Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

How is it true that the New Covenant makes the Old Covenant null and void?

The New Covenant doesn't make the Old Covenant "null and void"; it fulfils it, completes it, and changes how God's people relate to Him. The Old Covenant remains true, meaningful, and foundational, but it is no longer the governing covenant for God's people after Christ.

What "Covenant" Means in Scripture:

A covenant is a formal relationship established by God. The Old Covenant (through Moses) and the New Covenant (through Jesus) are not two competing contracts—they're two stages in God's unfolding plan.

What the Old Covenant Was For:

The Old Covenant (Exodus–Deuteronomy) had several purposes:

Reveal God's holiness.

Expose human sinfulness

Provide a temporary system of sacrifice.

Pointed forward to a greater, final solution

It was good, but it was not designed to be permanent. Jeremiah 31:31–34 explicitly says God would make a new covenant because the old one was incomplete.

What the New Covenant Does:

The New Covenant (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8–10):

Provides complete forgiveness

Gives the Holy Spirit

Writes God's Law on the heart, not stone

Establishes a once-for-all sacrifice

Opens a relationship with God to all nations, not just Israel

It doesn't erase the Old Covenant—it fulfils what the Old Covenant anticipated. Jesus Himself said He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfil it.

Why the Old Covenant Is No Longer Binding:

The Old Covenant's legal system (sacrifices, priesthood, temple rituals, national laws) was tied to:

A specific people (Israel)

A specific place (the land)

A specific purpose (prepare for the Messiah)

Once Christ came:

The sacrificial system was completed.

Christ's priesthood replaced the priesthood.

Christ's body and the Church replaced the temple.

The national laws were no longer the means of relating to God
Hebrews 8:13 says the Old Covenant is "obsolete" in terms of authority, not in terms of truth.

Think of it like this:

The Old Covenant is foundational, but the New Covenant is final.

Conclusion

Is the Old Covenant "null and void"? Not in the sense of being false or useless. But yes, in the sense that it no longer governs God's people 
Its rituals are no longer required. Its priesthood and sacrifices have been replaced.

Its purpose has been fulfilled. The Old Covenant is like scaffolding: essential during construction, removed once the building is complete.

The New Covenant brings greater clarity, greater access, and greater transformation.

Under the Old Covenant, access to God was limited:

Only priests could enter the holy places.

Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies:

Only once a year

Only with blood

Only for Israel

The New Covenant tears the veil open:

Every believer has direct access to God.

The Spirit dwells in people, not just among them. The invitation extends to all nations.

Prayer becomes personal, immediate, and constant. This is why Hebrews says we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence."

That level of access was unimaginable under Moses. The New Covenant is better, because it is the fulfilment of everything the Old pointed toward.

Under the Old Covenant, people knew what God required but lacked the inner power to live it. Under the New Covenant, God supplies both the desire and the ability to obey.

The New Covenant doesn't just change rules. It changes people.

July 12 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Timothy Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U. S. Army

If "the old covenant" refers to salvation or the granting of eternal life based upon works (that is, obedience to the commandments in the Law contained in the Old Testament, which could not save us, since no one could achieve perfect obedience), that covenant was superseded by Christ, who replaced those works with faith in His perfect, finished work of salvation through His sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection.

The commandments are still a useful guide for conduct by those who have already been saved through faith in Christ, but they are "null and void" in the sense that they are no longer the "covenant" between God and humanity about how humans can obtain eternal life.

This is expressed in passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9.

July 09 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report