By J. C. Rooney

In a word… NOTHING.

The Old Covenant (OC) was never a problem. The problem was the people of the OC…

Hebrews 8:6-13 (HCSB)

…Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. But finding fault with His people, He says:

Look, 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 like the covenant

that I made with their ancestors

on the day I took them by their hands

to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

I disregarded them, says the Lord,

because they did not continue in My covenant.

But this is the covenant

that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws into their minds

and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be My people.

And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,

and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,”

because they will all know Me,

from the least to the greatest of them.

For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing,

and I will never again remember their sins.

By saying, a new covenant, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear.

Short Comings

Due to the short comings of the people of the OC, that covenant is no longer. Therefore, it is now “old”; it has aged out; it has disappeared…

In order for a covenant to remain, its people must not be limiters of it. Paul made this same point when he described the essence of what the OC was not capable of doing, in his letter to the Romans…

Romans 8:3a (HCSB)

What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did.

This is why the writer of Hebrews (a little later) said this about the OC law’s inability to perfect the worshipers…

Hebrews 10:1-2 (HCSB)

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

The Logical Question

So then, why did God even bother to put in place the OC and its law at all?

Paul, anticipated this very question when he wrote to the church in Galatia…

Galatians 3:19a (HCSB)

Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come.

But now, that “Seed” (Jesus Christ) has come, and He has “obtained a superior ministry,” as we saw above in Hebrews 8:6 at the start. As it says in that same verse, “He is the mediator of a better covenant.” That better covenant is not the OC.

Glorious

Does this mean that the OC was not glorious?

Hardly…

2 Corinthians 3:2-11 (HCSB)

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone. It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God — not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face — a fading glory — how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

The OC was absolutely glorious! It was just not as glorious as the New Covenant (NC) is. The OC pales in “comparison” to the NC in glory, but that does not mean that it was not glorious.

“Not-Better”

Does this mean that the people of the Old Covenant where somehow unimportant, because they were part of a “not-better” covenant?

Hardly…

Romans 9:4-5 (HCSB)

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises. The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.

The OC members were of the same pedigree as our Lord, never forget this! To them belonged many things which even included “glory.” What an honorable quality to have and to be a part of!

Death and Condemnation

However, such a pedigree came with an extremely high degree of culpability and responsibility. The OC was made up of 613 explicit stipulations, which were absolutely impossible to not violate in some way and at some point in one’s life (James 2:10). So, even though it was a glorious thing to be included with the OC people, it did come with a price.

Look again, at how Paul characterized the OC to the church in Corinth. That previous covenant (which had glory), brought to its members both death and condemnation…

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (HCSB)

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face — a fading glory — how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

Stone vs. Flesh

Paul described the law as being “chiseled in letters on stones.” The writer of Hebrews (as we saw above) quoted Jeremiah, where the prophet described the law as being written “on their hearts.” As we also saw above, Paul described the Corinthians as being…

“Christ’s letter… not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God — not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.”

Hearts of stone are dead, where hearts of flesh are alive. These are metaphors. They point to the difference between those who live according to the “letter,” rather those who live according to the “Spirit.” As we also saw above by Paul…

“He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.”

 It is important to see these differences.

The Prophets

The prophet Ezekiel brings out this same “rock like” theme, revealing what God promises in regards to changing those who have hearts of stone, to those who have hearts of flesh…

Ezekiel 11:19-20 (HCSB)

…I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

Zechariah, another prophet, also talked about “stony like” hearts and described their tendencies…

Zechariah 7:8-12 (HCSB)

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah: “The Lord of Hosts says this: Make fair decisions. Show faithful love and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear. They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of Hosts.”

 Both of these prophets spoke of the difference in character displayed by those of the OC who had an unchanged heart and those of whom had followed God with authenticity. However, it would not be until Christ came where anything on a grand scale would actually change…

Until… 

In his Gospel, Matthew makes it clear as to what the point of the prophets and the OC was for…

Matthew 11:13 (HCSB)

For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John…

The OC was good. Its prophets and law were the means by which God, up “until John” (The Baptist), foretold about the One (Jesus Christ) who was to come and fulfill it all!

Hebrews 9:10 (HCSB)

They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of restoration.

The OC’s mandatory prescriptions served a good, but temporal purpose “until the time of restoration.”

Galatians 3:19-26 (HCSB)

Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one. Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

The OC was to be in effect “until the Seed,” “until the coming faith was revealed,” and in its clearest sense, “until Christ.” Everything about the OC was about Jesus, therefore it was good!

Fulfilled /Accomplished

The OC was not meant to be destroyed when He finally came, but fulfilled and accomplished…

Luke 24:44 (HCSB)

“These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Matthew 5:17-19 (HCSB)

“Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.”

Jesus accomplished it all…

Ephesians 3:10-12 (HCSB)

…God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. This is according to His eternal purpose accomplished in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Just because something has been fulfilled/accomplished, it does not necessarily mean that the something was not good and it was destroyed. Take the NASA Space Program. Before the Apollo missions could be put into place to actually put men on the moon, prerequisite missions were required in order to make the Apollo mission possible. The Mercury missions first put a single man into space. Next then came the Gemini missions… which put two men into space and established the ability to improve spacecraft control, rendezvous and docking procedures, and extravehicular activity (spacewalking). The successful fulfillment/accomplishment of both the Mercury missions and the missions which followed them, the Gemini missions, led the way for NASA’s ultimate goal to happen… the Apollo missions, which brought about the fulfillment/accomplishment of getting men on the moon.

