Ever since I could remember, I was taught we are under the new covenant as the old covenant and God’s laws are made obsolete. I’m on social media and the mindset is still the same.
This seems to be a common belief among believers but is it biblical? Let’s test this belief against God’s scriptures.
Before we get to the answer we need to really understand the purpose of the “old” covenant. First off what is the definition of the word covenant?
In Hebrew it is Berith (strongs h1285):
- Compact- joined closely together, make close union,
- Confederacy – alliance between persons, parties
- Agreement – the state of being in accord
In Greek it is Diatheke (strongs g1242):
- A solemn agreement between two parties
- Contract – can be a formal agreement of marriage
- Testament – will, witness
As we all know when we sign a contract, an agreement or make a pact we are making an oath to keep the terms of the contract or agreement. Within the agreements, there are guidelines, written and in some cases, unwritten rules. This is especially true in the most intimate of contracts, marriage. The rules/terms of the marriage contract are standardized, universal among the body of believers. This is important to remember. If one breaks the terms of a contract there is usually some kind of penalty.
Now that we know the definition, who did God make the first contract, agreement, pact with? This is a trick question…….The first one could of been with Adam and Eve in the garden. Outside the garden we see it was with Noah in Genesis 6:18, then Abram, etc. In fact, there are many agreements aka covenants made by God with man from Genesis to Revelation but let’s focus on the ones mentioned in Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord . For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:31-33
In the beginning we see God preparing the people to enter into covenant with Him:
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” Exodus 19:5-6
So what was the agreement?
The agreement/covenant was to obey His voice, to keep His instructions, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Deut 8:6, 10:12, 11:22, 19:9, 30:16
Did they agree to the terms/rules? We see confirmation of the original covenant in Exodus:
“Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”Exodus 24:7-8
So what happened to this agreement, this pact? …….Man broke the agreement, he didn’t keep his end of the bargain.
“They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law,” Psalms 78:10
It’s that easy, THEY walked away, THEY disobeyed, THEY forgot, THEY became rebellious. In addition to the Psalms verse, Jeremiah 31 & Hebrews 8 says THEY broke the agreement, the pact. God repeatedly likens the agreement/covenant to a marriage. They were His wife and they committed adultery and He eventually gave them a certificate of divorce – Jer 3:8.
This is why God had to provide another way for man, another agreement. He desires redemption and reconciliation. He so desperately wants to dwell among His people. Holiness can only be in the presence of Holiness. He wants us to be holy as he is holy. He wants us to be His treasured possession, His kingdom of Priests. His mercy and loving kindness are beyond our comprehension.
Just because a marriage contract is broken doesn’t mean the terms of the contract go away. When the contract is broken by one party, they are no longer in good standing. They have disqualified themselves from the agreement.
If one remarries, the same terms and rules apply in the new marriage as were in the first marriage contract.
Just because the old covenant was broken by man doesn’t mean the terms (the law) don’t apply to the new covenant. it’s just the like the example of the marriage agreement.
So why do we think the laws/terms no longer apply in the new covenant? Why did we throw the baby out with the bath water?
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Vladmir Lenin
There is no scripture by the Father nor the Son that indicates the laws/terms are replaced or done away with by the new covenant. People often quote Paul, saying Paul said the laws are done away with.
Let’s think about this argument.
Paul was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6) – a teacher of the law and now he is saying the law is done away with? Really? There a few problems with this argument.
- If the Father nor the Son say the law is done away with, but Paul does, what does that make Paul? A false teacher promoting false doctrine and therefore should be tossed out.
- If one says Paul said the law is done away with, then Paul also contradicts himself when he says in Romans 3:31 “Do we nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.”
I believe Paul has been misquoted and misunderstood as Peter says “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” II Peter 3:15-16 NKJV
The other common argument circulating is that the laws in the NT are ONLY the laws of Yeshua the Messiah. The new covenant ONLY applies to the laws of Yeshua.
Ok, really put on your thinking caps.
This does not logically make sense when you really look at scripture. Yeshua is then either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. So which is it?
We know that the people were expecting the Messiah, the savior. Why? Because he had been spoken about in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Luke 24:44, John 1:45
The Messiah cannot be of sin, He cannot transgress the laws of God or he would be disqualified and could not fulfill the prophecies as the Messiah is blameless.
A few other things to note and remember:
- God does not change – Micah 3:6 So He’s the same yesterday, today and forevermore.
- Yeshua and the Father are one – unified John 10:30
- The Words Yeshua spoke were from the Father, they were not his own – John 14:1
- If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:10
So it is clear that Yeshua is not a liar or a lunatic and God cannot be bi-polar therefore the laws of Yeshua are the SAME laws of the Father which are the SAME laws the Father gave Moses for the original covenant.
We also see patterns of this all throughout the NT. Yeshua and the apostles spoke of the Law of Moses which is God’s Royal Law, here are a few examples:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, TILL heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by NO means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the LEAST of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19
“Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” Hebrews 10:28
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; (Lev 19:18) James 2:8
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep HIS commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep HIS commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” I John 5:2-3
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord , when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord . For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord : I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Hebrews 8:7-11
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17
Bottom line is this, the laws/terms of the new covenant/agreement are the same terms as were in the old agreement. The Father and the Son do not have separate laws. Yeshua made it clear that the Law and Prophets are still applicable and will be until heaven and earth pass away. After this time we won’t need to teach them anymore as they will be written on our hearts and minds. Will we still keep the laws? Yes! – Isaiah 66, Ezekiel 14
“Blessed are those who DO His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city” Revelation 22:14
LIFTING THE VEIL 