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As we come to study the new and old testaments, we must first know the difference between these terms: a promise, an oath, a covenant, and a testament. A promise is an ordinary word spoken by God, promising you that He will do something for you. An oath is a confirmation of God’s word of promise. God confirmed His word of promise by means of His oath (Heb. 6:13, 17). When a promise is confirmed by an oath, it immediately becomes a covenant. What we have received from God is not merely an ordinary word of promise but a covenant confirmed by God’s oath and sealed with His faithfulness. When the One who made the covenant died, the covenant became a bequeathed will, that is, a testament. Today the covenant is no longer merely a covenant but a testament bequeathed by the One who enacted the covenant.
The new testament and the old testament are the two covenants which God made with man as the two conditions upon which man may have a relationship with Him. The new testament is a continuation of the covenant God made with Abraham. In Genesis chapter twelve, God gave a promise to Abraham and later also swore to him (Gen. 22:16). Hence, the promise became a covenant made by God with Abraham (Gal. 3:15-17). Two thousand years later, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the world, who shed His blood on the cross and enacted the new covenant (Luke 22:20). At that point the new covenant was accomplished; moreover, it became a testament because of the Lord’s death.
The old covenant, which came four hundred and thirty years after God made the covenant with Abraham, was enacted at Mount Sinai, where God gave the law to the children of Israel. Strictly speaking, the old covenant does not cover the entire period of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi. It actually began from Exodus 19 and continued until the time of John the Baptist (Matt. 11:12-13). The time of John the Baptist to the time before the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is a transitional period between the Old and the New Testament times. Whereas God dealt with man in the Old Testament according to the old covenant—the law, He deals with man in the New Testament according to the new covenant— grace.
Romans 5:20 says that “the law entered.” This word means that the law was not in God’s original intention, nor was it God’s original ordination for man. Rather, it entered later; it was added along the way. In the beginning God did not have any intention to deal with man according to the law; rather, the law was added later because of man’s fall and corruption.
After rescuing the children of Israel from Egypt and bringing them to the foot of Mount Sinai, God told them that He had borne them on eagles’ wings when He brought them out of Egypt (Exo. 19:4). God was speaking words of grace to the children of Israel, telling them that what He had done to them was a matter of grace. If they had known themselves, they would have trusted in Him and would have asked Him to continue to deal with them according to grace and to take care of them in everything. But, since at that time they did not know themselves, they neither respected nor trusted in His grace. On the contrary, they trusted in themselves and told God that all He had commanded they would do (Exo. 19:7-8). Because they were so ignorant concerning themselves, thinking they could do what God had commanded, God changed His attitude toward them and gave them the law.
In the beginning God dealt with them according to grace; like an eagle with her young, He was very pleasant and approachable. But when He changed His attitude and began to deal with them according to the law, He came to them in a flame of fire and became dreadful and terrifying. God changed His attitude toward them and dealt with them according to the law so that He might make manifest their transgressions and expose their real condition through the law, that they might know their inability to keep God’s commands, and that they might realize their wickedness and impotence (Rom. 3:20).
Since the old covenant was something added and was not God’s original intention for man, it could not remain permanently. Rather, it became old, grew decrepit, and disappeared (Heb. 8:13). Moreover, the glory of the ministry of the old covenant was also done away (2 Cor. 3:7).
Galatians 3:19 says that the law was “ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator.” The mediator here refers to Moses (John 1:17; Exo. 24:3). Hence, the law was ordained in the hand of Moses. This indicates that it was not a pleasant and sweet matter for God to give the law to man; otherwise, He would have done it Himself.
Hebrews 9:18-20 says, “Wherefore neither was the first covenant [the old covenant] dedicated without blood. For when every commandment according to the law had been spoken by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded to you.” (Compare Exo. 24:6-8.) Man is sinful, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Without forgiveness of sin there is no way to fulfill the requirement of God’s righteousness that by it the covenant may be enacted. Therefore, the old covenant was dedicated with the blood of bulls and goats.
