Old vs New

What is the best restaurant in your town? Or how about the best holiday of the year? Or the best book you've ever read? What about the best deal you've ever found? What made that such a bargain?

Now that you've been thinking about that, think about this - does new equal better? Are you the type of person who hangs on to old possessions as long as possible before replacing them? Or do you like to trade-in and trade-up on a regular basis?

In Hebrews 8 we knuckle down on the concept of the “New Covenant”. The High Priest of this “New Covenant” is Christ Jesus, who according to He 8:1 occupies a special place, seated at the right hand of God.

In short, this chapter poses and answers two questions: (1) Why should a Jew be satisfied with the old priesthood and the old sacrifices – which are only copies and shadows of forgiveness and reconciliation – when he can have real forgiveness and reconciliation in Jesus?
And (2) What “Old Covenant” priest could compare with Jesus, the incomparable High priest of the “New Covenant”?

The “Old Covenant” symbol isn’t bad, it never was. It had a beautiful, God given purpose! That purpose was to point to the Son, it represented the Son, foreshadowing His coming. But now that the Son has come, the symbol has no more purpose, it has become obsolete (He 8:13). Ultimately the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70 completed the closing of the “Old Covenant”.

So where does that leave us? Ezekiel 36:26-27 speaks of an internal heart change which is part of this “New Covenant” and 1 Timothy 2:5 confirms that Christ alone brings this change.

While the mystery of the will of God is difficult for our finite minds to comprehend; and while we may never have the mind of God, we are told to have a mind (attitude) like Christ (Philippians 2:5). As such, we must continually set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and let our minds be transformed by God (Romans 12:1).

Don’t let your obsession with the “Old” ways prevent you from enjoying the fruits of the “New”!