Christian Forums

A covenant in Bible times was a solemn promise and/or agreement, often confirmed by an oath. If you ask most people about it, you will find much misunderstanding about the most elementary significance of the covenants, their relationship with law and salvation, and especially to how it relates to Christians today. If you ask the question, "When did the Old covenant begin?" most people would say on Sinai, with Moses. But if you ask, "When did the New covenant begin?" the answers are inconsistent or nill for the most part. Adventist hold that the Old and the New Covenants are the same, one that was written on stone and needs to be in the heart not just follow the letter of the law but the true meaning, and Christ points to this in Matthew 5:20.

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Adventist look at the following text that can clarify the situation.

Jeremiah 31:31-33
"31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This text contains the basic elements of both covenants and also helps in understanding them.

The Old covenant has the time, "I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt".
It has the covenant partners, "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:"
It has the covenant objective, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
It has the covenant conditions, "my law"
Now let's look at the New covenant in Hebrews 8:8-10:

"8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith 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 continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"

Using the same passage which is repeated, the same elements are found for the New Testament, except for the difference in time.

The New covenant has the time, "Behold, the days come".
It has the covenant partners, "a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:"
It has the covenant objective, " I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:".
It has the covenant conditions, "my laws"
So except for the time element, there is no difference between the two covenants. The covenant partners are the same, the covenant objective is the same, and the covenant conditions are the same. The 'Old Covenant' and the 'New Covenant' are by faith and denying self and trusting in God, and allowing our hearts to be changed we be transformed. So one can see that the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant are the same.

The "Old Covenant" usually means "Moses Covenant."

It turns out that isn't the oldest covenant.  We have a covenant between God and Abraham that is significantly older, and WAY more important.

And we see..
Genesis 26:5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Quote from: Hobie on Fri Jul 17, 2026 - 19:18:52A covenant in Bible times was a solemn promise and/or agreement, often confirmed by an oath. If you ask most people about it, you will find much misunderstanding about the most elementary significance of the covenants, their relationship with law and salvation, and especially to how it relates to Christians today. If you ask the question, "When did the Old covenant begin?" most people would say on Sinai, with Moses. But if you ask, "When did the New covenant begin?" the answers are inconsistent or nill for the most part. Adventist hold that the Old and the New Covenants are the same, one that was written on stone and needs to be in the heart not just follow the letter of the law but the true meaning, and Christ points to this in Matthew 5:20.

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Adventist look at the following text that can clarify the situation.

Jeremiah 31:31-33
"31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This text contains the basic elements of both covenants and also helps in understanding them.

The Old covenant has the time, "I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt".
It has the covenant partners, "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:"
It has the covenant objective, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
It has the covenant conditions, "my law"
Now let's look at the New covenant in Hebrews 8:8-10:

"8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith 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 continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"

Using the same passage which is repeated, the same elements are found for the New Testament, except for the difference in time.

The New covenant has the time, "Behold, the days come".
It has the covenant partners, "a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:"
It has the covenant objective, " I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:".
It has the covenant conditions, "my laws"
So except for the time element, there is no difference between the two covenants. The covenant partners are the same, the covenant objective is the same, and the covenant conditions are the same. The 'Old Covenant' and the 'New Covenant' are by faith and denying self and trusting in God, and allowing our hearts to be changed we be transformed. So one can see that the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant are the same.

Amen I would offer.

The Covenant Established by Two Witnesses

A covenant in Scripture is never established by the testimony of one witness alone. From the beginning God established the principle:

Numbers 35:30 (KJV) "One witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die."

Deuteronomy 17:6 (KJV)"At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death."

Deuteronomy 19:15 (KJV) "At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

This pattern runs throughout the whole Bible.

Marriage joins two into one flesh. A covenant joins two parties together. God Himself confirms every matter by sufficient witness.

From the beginning, the invisible Father and His living Word work together in perfect unity. The Father declares, "Let there be," and His Word accomplishes what the Father has spoken.

