From the Shadow of the Law to the Glory of the New Covenant
The history of redemption is a movement from shadow to substance, from the external constraints of a written code to the internal liberation of the Spirit. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, specifically chapters 7 and 8, we encounter the definitive argument for why the Old Covenant—defined by Mosaic Law and Levitical priesthood with temple service—has been surpassed. It was an administration that, by design, could not bring humanity to maturity. As the Scripture declares, "for the law made nothing (perfect (Gk. teleioō: to complete, to accomplish, to bring to the end (goal), to perfect vertically in character.)); on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope" (Hebrews 7:19).
The Failure of the Shadow
The Old Covenant was characterized by repetition and distance. The priests stood daily ministering in a temple that was merely a (copy (Gk. hypodeigma: a copy, a representation, a figure meant to show the shape of the original.)) and shadow of the heavenly things. Their service was governed by the "law of a fleshly commandment" (Hebrews 7:16)—external regulations regarding lineage and ritual purity. While holy, these "elemental principles" of the world were destined to perish with use, incapable of reaching the conscience and maturing the soul to be like God in nature.
This system was a pedagogue, a guardian for a time of immaturity. It dealt with the "flesh"—the external man—but it lacked the power to overcome the (desires (Gk. epithymia: a longing (especially for what is forbidden), deep desire, lust.)) of the flesh. As long as the service remained external, written on stone tablets and scrolls, it could command righteousness but could not impart the power to perform it. It served to highlight man's bankruptcy but could not pay the debt.
Christ: The Mediator of a Better Covenant
Into this vacuum of spiritual impotence enters Christ. Unlike the Levitical priests who were prevented by death from continuing in office, Jesus holds His priesthood permanently because He continues forever. He has become the (guarantee (Gk. engyos: a surety, a sponsor, a guarantee; one who pledges to fulfill the obligations of another.)) of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). In the new covenant he gives the promised holy Spirit as a guarantor of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
We see a profound contrast in the administration of God's house. Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later. However, his ministry was marked by a veil. As noted in 2 Corinthians 3, Moses put a veil over his face so the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. The Old Covenant had a glory, but it was a fading glory.
Christ, however, is faithful as a Son over His own house. He is the owner and the builder. He descended from God not with a veiled face, but as the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). In Him, the veil is removed, and we behold the reality of the heavenly.
The Law Internalized: Written on the Heart
The superiority of the New Covenant is found in the location of the Law. Under the Old, the law was external, confronting the man. Under the New, the righteous requirements of God are internalized, constituting the man. This is the fulfillment of the glorious promise found in Jeremiah, reiterated in Hebrews:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
— Hebrews 8:10
In this new administration (we cam dispensation because there is a change in the governing rules) God does not merely demand obedience; He supplies the nature required to obey. He puts His Spirit within us. The "written code" which kills gives way to the Spirit who gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). No longer is the knowledge of God mediated through a distinct class of priests or a complex code of rituals, for "they shall not teach, each one his neighbor... for they shall all (know (Gk. oida: to know intuitively, to see with perception, to have fullness of knowledge.)) me" (Hebrews 8:11).
The Power of the New Living Way
The "elemental principles" of the world and the strictures of the written code are destined to perish with the using. As the Apostle Paul notes, these things "have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion... but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (Colossians 2:23).
However, the New Covenant offers what the Law never could: Maturity through Power.
Those who are made new by the Spirit do not struggle to obey a distant God; they are inhabited by the very Author of the Law. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4). This is the "New Living Way"—a life where the Spirit testifies that we are His own, guiding us into all truth, and empowering us to overcome the gratification of the flesh through the superior covenant in which we know Christ and he knows us.
*References taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Greek definitions derived from Strong's Concordance and Thayer's Lexicon.