But one of the elders said, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and loose its seven seals." - Revelations 5:5

« Doctrines :: Comparison of the Covenants

Comparison of the Covenants

What would the great Apostles say today in regards to the two covenants? Are they the same? How do the compare to each other? I will say this, as with everything else we preach and teach---- It is found in the Word of God. The great Apostle, Paul, wrote a specific comparison of the two covenants. I know you just cannot wait to see the truth of the Word of God with me, so please turn in your bibles to 2 Corinthians 3.
 
First of all I would like to ask you a question: what was the letter they had when writing the New Covenant? As I am sure you realize now, they did not have the New Covenant in complete form back then, so what were the letters that they had to go by to establish this New Covenant?
The answer is found in 2 Cor 3:2. "You are our letter written in our hearts, known and read by all men." How beautiful is that! See, they, the fellow Gentile believers, were their "letter", This still holds true today, even though we have the New Covenant-- each one of us is a letter of love from the Lord. We are walking testimonies of this New Covenant.
Before this dispensation, the GENTILES never believed and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So each time another Gentile soul is added to the Kingdom, it is another letter of Love from the Lord to say- "Look what I have done. I have established a New and Better covenant!!!"
  1. 2 Corinthians 3:3 "Being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone, but on tablets of human hearts."***Here we find the first comparison. This is speaking in reference to the old covenant that was written not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. How beautiful this is! What a comparison, from a old tablet of stone, to the human heart--- a living beating , breathing , beautiful being--- Not on a old stone but on a new heart.
  2.  2 Cor 3:6 "...... who also made us adequate as servants of anew Covenant, not of the letter (old covenant), but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit (New Covenant) gives life." How beautiful also is this-- the letter kills, but the Spirit gives us life! We should be so thankful that Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. There is no comparison between the letter that kills (old covenant) and THE SPIRIT that gives life (New Covenant) -- none!
  3. 2 Cor 3:7"But if the ministry of death ( old covenant ) , in letters engraved on stones( old covenant) came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face, fading as it was...." See, I was taught for years they could not look at the face of Moses because the glory was so bright, but the truth of the matter is, that the glory was already fading from him, so he covered his face so they could not see the glory fading.  Comparison-- 2 Cor 3:8 "....how shall the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT fail to be even more with glory." Can you begin to see the comparison forming here? Why would anyone want to go back to the old covenant, when the Lord has established a New and Better Covenant, that has been established on better promises?---A glory that will never fade away.
  4.  2 Cor 3: 9"For if the ministry of condemnation (old covenant) has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness (New Covenant) abound in glory." Praise the Lord!!!! What a comparison from a "ministry of condemnation", to the "ministry of righteousness." Why would anyone want to go backwards? If you have something that is so much better and so beautiful why would anyone desire to go back? The only reason that I could ever see is they do not see the full revelation of the mystery of the New Covenant, They have been taught they are a spiritual Jew, when in all reality they are Gentiles that have believed and received the Holy Spirit!!! This is what the New Covenant is really about--Revealing that we as Gentiles do not have to go backwards and be like the Jews, We can be saved Gentiles who are filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit of God.
  5.  2 Cor 3: 10 "For indeed what had glory ( old covenant )in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it." Praise the Lord!!! The glory of the New Covenant surpasses it."--replaces the old. The old "had" glory, I would like to ask this of some today that still believe that the glory of the Lord can be carried around in a box... What I am referring to is this--- the replica of the ark of the covenant so many are chasing after. We seeing the text of scripture that the glory of the old covenant has clearly faded away. We also know this: Any replica of the ark is a graven image, That is not, and cannot be, the ark of the covenant. There was only one. It is a graven image of the real one. I thank the Lord for the ark and what it did for the Jewish people in the old covenant, but to see Gentiles today wanting to resurrect this ark, making graven images of it and carrying it around is something that I just cannot understand. It is not the ark-- it is a man made image of it that people are worshipping. The glory of the old covenant has faded away. Let's be thankful for the New Covenant and what it means to us as Gentile believers. This New Covenant glory surpasses the old, so why go backwards? Why go back? Why would anyone want to make a graven image of a box that was in a covenant that has faded away?
  6.  2 Cor 3: 11 "For if that which fades away ( old covenant ) was with glory , much more that which remains ( New Covenant) is in glory." Can you see it??? The old covenant faded away and we now have a New Covenant that remains and is glory. The glory today is not in a box. It is in us! We are the body of Christ. He lives within us.
  7.  2 Cor3:13-16 "...and are not as Moses, who use to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away (old covenant). But their minds were hardened; for until this very day..." (Do you hear that??? until this very day, today) "at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains uplifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts; but when ever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." Praise the Lord!!! This is what we all need to do! Turn to the Lord and let Him take the veil away from our hearts so we can be the people who He called us to be. Do you see this? When they read Moses, a veil remains over their faces. You must see and understand your position as a Gentile believer before you will ever begin to learn or understand the old covenant.
  8.  2 Cor 3:17-18 "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."
  9.  2 Cor 4:1 "Therefore since we have this ministry, as we receive mercy, we do not lose heart." I can understand why in the old covenant times, there were Gentiles who wanted to be Jews, because that was who the old covenant was written to. Therefore they had what were known as “proselytes"-- These were people who came from other religions and wanted to become Jews. My question to those GENTILES who want to go back and become JEWS today is: What religion or relationship are you leaving to go back to the old, when the New Covenant has now been established? There is no need to go back. We need to press on, run the race, looking to Jesus, (not Moses) the author and finisher of our faith.

Galatians 5:4 "You have been severed (separated) from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the works of the law; (old covenant) You have fallen from grace." See, this is who falls from the New Covenant and grace. It is those who are seeking to be justified by the old covenant law.
 
My cry and prayer for every one of us, is that we learn this New Covenant and live by it. Jesus loves each one of you so much; This is why He came to this earth, died and was resurrected so that you might have eternal life.