Are Christians under the new covenant

Much confusion surrounds the use of the terms ‘covenant’ and ‘testament’. We’ll look at how each is separate, and also, how they interact.

No, Christians are never under any covenant of any sort. ‘Covenant’ is a term solely reserved for Israel.

No, as this comes from the wicked and erroneous interpretation of “…he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter…” (Rom 2:29) which is addressed to Jews and not a ‘substituting’ church.

A covenant involves two parties with mutual obligations, where for example, God said to Noah that he would “…establish my covenant..” (Gen 6:18) and would “… destroy all flesh…” (Gen 6:17) except Noah “make…an ark” (Gen 6:14). No blood was shed and it was a temporary covenant until the flood subsided.

In exchange for everlasting land and offspring (Gen 17:1-14), God established “… an everlasting covenant …” (Gen 17:7), requiring Abrahamic circumcision, and so the old covenant is an everlasting one as well.

In the tribulation, after “… they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…” (Zech 12:10), God “…will make a new covenant (the new covenant) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah..” (Heb 8:8). At that time God says he “…will put my laws …in their hearts.. and I will be to them a God … (Heb 8:10-12).

As physical work of circumcision was required of the Jews under the old covenant, it will be better, in that, their spiritual circumcision will be involuntarily performed for them as God “will pour upon the house of David…” (Zech 12:10). It is also better, being “…established upon better promises…” (Heb 8:6) as “…their sins … their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Heb8:12). They don’t have to wait till the tribulation to be God’s people – they can get saved right now.

As their desert travel caused the Jews to “murmur” and “tempt Christ” (1Cor 10:9,10), they neglected their circumcision obligations, and so, as it depended upon their efforts, the covenant broke down.

While there are other everlasting covenants, there is only one “…the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature...” (Gen 9:16) which was God’s promise never to send another Noahic flood.

COVENANTS

JEWS

CHRISTIANS

JEWS (in Trib)

PHYSICAL

CIRCUMCISION

old covenant

(Heb 8:13)

first covenant

(Heb 9:1)

faulty covenant

(Heb 8:7)

NEVER

under any covenants

SPIRITUAL

CIRCUMCISION

new covenant

(Heb 8:8)

second covenant

(Heb 8:7)

better covenant

(Heb 8:6)

Yes, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants … transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Is 24:5)

Despite the wickedness of man, God won’t break his half of the covenant to flood the earth again, however next time “…the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up…” (2Peter 3:10)

A testament is in force with a death whether it is an animal or person, for “…where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” (Heb 9:16).

AREN’T COVENANTS AND TESTAMENTS THE SAME?

Never. While a testament needs the death of a testator to shed blood for sin, a covenant involves two parties with mutual obligations, and not necessarily including death or blood.

Ever since Adam when God demanded shed animal blood for sin, a blood testament for sin has been in force. With desert lust, idolatry, fornication and murmuring (1Cor 10:6-10) God put Israel under the law that “… sin … might appear sin … that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” (Rom7:13).

With impossible expectations, the law cursed the Jew and purposefully cast him into sin.

Now while it was “.. not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Heb 10:4), God was satisfied that the animal blood of the old testament for the covering of sins made “…an atonement for the soul…” (Lev 17:11), albeit a temporary one.

Being “…justified by his blood…” (Rom 5:9), the new testament has the blood of Jesus providing the eternal security of permanent salvation.

Christians are under the new testament as Christ “…is the mediator of the new testament…” (Heb 9:15) and Paul also says Christ “…hath made us able ministers of the new testament (2Cor 3:6).

As Jesus not only covers our sins but he “… washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev 1:5), the new testament provides eternal security and is superior to the animal blood of the old testament, which gave only temporary salvation.

They are chalk and cheese with two different functions and are separated by 440 years. The old covenant is an agreement for Abrahamic males to be circumcised with promises of land and seed, whereas the old testament were the blood sacrifices (sin, burnt, meat, trespass and peace offerings) God required for the breaking of the law 440 years later. Note: The shed foreskin blood at the old covenant wasn’t for any committed sin and no death was required.

No. They are two completely different, separate groups (Israel and the church) and two separate times (the church age and the tribulation) under two different conditions (one voluntary and the other mandatory) with two different elections - Abraham being involuntarily elected outside of Christ “…Get thee out …” (Gen 12:1) and the church voluntarily believing and being elected in Christ.

Since Adam, God has always demanded the death of a testator (blood) for sin. With the giving of the law in 1440BC, sins committed by the covenant people (Israel) were covered by the old testament. The everlasting covenant was made with Noah in 2440 BC with the old covenant (an everlasting one), beginning in 1880BC with Abraham.

HOW DO THE BLOOD TESTAMENTS AND THE COVENANT AGREEMENTS INTERACT?

With broken covenants (eg Is24:5), blood testaments swing into action to pay for sins. As “…there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (Jesus’ blood for future sins) (Heb 10:26), and “this is my blood…for the remission of sins…” “…that are past…” (Matt26:28; Rom3:25) (Jesus’ blood for all past sins), all sins from Adam to eternity are now paid for, having been superceded and subsumed, by and into, Christ’s blood.