From the Old Covenant to the New Covenant

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It seems to me that the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant is an area of confusion in the minds of many Christians. Are we or are we not bound by the Ten Commandments? How could the Lord Jesus state that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, when the Book of Hebrews claims that the Old Covenant is obsolete and aging and soon will disappear?

(9/18/2005) The burden of the day had to do with the role of God’s laws in our Christian salvation. The common belief among Evangelicals is sola fides (faith alone). Another name for this point of view is antinomianism, meaning that we are saved by grace through our faith apart from any law or set of commandments.

One would be hard put to conceive of a doctrine more destructive of the Divine salvation than that of "faith alone" (antinomianism). It is believed and preached by ministers more devout and knowledgeable than I. Yet it is poisonous error.

When we study Romans, Chapters Three through Five, we can understand how Christian scholars could be seduced into this morally destructive error. Paul, as he strove against the Jews, kept repeating that we are saved by faith independently of our works.

The problem lies in how we define faith and how we define works. If faith is an acknowledgment of the facts concerning Christ, and works consist of honesty, truthfulness, moral purity, generosity to the poor, works of righteousness in other words, then, yes, the doctrine of "faith alone" (antinomianism) is supported by Paul’s writings. We can say that Paul taught we need only make a profession of belief in the things pertaining to Christ and there is no need to behave righteously.

But if we define faith as a daily, fervent pursuit of Christ with the resulting moral transformation, and works as the statutes of the Law of Moses, then "faith alone" is not supported but is revealed as the masterpiece of satanic deception that it in fact is. Paul then would be teaching we are saved by a fervent pursuit of Christ apart from the dictates of religion.

"Faith" is defined by the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, not by the Statement of Faith of a denomination. Getting back to Christ’s statement that the Law shall never pass away, and the text of Hebrews that claims the Mosaic covenant is passing away, let us examine why it is that there is no actual conflict here—for the several seeming inconsistencies found in the Bible are resolved once we understand what is being set forth.

The Old Covenant consists of the Law written on granite tablets, on parchment, and on paper. The New Covenant consists of the Law written in the mind and heart of the believer.

Are these the same law? Yes, and no. The Ten Commandments are an abridged version of the eternal moral law of God. When the Lord Jesus discussed them He greatly amplified them. Murder is enlarged to all forms of hatred. Adultery is enlarged to all forms of lust; and so forth.

The Law was instituted to keep sin under control until the Seed came to whom the promises of God always are made. The Law of Moses, perfect as it is, could not bring about the moral transformation that God desires. But when the Seed, Christ, is planted in our heart, the desired change in our behaviour begins to occurs, provided that we follow Christ in intense interaction each day.

Under the Old Covenant we sacrificed our goats and young bulls. Under the New Covenant we offer our body a living sacrifice. It can be seen that the New Covenant is far more demanding than the Old Covenant, although they both have the same goal—that we behave righteously. All of God’s covenant have righteous behaviour as their goal. How could it be otherwise?

Under the New Covenant the demands on us are total. But look at the grace we have been given: the blood atonement made by the Son of God; the born-again experience; the fellowship and indwelling of the Holy Spirit; the gifts and ministries given by the Spirit; the testimony of the Apostles. If we lay hold diligently on all the Divine enablement's that are available, we can succeed in the program of changing us from Satan’s image into Christ’s image.

Now we understand what Christ meant when He said the Law will never pass away until the righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God that the Father desires have been accomplished fully.

Think about the first commandment: we are to have no gods that we seek more fervently than we do the God of Heaven. Is this injunction still in force? Of course. Much of our Christian life consists of the Lord Jesus bringing us to the place where we worship the Father above all else.

Think about the second commandment: we are not to worship what our hands have created. Is this still in force? Of course. We are not permitted to worship a family member; our job; our talent; our reputation; money; the passions of our flesh and soul; or anything else we have acquired during our sojourn on the earth. Much of our Christian life consists of our putting our idols under our feet.

Think about the third commandment: we are not to misuse God’s name. This commandment refers to more than profanity. It has to do with any time we use the name of God or Christ in a manner that is less than totally sincere.

Think about the fourth commandment, that of not working on Saturday. This has been expanded to what the Book of Hebrews refers to as the "rest of God." The rest of God is that state of being in which we dwell in God through Christ to the extent that every thought, every word, and every action is wrought in the Lord. We are to become the representation of God’s Person, reflecting Him in all that we are and do.

We understand, then, that the laws and directions that applied specifically to Israel are no longer binding on us. But the full moral meaning of the Ten Commandments reveals the Person of God. They are what God is in Character. Thus they never shall be done away—no, not for eternity. Rather they shall shine as the sun in the radiance coming from the new Jerusalem, the perfected Church, the Bride of the Lamb.

We now can see what a destructive error "faith alone" is. This doctrine leaves the believer thinking that his salvation consists only of the belief that his sins have been forgiven. It does not present the actual salvation, which assuredly includes forgiveness, but has to do primarily with our change into the image of Christ—that to which we have been predestined.

Because the relationship between the two covenants has become so clear, I have the feeling that God just now is opening our understanding to His Word in preparation for the soon coming of His Kingdom to the earth. The Kingdom is not found in a legal state of justification but in the actual, observable doing of God’s will in the earth.

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