Chapter 5: The New Covenant did NOT Begin with the Birth of Christ A number of Christians today believe the New Testament (or the New Covenant) began with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, then, is thought to end immediately after the book of Malachi, with the birth of Jesus in Matthew beginning the New Testament. The Lord, though, inspired the author of the book of Hebrews to draw the line at the death of Jesus, and not at His birth. The author of Hebrews states that a testament requires the death of the testator, and is only in force after death. Therefore, the actual New Testament could not have begun with the birth of Jesus, according to Hebrews 9:15-18 - "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: Page 9 otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood." While this may surprise many who do not take a Dispensational approach to the Bible, the above passage clearly proves that the New Testament could not have begun with the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself even stated that the New Testament was to be implemented through His blood, in Mark 14:23-24 - "And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." The New Testament, then, could not have begun with the birth of the Christ Child in the manger, as many Christians are led to believe. Instead, it is only for convenience that the Hebrew Scriptures (the "Old Testament") have been separated from the Greek Scriptures that were written after the birth of Jesus (the "New Testament"). Yet this convenience has actually become a tradition down through the years. Thus, in order to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), we must be careful to allow the inspired scriptures themselves to be our final authority. Because the New Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, this example serves to illustrate the fact that man's traditions, no matter how sincere they may be, can actually lead us astray. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
