We saw in the previous blog that the Bible’s Old Testament had much to say about the people of God. Now we will look at the New Testament. But first, why are there two “testaments?” According to Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary, p. 445: “The name Testament is derived from the Latin Testamentum, an erroneous translation of the Greek and Hebrew words meaning Covenant.” Thus, it is more accurate to think of these two sections of the Bible to be based upon the Old and New Covenants.
Both sections agree that God established an Old Covenant with Israel and then replaced it with a New Covenant. We can see this first in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 31:31-32: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant.”
God made a covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, but the nation Israel broke that covenant. Consequently, God announced through Jeremiah the Prophet that he would replace that covenant with a new one. This is confirmed in the New Testament book of Hebrews 8:7-8: For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant.” The Old Covenant was administered by God at Mt. Sinai through his human servant Moses. The writer of Hebrews explained in V6 that the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. In administering the New Covenant, Jesus fulfilled the roles of both the Covenant God at Mt. Sinai and Moses.
These passages explain why the Bible has two sections. The New Testament passages further tie Jesus Christ to the New Covenant as its mediator. So once again, as we saw in the previous blogs, the Messiah Jesus is the ultimate authority of the Bible. He said so as recorded in John 5:39-40: You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. Jesus said this to his religious critics, who had accused him of making himself equal with God (V. 18). The Scriptures that he referred to were the Old Testament. In the previous blog, we saw a few examples of the Old Testament scriptures that foretold the Messiah and his ministry toward and for all people. Jesus told these religious leaders that eternal life was through him, not the Scriptures. Clearly, he is the ultimate authority on the Bible.
But aren’t Jesus’ words a matter for interpretation? Yes. There are various views on what Jesus said. Nonetheless, those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who lived a full life among us humans and said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), must concede that his words are the truth.
Instead of indulging in complex interpretation, let’s consider the following that Jesus plainly said:
- Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness… the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:44-46, 49-50).
- The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (John 3:35-36).
- Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).
According to these plain statements, Jesus claimed to have been sent by God the Father. In fact, Jesus so perfectly represented the Father that those who saw him were seeing the Father. With the absolute authority of God, he said that those who believe in him are the people who are hearing and following God. These people are given eternal life. Therefore we can state categorically that the true people of God are the followers of Jesus!
If Jesus was speaking about people of a certain nationality, it would have been needless to say that they had to believe in him. Most of his words quoted above were spoken in Jerusalem among Jewish people. If they were the people of God, why would it have been necessary for them to believe him?
Jesus also said, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me… I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:14, 16). Using the metaphor of sheep, Jesus explained that the true people of God belong to him. Speaking these words in Jerusalem, he alluded to people who belong to him that are not among his Jewish followers. His intent was to combine them into one group of followers. Who are these other people?
Finally, Jesus said: “I am the light of the world (John 8:12). He used the metaphor of a dark world being lit by his presence. The beneficiaries of his presence are all over the world, for he went on to say that “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He is not the light of only a certain group that consider themselves enlightened, favored, or special. He shines this light before all people, and those who follow him have the light of life.
In the next Blog, we will more precisely define these people.