Key Connections: Understanding the Changes from the Old to New Testament

By M. A. Erickson

Exploring the changes between the Old and New Testament provides an open window to the wide-ranging vision of God's work in the human race. It is actually a remarkable vision, which stretches from the beginning of the universe to the end of time as we know it. But many aspects of the Old Testament are difficult to understand today. The ancient origins of the Old Testament (OT) explains part of the difficulty. The OT was written thousands of years ago, in cultures and time periods very different from our own. These vast differences in culture make many practices in the OT seem unusual today. Understanding and making sense of the changes between the OT and NT is one of the key purposes of this book. Many changes become more understandable when you compare God's instructions for a nation (OT), with God's instructions for freely gathered communities of faith who follow Jesus as Messiah (NT). These changes will be highlighted in the chapters of this volume, along with other key principles for understanding differences between the Old and New Testament. God's greater purposes will be in view, along with current insights and concepts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Dec 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385200962

M. A. Erickson

M. A. Erickson is assistant professor of ministry and Bible at Global University Graduate School of Theology. He is a contributing author to 21st Century Discipleship, Book 3: Making a Difference (2008).

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Major Changes from the Old to New Testament: The Unfolding of God’s Plan

Exploring the changes from the Old to New Testament provides an open window to the wide-ranging vision of God’s work in the human race. It is actually a remarkable vision, which stretches from the beginning of the universe to the end of time as we know it. In between these vast stretches of time, we find the human story.

In the outlook of the Old and New Testaments we also find a deep and thorough diagnosis of the human condition, including an implosion many centuries ago: selfish choices that corrupted human beings and led to the killing, evil, and strife that are so obvious in our world today. God’s diagnosis of the human condition has also provided a cure—a permanent solution, which will be explored in the chapters that follow.

When we look at the massive plan of God to redeem the human race, it is crucial to focus on the challenges that God has faced in bringing these purposes forward. How does one deal with the ongoing tendency of human beings to follow their own self-serving desires? How does one deal with a rebellious world? It’s easy to speak in lofty generalities or suggest philosophical musings about the situation, but God was going to get directly involved with human failings. He was going to get his hands dirty (so to speak) because of the difficulties of human corruption and self-will. God would speak to people at their level, to lead them towards his ultimate purposes.

Many aspects of the Old Testament are difficult for people to understand today. The ancient origins of the Old Testament (OT) explain part of the difficulty. The OT was written thousands of years ago, in cultures and time periods very different from our own. These vast differences in culture make many practices in the OT seem strange. Even in comparison with the New Testament (NT) writings, there are many aspects of the ancient Old Testament that are quite different. Understanding and making sense of these changes from the OT to NT¹ is one of the key purposes of this book.

Massive Changes: Why Did They Occur?

When looking at the OT it is striking to consider how many laws and customs no longer apply today in any literal sense. Animal sacrifices have been completely done away with. All of the OT temple regulations, such as laws governing the duties of the priesthood, the placement of the temple furnishings, the offering of incense, the laver for washing, the table of showbread, and the rules concerning sacrifices and offerings—all of these regulations have been set aside and no longer take place, anywhere on the earth.² In addition to these changes, the numerous OT regulations for clean and unclean foods, various instructions concerning holy days, and attendance at national feasts are no longer physical requirements for those who follow Christ today. Circumcision is no longer a requirement for Christ’s followers. And consider the various laws requiring the death penalty in the OT: while these were part of the OT nation, the communities of faith in the NT are very different; they do not enact any kind of physical penalties on wrongdoers. And rather than engaging in warfare with enemy nations, the NT believers have set aside the sword. The NT communities do not raise armies or engage in warfare with enemy nations. They peacefully promote the gospel, seeking only to persuade people with the truth. Why have all of these remarkable changes taken place?

While there are rich areas of meaning to be found in these OT texts, they no longer apply in a physical way today. The OT laws and regulations concerning the temple no longer apply in any literal sense to Christ’s followers, and in the New Testament we see another temple being described: the communities of believers are now called God’s temple (1 Cor 3:16–17), based on faith in Christ. Looking at this issue historically, the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 and until now has never been rebuilt; so even the Jewish people are no longer able to follow the many temple regulations of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we see many Old Testament rules and regulations that no longer apply to Christ’s followers, and we see Christ fulfilling the purposes of the Old Testament temple itself, sometimes in startling ways. We see a new temple described, the temple of the living God, which is made up of God’s people (2 Cor 6:16).

