Our Bible is separated into two covenants with God: The Old Testament (OLD) and the New Testament (NEW). The way our Bible is divided is done mostly for convenience. The OLD did not actually start until Genesis 15 with God's covenant with Abram. The terms and conditions of the OLD were not given until some 430 years later with Moses and the Law. The Bible, before that, recorded the events that led up to the covenant with Abraham including the Fall which is the reason why we needed a covenant with God at all.

The same is true for the NEW. The life of Jesus actually took place under the Old Testament. The New Testament began with the death and resurrection of Jesus along with the Holy Spirit given 45 days later at Pentecost.

The Old and the New Testaments are two different covenants with God. It might be more aptly named the first agreement and the second agreement. The New Testament does not do away with the Old Testament; it builds upon it. The NEW is a better way.

The OLD was given to us to reveal sin and our sinful natures. It demonstrates God's perfection in many different ways. It also indicates that man can't live up to the model that God requires.

The New Testament is God saying to us, "You cannot live up to the requirements that I have for perfection. However, I love you so much that I am giving you my Son, Jesus, as the perfect redemption. If you believe in Him, I will cleanse you from all of your unrighteousness."

When Jesus died on the cross, he bore all of our sins - all of our sin: past, present, and future. We do not deserve this. None of us have earned this. It is a free gift from God so that we might fellowship with Him.

One of the reasons for this is that it can be challenging to separate the terms and conditions. The terms and conditions of the OLD are described very clearly in Deuteronomy 11; especially verses 13-17:

The Old Covenant

Keeping the OLD covenant

Breaking the OLD covenant

See also Exodus 23:25

So the primary condition of the OLD was that if you meet the terms and conditions, you will have prosperity and comfort here on earth. If you fail to meet the requirements, you will be punished and all blessings taken away.

 

The New Covenant

The New Testament brings a different set of fundamentals:

By accepting God's free gift of salvation, conditions of the OLD are written in our hearts. There are no duties that we must perform other than yield to the Holy Spirit's sanctification power. We can enter into the very presence of God because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

In the NEW, we can't keep or break the new covenant. If we do not accept Jesus as our Savior, then we are still under the OLD. If we do accept Jesus as our Savior, then under the NEW, there is no failure.

When we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, our sanctification process begins. In the beginning, we are still anxious to sin. However,

Keeping the covenants separate
Most of us have some level of understanding about what it is that Jesus did for us. The place where we run into trouble is when we combine the conditions of the two Testaments - the two agreements. We do this constantly, and we've been doing it for over 300 years. I've heard sermons that do it. I've participated in Bible studies that do it. It is everywhere in our beliefs and doctrine. Combining the terms and conditions of the two agreements creates many false beliefs and false doctrines. It creates false expectations as well.

• Prosperity teaching takes the blessing of the OLD and applies them to the NEW. There is no promise of physical comfort and prosperity in the NEW. In fact, the NEW promises the likelihood of discomfort and suffering for believing in Jesus Christ.

• Many denominations teach that if you displease God, you will be punished. This is strictly Old Testament. Attached to this belief is the idea that Jesus forgives all our sins up to the moment of salvation. After that, it is up to us to maintain our salvation. We maintain our salvation by living "a good Christian life." Absurd, we were unable to save ourselves; how can we keep ourselves saved? Jesus died for all of our sins, past, present, and future. Why would we be punished if we have no sin?

• Sermons and teaching about "keeping the ten commandments" are equally absurd. The whole point of the New Testament is that we are unable to keep the ten commandments. Therefore, God sent us his Son and then his Holy Spirit to write those commandments on our hearts – to create a new agreement. We do, by nature, what is written in the commandments. It is not our efforts that sanctify us; it is the Holy Spirit changing our hearts.

• Churches that teach the idea that religious ceremonies and rituals are a way to obtain God's favor are mixing the two covenants. Under the New Testament, it is impossible for us to please God or to earn his favor. Only his Son, Jesus, can accomplish that within us.

• Similar to the previous item is teaching about fruits of the Spirit. Fruits of the Spirit are the result of the Holy Spirit living within us. Striving to display the fruits of the Spirit is a sure sign of mixing the two covenants. It is not our human effort that produces love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control within us. It is the Holy Spirit that does this. These qualities are the natural result (fruit) of His presence, not some goal to be attained. If they are not present or present only in part, we need to yield to the Holy Spirit (submit to God) to a greater degree; not try to sidestep the process by acquiring them on our own.

• Churches that believe that the church building is holy or that the church building contains the presence of God are teaching right out of the Old Testament. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil (door) to the presence of God was torn in half. This meant that God was no longer present in the building. Paul tells us that now God lives in us. We are the temple of God.

 

Reaping and Sowing
The law of reaping what you sow is universal. It transcends both agreements. It is not part of righteousness or judgment. When you plant a tomato, you get a tomato; usually, many more than you planted. Life is the same way. If you go around sowing seeds of trouble and wickedness, you will reap a harvest of disorder and wickedness; usually, much more than you planted.

Reaping is not God's judgment. Reaping what you sow is simply the way that God created the universe to operate.

 

Making the distinction can be hard
Making the distinction can be challenging. Sometimes it can be very difficult. The Bible is also living and active, so verses that apply to one person might not apply to another. Here are some tips to help make the distinction:

• Always begin your Bible reading with prayer asking the Holy Spirit guide you as you read and study the Word of God.

• Context - Read the context of the verse. Are you taking the verse out of context? One of the best examples of this is Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 BSB

This verse is almost always taken as a promise from God to all those who believe in him. However, the context of the verse shows the verse is a specific promise to the Israelites living in exile in Babylon, not to all Believers. Yet all Believers can profit from this verse, not as a promise, but as a window into God's perspective for those whom he loves in their time of trouble.

• Living and Active - In 2016, I was living in North Carolina, getting ready to move to Belize, Central America. I was reading the book of Genesis in my daily Bible reading when I came upon the verse:
  Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
  Genesis 31:3 NIV

  The Lord spoke to me through this verse. This message was clearly written to Jacob; however, when I read it, it was like someone took a baseball bat and hit me in the face. I fell to my knees even though I was sitting in a chair at the time. Instead of moving to Belize, I packed my things and moved to Ohio, the land of my fathers and my relatives.

• Verses that worship, glorify, and praise God are obviously applicable to both agreements.

• Verses that talk about killing those who are against us or God vindicating us do not apply to Believers in Christ.

• Stories and verses that promise and demonstrate God's love, patience, protection, mercy, faithfulness, and sovereignty are eternal and transcend all agreements.

 

The Last Days
In the last days, the church (the body of Christ) is taken out of the way in the Rapture. The removal of the church also means the removal of the Holy Spirit.

At the rapture, the New Testament is over. That which is remaining is the judgment of God (pre-Old Testament style). The tower of Babel, the flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah all took place before the Law (the Old Testament) was given. The time on the earth after the rapture will be a time like that.

 

Final Thoughts
The Old Testament is mostly concerned with the physical realm. Most of the promises, rewards, and penalties of the OLD take place in the physical realm.

The New Testament is mostly concerned with the spiritual realm. The promises, rewards, and penalties of the NEW are concerned with the spiritual realm.

When we mix the physical and the spiritual, we diminish the power of God within us. As Christians, it is important to remember that this world is not our home. God has prepared a home for us in heaven. Our role on earth is to serve and glorify God. Everything else is extraneous.

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