Introduction
In thinking about the Old Testament, let’s start with the word “testament”. A testament is an arrangement. Someone’s “last will and testament” describes the “arrangement” they desire for their affairs after they die. Similarly, the Old Testament is describing the old arrangement between God and man. This old arrangement was in place from Exodus chapter 19 until the death of Christ on the cross. This old arrangement is called the Old Covenant or The Law.
Jumping to the New Testament, we see the unfolding of a new arrangement between God and man. This new arrangement, called the New Covenant, went into effect with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The torn veil in the holy of holies in the temple at the hour of Christ’s death signified the end of the old covenant and the start of the new. Jesus told us ahead of time that the new covenant would be initiated by His death. “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’ “ (Luke 22:20).
In the age of now, believers live under the provisions and promises of the new covenant. A few of these are the promise of a new birth, a new identity, a new heart, a new Spirit, a new purity, a new nature, a new self, a new power, and a new freedom. We receive all of this new by believing the gospel message of Jesus Christ. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
We passed from death to life when we believed, accepted, put our faith in, the gospel message of Jesus. And what is the gospel message of Jesus? In its shortest form, it is believing that Jesus died in our place for our sins.
So with all this new going on, what happened to the old covenant? Did the new covenant replace the old? Is any part of the old covenant still in effect for us as new covenant believers? Has the old covenant gone away, come to an end?
In this series, we will explore the role of the Old Testament in our new covenant experience. Do we just cast it aside, useless in our new covenant world? Do we seek to obey its laws and precepts? Or do we land somewhere in-between? Or is there even an in-between? We will make a start next time by looking at what happened to the old covenant when Jesus and the new covenant appeared on the scene.