Changes Regarding the Sword

In the Old Testament, Israel had armies that used the sword and other weapons to do battle with their enemies. In the ancient Near East, nations used weapons and raised armies to fight in battle. Wars were common. Nations, large and small, did battle with other nations. Often, it was literally a battle for the survival of the nation. A nation without weapons could be taken over very quickly by surrounding nations. In a fallen world, war was (and is) an all too common reality. This reality explains, in part, why God allowed Israel to use the sword as a necessity for national survival and for the enforcement of internal law and order.

The early church father Origen (AD 184–253) was a pacifist. He did not believe that Christ’s followers should use the sword. Yet he defended the right of Old Testament Israel to use the sword, saying,

In the case of the ancient Jews, who had a land and a form of government of their own, to take from them the right of making war upon their enemies, of fighting for their country, of putting to death or otherwise punishing adulterers, murderers, or others who were guilty of similar crimes, would be to subject them to sudden and utter destruction whenever the enemy fell upon them; for their very laws would in that case restrain them, and prevent them from resisting the enemy.³

This ancient quote by Origen highlights a key issue: the fact that nations must have the use of force, to protect them from their enemies, both internal and external. This is necessary because we live in a fallen world, a world that has been corrupted by human greed, iniquity, and self-will. The use of force by human governments is outlined by Paul in Rom 13:1–7.

In the New Testament, Jesus tells Peter, Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword (Matt 26:52 NASB). Jesus never takes up the sword, enlists an army, or tells his followers to use physical weapons to battle their enemies. He even tells his followers to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them (Matt 5:44). Instead of fighting against their enemies in physical battles, the followers of Christ are told to flee from persecution (Matt 10:23). Fleeing is a very different approach, as compared to fighting in armed combat. This is clearly seen in the book of Acts, where Christ’s followers fled from persecution at various times (Acts 8:1–4; 13:49–51; 14:5–7; etc.) and never mounted an armed conflict of any kind. Why do these change occur?

Changes in the Focus on Land

Why are wars and battles featured as often as they are in the OT? The land is one of the key reasons. Land is a basic requirement for a nation. Any nation must have a land, and any nation will face war at some times in its history. Israel had a land uniquely promised to them by God. And not only Israel, but nations throughout history have had military forces or police forces of some kind to defend their land and to protect themselves against lawbreakers.

Israel is told that if they obey God and keep the requirements of the covenant, God will bless them and defend them in their land (Deut 28:1–14). But if Israel departs from God and the covenant, they are warned that they will be defeated before their enemies. They will no longer abide in safety in the land (Lev 26:14–17).

Land is a major focus in the Old Testament; Abraham was promised a specific land for his descendants (Gen 12:1–3), and this promised land for Israel is the focus of numerous passages in the Old Testament. The fulfillment of the land promises for Abraham and his descendants took centuries to fulfill.

Another key issue is that religion and government weren’t separate in OT Israel; they were both under the direction of Yahweh,⁴ the God of Israel. Israel was the nation that was chosen by God to fulfill purposes that spanned thousands of years, in the midst of a fallen and corrupt world. Israel was to be a unique theocracy—a nation governed by God. From a biblical perspective, Israel is the only nation that was created and hand-selected to be governed by Yahweh among the nations of the world (Deut 7:6; cf. Deut 14:2; Exod 19:5–6). However, the purpose of this governance was so that Israel could ultimately become a channel of blessing to all the nations of the world. As God told Abraham, In your seed [also translated ‘descendants’] all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice (Gen 22:18 NASB). For this great purpose of blessing the world, God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a nation and have a land, a promised land (Gen 12:1–5; 22:18).

A nation’s land has borders and must be protected. Israel was a small nation in the ancient Near East, and war was common. While the functions and purposes of a military or police force can become corrupted in any nation, the use of force seems to be a necessary requirement for nations to keep evil in check within their borders and to defend themselves from attack. Nations must govern and protect their land if they are to survive.

