SATURDAY January 10, 2026

The Obsolete Covenant

In that He [God] says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 8:13

The Lord made a new covenant. In the New Testament, this covenant was established through the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ finished work on the Cross made the first covenant in the Old Testament obsolete. What else did Jesus do? In His ministry, He fulfilled many prophesies given by the Old Testament prophets. Jesus sat and taught His disciples:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).

One of the main arguments of the Pharisees and Sadducees was that Jesus was breaking the Law of Moses. They would seek many opportunities to find fault with His teachings and His miraculous ministry to the people. On one occasion, a ruler was so indignant because Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath:

...the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13:14).

Jesus rebuked the ruler for his hypocrisy. The ruler would treat an animal better on the Sabbath than this daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years (Luke 13:15-16). The Lord put His adversaries to shame. They obviously did not understand that a new era of grace was being established, and the letter of the Law was ... becoming obsolete and growing old ... ready to vanish away.

The truth of the matter is that a relationship with God is not achievable through man-made traditions, rules, or regulations. It is only possible through Christ––period.

My one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ.
~Billy Graham~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!