Here are some of the differences in the administrations of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant; but I want to start by sharing a statement made by a blogger and my reply.
“Christ is our sabbath, rest for our souls, not from physical labor as the Pharasaic Jews had one day out of the week. God’s spiritual Law is broader than the universe, because God transcends it [universe].”
This misunderstanding probably comes from not knowing God’s Everlasting Covenant and how the Old Covenant and the New Covenant operate under it within their separate time periods to bring salvation under the same gospel – the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ who alone can save by His redeeming blood.
My Response back to this blogger:
The commandment for Sabbath rest was given at creation as a memorial of creation, before sin ever entered into the world, and for the benefit of man to physically rest; that has never been changed.
Whether or not you realize it, you have indeed stated that you believe the commandment has been replaced by something other than what God has said in His holy word.
Concerning your other comments on “God’s spiritual Law”; you are saying that all the laws which were in effect during the Old Testament were all carnal laws, and that now in the New Testament the laws are spiritual laws.
I can understand why you might believe this if you’ve only considered a few scriptures. But we must take the whole Bible and fit all the pieces together until they come together with no seeming contradictions. There are no contradictions in the Bible, only misunderstandings of what’s being said.
The apostle Paul says that only the laws governing the operation of the earthly sanctuary and the Levitical priesthood are “carnal commandments”. That sanctuary system was the ministration of death because it required the death of an animal and because that blood didn’t erase sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who preached the keeping of the Ten Commandments said that the words He spoke to us were “spirit” and “life”. They are life because when we keep His Everlasting Covenant in His blood, we will have life; but if we obey unrighteousness and become Satan’s children (the children of disobedience) then we have death – not life. (The children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:2, 5:6, Colossians 3:6)
Romans 6:16
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
There are laws that were done away with and nailed to the cross; the ones that had to do with animal sacrifices, the earthly sanctuary laws, the Levitical priesthood laws, and the BIG ONE; the law of sin is death, but only for the repentant sinner who has been forgiven. The law of the wages of sin is death still applies to anyone who has forsaken their repentance, resurrected their “old man” and who is practicing sin, willful sinning.
Hebrews 7:12
“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”
Hebrews 9:10
“Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.”
The earthly sanctuary and the Levitical priesthood laws were also written and put into the side of the ark of the covenant, but the Ten Commandments were within the ark, forshadowing the laws written within our hearts.
Romans 6:17
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”
Below is a post I’ve done in the past and I hope it helps you see the similarities and the differences between the two covenants; but we should always keep in mind that the Everlasting Covenant was from the beginning at creation and continues on into the New Testament until the last soul is saved.
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Under the Old Testament – was “The Ministration of Death”
“The Ministration of Death” spoken of in 2 Corinthians 3:7 is made in reference to two things:
The wages of sin is death, which comes through breaking the laws of God; and
The earthly sanctuary sanctuary sacrificial system, which included the Old Covenant animal sacrificial system and the Levitical priesthood laws that governed that operation/administration.
It was the carnal earthly sanctuary sacrificial system which utilized animal’s blood as a representation of the coming Messiah’s perfect blood. That system constantly reinforced the death of animals signifying the gravity of sin in demonstrating that “The wages of sin is death”.
Under the New Testament – is “The Ministration of the Spirit” by “The New and Living Way” (2Corinthians 3:8; Hebrews 10:20)
Instead of death being constantly administered through the earthly sanctuary, we now have “the new and living way” described in Hebrews. That is that Jesus Christ is now our high priest in heaven, in the throne room of His Father within the heavenly sanctuary and He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
Jesus is interceding daily through the propitiation of His one time blood atonement (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25) for everyone who comes to God the Father for the forgiveness of their past sins. The Lord’s Prayer states, “Our Father who art in heaven” and on to, “give us this day our daily bread”; and within this daily prayer we are asking for this: “FORGIVE us our transgressions as we forgive those who transgress against us”.
Jesus administers the Holy Spirit which gives us life so that we can be completely cleansed from all unrighteousness; and this is what makes us righteous by God, it’s His forgiveness and the erasing of our sins; which makes us sinless and blameless, freed and at liberty. We are no longer bound by sin and death being guilty and condemned.
Then as we continue to walk in that belief and by doing righteously, we are walking in the Spirit by keeping God’s commandments; we perpetuate the righteousness of Jesus Christ which works in us to do His good pleasure; which is walking in justice and good judgment, obedience being in agreement with Him.
Scripture references that confirm these things can be found (more accurately in the 1611 King James Bible) in: Romans 5:19; 3:25; 6:18; 10:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1John 2:2; 1John 4:10; Hebrews 9:19,21; 10:22.
The Old Testament way: animals blood is sprinkled on the altar in the earthly sanctuary.
The New Testament way: we draw on Jesus’ blood propitiation from His one time atonement; and Jesus sends out (administers, sprinkles, sheds) His Holy Spirit on the altar of our hearts purging our conscience from sin, cleansing us from death and sin. Here are some scriptures describing the Holy Spirit being sprinkled and shed upon us which draws an image in our minds of the correlation of the old physical symbols that represented these heavenly things under the Old Testament.
Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts SPRINKLED from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Acts 2:33
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath SHED FORTH this, which ye now see and hear.”
