The Ark of the Covenant Bible Study | The New Covenant

THE NEW COVENANT (NEW TESTAMENT)

The New Covenant, what we call the New Testament, came into effect through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. At that moment, the Old Covenant was fulfilled and brought to completion. This was not a sudden change, but something God had planned from the beginning and revealed through the prophets. The Old Testament pointed forward to a greater covenant that would one day be established.

The book of Hebrews gives us a clear understanding of this transition. It tells us that Jesus came to do the will of God, “taking away the first that He may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9–10). Through His sacrifice, we are sanctified once and for all. The Law, which required continual sacrifices, was fulfilled in Christ’s perfect offering. What the Law could not accomplish—because of human weakness—Jesus completed through His death.

When Jesus died, something remarkable happened. The veil of the temple, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This was no small event. That veil represented the separation between a holy God and sinful man. Its tearing showed that access to God was now open. No longer would only one man, once a year, enter into God’s presence. Through Christ, all who believe now have direct access to Him.

It is important to understand that the Law given in the Old Testament, especially in books like Leviticus, was given specifically to the nation of Israel. God told Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel,” making it clear who the Law was for. The purpose of that Law was to reveal sin and show mankind that we are unable to make ourselves righteous. It was meant to point us to our need for a Savior.

Because of this, Christians today are no longer under the Old Testament Law. We are not required to offer sacrifices, keep ceremonial laws, or follow the ordinances given to Israel. The New Testament makes this clear. We are told that we are not under the Law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). The early church confirmed this when they taught that Gentile believers were not required to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15).

Through Christ, believers have freedom. We are no longer bound by food laws, feast days, or ritual observances. As Colossians 2:16–17 explains, these things were “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” They pointed forward to Him, but now that He has come, we live in the reality rather than the shadow.

Even the Sabbath finds its fulfillment in Jesus. He said, “Come unto Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This shows that our rest is not found in observing a specific day, but in trusting Him. Hebrews teaches that there remains a rest for the people of God, and those who believe enter into that rest. In this sense, every day becomes a day of rest in Him.

The New Covenant also changes the nature of obedience. Under the Old Covenant, God’s law was written on stone tablets and placed inside the Ark. Under the New Covenant, God writes His law on our hearts. Hebrews 10:16 tells us that His laws are placed in our minds and written within us.This is a work of the Spirit, not of external rules. As Paul writes, we are no longer serving in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6).

Circumcision, which was once a physical sign of the covenant, is now understood spiritually. Scripture teaches that true circumcision is of the heart, done by the Spirit and not by the letter (Romans 2:28–29). This shows that what God desires is inward transformation, not outward ritual.

Paul describes this change powerfully in Colossians 2. He says that Jesus has forgiven our sins and “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us… nailing it to the cross.” The Law that once stood against us has been removed through Christ. Because of this, we are not to judge one another regarding food, holy days, or religious observances. These were shadows—but Christ is the fulfillment.

In the New Covenant, we live in a new way. The Spirit gives life where the letter once brought condemnation. Those who are led by the Spirit are not under the Law (Galatians 5:18). Instead of striving to earn righteousness, we live from a place of grace, transformed by God from within.

The Ark of the Covenant once held the law, representing God’s covenant with His people. But under the New Covenant, that law is no longer kept in a box—it is written on the hearts of believers. God’s presence is no longer confined to a place, but now dwells within His people.

The Old Covenant was a shadow, pointing forward to something greater. The New Covenant is the fulfillment of that shadow. And that fulfillment is found completely in Jesus Christ.

We no longer live by the law written on stone… but by the Spirit written on our hearts.