Does the Bible have contradictory conceptions about God's law? Serious Bible students soon notice that God's law and commandments are described in these positive ways: "for your own good" (Deut. 10:13); "intended to bring life" (Rom. 7:10); written by God in the hearts of His children (Deut. 30:10-14; Heb. 8:10);1 "perfect" (Ps. 19:7); "converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7, NKJV); "freedom" (Ps. 119:44-45; James 2:8-12); established by faith (Rom. 3:31); "holy...righteous...good...spiritual" (Ps. 119:172; Rom. 7:12, 14); fulfilled in the life of one who walks according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:14); that which reveals sin that sinners might be led to Christ (Gal. 3:23- 24; Rom. 3:20; 7:13).
But the law and commandments are also described in the negative: as engraved on stone rather than in the heart (2 Cor. 3:7); the power of sin (1 Cor. 15:56); a letter that kills (Rom. 7:10-11; 2 Cor. 3:6); "the ministry that brought death" (2 Cor. 3:7); "the ministry that condemns men" (2 Cor. 3:9); something we must die to in order to be married to Christ and receive salvation (Rom. 7:1-4; Gal. 2:19); not based on faith (Gal. 3:12); a curse from which Jesus redeemed us (Gal. 3:13); that which will prevent those who try to live by it from ever sharing in the inheritance of the saints (Gal. 4:30); that which imprisons us (Gal. 3:23); that which produces slave children (Gal. 4:24-25, 30-31); no longer needed as a tutor once we've been converted and come to Christ (Gal. 3:24-25).2
How does the honest seeker of truth sort out these apparently conflicting biblical references regarding God's law?
What Drew Me to This Study
On my way to a ministerial conference in August of 2000, I stopped by a Christian bookstore and bought a book someone had recommended dealing with the gospel, the Sabbath, and the old and new covenants. It focused heavily on texts from the second list above, texts that appear to disparage God's law. It portrayed the old covenant as the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai, though more broadly involving the entire Old Testament. It implied that the Old Testament covenant, especially the covenant and laws God gave His people at Sinai, was applicable only to Israel, and that Jesus abolished it when He instituted the new covenant. The author based this claim in part on Moses's statement concerning the Sinai covenant that "it was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant" (Deut. 5:3), coupled with God's own statement that the new covenant "will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt" (Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8:9). The new covenant, according to this author, reduced the many Old Testament laws to the simpler New Testament law of love with a few ethical principles added to show how love applies. Graphically depicted, this model looks like this:
1. Abrahamic Covenant
a) Promise/Faith
2. Sinai Covenant
a) Law/Obedience
b) Not like the covenant made with their fathers. (Deuteronomy 5:3)
3. New Covenant
a) Promise/Faith and Holy Spirit/Love
b) Not like the covenant made with those redeemed from Egypt. (Hebrews 8:8-9)
According to this argument, the seventh-day Sabbath was exclusively a Sinaitic old covenant institution intended only for the nation of Israel. No one under the new covenant has been commanded to keep it, and in fact it has been repealed directly by New Testament texts such as Romans 14:5, Galatians 4:10, and Colossians 2:16. So, of course, God doesn't intend for the Sabbath to be applicable to new covenant Christians.
This book also highlighted the wonderful liberty experienced by new covenant believers who are converted, know God, are motivated by love, and are guided by the Holy Spirit in contrast to those who were in bondage to the old covenant, were "born of flesh," did not know God personally, and labored "in slavery" under the law God gave to Israel.
Reading this book stimulated me to a new study of the old and new covenants. It proved to be a most challenging and rewarding study. Many times the meaning of certain scriptural passages baffled me. Most commentaries didn't help much, and some just added to my confusion. I often had to pray my way toward an understanding of Bible passages that appeared to contradict each other. The conclusions I reached in the process often came with wonderful insights and glimpses into God's character that I long for and pray for regularly, but might never have gained except through the discipline, focus, and prayer required by this study.
A Preview of What I Found
I found that God's covenant with humankind originated with the covenant that existed among the Trinity from the beginning. God's everlasting covenant that embraces the whole of His creation includes humankind, both before and after the entrance of sin. Though God's covenant is universal in its reach, it has been revealed progressively through the ages in a variety of covenants that He made with people whom He entrusted with His message to the world.
Sometimes when the Bible refers to the old and new covenants, it is referring to the historical epochs represented by the Old and New Testament eras. But more often the terms have an experiential connotation representing contrasting responses to God's gift of salvation. A "new covenant experience" refers to the response of faith and the consequent obedience of faith that results from God's writing His law on the heart, while an "old covenant experience" involves outright rejection of God's appeal and a perversion of true religion into legalistic, external obedience on the part of someone whose heart continues in rebellion. An old covenant experience may look like the real thing on the surface, but it isn't. It is essential to understand these issues related to the covenants if any confusion over the importance of faith, obedience, and God's laws, including the Sabbath, is to be resolved.
I considered presenting my conclusions in a quick, easy-to-read format- sort of a "covenant-lite" study. But the seriousness and depth of the questions raised by biblical passages demanded a more detailed exposition. While parts of this presentation are a bit heavy, I've tried to make a complex subject as easy to understand as possible. To do this, I've relegated some of the more technical material to footnotes.
I'm convinced that at the heart of this complex study lies a simple truth: God is love. God loves His entire creation and asks for its full devotion in return. This is the message of God's everlasting covenant: God loves people. The human race is sick and will die eternally if they do not get healed. God offers to heal them and appeals for them to devote themselves to Him and trust Him to do so. The old and new covenants progressively express God's everlasting love, adapted to the universal needs of the human race.
When God's love is responded to with faith, it produces a new covenant experience, which results in loving obedience. But if God is responded to with legalistic obedience (or with no obedience), it results in an old covenant experience. That's the significance of the old and new covenants in summary.
In the following chapters we will examine how such a complex subject can fairly be summarized in this astoundingly simple way. Chapter 1 defines "covenant" and looks at God's various covenants within the overarching framework and thematic continuity of His everlasting covenant/everlasting gospel. Chapter 2 establishes that God's covenants with individuals and Israel were never meant for them alone, but were always intended for the whole world. In chapters 3 and 4 we'll examine the "DNA characteristics" of the new covenant and note how they are embedded in all of God's covenants with humanity. Specific attention will be given to the Sinai covenant which many biblical teachers portray as being at odds with the new covenant. Chapter 5 focuses on how the historical new covenant differs from previous covenants. Chapters 6 and 7 establish the critical distinction between the historical and experiential dimensions of the covenants, exploring the momentous implications that this distinction makes for the interpretation of hotly debated New Testament passages on the covenants and God's law. Chapter 8 dispels a misconception held by many that the Old Testament emphasizes law while the New Testament emphasizes love. Chapter 9 examines the significance of the three covenant signs-the rainbow, circumcision, and the Sabbath. Chapter 10 turns to an important passage in Hebrews that focuses on the goal of the covenants and examines the significance and role of the Sabbath in achieving that goal. Chapter 11 distills this entire study into ten timeless, universal truths relative to human salvation, purpose, and destiny. Chapter 12 applies the implications of this study to daily life.
Notes: