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I thought it would be helpful to clarify an aspect of the two covenants that most people probably have not considered. It is the fact that both covenants have co-existed at the same time ever since the establishment of the Old Covenant in Exodus 19:8.
The New Covenant was clearly set forth in the story of Abraham, as we all know. But we can also trace it back to creation itself, in that God brought all things into existence by His word. “He calls into being that which does not exist” (Romans 4:17), that is, He brings things into existence by His word. This is the basis of the New Covenant, by which God speaks a word (or makes a promise).
After Adam’s sin, God stated another promise: “He [Christ] shall bruise you [the serpent] on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). It is the promise of the Messiah, set forth in terms of the Mazzaroth (gospel in the stars). The promises of God collectively describe the New Covenant through the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Finally, we come to the time of Moses, under whom the Old Covenant was established. This covenant was effective only through the will of man agreeing to obey God. Did, then, the New Covenant cease to exist? Did the Old Covenant replace the New Covenant? No, for we read in Galatians 3:17,
17 What I am saying is this: the Law [Law covenant], which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
Paul was telling us that the Abrahamic covenant came first and could not be nullified by the later covenant under Moses. What does this mean? It means that the way to inherit immortal life was always based on the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, being based on the will of man, could never nullify it or replace it. They would function together for a season.
The purpose of the Mosaic covenant is stated in Galatians 3:19,
19 Why the Law [covenant] then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator until the seed [Christ] would come to whom the promise had been made.
The Law covenant, based on man’s ability to keep the law of God perfectly, brought to light man’s inability to find salvation through his own works. It was “added” in order to make man’s “transgressions” clearly visible to himself. It was designed to bring humility and motivate all of us to find another path to salvation. The New Covenant alone is that path.
It is fortunate for us that the Mosaic covenant, based on the will of man, could not nullify the New Covenant, for if it were possible for the New Covenant to be nullified, no one could be saved. There are some, in fact, who believe that no one could be saved prior to Christ’s death on the cross. This opinion understands that the Old Covenant could not bring salvation, but it also assumes that the New Covenant was not established prior to the cross. Hence, mankind had no hope for nearly 4,000 years—and this would have to include Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, and the entire remnant of grace. That view hardly needs any refutation, for its falsehood is self-evident.
My point is that the New Covenant has always been with us and has always been the path of salvation, even after the Old Covenant was added in the time of Moses. The two existed side by side, each presenting a different path of salvation. Only one of those paths actually works, of course. Moses was justified by faith in the same way that Abraham was justified. The same is true with Joshua, David, Isaiah, and the remnant of grace.
In other words, those who had faith during the first 4,000 years of Adamic history were imputed righteous by believing the promise of God, not by believing their own promise TO God. They were all justified in the same way that we are today.
Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of Bible believers have misunderstood the difference between the two covenants. They have been taught that they are saved by making a promise to God, by “deciding” by their own will to follow Christ. They fail to understand John 1:13 or Romans 4:22, 23. We all ought to decide to follow Christ, of course, but we should recognize that our decision is a response to the move of the Holy Spirit who bids us to have faith in God’s promise. Our will is not the initiator of salvation; it is the response to the revelation of His promise.
As long as there are people who think they are saved by their own will, the Old Covenant will continue to function in their lives until they lose confidence in their ability to fulfill their promise to God. We should all strive to be obedient to the law of God, but we dare not attach our salvation to our ability to keep our promise.
The purpose of the law was to make sin sinful and to give us revelation of the nature of sin, so that we may contrast it with the righteous nature of God. The law itself is an expression of God’s nature (when viewed through New Covenant eyes). But the Old Covenant makes a demand that human nature is too weak to fulfill.
Those who place their faith in the Old Covenant path of salvation cannot avoid disappointment and guilt on account of failure. Some respond by trying extra hard; others respond by simply giving up altogether. Some lower the divine standard by saying, “My good deeds outweighed my bad deeds,” but God is never satisfied with this. He does not grade on the curve, because He will not rest until all mankind has come into immortality and incorruption. This is His promise to us.
Dr. Stephen Jones has been writing blog posts since 2005 on a variety of topics from Bible Studies to World News, and he has been writing books since 1992. Dr. Jones' most important writings came after God brought him back into the full-time ministry in 1991. It is here that all his earlier years of searching the Scriptures began to come into clear focus. He combines a knowledge of the Old and New Testaments with a personal revelation of God that began and developed during the "wilderness" period of his life, which he often refers to as God's True Bible College... Read More
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