Elin said:
Hi, Jason,
I enjoy your good posts,
Thank you Ellin. That is very kind of you to say that.
but I think if you will look into it, you will find
the "Old" Covenant (Heb 8:13) refers to the temporary Mosaic (Sinaitic) Covenant of the blood of bulls and goats, and does not refer to the Abrahamic covenant.
First, in Hebrews 9 and Hebrews 10 it appears to be focused on the Law of Moses as the first Testament or Covenant in relation to the New Covenant or the second. But if you were to pay extra special close attention to
Hebrews 9:15, it
says Jesus is the Mediator of the New Testament for transgressions for those under the first testament. This would include Adam's transgressions, too.
A couple of things to consider here:
1) The context of Heb 9--where the "first covenant" of 9:15 is the same "first" of 9:18, which is mediated by Moses, making the covenant of 9:15 the Mosaic (Sinaitic) Covenant.
2) The reasoning of Paul's argument in Ro 5:12-14-- where there was no Law from Adam to Moses,
and so no transgressions of the Law,
therefore,
sin was not taken into account between Adam and Moses. (Ro 5:13-14).
But that
there was "sin in the world" during that period is proven by the fact that all men died,
and death is the wages of sin (Ro 6:23).
However, without the Law and sin not being taken into account,
the only sin in the world was Adam's garden transgression of God's law, "Thou shalt not eat of it."
By this reasoning, Paul shows that
it was the wages of the sin of Adam's transgression in the garden that caused death to reign from Adam to Moses.
My point being that, since from Adam to Moses there were no transgressions of the Law, and no sin was taken into account,
the OT transgressions propitiated by the death of Christ (Ro 3:25) were those against the Law from Moses to Christ,
meaning that "the first" referred to in Heb 9:15, 18 is the Mosaic covenant, not the Abrahamic covenant.
For in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5 we can see
death was brought in by the first Adam and Life was brought in by the last Adam, Jesus Christ.
It's a contrast of the Old and the New.
Yes. . .however, death is not the subject of Heb 9:15, the subject there is OT
transgressions.
And the OT
transgressions of Heb 9:15; Ro 3:25 occurred only from Moses to Christ.
So the contrast of Heb 9:15 is between the Mosaic (Old) covenant (Heb 8:13, 9:18) and the New Covenant of Lk 22:20.
Yes, Abraham's Covenant was based on the Promise and not Law, but he
still lived under the Old Covenant whereby He made animal sacrifices unto God and obeyed the Lord by faith.
The "Old" Covenant in the NT refers to the Mosaic Covenant (Heb 8:13).
So Abraham did not live under the Mosaic Covenant, for it did not exist until Moses.
Abraham lived under the Abrahamic Covenant.
