The Old And New Testament Essay Example

David Livingstone once said, “All that I am, I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed in me in His divine book.” The Bible is the divine book that Livingstone is describing here. The Bible’s timeline is different from the times we are living in, but still holds a level of similarity. It shows the goodness of God and His plans for our now and our future, despite it being thousands of years old. Although it is older than us, the New Testament is the newest section of the Bible and closely relates and is relevant to its readers now. The Old and New Testament have a central theme, which is salvation through Christ. The Old Testament is revealing the Messiah’s coming while the New Testament is showing His arrival, life, and death. 

The New Testament also represents the covenant that God has with His people through His son. Before explaining the new covenant, the old one must be understood first. The old covenant was an agreement God made with Abraham and Israel. This is what happened in the famous verse about Abraham becoming the father of many nations. The old covenant is more so conditional while the new covenant comes in and adds an unconditional spring of salvation for any believer. The new covenant is the basis of the new church and its principals. Hebrews 7:22 NIV states, “ Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.” This verse explains that through this new covenant, believers can go directly to God through His son, Jesus Christ. Third Mill Seminary states that “every facet of New Testament theology is closely tied to the person and work of Christ. . .  . Christ plays this central role in New Testament theology because God administers every dimension of life in the new covenant through Christ as the representative of the church.” 

Although there is knowledge of the new covenant, we have to acknowledge what that means for the church. The New Testament church can not be explained without describing the Pentecost. Defined by Britannica, “It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world.” The Pentecost ultimately represents the birth of the church. The Holy Spirit came as a “rushing mighty wind” and fulfilled the promise Jesus made to the disciples that a comforter would always be with them. On that day, Peter was preaching to the people. He was using his platform to preach a sermon about Jesus’ resurrection. This ultimately proved that Jesus was God’s son. After preaching to the people, they wanted to know how they could respond to what they had just heard. Peter told them that they would have to be baptized and repent of their sins. This leads me to a point in the new church. Baptism is symbolic in many ways. For one, Jesus also was baptized. This is just one way that believers can be Christ-like. However, it is important to understand that baptism does not save a person. It is only a symbol of the change we commit to make once Jesus becomes our Savior. Repentance and baptism birthed a way of coming to Christ. However, that is not the end of creating a bond with Christ or the only purpose or result of the church.

Acts 2:42 NIV states “ They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This verse shows the purpose of the church which is teaching, fellowshipping, the breaking of bread, and prayer. These things go hand-in-hand with each other. The purpose of teaching is to show and explain instruction. The teaching of God’s word and His doctrine helps all in the church know what God says, what He expects of us, and what we should believe and have faith in Him to do. Grace Theological Seminary describes fellowship as “holding something in common. . . .  fellowship produces our mutual cooperation in God’s worship, God’s work, and God’s will being done in the world.” Teaching without fellowship would eliminate the closeness and unity that is seen in churches. The breaking of bread is symbolic to what Jesus did with his disciples. He took what He had and gave it to those whom He loved. This practice is seen not only in the early church, but also with the church now. Breaking bread contributes to the church in the aspect of closeness and unity. Lastly, prayer serves as a beacon of communication. It connects us with God, opens the veil for the Holy Spirit to come through, and all while giving us the position to speak to and to hear what God says. 

The New Testament Church combines so much of what Christ did and what He taught while here on Earth. As mentioned before, the new covenant allows us to go to God through the way of Jesus. The goal of this covenant is to have salvation through the belief that Jesus is God’s son, died, and resurrected in order to save the souls of man. Many will wonder who is qualified to have this amazing honor that Christ is trying to give. The answer is any and all. Luke 9:23 NIV states “Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” This process will allow the believer to become a disciple of Christ. The verse explains that a disciple must deny themselves. This can be loosely translated as no longer living for yourself, but living for God. Living for God means surrendering the sinful nature of having everything focused on selfish desires. God becomes the head of a disciple’s life and allows them to live and bask in his grace, favor, and glory for their own good. The denying of self allows one to see that their own ways can cloud judgement, but with God, all is clear. Then the verse explains that a disciple must take up the cross and follow him. It does not mean to literally put a cross on your back, however, it is symbolic of what Christ did. This particular symbol is said in the simplest way to be like Jesus. He was on the cross as a bearer of our sins, but it was also the place where He died. The death of Jesus on the cross can also contribute to the meaning of this verse. If you bear your sins to God, ask for forgiveness, and put them to rest at his feet, that part of you is dying. The death of your sins allows you to become a new creature in Christ. Lastly, the following of Jesus shows true discipleship. Jesus’ disciples became like His brothers. Through following Him, they gained power also. As believers follow Christ, they gain power too. This power is solely through the Holy Spirit. It allows the believer to be just a little closer to God, even though he is not physically present. The following of Christ also is a way to be Christ-like. If a person is trying his or her best to be like someone, they will start mimicking their actions, their speech, their movements, their mannerisms, and maybe even their ideas. 

Once disciples are formed, there has to be a place for them to come together. Mentioned in the previous paragraph, the disciples became like Jesus’ brothers. This allowed them to become a part of Him. When believers come to Christ, they also come together. This is mostly seen in the church, but it is also seen in the body of Christ. The body is made of many different parts, but they all work together to accomplish one goal.  The human body is controlled through one central location, the head or brain. The same happens with the body of Christ. Christ serves as the head of the body. He directs the body what to do in order to build the kingdom of righteousness. Although there are many different moving parts, they all move toward the common goal of salvation and eternal life with God. 

The New Testament mainly focuses on Christ’s arrival, his teachings, life, death, and resurrection. It is understandable that the New Testament church also focuses on these same principles. The church is an extension of Christ and the main reason He came to Earth. The church should be seen as a connector to Him. Without the church and its resources, there may be a disconnect between Christ and His disciples. The New Testament church serves as a constant reminder of the new covenant God made. Without the new covenant, we would still be relying on the efforts of someone else, and not the efforts of ourselves. 

Without the understanding and knowledge of the old and new covenant; the beginning of the new church through way of the Pentecost; the devotion to teaching, fellowship, bread breaking, and prayer; and the becoming of disciples and body of Christ members, it would be exceptionally difficult to even begin to understand the New Testament church. The church is the fruits of Christ’s labor and the Earth-side reminder that His life’s work was not in vain. It allows us to come to Him as we are, stained with sin, and leave His arms with the presence of the Holy Spirit upon us and white as snow. 

Works Cited

“The Bible - Online Version.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., https://www.biblegateway.com/. 

“The New Covenant .” Thirdmill, https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/180/version/. 

“Pentecost.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentecost-Christianity. 

“Understanding Biblical Christian Fellowship.” Grace Theological Seminary, 20 Apr. 2021, https://seminary.grace.edu/understanding-biblical-christian-fellowship/.