Romans 5:5
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is SHED abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Titus 3:5-7
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He SHED on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
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We are told that Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. We know that Jesus didn’t die at the beginning of creation; but what this means is that His perfect blood atonement would stretch backward to the first sin that was ever forgiven with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. So by this we also know that although animal’s blood was shed under that system for their justification, that blood could never erase any sin because it only stood as a symbol of the wages of sin is death law and of the Redeemer who would come one day to ratify their obedience to this sacrificial and offering system of government under the Old Covenant. They did this by faith in Jesus Christ; and the gospel of Jesus Christ was given from the foundation of the world.
The Old Testament administration of God’s Everlasting Covenant (the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ) was only a replica or copy made from the original pattern of the heavenly sanctuary. God showed Moses the heavenly sanctuary and all the items pertaining to it and He commanded Moses to make a duplicate of it and He explained to him the operation and administration that the replica would have to have. The offerings and symbols of this duplicate system pointed toward the future operation and administration of the heavenly sanctuary after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven where He would offer perfected offerings to God the Father. So although the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings were not the exact ones that would be used in heaven because they were carnal in nature, they foreshadowed the spiritual sacrifices and offerings of the New Testament heavenly sanctuary administration in Christ’s perfect blood atonement.
Hebrews 9:23
“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
Hebrews 9:9
“Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience.”
Why not?
It’s because that blood could never erase anyone’s sin, only Jesus’ blood could/can.
Hebrews 10:4
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:3
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.”
When we are forgiven of a past sin, Jesus completely erases it off of our heavenly record AND He administers life to us by pouring out the Holy Spirit (which is life that was symbolized by real blood) and instead of sprinkling the symbolic physical blood, He sprinkles our hearts with the Holy Spirit that quickens us (gives us life – eternal life). This action is what purges our conscience from dead works, meaning from sin and also the consequences for sin, death and damnation. A good conscience by the biblical definition means to be sinless because we’ve been forgiven and cleansed having had our sins erased permanently. Everywhere in the biblle when you read “good conscience” means that this person has been forgiven and is no longer guilty but is righteous and walking after the Spirit of God and not after the flesh.
Hebrews 9:14
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
2 Corinthians 3:6-13
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished”
“The Ministration of Righteousness exceed in glory”
“The Ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious”
These phrases represent two things:
1. The heavenly sanctuary – The New Covenant operation, administration and system which is the ministration of the Holy Spirit from heaven through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Our obedience and keeping of God’s Everlasting Covenant; our requirement to keep all of God’s moral laws including the Ten Commandments, confession, repentance and asking forgiveness for any past sins as they occur.
Today under the heavenly sanctuary system, the Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest Who “ever liveth to make intercession” for us, Who is mediating the New Testament Covenant before God the Father.
When Jesus is doing these things, He is performing “The Ministration of the Spirit” as He sends forth His Holy Spirit which quickens us and gives us life. It is also “The Ministration of Righteousness” in that we are made sinless and we’re commanded to “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” We are to keep God’s commandments in the keeping of His Everlasting Covenant.
This is the New Testament Covenant which is governed by laws which are called “The Law of Faith” and “The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”. Please notice that they are called laws – they are the heavenly sanctuary laws of the New Testament in Christ’s blood.
Life (salvation) does not automatically apply to everyone; to both the wicked unrepentant sinner and the righteous repentant forgiven sinner, at the same time no matter what they do. I’m saying this to illustrate that there is a procedure, a system and a process in place which God established for the purpose of justification and the forgiveness of sins for every generation since Adam.
These New Covenant laws are in operation and we are to understand how they work together for our salvation. God works according to His laws which He established from the beginning (the moral laws/confession and repentance); from the first sin with Adam and up until the last sin when “the Master of the house is risen up and hath shut the door” (Luke 13:25; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 22)
To lump all laws together and say that all laws were nailed to the cross is wrong. Basic reasoning should kick in for everyone, that if Jesus Christ is in heaven and He is working as a high priest and is working to both intercede and mediate, then the laws that cause death are still binding and working too – otherwise there would be no need to be forgiven, but there is a need.
If there were no laws, there would be no sin; because sin is the transgression of God’s laws.
Since sin still exists, the laws that are being transgressed still exist too, as does the penalty which is “The wages of sin is death”. That is why we are still in need of a “New and Living Way” and a High Priest to intercede, mediate and minister life to us daily (the Holy Spirit), because we still continue to fall short of the glory of God and sin, but we are warned not to remain in that state of unrepentant sin.
1John 2:1
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Here is a condition to be performed by us in order to be forgiven when we commit each new sin:
1John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Ten Commandments are still represented in the New Testament/Covenant. Jesus Christ said, “…if ye will enter into life keep the commandments” when He was asked which, He began to list those from the Ten Commandments. The apostle Paul and the rest of the disciples spell out that sin is committing adultery, stealing, lying etc. Those are sins against the Ten Commandments. Before Moses gave the laws God gave him, Cain murdered his brother which was a sin against “Thou shalt not kill”. There’s lots of proof that the Ten Commandments are still binding and valid under the New Testament and those laws are spiritual, not carnal ordinance/commandments.