship, see Acts 20:7 / 1 Corinthians 16:2, is not the sabbath day. But because Jesus arose on this day it is called the Lord’s Day, Revelation 1:10.
Again, the terms of salvation by which we are bound did not apply to those under the Law of Moses. Some ask, ‘Was not the thief on the cross saved without baptism?’ While we do not know that the thief was baptised and while Jesus said to him, ‘Today you shall be with me in paradise,’ Luke 23:43.
He made this promise before He died while the Old Covenant was yet in effect, Hebrews 9:17. The command of baptism, then, became applicable after the death of Christ, while Jesus made His promise before He died.
The New Covenant is an ‘everlasting covenant’, Hebrews 13:20, by which God deals with us today. If we obey Him, He will reward us with an eternal home. How God revealed the terms of this covenant through the gospel in the establishment of His church we shall study next.
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