Did the establishment of the Gemini missions destroy the Mercury missions, or did the Apollo missions destroy the Gemini missions?

Hardly…

Each subsequent mission was still good, even though they were each fulfilled/accomplished. The same could be said for the fulfillment/accomplishment of the OC which preceded the New Covenant (NC).

Legitimately  

1 Timothy 1:8 (HCSB)

…we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.

Another example of the OC being considered good is explicitly stated as such by Paul himself, when he wrote to Timothy. However, in this reference we see another example of what can sometimes artificially put the OC in a negative light; how it’s used…

“…the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.”

Just as the writer of Hebrews and also Paul in his letter to the Romans (as we saw above) had both made it clear that the problem is the people and not the OC itself, Paul here was consistent with this same theme when he wrote to Timothy. How it is used by people is not a fault of the OC. It’s the fault of the “one” who “uses it” in an improper manner. That’s like saying that knives are no good just because people get stabbed with knives. The OC is never illegitimate just because someone uses it improperly.

Old Covenant vs. Old Testament

Unfortunately, some critics of New Covenant Theology (NCT) assume that everyone in the NCT camp renders the Old Testament as being completely irrelevant to the New Covenant member. They do this because the NCT camp is adamant about the OC not being binding upon anyone outside of its OC membership. These particular NCT critics will then usually go to 1 Timothy 1:8 (as we just referenced above) to point out how the NCT camp refuses to use God’s OC law “legitimately.” Some critics will argue that (paraphrasing)…

“God’s law is God’s law, and God is unchanging. Therefore, you are using His law unlawfully by saying that the Christian is not under its purview.”

But, is every jot and tittle of God’s law always for everyone who has ever lived, or is it the context of it which determines who it is for?

This is a very important question to consider, and it is one that the NCT camp takes very seriously…

All Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB)

All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

When the NCT camp reads the above verses, it has in mind that “All scripture…” not only does NOT EXCLUDE the Old Testament (OT), but that the OT is what Paul primarily had in view here. In other words, since the New Testament (NT) was not yet fully completed, available, or even canonized, Paul was encouraging Timothy to treat the OT with unadulterated reverence. It was…

…profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

What the NCT camp is eager to point out is that Paul was not telling Timothy that the OC was to be part of our guidance for life, but that OT was to be. This is a subtle, but critical concept to grasp (if anyone is seeking to understand what the NCT camp is saying). What the NCT camp is defending is that when one looks to the OC as being the binding regulation for the NC member, one is then using the law illegitimately. (1 Timothy 1:8) In other words, what the NCT camp is saying is this…

“The OC is not binding upon the Christian, but all scripture is binding upon the Christian.”

Here’s a more simple way of looking at the difference between the function of the OC and the function OT with respect to the believer…

Old Covenant (OC) = what the OC member was under

Old Testament (OT) = describes what the OC member was under, which the NC member can glean from

The OC bound the OC member, where the OT teaches us (NC members) how to be more like our Lord…

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (HCSB)

Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did. Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play. Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day 23,000 people fell dead. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes. Nor should we complain as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

The Next Thing

What is interesting is the next thing that Paul says to Timothy, after he had mentioned that the OC law was “…good, provided one uses it legitimately.”

1 Timothy 1:8-11 (HCSB)

…we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

What Paul is saying is that the regulation of the OC is not for the NC member. In other words, the NC member (who by default is positionally righteous) is not under what is “not meant” for them. One is only bound by that which one is jurisdictionally under. Since the NC member is positionally righteous they are not under the OC. However, just because they are not under the OC, it does not mean that they are free from God’s jurisdiction. The NC member is under the stipulation of another covenant’s code of conduct…

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (HCSB)

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Final Thoughts

Something that is glorious does not suddenly lose its glory… just because something more glorious comes around. However, what we must always keep in mind is that something more glorious did come; and it brought together those who were of the OC and those who were not of the OC…

Ephesians 2:11-22 (HCSB)

So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

This is what we must now focus on as believers… what our Savior has fulfilled/accomplished. We must realize that Christ has…

“…made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations…”

That, through His work on the cross, He has…

“…made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.”

To ever put one covenant against the other (OC vs. NC) suggests that one of them had something wrong with it; that one of them was never glorious. However, BOTH are glorious… It’s just that one has more glory than the other.

Unlike the Old Covenant, the more glorious, New Covenant will never be followed by another, just as that first, “old” one was, due to its failing members. Instead, it will remain forever…

Hebrews 9:15 (HCSB)

…He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

We ought to be careful to never make it seem as though the OC was the problem. It was not the OC that was the problem, but it was those of whom the OC directly regulated which was the problem. The OC was good. What is not good is the illegitimate application of it.

Godspeed, to the brethren!

 

*JC Rooney is a homeschool father of three, who has been married since 1991. His wife became a Christian in 2000, and then the Lord converted him in 2001. JC is currently a deacon at his church in Long Island, NY, who also teaches there regularly and fills the pulpit when needed. He has two blogs: theidolbabbler.com (“…where I babble about what I have learned since walking with Christ”), and thetennisbabbler.wordpress.com (“…where I babble about tennis”).