When was the New Covenant Established?
If you were to open your Bible to the very end of the book of Malachi and then turn the page, you would most likely see a page that says, “The New Testament.” On the next page, the book of Matthew begins, and it starts with the birth of Jesus. This leads most of us to believe that the New Covenant began with the birth of Jesus. But this is not true.
In my last few blog posts, we’ve talked about why the new covenant is so important, and we’ve established the major differences between the old covenant vs. the new covenant. Today, I want to address when the New Covenant actually started, what that means, and how it makes a difference in our lives today.
THE NEW COVENANT BEGAN AFTER JESUS’ DEATH
Even though the title page, “The New Testament” is inserted between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew, the New Covenant doesn’t actually begin until after Jesus’ death.
The author of the book of Hebrews talks about the principle that applies to a last will and testament in Hebrews 9:16-17, which says…
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
If you wrote a will, it must be established that you have passed away before it goes into effect. The word translated “will” here is also translated as “testament” or “covenant” in other translations. The New Covenant could not be established until the death of Jesus had occurred.
Jesus, Himself even alluded to this at the Last Supper with His disciples. Look at what He says in Luke 22:20.
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Jesus was saying that when His blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins the New Covenant would then be established.
What difference does it really make if the New Covenant didn’t begin until Jesus died?
JESUS TAUGHT UNDER THE OLD COVENANT
If the New Covenant didn’t begin until Jesus’ death, that means that all of His teachings were under the Old Covenant.
The apostle Paul made this clear in His letter to the Galatians. Look at what he says in Galatians 4:4-5.
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
Jesus was born under the Law. He lived under the Law. He taught people who were living under the Law.
When we read the words of Jesus in the gospels, we tend to believe that everything He said is directly applicable to us today because it is in the “New Testament” of our Bibles. But this isn’t exactly true.
THE TWO-FOLD TEACHING MINISTRY OF JESUS
Jesus taught to both reveal the condemnation people were in under the law and to inform them of what life would be like under the New Covenant.
For example, if you look at the Sermon on the Mount, you see that Jesus was clearly teaching to reveal people’s condemnation under the weight of the law and to help them understand their need for a Savior.
In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says…
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were the most religious people on the planet at the time. They were seen as the most righteous people around. But Jesus says, “You have to be even more righteous than them to go to heaven.” Jesus was trying to reveal their condemnation under the law.
He then began to go through particular laws and then elevate them to the true spirit of the law. People knew it was wrong to commit adultery and to commit murder, but Jesus says that even if you lust (Mt. 5:28) or get angry (Mt. 5:22) with someone, you have broken the law.
He finally says this in Matthew 5:48…
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Perfect? How can we be perfect?
We can’t. That was Jesus’ point. He was trying to show them their need for a Savior.
Yet, I hear people teaching on this verse and saying, “Yeah you can’t be perfect, but you need to try to be. Jesus is saying you need to commit your life to try to be as good as you can.”
In other words, not all of Jesus’ teaching was meant to show us how to live under the New Covenant. Some of it was meant to show us we were condemned under the Old Covenant.
Now, there were certainly times when Jesus was teaching about life under the New Covenant. For example, in John 14:16-20, Jesus taught this…
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Jesus says after my death, I will send the Spirit, and then I’ll live in you and through you. At other times throughout His teaching, He taught about what life would specifically look like once He began living in them and through them.
In other words, as you and I read the gospels, we must look to understand the context to see if Jesus’ teaching applies to us as New Covenant believers.
LIFE AS NEW COVENANT SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIANS
You and I live on the other side of the cross and the sending of the Holy Spirit. We live under the New Covenant. As mentioned in a previous blog, we do not live the Christian life through Old Testament law; we live life by the Spirit (Romans 7:6).
If you and I read the words of Jesus where He is trying to reveal how we are condemned under the law and interpret it to mean that the application is for us to live out that law, then we will be met with frustration and failure.
At other times, Jesus may be teaching about what life will look like for us as New Covenant believers. He may be revealing what our attitudes, behaviors, and actions will look like. But remember, He is the One who will produce those attitudes, behaviors, and actions through us.
This is not a life of effort and trying to change ourselves through the way we conduct ourselves. As New Covenant believers, we act and behave a certain way because we’ve already been made that way by Jesus! As we abide, He produces and expresses His Life through us.