General The Beginning of New Covenant Christianity

[benadam1974]

by carlos@thehumanjesus.org

Hebrews 9:17 is often used to teach the New Covenant started only at or after the cross. The Barnes' Notes on the New Testament says the phrase “Is of force means Is ratified, or confirmed - in the same way as a deed or compact is confirmed by affixing a seal." This interpretation is proven by the Hebrews writer using Moses and the first covenant as an example in v.18 and following.

We also see how back in Exodus 24 the blood of animals effectively sealed, or ratified the covenant at Sinai. Yet, back in Exodus 19 (after Moses first spoke the words of that covenant) the people all answered together:

“All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”

The point is the blood later sprinkled in Ex 24 was not in and of itself the covenant at Sinai, anymore than Jesus' blood and death on a cross was the New Covenant. Or picture the following analogy:
The blood is like a signature on a document but no one would put their signature on a blank document, I.e., a document without any words on it.

Again, the blood simply represents the ratifying, i.e., the seal of the covenant that had already been established. In the case of the New Covenant, due to the words of both John and especially the Messiah, as Hebrews 9 repeatedly says:

16b the death of the one who made it [i.e., the NC].

17b while the one who made it [i.e., the NC] lives.

 

[LeeB]

Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign between him and God that in him all the nations of the Earth would be blessed . From Abraham to King David to Mary the promise of a messiah in their future would lead to the fulfillment of the sign of circumcision. Abraham saw this afar off and believed and his faith was counted as righteousness even before he was circumcised. The baptism of Jesus was to fulfill all righteousness that those who were circumcised with the sign and had faith would be sealed into the new covenant including gentiles. The death of the testator was the fulfillment of all the new covenant. The old covenant was totally separate from the new and was not abolished by Jesus as the unconverted world is yet under it. Only the church escapes the covenant of the law. Since Abraham knew the gospel he had the promise the was later fulfilled so in a sense the new covenant promise came before the law of the old. In other words faith and grace is older than law.

 

[LeeB]

Faith and grace goes all the back to Able, the second son of Adam. Hebrews calls Able, righteous Able. The only way for anyone to be called righteous is for God to impute righteousness to one of faith. Able was as far as I know the very first Christian. Able is part of the root of the olive tree. Just as Abraham, king David and all the prophets, Able was a man of faith. These people are what Paul described as the church in the wilderness. These people were part of Gods elect saints and will be in the first resurrection along with the saints after Christ. In Leviticus 23:17 the two loaves of bread baked with leaven symbolize the complete church, the one before Jesus and the one after Jesus. Together they are the first fruits, Revelation 14:4 .