The Old vs the New Covenant
Old Testament vs. New Testament – what’s the difference?
Are you familiar with Biblical covenants? Reading the Bible without understanding covenant is like going to a medicine cabinet when you are ill and swallowing whatever pills you find. You might get better, or you might get sick and die.
All medicine is good, but not all medicine is good for you.
In the Bible there are at least five covenants between God and man. But the two biggies are those by which we divide the scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, or the old and new covenants.
(Pro tip; the old covenant does not begin in Genesis 1 and the new covenant does not begin in Matthew 1. The old covenant began at Mt Sinai, while the new covenant began at Mt Calvary.)
The old vs the new covenant
Understanding the difference between the old and new covenants is essential if we are to rightly divide the scriptures:
- Old covenant: Man makes promises to God and breaks them repeatedly
- New covenant: God makes promises to himself and keeps them forever
At the foot of Mt Sinai the Israelites boasted:
We will do everything the Lord commands. (Exodus 19:8)
What a foolish boast! What the law demands you cannot provide. Your flesh is incapable of delivering a perfect performance – which is the whole point of the law-keeping covenant.
The law is not your ladder to success but your fast track to failure. The law is designed to humble the proud and silence the boastful so that all may see their need for grace.
In contrast with the old covenant, the new covenant is based on God’s unbreakable promises to us.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. (Jeremiah 32:40)
The difference between the old and the new is we will versus he will.
In the old, we broke our word again and again, but in the new God keeps his word forever. We no longer wobble on the shaky ground of our resolve, but we stand secure on the Rock of Ages.
If you have been making and breaking promises to God, give up. Repent of your pride, stop saying “I will,” and put your faith in the “I wills” of God.
Reading scripture through a new covenant lens
Jesus’ death on the cross was the single most important event in history. It brought about a conclusion or end to the old covenant and it ushered in the new covenant.
What is the new covenant? The new covenant is a covenant of grace where God blesses us with new life and divine favor for no reason other than it pleases him to do so.
Before the cross the old law covenant reigned, but after the cross a new covenant based on grace made the old covenant obsolete (Heb. 8:13). Under the old covenant you were blessed if you were good, but under the new covenant we are blessed because he is good.
When reading any scripture in the Bible we need to ask, what does this passage mean in light of the cross? Consider these contrasts from scripture:
- Before the cross we were blessed when we obeyed and cursed when we disobeyed (Deu. 11:26–28). But after the cross we are blessed because we are forgiven (Rom. 4:8) and we are redeemed from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).
- Before the cross we forgave in order to earn God’s forgiveness (Matt. 6:14). But at the cross we were unconditionally forgiven and we now forgive because Christ has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).
- Before the cross loving your neighbor meant not coveting his wife or property (Deu. 5:21). But after the cross we love and accept others because Christ loves and accepts us (1 John 4:19; Rom. 15:7).
- Before the cross God was distant and unapproachable (Ex. 19:12). But because of the cross we have been brought near to God to receive mercy and find grace (Eph. 2:13; Heb. 4:16).
More contrasts between the old and new covenant can be found in the table below. (Click the image to download a printable PDF.)
In every way, the new covenant is superior to the old:
- The old covenant failed because it hinged on your imperfect obedience, but the new covenant endures because it is founded on Christ’s perfect obedience unto death.
- The old covenant says you will be blessed if you do good, but the new declares we are blessed because God is good.
- The old covenant warns that you will be punished if you do bad, but the new declares that in Christ you are eternally unpunishable.
Thank God for the new covenant of his grace!
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One way to avoid covenant confusion is to read the Bible with the aid of a new covenant commentary. Here’s one:
Escape to Reality 
Thoroughly enjoyed this message on the covenants. It is so difficult to fully grasp the covenant of Grace because of a mixed message that is preached. It’s so hard to come to the reality that “It is Finished”. We cannot add or subtract from it.
You hit the mail on the head there Footslogger (great name btw). I’ve come to the conclusion we in the West particularly are drowning in an environment of unbelief. Over the years I’ve had to become more and more restrictive about the things I watch on TV in programs and play with music. As you say, the actual ‘Reality’ is now so well hidden it defies virtually everything we see, touch and hear in this perverted world.
What’s the difference between the old and new covenant? Aside from The God Man who fulfilled the first and is living testament of the second, the ‘difference’ seems to lie between our ears.
Thanks for this beautiful reminder of the true meaning of grace. I do find myself striving for it; berating myself when I give in to my flesh. Trying to live to such a high standard is exhausting and disappointing. Can I ask, when a person doesn’t grow up in an atmosphere of grace and has not experienced it in relationships, how is it possible to put a true faith in what that person has only heard stories about but has never felt or seen themselves? Sometimes it feels like fairytale wishing.
Chris, I understand – I get it-I have the same struggle-which only intensifies when those around you seem to “ get it” and seem to be able to benefit and “ implement” this wonderful gift of Gods free grace etc.Please try and not be tempted to “ blame yourself or assume theres something “ wrong “ with you, please try and see it as this – the very fact that you are questioning it and desiring it means you have Jesus and He has you and you have His Holy Spirit as if you didn’t this would not even enter your head as an unbeliever it’s hard and agonising I know and most importantly Jesus knows just keep asking and praying for the revelation of it and keep telling that doubting hopeless,helpless thought that you’ll never get it to DO ONE!!, you are not alone or the only one who struggles with this.
Paul, I love this, but still there’s one thing that bothers me. Always has. Why do you think God needed Jesus (or a goat, or anyone) to die, in order to forgive us? This has never made sense to me, and I believe it (trying to reconcile this need for blood in our loving Father) is the cause of much cognitive dissonance in the church, even though most have never dared to ask that question, it doesn’t line up with our idea of being a physical parent, so it can’t line up in our spiritual parentage either.
Well, that’s the $64,000 question, and one that I will save for another article. I’m glad you loved this one.
Old covenant: Man makes promises to God and breaks them repeatedly – New covenant: God makes promises to himself and keeps them forever I have been reading all your books and posts for 8 years and this comparision is just blowing my mind! Kevin
Paul, I have been receiving your material for years, and really appreciate the things you post.
Thank you, Ross. So glad to hear that.
Couldn’t agree more….. Thank you Paul for the clarity.
One question… As a gentile I was never under the old covenant correct? I only get to enjoy and participate in the New covenant as it was predestined from the beginning to include the gentiles. And I guess you could also say I am a benefactor of the abrahamic covenant. I understand Romans and Ephesians where it refers to the gentiles who were outside the camp etc. And Romans where it says that we are still accountable etc. I was still in Adam and without life and I needed to become in Christ and made spiritually alive. Transferred from the kingdom darkness to the kingdom of light as Paul says.
Is The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) old or new covenant? Calling God “Father” (Matt 6:9) characterizes new covenant. Conditional forgiveness (Matt 6:14) however characterizes old covenant. So what is it?
Anything that smacks of law is definitely part of the old covenant. Jesus was born under law and preached the law to Jewish people who were also under the law. But he was also the herald of the new covenant and in this role he revealed a God who loves us like a father. More here and here.