Let's see ... "Testament", noun ... okay, what is it? 1) a will setting out the disposition of personal property. Oh, yeah, we know that one. You're "last will and testament". Got it. No, that's not this. Okay, 2) a proof, attestation, or tribute. Like the book, A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, attesting the importance and value of freedom. Got it. Nope! That's not it either. Hmmm. So what is this "New Testament" thing? 3) a covenant instituted between God and Man. Oh, now, see? We have arrived.
The "Old Testament" and the "New Testament" are written around the concept of covenants instituted by God toward Man. In Scripture there are actually quite a few covenants. There is the Adamic covenant (Gen 3:16-19) where God declares unconditionally the conditions on earth under the sin of man. There is the Noahic covenant (Gen 9:1-18) where God establishes human government, sealed by a rainbow. A famous one is the Abrahamic covenant, offered without condition. It actually occurs over several chapters of Genesis (Gen 12:1-4; 13:14-17; 15:1-8) and is reconfirmed with Isaac and Jacob. It guaranteed God's particular blessings to Abraham's offspring, the permanence of Israel, and the certainty of a "seed" that would save the nations. It was sealed with circumcision. Perhaps the best known is the Mosaic covenant. It is best known simply because the Ten Commandments form a major portion of this agreement between God and Israel. Oh, and this one was conditional. It included 613 laws and touched every Jew as well as the rest of us. It is, in fact, primarily this covenant -- this Testament -- in view when we refer to the "Old Testament". There were more, of course, but you get the idea.
Enter the "New Testament". It was guaranteed in Jeremiah. "'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah'" (Jer 31:31). But it actually arrives with the Messiah. We read about it in the Gospels. In the upper room Jesus said, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matt 26:28). Welcome to the new covenant between God and Man. This covenant is "new and improved". It folds in the previous ones, adding Gentiles to the mix, but it has a different quality.
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen (Heb 13:20-21).Get that? An eternal covenant. Now, with the former covenants, some had conditions and some did not. This one is simple. It plays off the Abrahamic covenant (Gal 3:13-20) but clarifies it as a reference to Christ, explained by the Law, and bases it on faith in Christ.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph 2:8-10).Saved apart from works by grace through faith. Created for good works. End of story.
When we read "Old Testament" and "New Testament", we typically think "This half of the book" and "That half." It is oh, so much more. It is a covenant based on faith and on the blood of Christ that guarantees an eternity with God. Maybe "this half of the book" is a less-than-satisfactory way to think about the amazing gift of this eternal covenant between God and every believer in Christ. Such a deal!
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