In the Old Testament God dealt with man according to the law. Everyone who kept the law would be blessed (Deut. 6:1-3), and everyone who did not abide by all the things written in the book of the law to do them would be cursed (Gal. 3:10). The law was able only to demand and condemn; it could not give life. Galatians 3:21 says, “If a law was given which was able to give life, righteousness would have indeed been of the law.” But actually man cannot be justified by law, for the law only demands and condemns; it cannot give life, nor can it give man the power to be justified by God.
Galatians 3:12 says, “And the law is not of faith, but he who does them shall live by them.” The law is not of faith; it is of works. The law is not based on the principle of faith; it is based on the principle of works. Man must do the law in order to live. Therefore, Moses spoke many times to all Israel in this way: “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live” (Deut. 4:1; 5:1; 6:1, 25).
Referring to the old covenant, Hebrews 8:13 says, “In saying new, He has made the first old. Now that which is becoming old and growing decrepit is near to disappearing.” The prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34 concerning the coming new covenant indicated that the first covenant had become old and decrepit. It might have been that Jeremiah realized the weakness and unprofitableness of the old covenant and was deeply burdened about this matter. Therefore, God had an opportunity to come in to say through him, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:8). Not only was the old covenant decrepit, but it was also near to disappearing. Therefore, it could only be applied to the Old Testament age.
The new testament, or the new covenant, is a better covenant (Heb. 8:6). The new covenant is better than the old one, just as the reality of a person is better than his photograph. The old covenant, like a photograph, had only the outward form, but the new covenant, like the real person, has the inward life with all its reality. The old covenant was lifeless; the new covenant is constituted with the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Everything in the new covenant is much better than the things in the old covenant because everything in the new covenant is the reality constituted with life. Therefore, it is a better covenant.
Furthermore, the new covenant is an eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20). Unlike the old covenant, which became old and decrepit and was abolished (Heb. 8:13), the new covenant is eternally effective.
The new covenant was accomplished by Jesus Christ Himself. When the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross and shed the precious blood, He made the way for God to enact a new covenant with us (Matt. 26:28). Unlike the old covenant which was ordained in the hand of Moses, the new covenant was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, God’s beloved Son.
After eating the Passover with the disciples, the Lord established His table with the bread and the cup. He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). The new covenant was established with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. First John 1:7 also says that the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses us from all sin. Because His blood satisfied the requirement of God’s righteousness, it opened the way for God to enact a new covenant with us. Therefore, the new covenant was enacted through the blood of Jesus, the Son of God; it is not like the old covenant which was enacted with the blood of bulls and goats.
Now that we are in the new covenant, we are not under the law but under grace (Rom. 6:14). Grace is the Triune God processed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to become everything to us. He is our redemption, salvation, life, and sanctification.
The new covenant is based upon grace, which gives life, as its condition. This means that in the new covenant the processed Triune God intends to be our all. Hence, the new covenant does not require man to keep the law; rather, it deals with man according to grace, which is God as everything to man.
Romans 11:6 says, “But if by grace, it is no longer out of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.” Whereas the law is altogether out of works, grace is absolutely not of works. Anything that is out of works is not grace but law. John 3:15 says, “That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” Thus, the New Testament shows us very clearly that God does not require man to work; God requires man only to believe. In the New Testament age, the unique cause of God’s judgment on man is man’s unbelief, his not believing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 3:18).
In the New Testament, the meaning of the word faith has two aspects. Objectively, faith is what we believe. Subjectively, faith is our believing. Therefore, faith denotes both the act of believing and that in which we believe. The things in which we believe include God’s sending His Son into the world, the Son’s human living, His death on the cross to accomplish redemption, His burial, His resurrection, His becoming the life-giving Spirit, His ascension, and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit. When we hear of all these divine matters, we will be stirred up and filled with appreciation. This is our faith and this is our believing act. In the new covenant man only needs to have such a faith; man does not need to strive to keep the law.
The new covenant was established when the Lord Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood. Hence, to those who believe in Him, that was the beginning of the new covenant. But as far as the Israelites are concerned, the prophecy in Jeremiah 31 will not be fulfilled until Christ’s second coming. The new covenant will be applied unto eternity, because it is an eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20).
