For anything in transition to the new, how
much do we retain of the old? In Acts of the Apostles, the church was in
transition from a Jewish church to a Gentile church.
Under the old covenant, two ministries were
raised up to lead the people:
-priesthood: represents man before God
-prophet: speaks on God’s behalf, God’s spokesperson
-priesthood: represents man before God
-prophet: speaks on God’s behalf, God’s spokesperson
When Jesus died on the cross he carried our
sin, not his own sin. He carried our sin, was made sin, and become a curse. Because
he was sinless, his death was not for his own sin but for ours. Through His
death and resurrection he fulfilled the roles of priest and prophet under the
new covenant. Being God he could represent God perfectly, and being man he
could represent man perfectly. Jesus could not have been an earthly priest in
the order of Levi (he was not a Levite), but instead according to the writer of
Hebrews He is a heavenly priest in the order of Melchizedek. Thus we see an old
covenant concept which found its fulfilment in the new covenant.
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection we
are freed from the law. Does this mean we can live in sin under this freedom?
No! The new covenant did not do away with the laws of the old covenant. Jesus
himself said He came not to destroy the laws, but to fulfil them. The Old
Testament moral laws reflect God’s character and need to be followed, but the
ceremonial laws are obsolete with the new covenant. Whenever we break any moral
laws, our conscience automatically tells us that God is not happy. Our
conscience is used as a way for God to speak to us, and we should let it be
shaped by the Word of God.
"Put
in their minds and write them on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10)". What was written in tablets of stone is now written in our hearts.
The Law of God under the Old Covenant was external. However, it became
internalized under the New Covenant. The new covenant is within us, it forms
part of our very souls. The New Covenant is a heart thing and that's what faith
is all about. Ultimately this is a question of the heart; is there an inner
transformation by the Holy Spirit – is the person born-again? This means to die
to ourselves and live again through the Holy Spirit.
"For
if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have
been sought for another (Hebrews 8:7)".The Old
Testament laws prevent man from becoming worse, but could not reverse the
process. Just like salt preserves food by stopping the process of decay, but
cannot actually return the food to freshness. In this aspect the old covenant was inadequate. At best it merely acted as a deterrent
and gave knowledge about the sins of the people. The laws reminded people of
their sins, but could not remove them. It became their judge and their
prosecutor. The law could not save anyone. Only the blood of Jesus could save. The
old covenant was a signpost to direct man, and the new covenant supplies the
power to make the journey.
"They
will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Hebrews 8:11)". The Lamb of God (Jesus) was slain for us for all eternity. The old
covenant was restricted only to the Jews, but the new covenant would be given
to everyone. God’s justice was poured on his Son who bore
our sins, so that the mercy of God was shown. In doing so, justice was carried
out and His mercy was shown. Justice met with mercy on the cross. We can come
before God with assurance that God accepts us if we are in Jesus. The old
covenant restricted us from God, and the new covenant tore the curtain which has
been keeping us from God. It promises eternal forgiveness and gives us complete
inward cleansing. It procures our redemption, purifies our conscience and
sanctifies our service.
