In English, we have a saying: "You have to walk before you can run". This describes the concept that more advanced lessons in just about any area require an introductory stage. You cannot master a thing if you do not at least know the basics. How will you do multiplication if you cannot even count?
One great thing about Christianity is that, in many ways, it breaks that mold. Scripture tells us that "...God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Corinthians 27-29). Thus, even those who barely crawl may, by God's power, outrun the world's fastest sprinters. Scripture says that the mere entrance of God's word gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130), and that by making it our daily meditation, we can be wiser than our enemies, the ancients, and even our own teachers (Psalm 119:97-100).
But this God-glorifying phenomena only works so well precisely because it is a divine peculiarity. The norm is that the wise will shame the foolish, and the strong will overcome the weak. Thus, as Jerome said, "The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom."
This brings us to our walk before you can run topic for this article: The distinction, and link, between covenants. To those who haven't been raised in a Jewish or Christian background, even the very word "covenant" may be confusing. Even for me, having a semi-Christian background, it was strange to hear it for the first time. Why does Jesus say "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)? Outside of a religious context, this word is very rarely used.
To put it in simple terms, the word "covenant" refers to a sort of deal between man and God. Think of it as a promise, or set of promises, from God. Sometimes, these will simply be something God promises unconditionally. For example, in Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and all living creatures: "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”" (Genesis 9:11). No one has to do anything for God to maintain this promise. Mankind can sin as grievously, or even more so, as in the time before the flood, and there will never again be another flood.
But sometimes, covenants do have conditions. In these cases, God often makes two sets of promises. "Do this, and I will prosper you. Do not do this, and I will destroy you." This is what often trips people up when they begin their studies. When we read the Old Testament, we find a lot of commands. Of course, we find the famous 10 commandments, which most Christians tend to stick to religiously. But we also find many differences between Old Testament law and modern Christian practice. There is no temple in the Christian faith, because Christians are the temple. There are no sacrifices of animals, because Christ is our all-sufficient sacrifice. There are no dietary laws in the Christian faith, because Christ declared all things clean. This leads many, be they new or unstudied believers, or unbelievers who are curious about the faith, to ask "what gives?" And of course, it leads some of the more hostile unbelievers to charge Christians with hypocrisy, picking and choosing which parts of the Bible we follow.
All of this confusion can be resolved when we consider Paul's words in Galatians 3:24-25: "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
This fairly simple concept unifies and distinguishes the Old and New Covenants. Studying the New Testament, we see that there are common elements. The Old Covenant, for example, condemns various sins, such as murder, theft, and adultery, and we see all of these sins universally condemned throughout the Bible. But things like dietary restrictions, circumcision, and ritual sacrifice, are specifically linked to the Old Covenant, given to the Jews through Moses. These are explicitly absent from Adam to Moses, and the New Testament explicitly revokes them. Romans 14, in particular, spends a lot of time telling us that we are free to eat and drink anything our conscience permits us. Galatians is written as a direct rebuke to the Judaisers, who preached circumcision as a requirement in the Christian faith. The book of Hebrews explains that we no longer need priests to offer endless sacrifices on our behalf, as Christ, our High Priest, sacrificed Himself once for all.
To illustrate this, consider a simple open/closed sign. These often take the form of a rotatable plaque hanging on a door. When the business in question is open for business, the word "open" faces the door, giving explicit permission for customers to enter. When the business is no longer open, the sign is rotated, so that the word "closed" now explicitly denies permission to enter.
One thing to note about these signs is that the words "open" and "closed" never really go away. It's all about which side of the door they face. This does not determine their meaning, but their application. In the same way, the Old Covenant cannot be abolished. The Old Testament remains as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. However, for Christians, our sign was rotated, so to speak, when Christ gave up His spirit (Hebrews 9:15-17). That is, when Jesus died, the Old Covenant, requiring us to keep all the laws in the Old Testament, ended, and the New Covenant took its place.
Symbolising this was the tearing of the temple veil (Matthew 27:51). This veil was massively symbolic, in effect separating man from God. It separated the Holy of Holies, that is, the Earthly dwelling place of God, from the rest of the temple, where men dwelt. This was such a sacred place that human beings were virtually never allowed there, with one exception: The high priest. He would go there once per year to make atonement for the sins of the people. When that veil tore, it sent a clear message: God has left the building! Where previously there was separation between man and God because of sin, the sin problem has been dealt with. There is no more separation.
But a time will come when that closed sign will once again face outwards. Forever. See, the condition of the New Covenant, as Paul says, is faith. If we have no faith, we do not receive the fruit of the New Covenant, any more than those who refused to get on the ark found salvation from the flood. With the promise of salvation nullified by faithlessness, there remains only wrath for sin, and God will never again make a covenant with those who are lost. Hell is permanent.
With all of this in mind, I strongly encourage everyone reading this article to read the Bible. This is a lifelong study effort, which will never come to completion. You will never learn everything there is to learn, for God's wisdom is infinite, and His word is deep. Therefore, you should never stop, even if you have read it cover to cover 100 times. But do not wait until you have read it even once to come to its Author. If you are not yet a Christian, jump the queue! He's waiting for you with open arms, and with your own hands empty, you should run to Him, because God has made no covenant with you to spare your life even until sunset. Therefore, know that you are a sinner, deserving of His everlasting wrath, but in His love, God sent His Son to die for your sins, so that if you believe in Him, you will not perish, but will instead have eternal life. Once you have affirmed this truth, receiving salvation, you will have the rest of your life to explore the depths of the Christian faith. Walk in faith, then run in the green pastures of Scripture.