The New and Old Testaments also refer to the two sections of the entire Bible (see Lesson One, volume one).
The Old Testament refers to the first section of the Bible; it contains thirty-nine books which can be divided into:
The Law includes the five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, which were written by Moses; hence they are called the Five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. Because all the commandments, statutes, and ordinances of the Old Testament are recorded in these five books, they are called the Law.
The historical books include twelve books, from Joshua to Esther. They contain the history of the children of Israel, from their journey through the wilderness into Canaan, passing through the period of the judges, the establishment of the kingdom, and the division of the kingdom, which led to their captivity, and ending in their return from the captivity. Therefore, they are called the historical books.
The books of poetry include five books, from Job to the Song of Songs. They are the writings of God’s people under the inspiration of the Spirit in which they expressed through poetry their spiritual experiences in their daily life.
The Prophets, consisting of seventeen books, from Isaiah to Malachi, were written by the prophets. They contain the prophecies concerning the children of Israel, the Gentiles, and Christ; they also include much history as well as exhortation, warning, and encouragement to the children of Israel.
The New Testament refers to the second section of the Bible; it contains twenty-seven books, which can be divided into:
The historical books include the five books from Matthew to Acts. The first four are the Gospels, which are a record of the life of the Lord Jesus. The fifth is the book of Acts, which is a record of the movement of the apostles on the earth after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension.
The Epistles include the twenty-one books from Romans to Jude, which are letters written by the apostles either to the churches or to individuals. They tell us in particular concerning the church in God’s eternal plan as well as the different aspects of the church. They also tell us concerning the saints’ proper spiritual life and living.
There is only one book of prophecy, the book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament as well as the last book of the Bible. It contains prophecies concerning the condition of the church, the future of the people of Israel, God’s judgment of the world, the second coming of Christ, the end of Satan, the ultimate judgment, the millennium, and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem.
The new and the old testaments first refer to the two covenants which God made with man as the two conditions for man to have a relationship with Him. The old covenant was ordained in the hand of Moses, dedicated with the blood of bulls and goats, and based upon the law, which could not give life, as its condition, requiring man only to work, not to believe. It was not God’s original intention but was added later and eventually was done away. Thus, it was applied only to the Old Testament age. The new covenant, the better and eternal covenant, was accomplished by Jesus Christ, was established with the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, and is based upon grace, which gives life, as its condition, requiring man only to believe, not to work. It is of God’s original intention and is applied to the New Testament age and eternity.
The New and the Old Testaments also refer to the two sections of the entire Bible. The Old Testament refers to the first section, and it contains thirty-nine books which can be divided into four categories. First, the Law, consisting of five books, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, contains mainly the record of the commandments, statutes, and ordinances given by God. Second, the historical books, consisting of twelve books, from Joshua to Esther, are the record of the history of the children of Israel, from their entering into Canaan to their return from captivity. Third, the books of poetry, consisting of five books, from Job to the Song of Songs, are the poetic expressions of the various spiritual experiences of God’s people. Fourth, the prophetic books, consisting of seventeen books, from Isaiah to Malachi, are the record of the prophets’ reproach, exhortation, warning, and encouragement to the children of Israel, and the prophecies concerning the children of Israel, the Gentiles, the various aspects of Christ, the future millennium, and the new heaven and new earth. The New Testament refers to the second section of the Bible, and it contains twenty-seven books which can be divided into three categories: First, the historical books consist of five books, from Matthew to Acts. The first four, the Gospels, are the record of the life of the Lord Jesus, and the fifth, Acts, is a record of the movement of the apostles on the earth after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension. Second, the Epistles, consisting of twenty-one books from Romans to Jude, are the apostles’ letters to the churches and to individual saints, revealing the divine revelation concerning the church and the proper condition of the believers’ spiritual life and living. Third, the one book of prophecy, the book of Revelation, is not only the conclusion of the New Testament, but also the consummation of the entire Bible, containing prophecies on the church, the children of Israel, the end of the world and Satan, the second coming of Christ, the millennium, and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem.
