EXPLORING LIFE IN THE OLD AND IN THE NEW COVENANT. By Jérémie Ntirandekura

EXPLORING LIFE IN THE OLD AND IN THE NEW COVENANT. By Jérémie Ntirandekura

Some Christians say they believe in Jesus Christ but they don't follow him as Lord and God himself who came to the earth to establish a new covenant with his Church. 

In order to understand this let's explore some differences between the two covenants. 

In the Old Testament we see God the Creator of earth, men and women. 

The purpose of God when he created Adam and Eve was to see them serving him through the dominion over all the other creatures. But we see that they did not fulfilled what God told them to do. 

Adam and Eve were supposed to be obedient only to their Creator but the story ended up with their fall as they ate from the tree God told them not to eat from.

After disobeying, sin entered the world. Adam and Eve felt shy and decided to hide themselves.

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:8

How sad that they were in good relationship with their Creator but now they are shameful to appear before Him. Thus the sin separated man and woman from  God. 

But the Creator had not been without interest in his children to abandon them. He came to find them despite their disobedience.

God always wanted men to be obedient to him and serve him by love. So He called Abraham to make a great nation out of him to fulfill His will. 

"Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you: And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing" Genesis 12:1-2

The purpose of God to call Abraham was to re-establish the communion and relationship between God and men. That is the reason Abraham was known of being the friend of God.  

Century after century God had kept his plan for his people. After many years God fulfilled the promises he had given to Abraham through his descendants (Israel). 

He took this nation from Egypt back to Canaan as He promised to Abraham. And it was during their journey in the wilderness God made the conditional covenant with the Israelites.

"And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD has said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words." Exodus 24:6-8

In the above passage we see Moses reading the book of the covenant to the Israelites and pouring out the blood of covenant. Here we see two things that show the requirements and the fulfillment of the covenant: the book of commandments and the blood of oxen as a sign of covenant. 

In other words, on one side we can consider the book of commandments read to the Israelites as the condition of the covenant. On the other side we see the blood of oxen as the sign of the old covenant. 

In order to fulfill the condition of the covenant, the Israelites were supposed "to do" the words of the book. How difficult was that covenant! However, that was the shadow of the unconditional covenant that was to come. 

The words "All that the LORD has said will we do, and be obedient." show human engagement. The question is this: “How could these weak creatures be able to fulfill those many requirements by themselves while Adam and Eve had not been able to fulfill only one order?". And I wonder why they did not say "By God’s help we will do..."

Every time human nature tries to obey God’s law by its own efforts. We think that we can be obedient to God by doing or applying the law while we are so weak.

After many centuries God announced through the prophet Jeremiah the establishment of the unconditional new covenant.

"Behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband to them, said the LORD" Jeremiah 31:31-32

Even though they testified that they would do all what the Lord has said, the Israelites had finally failed to fulfill the first covenant. 

It is always difficult, impossible really, for men to fulfill the law by themselves. It is a great mistake to say that we can be able to practice the law while honestly we are meant to fail. Thus the Israelites were not able to fulfill the old covenant.

However God decide to establish the new covenant without the book of commandments

"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

Moreover, this new covenant was not characterised by the blood of oxen or lambs but the blood of Jesus himself

"And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" Luke 22:20

From above we can see that there is the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant:

1. The old covenant was conditional through the fulfillment of the law while the new covenant is unconditional without the book of the commandments

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" Colossians 2:14

With the new covenant Jesus blotted out the handwriting book of commandments that was against us.

2. The old covenant was fulfilled through the blood of oxen while the new covenant was fulfilled through the blood of Jesus.

We can also observe the difference between the life of the old covenant and the life of the new covenant: 

In the old covenant people were supposed to do or practice themselves the law with their own efforts out of their weakness. They were supposed to fix their eyes on the law. They all failed. 

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” James‬ ‭2:10‬

But with the new covenant all we need is to have faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved through the Grace of God. 

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”Romans‬ ‭5:12, 15, 18-19‬

Thinking that we may be able to practice the law is a great mistake. The book of the law is always against us. 

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:2-3‬ ‭‬‬

“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”” Galatians‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭‬‬

However if we have faith in Jesus Christ we become the true children of God. 

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans‬ ‭8:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

All we need is to have Him to fill us with His word.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Hebrews‬ ‭8:10‬ ‭‬‬

#JSALUM 

#ASONE