Chances are pretty good that your church denomination believes the “moral commands” found within the law of the Old Testament are meant to be considered a part of the Christian life. They will also declare other parts of the law have expired and do not apply today… such as animal sacrifices, various ceremonial laws, dietary laws, etc. The inconsistencies become very obvious when the old and new covenants are mixed together like this because the entire point of the entire law—all of it—was that nobody could live up to its perfect standard. Personal or moral improvement is a wonderful thing, but “trying your best” to follow a list of impossible commands will not improve your position with God. This is why all of the law was made to be abolished and obsolete… It’s all based upon God doing what the law could not do. Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf and took the old law out of the way, freeing us from any and all condemnation.
You may have heard sermons or Bible messages correctly explaining that salvation is a gift that is free and there is nothing that can be done on our part to earn it, but it is simply received by believing. Unfortunately, what will often follow is a type of legal addendum found in the fine print describing all of the things Christians must do in order to maintain acceptance, fellowship, blessings, and so on, and so forth. Although it varies depending on the denominational label, empty religion is often injected into Christianity by teaching that portions of the commands and statutes within the Mosaic law are still meant to be followed and kept within the New Covenant of Christ. They will declare that some of it came to an end and was discontinued, while other parts are meant to still apply. Exactly which of the 613 commands from the Old Covenant still apply and which were dropped? Therein lies the problem. The law was never meant to be changed or altered. In order to be able to say one was keeping it, one had to follow everything perfectly, without failure. This is why the good news should never be mixed with the bad.
The Bible speaks of a slavery that keeps people in spiritual bondage. When speaking to Jews in one of their synagogues, Jesus referred to a prophecy in Isaiah that indicates the reason He came was to set these captives free with good news — those who were spiritually poor, held captive, blind and oppressed. What was it that was keeping these Jewish people in bondage? It was the very ministry that came through Moses on Mt. Sinai, the ministry they thought would be righteousness for them. Unfortunately, much of the church has inserted fragments of that old, obsolete ministry into the Christian mindset, and it has brought unnecessary misery to many believers today. The good news is Jesus provided the way of escape.
Today in the New Covenant, Jew and Gentile have been merged together as one. However, gaining an understanding of the separation or the differences between them prior to the cross will help us to see a clearer picture of the gospel, and why Jesus ministered (to the Jews) in the way that He did. Because it is often erroneously assumed by Christians today that Jesus was always ministering a New Covenant teaching that was meant for everyone, believers will lack understanding that references to Gentiles were simply non-Jewish people — those born outside of the Jewish race. Coming to a realization of this will help us to avoid getting confused when it comes to the (expired) old covenant law, and the New Covenant that we abide in today.
When it comes to Christianity, religious institutions seem to be unable to resist the temptation to mix Jewish law with the good news message of the gospel. The combination of law and grace embedded in church doctrine has caused many believers to wallow around in sin and guilt. Jesus came to deliver us from the ministry of the letter with its commandments that brought death and condemnation, and He transferred us into the New Covenant ministry of the Spirit.
The ministry of the law from the Old Covenant given to Israel brought a sin consciousness and a constant reminder of sins. The New Covenant would contrast that, with sin being taken away by the blood of Jesus, so that God would remember sins no more. The old way was made obsolete after the sacrifice of Christ, and would begin to disappear in the lives of new Jewish believers as they would grow in their understanding of this finished work.
All priests under the law of Moses came from the tribe of the Levites. Jesus came from a different tribe (Judah), which brought a change of priesthood. With Jesus becoming our High Priest, this would mean there was also a change of law. The "change" here means a transformation or removal of the former commandment under the Old Covenant. The result was God providing Jesus as a guarantee or assurance of a better covenant. The Old was annulled and the New would ensue.
This week we look further into the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The first one was established between God and Israel. It was an arrangement that never included Gentiles (non-Jews), not before the cross and certainly not after. The Old would become obsolete and be replace by the New, as a result of the superiority of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This covenant would bring Jew and Gentile together.
Some may conclude the Bible seems to have a split personality between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of the differences can seem somewhat confusing, especially when portions of both are mixed into various Christian doctrines. So what changed? Was it God? No, he doesn't change. But there was a change to a different covenant, which resulted in a change of law and a change of priesthood. Our discussion this week revolves around these changes and what it means for us today in Christ.