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.
AREN’T
CHRISTIANS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT?
No,
Christians are never under any covenant of any sort. ‘Covenant’
is a
term solely reserved for Israel.
BUT HAVEN’T THE CHURCH AND CHRISTIANS REPLACED 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.
SO, WHAT IS A COVENANT?
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.
WHAT IS
THE
OLD COVENANT?
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.
WHAT IS
THE
NEW COVENANT?
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).
WHY WILL IT BE A BETTER COVENANT?
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.
WHY IS THE OLD COVENANT CALLED THE FAULTY COVENANT?
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.
COVENANTS |
||
JEWS |
CHRISTIANS |
JEWS (in Trib) |
PHYSICALCIRCUMCISION 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) |
WHAT IS THE EVERLASTING COVENANT?
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.
HAS IT BEEN BROKEN?
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)
SO, WHAT IS A TESTAMENT?
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.
WHAT IS
THE
OLD TESTAMENT?
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
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.
WHAT IS
THE
NEW TESTAMENT?
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).
HOW IS
THE
OLD TESTAMENT DIFFERENT FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT?
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.
SUMMARY
TESTAMENTS
(blood
for sin) |
||
ADAM |
JEWS |
CHRISTIANS |
Animal
blood |
Animal
blood the
old testament (2Cor
3:14) first
testament
(Heb 9:15) |
Jesus’
blood the
new testament (1Cor11:25,
Heb 9:15) |
SO THE
OLD
COVENANT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT AREN’T THE SAME THEN?
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.
SO THE NEW COVENANT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT AREN’T THE SAME
EITHER?
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.
SUMMARY
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.
THE CHURCH WILL BE RAPTURED
BEFORE THE JEWISH NEW COVENANT IN THE
TRIBULATION,
AND NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET EXCEPT IN CHRIST.
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
“WHAT DOES
IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?”