All most everyone understands that the Bible is made up of two parts called the Old and New Testaments (or to be precise "Covenants”). Most church people believe these Scriptures come from God. As the Apostle Paul expressed it, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
In biblical usage the Old and New Testaments refer to the two different covenants or dispensations covered in the Bible. The Old Testament has reference to the law God gave Israel by the prophet Moses at Mount Sinai in about 1550 BC. It is called the Law of Moses, not because he invented it but because he delivered it to the children of Israel.
After Israel spent forty years in the wilderness, Moses assembled them on the Plain of Moab just before Joshua led them into the "promised land.” He declared, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb (Sinai - DIR). The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers (i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or Israel), but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day” (Deuteronomy Deut 5:1-3).
The Ten Commandments were actually written by God, given to Israel by Moses, and are a symbol to most as the law of God the Almighty. This is why our infidel community is striving to remove any hint of it from our cultural heritage. Well did the prophet David say, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalms 14:1).
The Gospel or the law of Christ, on the other hand, is not limited to the nation of Israel. It is universal in nature and intended for all nations. As Jesus instructed his disciples after his resurrection, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20).
God, who created man, knew (as Jeremiah the prophet declared), "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Therefore, God gave man the Bible as our "instruction manual.” We all know the drill, "When all else fails, read the instructions.” When all else fails in our life, we need to read and follow God’s instructions. As the apostle John expressed it, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Dale I. Royal
Elk City OK