A Change in the New Testament

Moving forward to the New Testament, we see that as the followers of Christ began to multiply and to share the gospel, new communities of faith were formed in various cities and towns in Israel and throughout the Roman Empire. But these followers of Christ were never told to capture land through the use of force; they never go to war to gain new territory in the Roman Empire or anywhere else. They were not a nation. Christ’s followers are told to put away the sword. This is a massive difference when comparing the Old Testament to the New. Why do these changes occur? A key point is the difference between God working with a nation in the OT and God’s work with freely gathered communities of faith in the NT, communities that would ultimately exist in all nations. These communities of faith are the local churches, which are described for us in the New Testament.

So, why would God hand-select one nation in the Old Testament era to bring God’s salvation and God’s truth to a darkened world? There are many reasons for this, some of which may be known only in the infinite wisdom of God. But there are also more obvious reasons (some of which are stated in the OT and NT), which we will explore in the following chapters.

While there are many dimensions to God’s work in history, a key background issue is the overall condition of the human race. The picture of ancient humanity that is painted for us in Genesis is a story of corruption, selfishness, and greed that have infected humankind. This corruption is seen at many points in ancient history. There is a tendency toward self-will, selfishness, and corruption that has infected the human race. This is actually a central part of our story, the story of humanity.

But can this corruption and evil tendency in human nature really be substantiated? Consider the twentieth century: even through there were many patterns of selfishness, greed, and corruption in ancient times, the twentieth century was by far the bloodiest century in human history.⁵ Rather than humanity evolving or improving itself, corruption and evil seem to be as strong as ever. While some liberal and secular writers attempt to whitewash various aspects of ancient and modern history, a closer examination reveals the deep and ongoing problem of human corruption.⁶

This background of human corruption and selfishness presented a monumental challenge to God in ancient times: How does God bring about a lasting deliverance from evil, given the human ability to choose and humanity’s self-serving tendencies? And how does God transmit the truth over centuries of time in the midst of this widespread corruption and violence? God’s overarching strategy as demonstrated in the Old Testament was to work closely with the creation and development of a specific nation, Israel, over many centuries. Key strategies during this time would be to transmit the truth, to communicate God’s ways to people, and ultimately to prepare the world for the Christ, who died for the sins of humanity and rose again as the Savior from human sin and corruption. This would then prepare the way for a time when all sin and evil would ultimately be banished from the planet (2 Pet 3:13). In other words, a divine takeover.

Other nations were still able to search for God during the OT time period and would still have opportunities to respond to God, as Paul later pointed out to the people of Athens (Acts 17:26–31). The human conscience would also be a built-in guide to help people to choose the right path and loving behaviors. But this built-in compass could be ignored or corrupted. The larger divine strategy would be to prepare the world for the message of Christ, which included the offer of forgiveness and restoration to all peoples.

The many changes from the Old to New Testament have been difficult to explain in a clear and concise way. It isn’t only the difference between Old and New Testaments but the gap between ancient and modern cultures that creates roadblocks in the path of understanding. Before we go into more specific details, it is very helpful to look at the wider picture—a fascinating mega plotline that is often overlooked when considering the changes from the Old to New Testament.

1

. Throughout this book, the abbreviations OT (for Old Testament) and NT (for New Testament will often be used.

2

. Even if the Jewish people did rebuild the temple in Israel today, these temple regulations would still no longer apply to Christ’s followers, since they have been fulfilled by Christ.

3

. Origen, Contra Celsum, ch.

26

. While Origen often used allegory when referring to OT battles, his position, as seen in the quote above, included a necessary and actual use of the sword by the nation of Israel. This is often overlooked by those who quote Origen in defense of an allegorical interpretation of OT battles and war. Origen’s use of the allegorical method is not being defended here. Rather, his statement above supports the historical use of force by the nation of Israel in the OT. This statement of Origen has at times been overlooked or explained away.

4

. Yahweh is the English transliteration of the Hebrew word יהוה that is used in various OT passages for the God of Israel. It is often translated as Lord or "

Lord

" in modern translations. (see Exod

3

:

13

–

15

).

