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What does the Old Covenant represent then?
“The roots of the Old Covenant actually trace back to Abraham,
the forefather of Israel. God initiated a covenant with Abraham in which He
promised to make a special nation of his descendants. It is these descendants
who later entered into a covenant with God at Mount Sinai. Exodus 20-23 is called “the book of the
covenant” (Exodus 24:4, 7).[1]
What does the Old Covenant mean for us today?
“As hard as we try, we
cannot keep the Law perfectly. The Law shows us how sinful we are, but God's
plan of salvation was to send his Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
The Ten Commandments are a guide for right living, but keeping the Law cannot
save us.”[2]
The apostle James reiterated this simple fact: “For whoever keeps
the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it (James
2:10 ESV).”
Here's the clincher that God, through the Old Covenant, provided His
people an opportunity to experience His presence and to understand His mindset
from a distance.
“Paul states the law was
only meant to be our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24 KJV).
The law does not create a sense of frustration and failure to leave us there.
What it does is make us aware that we are incapable of meeting the demands of
the law so that we are driven to Christ, the only one who fulfills in us what
the law demands.”[3]
When the right time came, Jesus introduced the New Covenant with His
shed blood on the Cross. During his Passover meal with His disciples, “He
said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many.”
Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant by demonstrating how to live the
demands of the laws of God and maintaining a higher standard of living as
Christians through His grace and mercy alone. “For the law was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17 ESV).
What does the New Covenant represent?
“When Christ instituted the New Covenant with His shed blood
(Luke 22:20), He made it possible for us to be truly cleansed from sin (Hebrews
9:13-14; 1 John 1:7). The result was that animal sacrifices were no longer
required as symbols because Christ was the ultimate fulfillment of that
symbolism.”[4]
What does the New Covenant mean for us today?
“Contrary to the belief of many, the New Covenant does not
abolish all the terms of the Old Covenant. Both covenants include provisions
for a sacrifice for sin, a priesthood serving in a tabernacle, obedience to
God’s laws, and promised blessings from God. However, in each case, the changes
in the New Covenant amplify the terms of the Old Covenant! Under the Old
Covenant, God presented the Israelites with two options and told them to
“choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). What makes the New Covenant “new” is that
it is a far better agreement than the one entered into at Mount Sinai.”[5]
Another revelation is that God, through the New Covenant instituted by Jesus, provided His people an
opportunity to experience His presence intimately through Jesus and the Holy
Spirit’s indwelling presence daily.
In the end, God’s
promise declared in Genesis 3:15 covered the Old Covenant pages towards the fulfillment of the promise through Jesus’ birth, life, death, burial,
resurrection, and coming back again for those who believed and trusted Him
called the New Covenant. Thus, from Adam to Jesus Christ, God’s plan was
fulfilled at the right time and by His plan and purpose (Galatians 4:4) for
humanity and His glory alone.
Jack Zavada shared
this insight: “Both the Old and New Testaments are the story of the same
God, a God of love and mercy who gave his people the freedom to choose and who
gives his people the opportunity to come back to him by choosing Jesus Christ.”[6]
Let’s talk again!
[2] https:
https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/covenants/old-covenant/ //www.learnreligions.com/moses-giver-of-the-law-701173
[6](2021, December 6). Old Covenant vs. New Covenant. https://www.learnreligions.com/old-vs-new-covenant-700361
