Understanding these basics, we can move on to compare the Old/First Covenant and the New Covenant in detail. Here are other distinguishing characteristics of the two covenants.
Religious leaders (e.g. Pharisees, pastors, priests, false prophets, etc.) communicate religious laws and practices to people through sermons, books, and other mediums which are usually sold.
Because these behaviors and practices are documented, consistent — more or less — and predictable, it can be said that they have the qualities of laws or regulations that may be called religious laws.
The differences between the two covenants can be summarized in these key points:
Old/First Covenant
New Covenant
Old/First Covenant religion always interprets the Bible literally.
Old/First Covenant religion always employs human mediators (e.g. pastors, priests, prophets, evangelists, authors, etc.) who interpret the Bible literally and report their interpretations to people who trust their ability to hear from God.
Old/First Covenant religion always uses human mediators (false prophets) who use literal interpretations of the Bible to instruct and direct people in visible, ritual worship at certain times, in certain places, and usually in the company of others.
Old/First Covenant religion never equips people to learn how to interpret the spiritual meaning of the Bible by listening to God’s voice.
After reviewing the list above, readers will notice that both Christianity and Judaism fit the descriptions of Old/First Covenant religions. Judaism for example, is not just a set of beliefs. It is is a comprehensive way of life, filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life. Jews call this law Halakhah. The inspiration for Halakhah is found first in the written Torah, and then in Oral Laws written by rabbis. In some sects of Judaism, Oral Laws are codified and summarized in the Mishnah and Talmud are considered to have the same instructional value and force of law as the Torah.
In one way or another, all these rules and practices are intended to satisfy God’s expectations of Jews laid out in various covenants. Most Jews do not consider the New Testament to be part of their Bible. To acknowledge writings that are called “new” and compare them to writings that are called ‘old” is offensive to most Jews because oldness is equated with deficiency and decay. Therefore, because their religion is based on scriptures Christians call the Old Testament, and because the so-called New Testament includes doctrines about the Messianic Age which Jews believe is yet to come, Jews tend to reject the New Testament and Christianity.
Christians tend to have their own biased views about the oldness and newness of scripture. Christians definitely favor the New Testament for their theology. But, unlike the Jews who dismiss the New Testament and add Oral Laws into their religion, most Christians like to boast that the entire written Bible is the source of inspiration for their religion. They do this even though most Christian theology is based on the New Testament with minimal influence from the Old Testament.
The reality is that religious traditions and theologies have been evolving steadily for nearly two thousand years due to the writings of hundreds of theological thinkers and writers who keep tweaking theology according to their own personal visions of what it ought to be. Thus Christians proudly display a double standard for Biblical authority: They find fault with Jewish affection for their Oral Laws and traditions while ignoring that all Christian church practices have their antecedents in the Jewish “synagogue” system. Thus their actual practices spoil their lofty claims and boasts about the influence of the Bible on their beliefs.
When we review this history of the development of Judaism and Christianity, we cannot avoid the conclusion that both religions are confused about the meaning and importance of God’s everlasting covenant. Something that is everlasting does not change over time — just like God does not change. This contrasts greatly, of course, with religions which are always evolving in one way or another under the influence of a succession of religious leaders.