Diathēkē: Why the Same Greek Word is Translated as 'Covenant' or 'Testament'
Orientation
Confusing 'testament' with 'covenant' can turn the gospel of grace into a contract of works, robbing believers of their assured inheritance.
- The Greek word 'diathēkē' has two distinct meanings: a will (testament) and a contract (covenant).
- Treating Christ's work as a covenant makes our blessing conditional on our performance.
- This confusion creates anxiety and undermines the security of what Christ's death secured.
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: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Hebrews 9:16-17)
— Hebrews 9:16-17
Clarification
The Mosaic Law was a covenant of obligation, but Christ's death enacted a testament of inheritance.
- The 'first testament' (Hebrews 9:15) refers to the Mosaic covenant, a bilateral contract with blessings and curses.
- This covenant administered condemnation because no one could keep its terms (Galatians 3:10).
- The 'new testament' is Christ's will, which became effective solely through His death, granting an unconditional inheritance.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)
— Galatians 3:10
Structure
Biblical logic distinguishes covenants (based on mutual obligation) from testaments (based on a death-activated will).
- A testament is a will; it only takes effect upon the death of the one who made it.
- Christ is the testator; His death activated the New Testament, granting us our inheritance.
- The apostles' ministry is one of the 'New Testament' (2 Cor 3:6), stewarding and explaining this inheritance, not negotiating a new contract.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
— 2 Corinthians 3:6
Weight-Bearing Prose
Theological precision hinges on translating diathēkē correctly. As a covenant, it denotes a bilateral contract with obligations, exemplified by the Mosaic Law which brought a curse (Gal 3:10) and was a ‘ministration of death’ (2 Cor 3:7). As a testament, it denotes a unilateral will, effective only upon death. Christ’s death is the activation of the New Testament (Hebrews 9:16-17), granting an unconditional inheritance. This is not the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31, which is an eschatological promise for Israel where all will know God directly. The Church are testament heirs, not covenant parties. The apostolic ministry (Eph 3:8-9) is therefore one of stewardship—distributing knowledge of the inheritance already secured by Christ’s death, guarding against the error of turning the testament back into a covenant of works.
Integration
Your standing is secure. Christ’s death alone activated the testament; your inheritance is granted, not negotiated. There is no pressure to perform to receive what is already yours in Him. The teaching you receive is meant to unveil this reality, to anchor you in the assurance of a finished work. Your portion is Christ Himself, secured by His blood. Rest in the knowledge that you are an heir, not a contractor. The Spirit’s witness is to this gift, not to your progress. You are safe in the testament of grace.