Is Jesus’ Teachings For Us Today?
Dear Juli,
I am Luigi, 44 years old, I got born again a few years ago and I live in France.
I have a question concerning the Old and New Covenant.
The entire earthly ministry of Jesus happened under the Old Covenant and directed only to Israel (Matthew 15:24, Romans 15:8). When Jesus first sent out His disciples, He told them to only go to the people of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). But after His resurrection they were sent into all the world to tell the Good News to everyone (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19).
So every word spoken by Jesus before His resurrection was spoken before the New Covenant existed.
Does this mean we should consider what Jesus said before His resurrection “less important” as they were intended for Israel and not really for us? We have to remember He was talking to people under the Old Covenant, not the New Covenant. what I mean is, Jesus was telling people how to get saved under the old covenant, how does it apply to me today?
For example, in Matthew 19:16 the rich young ruler asked Jesus what to do so he could have eternal life. Jesus’ answer in Matthew 19:17 to “keep the commandments” is much different than the answer in Acts 16:31 which says to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” or 1 John 5:13 which says those who believe in the Son of God may know they have eternal life.
Does the things He said to His body, the church, after He redeemed us with His blood, take precedence over the words He spoke under His Old Covenant ministry on earth, because they recognize the reality of the New Covenant?
Please excuse my English and thank you for answering me if you have time.
God bless you and your family
Luigi
Good morning Luigi,
(Your English is great!) Very interesting questions.
Everything Jesus did and said is important for New Covenant believers because He shows and explains God to us in a way that the Old Covenant never could. We learn a lot more about God’s true nature in the Gospels than the Old Testament could ever convey.