The invisible is revealed by the visible.

The declaration becomes the demonstration.

The two fold law is spoken.

The prophecy comes to pass.
"And God said.(1).. and it was so(2) ... and God saw that it was good."
One divine testimony.

One powerful Faith as  Christ labor of love .

One God working through His Word.
Genesis 1:26 records:"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."

The Hebrew word Elohim reminds us that God is not speaking as an isolated individual. Throughout Scripture the Father and the Son are revealed working together as one divine testimony. The Father sends; the Son reveals. The Father speaks; the Son performs the Father's will.
Jesus testified:

John 10:34–36 (KJV)"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?... If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken..."

I am not suggesting there are multiple Creator Gods. Scripture is clear that there is only one eternal Creator.

Rather, those who receive God's Word become His children through the new birth and are entrusted with declaring His righteous judgments. In that representative sense Scripture can call them "gods," because they bear God's testimony among men.

The tribe of Dan illustrates this principle. Dan means "judge." God's people are called to judge doctrine by the written Word, exposing the serpent's lies with the truth of Christ.

Yet Christ alone is the Teacher.

Paul wrote:
"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." (1 Corinthians 3:6)

We preach.Christ teaches.

We sow.The Holy Spirit gives understanding.

The glory belongs entirely to God.

This same pattern appears at Mount Sinai.

God Himself wrote His covenant upon two tables of stone with His own finger, writing on both sides to indicate the two testaments with no room for the orl traditons of dying mankind . one covenant hidden like the parable of the coin.  Christ the hidden side a mix of the two. Nothing could be added, and nothing could be removed. There was no room for the oral traditions of sinful mankind.
While Moses received God's written testimony, Israel below had already substituted human invention for divine command, making the golden calf. The first tables were broken because the covenant had been violated the letter of law death .

God then commanded Moses to hew two new tables, and once again God Himself wrote upon them with His own finger.

The lesson is not that God's law changed.

The lesson is that God restores what sinful man destroys.

Jeremiah and the writer of Hebrews explain the New Covenant:
"I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts..."

(Jeremiah 31:33)"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts..." (Hebrews 8:10)

The covenant partners remain God's people.

The covenant purpose remains the same.

God's law remains the same.

What changes is the place where God writes it.

Stone gives way to the born-again heart.

The believer becomes God's living temple.

Christ plants His incorruptible seed within the heart through His living Word.

Isaiah reminds us where believers must always seek divine authority:

Isaiah 8:19–20 (KJV)"Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

The Law and the Testimony stand together as God's united witness.

The Father speaks.

The Son reveals.

The Holy Spirit writes God's Word upon believing hearts.

The invisible causes the visible.

The declaration becomes the demonstration.

The Word becomes the testimony.

The covenant is established by God's own witness—not by the traditions of dying men, but by the living, abiding Word of God that endures forever.
The Law of Faith — The Just and the Justifier
The gospel reveals both the justice of God and the mercy of God.

Romans 3:26–28 (KJV)"To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus... Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

God remains just because He never lowers His righteous standard.

God is also the Justifier because He freely justifies those who believe.

This is what Paul calls "the law of faith."

The Law declares God's perfect righteousness.

Faith receives God's perfect righteousness.

The Father declares.

The Son accomplishes.

The Holy Spirit bears witness in the believer's heart.

Thus the law of faith does not abolish God's law; it establishes its true purpose.

As Paul concludes:

Romans 3:31 (KJV)"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

The just Judge and the Justifier work in perfect harmony. God's righteousness is upheld while His mercy is freely given through Christ. The believer is justified by faith, not because the law has failed, but because Christ has fulfilled the Father's righteous purpose and writes His law upon the hearts of those who believe.

The Father declares (Law).
 
The Son fulfills and reveals (Gospel).

The Holy Spirit writes that truth on the heart (New Covenant).