The Old Is Gone

Wow! The year is progressing nicely and we're already in the middle of winter here in South Africa, but thank God who continue reveal Himself daily. One of the topic I believe needs our attention is the topic of the old covenant. Majority of believers today struggle to live between the new covenant and the old covenant. One thing that we need to establish as believers is the fact that the old covenant is gone.

Yes we still read about the old covenant in the Bible but God does not expect us to live as old testament people. God includes the old covenant for us to learn how He dealt with Israel in the past. (Romans 5:4) Paul himself acknowledges that the old testament was written for our learning. Now Paul in Hebrews 10:1 says the law is only a shadow of good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. The law and the old testament is a shadow or a picture of the reality which is Christ. The reality of the things of God is Christ Jesus not the law of Moses.

Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. Again Paul emphasizes the fact that the old covenant was a shadow not the real thing. Let me say this if we have a picture of a person we don't have the reality of that person yet. The same with a shadow of a person or a thing. Shadows and pictures are not real are just a figure that looks like a real thing. If you fear a dog and you see its shadow you cannot runaway because the shadow of a dog cannot bite you. Meaning there is no power in the shadow the power is in a real thing

Let us look at Hebrews 8:7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. Paul here indicates that the second covenant was sought because the first one was not working properly as God intended. Now one of the reasons why God had to sought a second covenant is fact that the first covenant did not make the worshippers perfect. hence the sacrifice has to be done yearly. with the new covenant the sacrifice was done once and for all and the worshippers are made perfect.

Let us look at Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing now it springs up do you not percieve it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. When Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Messiah he indicates that the former things should be put behind us and we focus on the new.

Look at how Paul introduces new creation in the book of 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! The new creation has come with the new covenant and the old creation is gone with the old covenant. So Paul makes it clear the new has come and the old is gone we don't have the old and the new at the same time.

In the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 that took place around A.D. 48-50 they wanted to address the issue of new converts have been forced to follow the law of Moses. The conclusion in this council was that we cannot have new converts living according to the law of Moses. Paul reiterate the same with what the Jerusalem council agreed on in the book of Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

The second reason why the first covenant did achieve what God intended, it is because the worshippers were not filled with Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was only given to them partly during the service for a particular ministry but never lived within them, He only came upon them.

Now let's get back to deal with the old covenant that is gone. According to Hebrews 8:13 God has made the old covenant obsolete. "By calling this covenant new he has made the first one obsolete and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." Let us look at the meaning of the word obsolete used in Hebrews 8:13. Obsolete means something is no longer in use, needed, or relevant because it has been replaced by a newer, better, or more advanced alternative. This will mean the old covenant has been replaced by a new and better covenant. So meaning we cannot talk and teach old covenant as if we have an obligation to live according to its standard and rules, because according to the Bible it is replaced with new. We cannot expect people in the new testament to live like the Jewish people. We are not Jewish people and are not called to live like Jewish people. The old covenant was meant for the Jewish community not us the new testament people.Paul is very clear that what made the old covenant work does not have any value now in the new covenant. We cannot talk about circumcision in the new covenant as if it is something of importance.

Galatians 6:15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything what counts is the new creation. Okay let me explain something here circumcision has no value and means nothing because it represents the old covenant. Again in the new covenant the important thing is the new creation that was born out of a new covenant that is was established in christ. The important thing to note in the new testament is believe in Jesus Christ. Christ is the centre of a new testament and the new life, of a new creation. Hence Paul in Galatians 2:11-16 reprimand Peter for trying to make Gentile Christians to live according to the law of Moses. Paul emphasises the Jewish traditions should not be imposed on Gentile Christians because in this new testament we are saved by having faith in Jesus not by following the law of Moses.

Family I wish I can go on and on but I want emphasize something we cannot live in the new testament by rules and regulations of the old testament. The old testament is obsolete, and have a new way in Christ Jesus. May God help us renew our mind to this truth so that we can live in the fullness of Christ while we are on this earth.

May God continues to grow you in his grace and give you revelation of what I just shared with you.Remember we walk with God on the daily basis and He is Lord of our lives every day.