THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS CO-EXISTED Most Christians do not have clarity regarding the Old Covenant and the Old Testament, the New Covenant and the New Testament. The lines between these terms are blurred for many. The general tendency is to draw the dividing line between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew and declare the Old Testament as the Old Covenant and the New Testament as the New Covenant, yet that is a very inaccurate formula, which leads to major interpretive problems. A good starting point is to understand that not all of the New Testament is New Covenant, and not all of the Old Testament is Old Covenant. For example, the New Covenant did not start in Matthew 1:1. It wasn’t until Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant by His death, that a New Covenant was formed. Also from Genesis 1:1 until Mt Sinai in Exodus 32, there was no Law given (also known as the Old Covenant). Therefore understanding the covenant interactions with human timelines is of great importance. This is foundation shaking for most Christians that only recognize the division between the Old and New Testaments. When many first grasp that not all of the New Testament is New Covenant, the first response is to try to draw a new line between the Old and New Testament. Perhaps after John the Baptist (representative of the Old Covenant) is beheaded, after the mount of Transfiguration (Glory of a New Covenant?), at the Last Supper, or at Jesus’ death, resurrection, Pentecost, etc. Ultimately the truth sets in, there is no simple line to be drawn between the Old and the New. The reason is because they coexisted side by side until the shadow, the Old Covenant, was terminated and completely removed. That is why Hebrews 8:13 says “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” The book of Hebrews was written decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection. In 8:13 we learn that the Old Covenant had been made obsolete and outdated (because of the perfect lamb sacrifice on the cross), but was still in existence, still clinging on for a little longer. I would venture that the second most significant event in Christian History (the cross being foremost) was the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. From Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of Temple in Matthew 24 until its fulfillment there was a forty-year period of transition (30AD-70AD). Theologians refer to this time as a transition generation, a time where the Old Covenant was fading out and the New Covenant was rising. This was exemplified in the Old Testament by Israel’s wilderness journey, which allowed time (also forty-years) for the older slave-minded generation to die away and for the next generation to take their place. We can also see this picture through Saul being the king for forty years, although God had rejected him. During the same forty-years God had anointed David and was preparing him to take Saul’s place. Lastly, Paul writes in Galatians regarding Ishmael and Isaac (Gal. 4:21-31). He clearly shows that Ishmael represents the Old Covenant and Isaac represents the New Covenant. Notice that the Ishmael and Isaac have an overlapping time of coexistence. The same is true in the New Testament of the New and Old Covenants. Because of forty years of coexistence (30-70AD), we lose any chance of drawing a simple and clean line between the Old and New Covenants. Now as we approach the New Testament we must review each passage with new lenses because not everything is New Covenant. For example, Jesus says that we must forgive or else the Father will not forgive us (Mt. 6:15), yet Paul writes that we forgive because we are forgiven (Eph. 4:32). In this case, when someone quotes Jesus’ statement they are quoting an Old Covenant verse, which no longer has personal application, whereas Paul’s verse is the New Covenant in which we dwell. It is important to keep in view that at times Jesus was showing His listeners the futility of trying to hold up the law. We must also recognize that the church from 30AD-70AD was looking toward and anticipating the coming destruction of Jerusalem as the removal of the Old Covenant. As Ishmael persecuted Isaac, so the Old Covenant persecuted the New Covenant (Gal. 4:21-31). Jonathan Welton
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:32:50 +0000
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