This is the concluding part of our very instructive series on the Old and the New
Covenants. And I pray that this concluding Episode as well as all we have learnt
previously will make the desired impact on your relationship with God.
From all we have studied, the conclusion is that the New Covenant by far surpasses
and replaces the Old Covenant.
People who argue that the OC is as relevant as the NC today would quote Jesus’
statement in Mathew 5:17 to support their claim. Jesus said here-
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfil them.
So let’s take a look at this statement which is actually Jesus’ summary of the status of
both Covenants.
To abolish means to destroy; to cancel; to repeal; to nullify; to do away with something
completely as if it never existed. To fulfill on the other hand means to satisfy; to meet; to
complete; to redeem.
So by the statement that He did not come to abolish but to fulfill the law, Jesus clearly
states that He did not come to nullify, cancel the law or pretend that it never existed.
Jesus did not question the authority of the Law because it was given by God. Recall
Paul’s cry in Romans 7:12, which we quoted in Episode 52, that the Law is good and
pure, but that the problem is that the people were powerless to keep it. And in Romans
3:31, Paul again cries out- Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather we
uphold the Law. Faith in Christ actually upholds the Law. If not for the Law, we would
not realize our need for Christ. The Law told the people what constituted sin. It didn’t
give them the power to overcome it. We saw in the same Episode 52 that the OC was a
shadow and copy of the real thing-the NC. The Blood of animals was a shadow of the
Blood of Jesus Christ. The Tabernacle was a copy of the Temple in Heaven. Recall also
that in Episode 51, we saw that God gave the OC in order to keep the people in check
before He could perfect the plan of redemption.
When the plan of redemption was perfected, Jesus came to fulfill the law. Jesus fulfilled
the requirements of the OC by obeying all its provisions perfectly.
He completed the purpose of the Law when He came as the savior of mankind.
Galatians 3:24 says-Let me put it another way, the Law was our guardian until Christ
came; It protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

He satisfied the requirements of the OC when He sacrificed His pure and sinless blood
in full and final settlement for the sins of mankind.
Ezekiel 18:20 states that the soul that sins shall die. Jesus did not annul that provision.
What did He do? He never sinned but He died in our place. So He has fulfilled that

provision and we no longer die when we commit sin. Instead we receive forgiveness.
Romans 6:23 says-For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus did not cancel this provision. What did He do? He gave us
the gift of eternal life. He kept the law completely so those who believe in Him become
partakers of His accomplishment. If I pay a debt you owe to the bank, that does not
nullify your loan agreement with the bank. The loan agreement is still valid. But I have
fulfilled your indebtedness. I have redeemed you from the loan. The bank can no longer
demand payment from you. So yes-Jesus did not abolish the law. He fulfilled it.
The Book of Hebrews makes far reaching pronouncements about the superiority of the
NC over the OC. The Writer of the Book was encouraging newly converted Jewish
Christians who were being persecuted to persevere in their faith because the NC
instituted by Jesus Christ was superior to the OC which was given to Moses. I
encourage you to study the book of Hebrews in order to get better insights into the
superiority of the NC so that you too can transit from the OC mentality.
Hebrews 8:6 states that the NC is a better Covenant established on better promises. 8:7
states that if the OC was faultless, the NC would not have been needed. 8:13 states
that by introducing the NC, God had made the OC obsolete. 9:11 states that Christ
came as High Priest of a better and more perfect Covenant. And 10:9 states that God
took away the first Covenant that He may establish the second. The Book of Hebrew
makes it clear that the NC has replaced the OC because it is superior to the OC which
had many faults.
Jesus said in Mathew 11:11, Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women,
there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom
of Heaven, is greater than he. Jesus emphasis here is that despite John’s greatness,
believers under the NC, possess greater spiritual authority than John. This means that
the power and anointing in us is greater than the power and anointing in Elijah, Moses
and the rest of the OC prophets
Jesus did not abolish the OC. He fulfilled it. The OT remains relevant, but has to be
interpreted on the basis of the teachings of the NT. The Scriptures of the Old Testament
are meant to help us understand our relationship with God under the New Covenant.
They are not meant for us to observe them. For instance, if we do not know anything
about the sacrifice of animals for the cleansing of sin, we would not appreciate Jesus
one time perfect sacrifice and we may still be tempted to perform animal sacrifices as
some still do today. If we do not know that only the high priest could approach the
presence of God under the OC, we would not appreciate the unrestricted access we
have to the presence of God under the NC. So the OT is useful to help us appreciate
the blessings of the NT.
Again like we saw in Episode 53, while He redeemed us from the curses of the OC,
Jesus fulfilled the conditions for us to receive and enjoy the blessings and promises of
the OC. We are not redeemed from the blessings of the OT. This is why we still claim
the promises of Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 23. Psalm 91, Psalm 46 and many other
promises of the OT. So we need to read the OT in order to know and claim those
promises.

We are no longer required to keep the requirements of the Laws of the OC because
Jesus has fulfilled them on our behalf. The curses for disobeying the Laws are no longer
applicable to us because Jesus has redeemed us from them.
However, one of the biggest problems of Christianity today is that most people mix the
Old Testament of law and the New Testament of grace. Most of us have no problem
agreeing that we have been saved by grace, but we still subject ourselves to the law. 
Will you deny that when you do well, you expect to be blessed. You feel you deserve to
be blessed. And when you fall short, you expect to be punished and denied of God’s
blessings. This is an Old Testament mentality.
You can’t mix the two. Jesus said in Luke 5:37 that you cannot put new wine into old
wineskins. The attempt to operate a hybrid religion of merging the OC and the NC is the
reason why so many people are struggling in their Christian lives. It’s the reason why
many Christians are not enjoying the freedom and joy of the NC. It’s the reason why
some Christians do not possess the promises of God under the NC. It’s the reason why
many live under condemnation. It’s the reason why many Christians find it difficult to
draw near to God or be intimate with Him.
Mixing the two Covenants causes a great problem in the area of our prayers. Because
prayer under the OC is completely different from prayer under the NC. We are qualified
for all the promises of God because Jesus met the conditions for qualifying for them on
our behalf. There are no more conditions to be met, so we should pray from a position
of victory. Under the OC, prayers were made in expectation and answered only if the
conditions were met. Christians who mix both Covenants, pray both types of prayers.
Sometimes they pray from a position of victory; sometimes they pray like a victim.
Unfortunately majority of our prayers are based on this highbred of law/Grace. I hear
such prayers all the time. God may answer such prayers in His mercy. But when we
pray from a position of victory with the belief that Jesus has accomplished all our needs,
there is 100% assurance that we would get the expected results. The reason for most
unanswered prayers is because we are praying both OC and NC prayers. We do not
pray from a position of confidence and assurance in the accomplished works of Christ.
We continue begging God to do what His word says He has done for us.
You do a great harm to yourself by living under both Covenants. 
We have come to the end of this series on the superiority of the NC over the OC. I have
found this theme very rewarding and hope that it has helped you too to shift your
mindset from a lot of religious beliefs and practices that have been ingrained in our
minds over the years. In fact the thought that the veil has been torn and that the Lord
invites us to enter and dwell in His presence is so thrilling that we shall explore the
theme Dwelling in the Presence of God in our next series.