Hebrews 8: The Two Covenants by Dr Thomas Chung

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

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.