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.
518. The Old Covenant Had to End and Be Replaced
Let's describe the Old Covenant God made with Israel: It caused sin to increase, it brought death, condemnation, it once had glory but came to an end and no longer has glory. Why? In order for a new and better covenant to be established through Jesus Christ, the old arrangement had to be completely put aside. It was replaced with the New Covenant of Jesus Christ which took the place of that former law. These are not covenants that are compatible with each other.
516. Leaving the Old Behind
Continuing with our conversation on mixing the Old Covenant with the New, this week we discuss some common sense reasons from Scripture why the Old had to come to an end and be replaced with something very different. This is the basis for the gospel. If our life in Christ is meant to be centered around our dedication and effort, we've fallen back to a religious system that exalts ourselves and diminishes the work of Jesus Christ.
515. The Bible Blender
The beliefs and mindsets of people in Christianity often have their roots planted deeply in a doctrinal mix of two very different covenants. We know all Scripture is truth but we can wrongly assume the entire Bible and everything in it is a book that is always meant to apply to us today in a personal way. Paul said to rightly divide the Word of Truth. What form of division is he talking about? The Old Covenant failed, came to an end and was replaced with something much better. The challenge for the typical believer of today is learning to separate these two covenants and having a complete change of mind about the gospel.
510. The Ten Commandments in the New Testament
Legalistic Christians who feel our message of free and unlimited grace is considered erroneous and hyper, will argue that all of the top ten commandments are found in the New Testament. They'll reason that this means they are meant to be included as a part of the New Covenant. Jesus stated one of the greatest commandments was to love your neighbor as yourself, which is not one of the Ten. So just exactly how many of the 613 laws within the law are we supposed to abide by? This week, we'll take a look at some of the context surrounding the references to these commands found in new covenant writings and reveal the true intent of the entire law.
509. Engraved on Stones: The End of the Ten
Traditional Bible teaching has led Christians to believe the Ten Commandments were separate from the rest of the Mosaic Law given to Israel. Some will even declare they were not part of the Old Covenant, and since they were letters engraved on stones, they were meant to be applied forever. Yet scripture clearly states they were considered part of the law and were called tablets of the covenant.
It’s a man-made doctrine that says that the Law is broken up into sections (moral, civil, ceremonial, etc.), and that part of it was done away with but yet in the New Covenant we’re supposed to keep a certain part of it. The scriptures do not declare such a separation or distinction in the law of God. The Law of God is a package deal. The Apostle Paul called the law the ministry of death that brought condemnation. Paul also explained why they no longer have glory and came to an end, to be replaced with a more glorious and permanent ministry of the Spirit.
It’s a man-made doctrine that says that the Law is broken up into sections (moral, civil, ceremonial, etc.), and that part of it was done away with but yet in the New Covenant we’re supposed to keep a certain part of it. The scriptures do not declare such a separation or distinction in the law of God. The Law of God is a package deal. The Apostle Paul called the law the ministry of death that brought condemnation. Paul also explained why they no longer have glory and came to an end, to be replaced with a more glorious and permanent ministry of the Spirit.
What Makes the New Covenant New?
There’s a classic scene in The Simpsons where 8-year-old Lisa is offered a large check. Monty Burns has made a $120 million from an idea that Lisa gave him and he wishes to give her a ten percent share. But the money represents ill-gotten gains from harvesting the sea, so Lisa says no. Lisa later […]
The Number One Verse on the Old Covenant
Some time ago I published a list of the top 12 verses on the new covenant. It seems only fair that I also give some air-time to the number one verse on the old covenant. Here it is: “It is finished” (Joh 19:30). What is finished? That old rule-keeping order that demanded perfection from you without […]
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