Differences Between the Old and New Covenant

The Ambiguity of Old Testament Promise and the Need for Clearer Fulfillment

There seems to be, I'm not trying to be rude here, but there's like a flattening a little bit of the differences between the two covenants, where there doesn't seem like there's much difference.

Between the two.

And the word that's often used is that when you guys read the New Covenant promises in the Old Testament, you have what's called an over-realized eschatology, where the fulfillment of Christ and his completion is not fully come yet, we're waiting for the final of that, which we agree, we're waiting on glorification.

But the New Testament seems to shine light on the readings of the prophets. And it seems to be there's an agreement on what the New Covenant provides. What's beautiful about the Old Testament and why you and I geek out about Old Testament theology is that it's so ambiguous and so unclear when God's like, I'm gonna make things right.

It's gonna come from you, Eve. We're like, oh, awesome. How, who? She thinks that's her first son. It's like, no, it's definitely not him.

Noah, I mean, Noah's name means rest. You know, it's like

That's right.

Is this gonna be him?

Covenant Theology, 1689 Federalism, and the Promise of Grace

So covenant theology, what's beautiful about it from a 1689 Federalism perspective is that you are presented the covenant of works off the bat and then you have a promise of the covenant of grace. And to make sure we are worshiping the right Messiah, make sure that we are worshiping the correct Jesus, because there's many false prophets and many false...

He gives us a shadow that just gets clearer and clearer and clearer as we get closer to the substance. And then that's what leads us to the new, because when Jesus comes in as the new covenant, we have a clear as day picture.

This is our hope. This is where our faith goes right here.

Yeah, while we acknowledge that the covenant of grace is promised in Genesis 315 and is there throughout the Old Testament, the promise of Jesus effectively, and how all of the saints of all time are saved through faith in Christ, and how his benefits are applied even to old covenant saints retroactively. We affirm all of those things.

We do not understand that the covenant of grace formally is established until Christ comes and establishes the new covenant in his blood.

Promise, Conditional Covenants, and the Seed of Genesis 3:15

That's right, in Genesis 315, he promises that he is going to restore that which is lost through the seed. And that's why it's a promise that we know this covenant is coming, but it's not enacted. And that's why each subservient covenant after that is conditional in nature.

It shows the condition or requirement that no one can meet it, but you'll notice the promise is still connected in there. Like the covenant is explaining the promise, but when we finally get to the new, that's when it started.

And the people that are established through Abraham are the people through whom the Lord would bring the Christ, right, who would save us all. And so that's what happens. You know, that's what the Old Testament does and reveals the savior to us through types and shadows and institutions and all those things.

The New Covenant as the Formal Establishment of the Covenant of Grace

Then we get to the coming of Christ in the new covenant, and that is the covenant of grace is formally established. And so while we affirm one covenant of grace in all of scripture, we would not agree with our Presbyterian and Reformed friends in saying that there's one covenant of grace with two different administrations, the old and the new.

We would say promised, revealed, established. Even the apostles, the way that they all write and preach, something different has happened. Everything that the Lord's been doing, it's now accomplished, right?

It's now established. And here is the way of salvation, plainly, for all to see. It is by faith in Jesus Christ, because there is no salvation under heaven by any other name. And you're freed from everything that you couldn't be freed from before.

The blood of bulls and goats would purify your conscience. It would make you ceremonially clean, but the blood of Christ cleanses the conscience so that you can serve the living God. The Holy Spirit was with you and you knew him, but he will now be in you.

It is different than it was before. So Old Testament saints were regenerate, but they were not indwelled by the Spirit of God. That's our understanding. That's a new covenant reality.