One third of our Bibles is what we call the New Testament. The word "testament" and "covenant" are synonyms. They essentially mean "a promise; a contract." Covenants are set in motion through mutilated flesh and shedding of blood. In Exodus 24 the Mosaic Covenant was ratified when Moses sprinkled the blood over the alter and scrolls. Likewise it was Yeshua's death that set in motion the New Covenant with all of its blessings. It's similar to a last-will-and-testament---it's only effective after a person dies.
Where in the Bible does God speak of a new covenant? In Jeremiah 31. Notice that this covenant is made with the "house of Israel and the house of Judah." Let's not do violence to the text by reading it as having a primary spiritual application for the Church. Certainly it applies to the Church, but a sound hermeneutic means that we must treat the text respectfully.
The essential difference between the old and new covenants is that the new covenant is essentially an inward work in the heart. The older covenant was a covenant of outward rules and laws that govern our lives. This was important because we still need a universal standard of right and wrong, but it left us with no power with which to walk out God's standards.
Question: If the new covenant was made with Israel, how, then, does the Church enter into all of the blessings of the new covenant? They enter through their connection to Israel (brought into the commonwealth of Israel; grafted into a Jewish olive tree) through Jesus who is the Jewish Messiah. The Church inherits all of the blessings and promises given to Israel through their connection to Israel through Jesus. Let's get this right---the Church in addition to Israel, not in replacement.
~ Rabbi Nathan Puro
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