5

. To research this, students of history can investigate the massive numbers of people killed in the twentieth century by corrupt governments killing their own people. This has now been termed democide. Then, one could add all the people killed in battle in World War

I

and World War

II

, along with the many regional wars that took place in the twentieth century. Then, one could add all of the murders that took place in all of the nations in the twentieth century, if one could estimate such a number. Beyond this, one could investigate all the other forms of corruption and evil which human beings have become involved in, throughout the twentieth century.

6

. The word corruption is used to emphasize the corrupting influence of selfishness and sin. Galatians

6

:

8

states that the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption (see also Gen

6

:

11

–

12

).

2

The Mega Plotline

The Old and New Testament narratives include key dimensions of a mega plotline: an all-encompassing divine plan that spans from eternity past to eternity future. This plan includes the future destiny of the human race. So the sweep of this outlook is vast, extending into eternity. While some aspects of this massive plan remain cloaked in mystery, there is also a great deal that is revealed.

The Background Plot

There is a fascinating plotline in the background of the Old Testament, which is often missed when looking at the narrower details of Old Testament history. This plotline is that there has been a major rebellion in much of the universe against its Creator. Little is revealed about the original rebellion, the original turning to evil. Supernatural beings of great power and authority were involved, leading to a major rebellion. While some have ridiculed the existence of these higher-order intelligent beings (known as angels, principalities, or rulers of darkness), it seems a bit prideful, when you think about it, for human beings to presume that they are the highest intelligent beings in the universe. The first hint of the forces of rebellion is seen in the presence of the serpent in Genesis in the garden of Eden, who tempts Eve to disobey the Creator by eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 3). In the garden of Eden account we have a fascinating revelation of the beginnings of human corruption. The question is, will human beings join in a rebellion against the good Creator?

It is intriguing that there was only one commandment given to Adam and Eve in the garden. There were no other rules; no Scriptures existed at that time, and no other rules or laws had been given. The one commandment God gave them was that they must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden, lest they die (Gen 2:16–17). Yet in this one commandment, and the temptation to disobey it, there is an entire spectrum of human temptations that are revealed. This fascinating point was noticed by some of the early church fathers.⁷ Regarding the fruit, Eve was tempted to covet—to desire something that did not belong to her. She was also tempted to steal. Since the garden was made by the Creator who had forbidden her to eat this fruit, it would be stealing from the Creator to take it from the tree. She was tempted to disobey God’s command and rebel against it. She was also tempted by doubt and unbelief; the serpent tempted her to doubt that what God said would come to pass, and Eve (and later Adam) bought into this false narrative of the serpent. She was tempted by physical desire; she saw that the fruit would be good for food (Gen 3:6). She was tempted by pride, hearing that the fruit would make her wise and believing that she would become like God, knowing good and evil (3:5–6). What would it have meant to become like God? This was undoubtedly an incredible temptation to pride and self-exaltation.

All in all, it is remarkable to consider all of the dimensions of temptation that were involved in disobeying the one rule that God gave for the garden of Eden. The different types of temptation seen in the garden of Eden illustrate the existence of natural, created principles of right and wrong that are built into the way human beings were originally created.⁸ Basic moral principles of human behavior were written into the way we were created, even prior to any written code.

By partaking of the forbidden fruit, human beings joined in a rebellion against the good Creator. The original design of creation was good and healthy. God had originally created all of the different dimensions of the universe. Several times, after creating different aspects of the created order, the Bible says that God saw that it was good.⁹ Surveying the entire creation, God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Gen 1:31). The creation was good, and all of the different living beings that were created by God were good in their own way. Evil came into the world first through the choices of angelic beings of great power, and later through the choices of human beings who joined in this rebellion against their Creator.

Philosophers ask how good beings could be responsible for the creation of evil. But a profound (and reasonable) response that is often given is that the very existence of love requires a choice, if human beings are to be more than complicated machines. Love requires the ability to choose, including the possibility of making self-serving choices and thereby choosing to reject what is good. Some higher-order angelic beings, and later on human beings, made those bad choices (Jude 1:6; Gen 3). Human beings, since they are clever, can come up with sophisticated excuses to cover up or explain away their own responsibility for making bad choices. This was true in the garden of Eden, and it is equally true today.

