The Old Testament was a way of living that God directed the Jewish people to live under. In this system, they lived by God's law given to Moses. It was the first covenant of God that governed the Jews for 2,000 years, until the cross of Jesus.

Paul says the law is not meant for us Gentiles (Rom 2:14). He also says if we insist on living by it, 'we become a law to ourselves' and we 'live by them.' Whatever we choose to live by captivates and controls us. We serve it, and it becomes our life. Many Christians today wrongly live by the law of the Old Testament, thinking it makes them right with God. Living by God's law isn't totally wrong. It's good for us. It will keep us from getting divorced, shamed and out of jail. But don't live it thinking it makes you right with God!

What Is the New Testament?

We just discussed the Old. The New is the new covenant of God that includes the Jews, but is for everyone (Gal 3:28). It is based on the finished work of the cross of Jesus. The Old Covenant, and living under law was put to death on his cross (Col 2:14). He abolished the law of commandments (Eph 2:15), and this even included the original ten commandments (II Cor 3:7).

We are told it is a much better covenant than the old one was (Heb 11:40). The Old demanded from us. The New produces in us what it does not demand.

What is the Gospel?

The gospel is what defines and describes this New Covenant of God for us. It is a new way of life. We are called 'the new believers.' It is how all of us should be living after the cross of Jesus.

The gospel is actually a way of life whereby we live in God, and experience the call of God in many ways in our daily life. The call of God is not just being a missionary and going off to a foreign country!

Most Christians Mix the Covenants (aka Testaments)

They think that serving God, and living unto God is accomplished by keeping the law of God, but this is not true. One thing is required for us to live unto God, and that is to be 'dead to the law' (Gal 2:19). Our minds say to live unto God, we must keep his law. Wrong!

The gospel says something totally different. It says that it is not breaking God's laws that gets us into trouble, but trying to keep God's laws and live them. Paul says we fall from grace when we keep the law, thinking that this gives us favor with God (Gal 5:2-4).

Philippians 3:9 says he wants to be found in Christ, "NOT having my own righteousness, which is by the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Here again, we see that the only way to live in God's righteousness is to forsake our own self-righteousness which is what the law produces in us. It is Satan who wants us bound to the law because it strengthens sin in us (I Cor 15:56).

We Must Choose: the Law vs. the Gospel

We believe a lot of things like this that aren't true. Getting in touch with the gospel of truth is spiritual reality. The New Testament is clear you cannot combine the two. They are opposites, and if we try to live by both, it is spiritual suicide. I like to call it mixing the blood of animals with the blood of Jesus.

The gospel of grace is the power of God. Paul says it teaches us to live right. He says it produces good fruit (works) in us. He says it is the means by which we must have relationship with God, and with each other. Don't mix them. It's like putting poison in your food. One makes us serve the law; the other allows us to serve God.