Important Distinctions Between the New Testament and the New Covenant
Orientation
Many believers assume the church is under the New Covenant, which creates confusion about our relationship with God and our inheritance.
- This assumption can lead to legalism or naïve disillusionment.
- It obscures the distinct basis of our assurance and rest in Christ.
- It conflates God's specific program for Israel with the church's heavenly calling.
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)
— Ephesians 2:12
Clarification
The New Covenant is a specific, future covenant God made exclusively with Israel to replace the Mosaic covenant they broke.
- It is not a generic spiritual upgrade for all believers.
- Its purpose is to enable Israel's perfect obedience and maintain their earthly inheritance during the Millennial Kingdom.
- The church was never a party to the Mosaic covenant and therefore is not the recipient of its replacement.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: (Jeremiah 31:31-32)
— Jeremiah 31:31-32
Structure
Believers are heirs of the Everlasting Covenant, a testament secured by Christ's work, not parties to a bilateral covenant.
- The Everlasting Covenant was established within the Godhead between the Father and the Son.
- Christ is the Seed and heir of all promises; believers become co-heirs through union with Him.
- Our inheritance is received as a finished testament, not earned through covenantal obligations.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)
— Galatians 3:29
Weight-Bearing Prose
The New Covenant, detailed in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, is God’s solution for Israel’s failure under the Mosaic covenant. It is national, future, and guarantees Israel’s ability to obey and dwell in the land during the Millennium. This is illustrated by the 144,000 in Revelation 14—holy mortals under the New Covenant’s power. The church has no history with the Mosaic covenant and thus no need for its replacement.
Gentile believers are heirs of the Everlasting Covenant (Genesis 15; Hebrews 6:13-18). This is not a bilateral covenant with mutual obligations but a divine oath and testament secured within the Godhead. Christ, as the Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), is the heir of all promises—the Abrahamic land covenant and the Davidic throne covenant. His obedience and death secured the testament. Believers are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27), becoming co-heirs by union, not by law. Our relationship is one of inheritance, not obligation.
Pauline categories are decisive here. The ‘diatheke’ (covenant/testament) in the New Testament often means ‘testament’ or ‘will’ (Hebrews 9:16-17). We are testamentary beneficiaries, not covenantal parties. Applying the New Covenant to the church reintroduces a principle of law and conditional blessing, undermining the finished work of Christ and the unconditional inheritance secured in Him. The church’s spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3) surpass Israel’s earthly promises because they flow from our position in Christ, the heir of all things.
Integration
Your relationship with God is not based on a covenant you must keep. It is grounded in the finished work of Christ and the eternal testament secured within the Godhead. You are an heir, not a negotiator. Your inheritance—Christ Himself and all He possesses—is yours by virtue of your union with Him. This is your assurance.
There is no pressure to advance into a ‘higher’ covenant or to attain a spirituality meant for another people in another age. Your rest is complete in Christ. The Everlasting Covenant cannot be broken because you were never a party to it; Christ alone fulfilled it. You receive its benefits by grace through faith. Let this truth anchor you: you are a co-heir with Christ, sharing in His portion, not through your effort, but through His finished work. This is your permanent, unshakable standing.