Why didn't the First Covenant work (Heb 8:7)? If God knew it wouldn't work, why did He not straightaway start with the covenant of Christ?
I) Why didn't it work? :
The law was given to an already corrupted humanity. Adam did not have any children till After the fall. In addition to disobeying God, he willfully chose to usurp and take for himself God's lone prerogative in determining good from evil. In short, he rebelled against the perfect and Omniscient Lawgiver. The Bible says :
This disposition of sin is an intrinsic part of each individual human and humanity in general and it's wages are death and eternal seperation from God. The Old Covenant was given to a humanity at enmity with God and intended to drive us to that faith that admits we are sinners whose only hope is the mercy and grace of God which was ultimately and fully revealed in Christ:. So though the Law was perfect and man acknowledged it to be so, we were corrupted and incapable of keeping it.
II) Why not start with the New covenant ?
It is impossible for fallen man to do good.
Reasons for the Old Covenant
- To make men know right from wrong. (ref Rom. 7:7)
- To make man know his incapability (ref Rom. 7:21-23)
- To make man know his need. (ref Rom. 7:18)
- To make man know he is lost. (ref Rom. 5:20)
- To promote physical and temporal benefits (ref Lev. 26:3-12)
- To restrain the spread of iniquity (ref Gal. 3:19)
- To illustrate heavenly realities. (ref Hebrews 9:23)
- To illustrate future events. (ref Colossians 2: 16, 17)
- To bring men to Christ (to the new covenant) (ref Gal. 3:24)
God wants men to come to Christ but in order for them to come to Christ they have to first of all recognize their need as well as their inability. So God in his wisdom sets up a system that is bound to let them recognize their need because this is an absolute necessity before they can come to the next stage.
This required the substitutionary and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, which served as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of humanity👇
The continuity in the Covenant is evident in that it is "The Law" that is written on the hearts of God's people.
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