The Bible is largely divided into the Old Testament [Old Covenant] and the New Testament [New Covenant]. This means that the Bible consists of the covenants of God. If we want to receive God’s blessings and salvation, we must pay attention to God’s promises in the Bible and know the Old and New Testaments correctly.
God established the Old Covenant with the Israelites through Moses at the time of the Exodus, about 3,500 years ago. The New Covenant was established when Jesus Himself came to this earth approximately 2,000 years ago. The covenant of God means the law of God. (Refer to Exodus 24:12; 34:28.) So the Bible calls the Old Covenant established through Moses the “Law of Moses,” and the New Covenant established by Jesus as the “Law of Christ” (Ezr 7:6; Ac 13:39; 1 Co 9:21).
A Change of the Law from the Old Testament to the New Testament
Today, many Christians believe that all the laws of God were abolished as they passed from the Old Testament times to the New Testament times. They say that since the Law of Moses was abolished, there is no law to obey and they only need to believe in Christ for salvation in the New Testament times. This is a great misunderstanding of the teachings of the Bible.
To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. . . . I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 1 Co 9:20–21
In the early Church, the law commonly meant the Law of Moses. Apostle Paul testified that he was not under the Law of Moses, but under the Law of Christ. This means that even in the New Testament times, there are laws that the believers must keep.
For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. Heb 7:12
As it changed from the Old Testament times to the New Testament times, so did the law. The law was neither abolished nor disappeared, but the changed law still exists in the New Testament times. We can confirm this fact through the teachings of Jesus.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Mt 5:17
Jesus said that He did not abolish the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, but fulfilled it. The new law made complete by Jesus, the law of the New Testament which Apostle Paul obeyed, is the Law of Christ, the New Covenant.
The New Covenant With the Forgiveness of Sins
What is the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant that Jesus established? In general, those who do not abide by the law are punished for the violation. The same is true of the Law of Moses, the Old Covenant. It is the law that condemns sinners. However, the New Covenant is different. God said that He would never remember the sins of those who keep the New Covenant and become God’s people. The New Covenant is the law that forgives sinners, and it contains God’s special grace (Jer 31:31–34).
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. . . . “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. . . . I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. . . . For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Heb 8:7–12
No one could be justified under the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses (Ro 3:20; Gal 2:16). It is because humans could not obey all of the laws. So God Himself came to this earth in the name of Jesus and established the New Covenant, the perfect law that anyone who keeps it can receive the forgiveness of sins. The core of the New Covenant is the Passover.
And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” . . . And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Lk 22:15, 19–20
When Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples in Mark’s upper room, taking wine in the cup, He said, “This is the New Covenant in My blood.” It means that the core of the New Covenant that Jesus established is the Passover.
The Passover is celebrated with bread and wine, which represent Jesus’ flesh and blood. It contains the love and sacrifice of Christ who endured the pain of death on the cross for the forgiveness of all humanity. So the apostles said that whenever they kept the Passover of the New Covenant, they proclaimed the Christ’s death (1 Co 11:23–26). Whoever keeps the Passover must engrave the love of Christ in their hearts so that they can become God’s people who put the New Covenant in their minds as prophesied in the Bible (Jer 31:33). Those who do not keep the Passover, the core of the New Covenant, can never become God’s people.
The Law of Christ to Be Kept in the New Testament Times
In the Old Testament times, those who kept the Old Covenant were acknowledged as God’s people, whereas in the New Testament times, those who kept the New Covenant were God’s people (Jer 11:4–5; 31:31–33). Therefore, there is the law we must correctly know and keep in the New Testament times, which is the New Covenant, the Law of Christ, established by Jesus.
Jesus Himself showed us how to keep the Law of Christ. For example, the Passover was celebrated with the flesh and blood of the lamb in the Old Testament times, but in the New Testament times, Jesus taught His people to keep it with bread and wine (Ex 12:5–11; Mt 26:17–28). The Sabbath was kept by offering a burnt offering in the Old Testament times, but in the New Testament times Jesus set an example of worshiping God on the Sabbath in spirit and truth (Nu 28:9–10; Lk 4:16; Jn 4:23–24). The following is a comparison between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, that is, the Law of Christ, which Jesus kept and set as an example.
| The Old Covenant | The New Covenant |
|---|---|
| The Old Covenant, the old law, was given on Mount Sinai. (Ne 9:13–14; Ex 20:1–20). |
The New Covenant, the new law, was given on Mount Zion. (Isa 2:2–3; Mic 4:1–2; Jer 31:31; Lk 22:7–20; Heb 8:7–8). |
| The priesthood of the Old Covenant is the order of Aaron. (Heb 7:11–13). |
The priesthood of the New Covenant is the order of Melchizedek. (Ps 110:4; Heb 7:14–21). |
| The Law of Moses was declared on earth. (Heb 12:18–25). |
The Law of Christ was declared from Heaven. (1 Co 9:21; Heb 12:25). |
| The Passover of the Old Covenant was celebrated with a slaughtered lamb. (Ex 12:5–11). |
The Passover of the New Covenant is celebrated with bread and wine. (Ge 14:18–20; Lk 22:7–20). |
| The Feast of Unleavened Bread of the Old Covenant was kept by eating unleavened bread for seven days. (Ex 12:15). |
The Feast of Unleavened Bread of the New Covenant is kept by fasting. (Mt 9:14–15; Mk 2:18–20). |
| In the Old Testament, the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, was kept by offering a sheaf of the first grain as a wave offering. (Lev 23:10–11). |
In the New Testament, the Resurrection Day is kept. (Lk 24:13–43; 1 Co 15:20). |
| The last day of the Feast of Weeks (Lev 23:15–16) |
The Day of Pentecost for the descent of the Holy Spirit (Ac 2:1–4; 20:16; 1 Co 16:8) |
| The Feast of Trumpets, Prayer Week, the Day of Atonement, Contrite Prayer, the Feast of Tabernacles, Holy Convocation for Seven Days (Lev 23:24–36) |
The Feast of Trumpets, Prayer Week, the Day of Atonement, Contrite Prayer, the Feast of Tabernacles, Preaching Assembly for Seven Days (Jn 7:2, 14, 37–39) |
God proclaimed the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai with a magnificent voice in glory, whereas the New Covenant was quietly established in Mark’s upper room. To this day, most Christians have paid much attention to the Old Covenant, not to the New Covenant, which was declared from Heaven (Heb 12:25). Whoever wants to enter the Kingdom of Heaven as God’s people who have God’s law in their minds must keep the New Covenant—the Law of Christ—that Jesus established and set as an example.
