CHURCH OF CHRIST BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE
LESSON 2
THE COVENANTS
Next to believing in the inspired Word of God, one of the world's
greatest needs is to understand the difference in the Old and New Covenants. We
live today under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Many people understanding
that all of the Bible is true believe that all applies to us today. Certainly
all of the Bible is true but only the New Testament or Covenant now applies to
us. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:12 that we need to be established in the present
truth. There is such a thing, then as past and present truth. God told Abraham
to offer Isaac upon the altar; that is past truth. We are not expected to offer
our sons upon the altar. God told Noah to build an ark. In Hebrews 8:8, God
said, "I will make a new covenant." In Galatians 5:1, Paul declares that we are
to stand fast in the freedom of Christ." In Jude 3, Jude speaks of the faith
delivered and in Ephesians 4:4, Paul says there is but one Lord, one faith, and
one baptism. This is the present truth.
THUS WE SEE THE TWO COVENANTS CONTRASTED:
OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT
1. Founded on the blood of bulls 1. Founded on the blood of Christ.
and goats.
2. Men, who had sin themselves, 2. Christ, the sinless Son of God, is
were mediators of the Old the Christian's mediator.
Covenant
3. Humanity for the High Priest. 3. Christ, who is Divine,is our High
Priest.
4. Imperfect covenant. 4. Better covenant built of better prom-
ices
5. They looked to Moses. 5. We look to Christ.
6. The Old Law given by Moses. 6. The New Law given by Christ.
In 2 John 9 , we are told to abide in the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ excludes such practices of the Old Law as (1) animal sacrifices, (2) the burning of incense, (3) going up to Jerusalem to worship,
(4) circumcision as a sign of covenant relationship with God, (5) keeping the
sabbath as a day of worship and (6) keeping feast days and new moons.
1. "For if the first had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the ." (Hebrews 8:7)
Those who still seek to serve God under the first covenant serve Him
under a covenant that is not faultless. The covenant of Jesus Christ, the New
Testament, has no fault, therefore we return to an inferior covenant when we go
back to the Law of Moses for our law in this dispensation.
2. God said that the New Covenant would not be the Old.(Hebrews 8:9)
3. The Old Covenant was founded on the blood of and (Heb.9:11-14)
4. The New Testament or Covenant is founded on the blood of (Heb. 9:14)
5. Jesus Christ is the of the New Covenant.(Heb. 9:15)
Christ is the only mediator that the Christian has or needs. There is no
need for saints, popes or priests to be our mediators since Christ is
perfectly capable of performing the task.
6. Paul declares that the blood of bulls and goats take away
.(Heb. 10:4)
.
The Old Covenant, founded upon the blood of bulls and goats, could not
take away a sinner's guilt, but the New Testament, founded upon the blood of
Christ can and does make the sinner righteous. Why go back to the Old
Covenant?
7. Christ sealed the New Testament with His . (Heb. 9:14-23)
The New Testament is the book of Law for the Christian today because it
was made authoritative when Christ sealed it with His own blood.
8. The writer of the Hebrew letter declares that we should look to Jesus,
the and of our faith. (Heb. 12:2). We are not to look
to Moses or to the Old Testament but to because He is the author
and finisher of our faith.
9. The Bible teaches that Christ became the of eternal salvation
to all them that obey Him. (Heb. 5:9) We are, therefore, subject to .
10. The New Testament teaches that under New Covenant all children of God
are married to Christ. Paul teaches in Romans 7:4 that even the Jew had become
to the before they could become married to another. In the same pass
age Paul teaches that no man could be married to Christ until Christ was
from the dead. This clearly shown that men become married to Christ or
become Christians after the New Testament pattern when Christ was raised from
the dead. Before the resurrection of Christ, men lived and died under the Old
Covenant but after the resurrection men were made Christians according to the
laws of the New Covenant.
The careful student will now know that we live under the last will and
testament of Jesus Christ; That He is the author of eternal salvation and that
we are children of New Covenant and the New Covenant only.
Paul plainly teaches that the Old Covenant was nailed to the cross.
Turn to Colossians 2 and begin reading with verse 14 to verse 17. List four
(4) things that Paul uses to illustrate that the Old Law was nailed to the
cross....Four things that were in effect under the Old Law but that are not to
be used to judge the truthfulness of a man's religious convictions today.
(1)
(2) Example: drink
(3)
(4)
There are those who will say,"If we do not live under the Old Covenant, then why do we have it in the Bible today?" Why did not God destroy it? The following reasons are given in the Bible for the Old Testament scriptures:
"Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust
after evil things, as they also lusted." " Now all these things happened unto t
hem for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come." " Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall."
(2) To prove, by prophecy, that Christ is the Son of God.(2 Peter 1:19)
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day star arise in your hearts:"
(3) To prove the New Testament system of faith by the type in the Old
Testament. (Heb. 10:1) "For the law having a shadow of good things to come,
{and} not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which
they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect."
We can now see that after these reasons are studied the Old Testament
is preserved for our good, but not for the faith once delivered. (Jude 3) We do
not find the doctrine and practice of Christ in the Old Testament but in the
New. God does not intend for His children to learn by trial and error. The Old
Testament contains moral examples that tell of 4,000 years of God's dealings
with His people.
Let us look to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, and not
go back to the law of Moses. (Read Galatians 5:1-4) "(1) Stand fast therefore
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again
with the yoke of bondage. (2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. (3) For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (4) Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are
fallen from grace."
Colossians 2:14, " the handwriting of that
was against us, which was to us, and took it out of the
nailing it to his ."
Here we learn that Moses' law, here referred to as ordinances, was
taken away when Christ died on the cross. We live now under Christ's law, the
New Testament.
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