A few weeks ago an atheist was questioning me and this is the gist of his line of thinking:
If the new covenant is better than the old covenant, why didn't God just give it first? Is God progressing? Did He not know it was better? Why would God change them if His laws are perfect?
How would you have answered this question?
why didn't God just give it first?
He did.
You have raised an important question. The Bible has much to say about the New Colvenent promises in the Old Testament - right from the book of Genesis.
For now I post these verses.
Galatians 3 NASB
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.
17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.
21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.
22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
Diane
When reading the question, all I could think of was:
"The Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World."
God is outside of time. We are the ones who are influenced by time, and God, in his infinite wisdom, before the foundations of time, decided when to bring forth the physical Messiah in the realm of time. But outside of time, the Lamb had already been slain. God didn't change anything. It was all foreordained. The old covenant was essential to bring forth the knowledge of sin and the anticipation of the Ultimate Sacrifice to physically manifest for the redemption of the world. Everything fits in place, and everything is being perfectly accomplished.
This discussion is locked.
