NAILED TO THE CROSSBridging the Old and New Covenants

What is a Covenant?• covenant (n.) c.1300, from Old French

covenant "agreement," originally present participle of covenir "agree, meet," from Latin convenire "come together" (see convene). Applied in Scripture to God's arrangements with man as a translation of Latin testamentum, Greek diatheke, both rendering Hebrew berith (though testament also is used for the same word in different places). - etymologyonline.com

• "Covenant" and "Testament" both mean the same thing, an agreement, coming from the Hebrew word "Berith."

The Old and New Covenants• "7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place

would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds[b] I will remember no more.”[c]13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." - Hebrews 8:7-13

"...Having Nailed It to the Cross."• "11 In Him you were also circumcised with the

circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins[c] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." - Colossians 2:13-17

"My Blood of the New Covenant"

• "26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed[b] and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new[c] covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”" - Matthew 26:26-29

• Christ's death on the cross, represented here by the fruit of the vine, marks the beginning of God's new covenant with His people. This is when the old covenant becomes obsolete.

Were the 10 Commandments Different from the Other

Commandments?• "22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me." - Deuteronomy 5:22

• "18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God." - Exodus 32:18

• "And the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke." - Exodus 34:1

• The only difference between the 10 commandments and those that followed were that the 10 were written by God and the others were spoken by God.

Are the 10 Commandments Part of the Old Covenant?

• "11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess." - Deuteronomy 4:11-14

• "28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.[a]" - Deuteronomy 5:28

Are the 10 Commandments Part of the Old Covenant?• "4 And we have such trust through Christ toward

God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" - 2 Corinthians 3:4-8

• The new covenant replaces the old covenant--that which was "written and engraved on stones." The 10 Commandments.

But We DO Follow the 10 Commandments, Don't We?

• "Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you." - Isocrates, 436-338 BC• "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." - Jesus, Luke 6:31

• Do we follow the teachings of Isocrates?

Should We Keep the Sabbath?

• Not only is the Sabbath not repeated as a command, but Paul explicitly tells the Colossians not to expect others to keep the Sabbath.

• "16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." - Colossians 2:16-17

• The question shouldn't be, "Should we still keep the sabbath, tithe, use instruments in worship, etc.?" The new covenant is a clean slate. We need only ask, "Does it mention x, y, or z in the New Testament?"

How Often Did Christians Meet?

• There is no scriptural precedent for a "new Sabbath." Sunday is not a "day of rest."

• The first Christians met everyday.

• 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[h] daily those who were being saved." - Acts 2:42-47

What About the First Day of the Week?

• "19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” - Luke 22:19-20

• Christians met on a regular basis, specifically to take the Lord's Supper.

• "7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." - Acts 20:7

• "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to [a]put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come." - Corinthians 16:1-2

• "19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,[c] for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”" - John 20:19

How Often Should We Take the Lord's Supper?

• The Passover, which the Lord's Supper is replacing, was an annual memorial.

• The Lord's Supper isn't called a "memorial," but Christ says, "do this in remembrance of me."

• anámnēsis (from anamimnḗskō, "bring to mind") – properly, deliberate recollection, done to better appreciate the effects of what happened. (biblehub.com)

• remind (v.)1640s, "to remember," from re- "again" + mind (v.). Meaning "to put (someone) in mind of (something)" is first recorded 1650s. Related: Reminded; reminding. (etymologyonline.com)

• "25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”" -1 Corinthians 11:25

Examples of Non-Annual Memorials

• Headline: MONTHLY MEMORIAL MASSES (udayton.edu) "Once every month a Memorial Mass is held for members of the extended UD community who have died recently or who have had an anniversary of death."

• Headline: Weekly memorial for veterans moves to Municipal Building on Sunday (http://oakridgetoday.com) "...the group that has met each week for more than 400 Sundays to ring the Friendship Bell in remembrance of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan..."

• A "memorial" or a "remembrance" is simply a reminder of something important.

Did Christians Really Meet on the First Day of the Week?

• 107AD IGNATIUS: let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days of the week. (Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, chp 9. Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg. 62-63.)

• 130AD BARNABAS: Wherefore we Christians keep the eighth day for joy, on which also Jesus arose from the dead and when he appeared ascended into heaven. (15:8f, The Epistle of Barnabas, 100 AD, Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg. 147)

• 190AD CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: He does the commandment according to the Gospel and keeps the Lord's day, whenever he puts away an evil mind . . . glorifying the Lord's resurrection in himself. (Vii.xii.76.4)

Detailed Early Account of Meeting on the First Day of

the Week• And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration." - Justin Martyr (114-165), First Apology #67

It's All About Context

• The single most important thing in understanding the meaning of a word or phrase is understanding its context.

• Example: "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." - Hebrews 4:9

• Is this saying that the Sabbath is still something that should be observed by people of God?

What "Sabbath" Means in Hebrews

• "4 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word [a]they heard did not profit them, because [b]it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath,They shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying [c]through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if [d]Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." - Hebrews 4:1-9

Does the Old Testament Matter?

• "4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." - Romans 15:4

• We can still learn from the writings of the old covenant, even if we no longer have to obey its laws.

Why the Old Testament REALLY Matters...

• "And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

• 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

• 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

• “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”[b]

• 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him." - Acts 8:27-36

The Bottom Line

• OT = Understanding

• NT = Instruction