So the rebellion was on. This was not a good rebellion (as in the Star Wars legend) but a rebellion against the good, a rebellion fostered by evil. The evil impact of this rebellion is still reverberating throughout the world today. The crime, murder, lying, stealing, material selfishness, cheating, sexual assaults, and other exploitations of human beings are very widespread. In the twentieth century, world wars and other regional and civil wars consumed millions of lives. Governments in the twentieth century also murdered millions of people in their own countries. The Nazis killed six million Jews, and an estimated eleven to fourteen million civilians from other ethnic groups, nationalities, and classes of people in territories they controlled (in addition to war casualties).¹⁰ Another tragedy is atheistic communism in the twentieth century. Secular researchers have estimated that atheistic, Communist governments in the twentieth century led by leaders such as Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, and others killed in the neighborhood of eighty-five to one hundred million of their own people.¹¹ While it is impossible to get a completely accurate number because of the way that the Communist governments hid their atrocities, this staggering slaughter is largely ignored by the media and downplayed by secular educators. However, a new word was coined by one researcher to describe this slaughter: democide, death by government.¹²

Added to this staggering number of people killed by corrupt governments and wars in the twentieth century would be millions of people killed in acts of murder and terrorism, as well as sex trafficking, lying, stealing, cheating, infanticide, and many other forms of evil. Human beings don’t just do what comes naturally to them. They do evil: horrendous, deliberate evil that staggers the imagination. Such is the rebellion that began with the fallen angels and the first human beings. This is real, and human beings will immediately begin to go astray by denying it.

While there is also much good that is going on in the world, and an obvious battle going on between good and evil, the dark picture of human rebellion provides the backdrop for an obvious need for rescue and restoration. This is God’s unique plan that unfolds in the Old and New Testaments. This massive plan encompasses all of humanity and will impact the eternal destiny of every human being.

What seems unusual about this plan is that it involves a nation that God selected to communicate divinely inspired truth over many centuries, the nation of Israel. God’s instructions for the nation of Israel provide the core teaching of the Old Testament. With the corruption that was already in the world, there would be monumental challenges of communication: How could God’s truth be established in a community of people, and how could that truth be transmitted to later generations in the centuries which would follow? How could this truth survive in the midst of the corruptions that existed in humankind?

While God was at work in the earliest history of humanity, a key development and a key movement forward was God’s calling to Abram (Abraham) to go to a specific land (Gen 12:1–3). God promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation and to provide for them. God was forming a nation for purposes that would span many centuries of time, while human beings tend to be caught up in the immediate present. The nation God was forming was Israel, and God would intervene in history at various times to guide this nation. God’s work with Israel over the centuries would ultimately prepare the way for God’s highest purposes: the coming of Messiah, the Christ. Human corruption was addressed in a comprehensive way by the Messiah, who gave his life to ransom people from their corruption and sinful choices, bringing them the power of the Spirit and the reality of eternal life. This reality of human redemption, explained in the New Testament, would be established within freely gathered communities of faith in order to be spread to all the nations.

Restoration into God’s Image

God would counteract human corruption through a massive, agelong plan to restore individual human beings through transformation into Christlike character and self-giving love. A modern translation of Rom 8:28–29 paints a good picture of this remarkable purpose:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (NLT)

So the wide and remarkable impact of God’s plan is to transform human beings (those who freely yield to God’s purposes and plan) to resemble the Son of God in terms of their character, love, and the other fruit of the Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22–23).¹³ It is a remarkable plan—with the result that millions of people have already experienced this gradual transformation (based in part on how much one yields to God, in order for God to bring about this transformation). Human beings were created in God’s own image (Gen 1:26). Human beings can be restored into God’s image, through faith in Christ (Col 3:9–11; Eph 4:20–24; 2 Cor 3:18). This is a restoration of love, reflecting the eternal love of God.

So, instead of coveting and trying to take God’s majesty and power and wisdom (as in the garden of Eden), it is by yielding one’s ways to Christ the Savior that God gradually does a transforming work where individuals become like Christ in character, love, and compassion.

God’s Strategy against Ancient Corruption

Looking again at the Old Testament and the overarching vision of human history, it is the background of human corruption and evil that makes the long-range steps of intervention that God took much more understandable. Human corruption led quickly to idolatry, since human understanding itself became corrupted by being separated from God. The long list of ancient