The Old Agreement with God Will Mess With Your Head (and Your Church), not to Mention the Lost

Every Bible you own is divided into two sections. The first part is called the Old Testament and the second is the New Testament. Most people never pause to consider the definition of "Testament." It simply means agreement. When you prepare for death, you complete a "Last Will and Testament" which is an agreement between you and the state for the disposition of your assets.

A synonym for the word "testament" is "covenant." Again, the word covenant is an archaic word we don't use much anymore. When you fill out paperwork for buying a new home you may come across a neighborhood "covenant," which is basically an agreement between you and your future neighbors that nobody in the neighborhood will build, remodel or do anything else in a manner inconsistent with the neighborhood agreement (covenant).

So you could easily say that the Bible contains two "agreements" between God and man - the Old Agreement (Covenant) and the New Agreement (Covenant), These two Covenants are totally different agreements, and if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your life is ruled by the New Agreement, not the Old Agreement.

A big problem in many churches, however, is the manner in which the Bible is interpreted when it comes to the "rule of life" for followers of Jesus Christ. For example, the interpretative lens with which many read the Bible is the Old Covenant.  However, the proper lens through which to read the entire Scriptures is through the New Agreement lens. This New Agreement, inaugurated by the Person and work of Jesus Christ, is vitally important to understand because Jesus "fulfilled" the Old Agreement and then abolished it. Jesus caused the Old Agreement to totally disappear (see Hebrews 8:13). Religious people who emphasize the Old Agreement find themselves in bondage because they've missed the beauty of Christ. They have been  both "hardened" and "blinded" by a veil that clouds any clear thinking about Jesus:.

But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (II Corinthians 3:14-17)

Those three verses from II Corinthians should explain to you why anybody can talk about "God" and their various agreements (religion) with Him and the world leaves them alone, but the moment someone starts speaking of Jesus Christ all hell breaks loose. The demons of hell leave alone blinded and hardened people - as well as the "blind who are leading the blind." But when Jesus Christ is exalted and honored, all hell breaks loose "lest the veil be taken away" and sinners come to rest in the New Agreement between God and man.

Three Major Differences Between the Agreements

Though I could point out dozens of differences between the two Agreements, I would like to encourage you through three major differences, and then challenge you to make sure you recognize you are part of the New Agreement between God and man and not the Old Agreement.

(1). The Old Agreement is filled with conditional promises based on personal obedience; the New Agreement is filled with unconditional promises based on Christ's obedience and our faith in Him.

When Israel heard Moses read the laws of the Old Agreement they shouted "All this we will do" (Exodus 19:8). However, the narrative of the Old Testament Scriptures is filled with Israel's rebellion to their agreement with God. As a result, their quid pro quo Old Agreement ("If you will," God says, "then I will...") with God, brought all kinds of punishment from God. However, in the New Agreement, Jesus Christ's perfect righteousness in fulfilling the Law obtained all the blessings of God that the Old Agreement Law promised - and Israel failed to obtain by their obedience. Therefore, in the New Agreement, you are blessed by God because of your faith in Christ - for this reason it's called "the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:26) - and "all the promises of God are "Yes" (a resounding "Yes") in Christ" (II Corinthians 1:20).

Many Charismatics base their "prosperity gospel" teaching on Old Agreement Scriptures. They say that "if you tithe" or "if you give your seed" then you obligate God to "bless you" for your obedience. Not true. In the New Agreement, God promises to meet your every need according to His riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19).  God will not meet your need because your obedience measures up. God makes this promise of "every need" being met a "resounding yes" because of your faith in the Person of His Son. If you are a member of church that emphasis all the conditional promises of the Old Agreement, you will constantly be harangued to measure up. If you are a member of a gospel church, you will be constantly encouraged to grow in grace and your knowledge of the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ.

(2). The Old Agreement is filled with hundreds of laws that touched every facet of life in the nation of Israel; the New Agreement contains one Royal Law that touches every facet of life for the New Agreement believer.

The laws of the Old Agreement were designed to point Israel to the One who was to come. Israel celebrated - by Law - the festivals; all of which were designed to point to Jesus the Christ of God, the inaugurator of a New Agreement between God and man.  Israel worshipped God - by Law - with various sacrifices and Sabbaths; all of which were designed to point to Jesus the Christ of God and the inaugurator of a New Agreement between God and man. Even the prophets who lived during the Old Agreement kept looking forward to the coming of the New Agreement (see Jeremiah 31) for ancient Israel knew that the Law only condemned and it would be the Messiah who would save.

When Jesus came and inaugurated the New Agreement with His blood (i.e. His death, burial and resurrection), He became the New Lawgiver and gave us just one commandment - a new commandment - which is to encompass every aspect of our life.

"A new commandment give I to you, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). 

Just as the nation of Israel could be distinguished as "God's chosen people" through their obedience to the laws of the Old Agreement (eg. circumcision, Sabbath rest, the laws of the feasts and festivals, etc...), so too in the New Agreement those who are adopted by God into His family are known by their obedience to this Royal Law:

"By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another" (John 13:35).

Instead of a husband looking to a list for how to be a husband, if a husband would simply love his wife as Christ as loved him - unconditionally, sacrificially, selflessly (without expectation of reciprocation) - husbands would be amazed at the transformation in their marriages. A new agreement believer is full of grace and love because he's come to understand the grace and love of God in Christ.

(3). The Old Agreement causes me to look to look to a list of laws in order to measure up to God's expectations for me; the New Agreement causes me to look to the Christ and marvel at the infinite grace and love of God for me.

I love reading the Old Testament. In fact, my favorite studies of all time are expositional verse-by-verse studies of Old Testament books like Exodus, Leviticus, Daniel, Jeremiah, Esther, etc... However, I love those Old Agreement books because I read them through the filter of Jesus Christ and the New Agreement He inaugurated between God and me.

Truth be known, I never see bad things that happen to me as punishment from God - ever. Rather, in the New Agreement, when I enter into the storm, I always see Christ holding out His hand and inviting me to go with Him through the storm because "something remarkably good is on the other side" (Romans 8:28).

The Bible is not a child's book. It is extremely profound. Christianity is not serendipitous, puerile, or childish. I am a Christian because I understand the goodness and riches of God in Christ in the New Agreement, foreshadowed in the Old Agreement.  I want to continue to be captivated by the love and grace of God in Christ. Christ is the only One that brings me true life, liberty and happiness.

I want to rest in Him.

I can when I see my "rule of life" is the New Agreement inaugurated by Jesus Christ.