AboutErnie Laurence, Jr. Expertise I am capable of answering any questions concerning doctrines of the church of Christ. I specialize in Creation vs. Evolution topics, the book of Revelation and other Biblical prophecies, and other apologetics related topics such as distinctions from denominational doctrines.
Experience My experience in this area includes: having been raised by members of the church of Christ from infancy, having been immersed into the church of Christ at age ten, having taken an active role in worship/service leadership (song leading, teaching, preaching, youth ministry) since age fourteen through the present, and participating in numerous formal debates, research projects, and online discussions.
Organizations The church of Christ
Publications Local congregations.
Education/Credentials I hold a bachelor's degree in computer information systems (CIS) from Tarleton State University which focuses on business communication and management. This provided training for how to deal professionally with individuals and organizations if not direct training in the field of religion. See experience section for informal education experience.
Question Which covenant is harder to live under, the Old or the New Covenant? I know Christians are under the New Covenant, but is the New harder to live under than the Old? If it is, please provide proof. If the Old is harder to live under, please also provide proof. I was told my a preacher that the New Covenant is harder to live under than the Old Covenant was and I really thought that was backward.
I am aware that the New Covenant holds us to a higher standard than the Old because we are expected to be obedient even though we have Grace which came from the blood sacrifice of Jesus. But is it harder?
I pointed out that Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matt.11 but the preacher explained that I ignored the context of that passage. He said Jesus was presenting a contrast between the yoke of the Pharisees and His yoke...not the yoke of the Old Covenant.
I am confused. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Answer ~~~~Which covenant is harder to live under, the Old or the New Covenant? I know Christians are under the New Covenant, but is the New harder to live under than the Old? If it is, please provide proof. If the Old is harder to live under, please also provide proof. I was told my a preacher that the New Covenant is harder to live under than the Old Covenant was and I really thought that was backward.
I am aware that the New Covenant holds us to a higher standard than the Old because we are expected to be obedient even though we have Grace which came from the blood sacrifice of Jesus. But is it harder?
I pointed out that Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matt.11 but the preacher explained that I ignored the context of that passage. He said Jesus was presenting a contrast between the yoke of the Pharisees and His yoke...not the yoke of the Old Covenant.
I am confused. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.~~~~
I'm not sure I entirely agree with your preacher, but Matt. 11 is not necessary to prove that you are correct.
In Acts 15 the Apostles and elders at Jerusalem came together to discuss Judiasing efforts throughout the church. Judiasing was the doctrine that one had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses before one could become a Christian (Acts 15:5). After some discussion, Paul and Barnabas said "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10).
We can see examples of this in almost every facet of Christianity vs. Judaism:
1. Which is easier, to require circumcision or not?
2. Which is easier, to provide for and perform animal sacrifices or not?
3. Which is easier, to be immersed once into Christ or to perform daily ritual cleansings?
4. Which is easier, to travel 3 times a year to Jerusalem to worship at the temple or to worship wherever (John 4:24)?
5. Which is easier, to approach God through a finite, fallible human priest or through Christ as high priest, being priests ourselves?
I hope I have been able to make my point. What could possibly be harder about following the NT than the OT? The Jews could not follow it. Only Christ was able to keep the whole Old Testament without sin. All men are capable of keeping the New (though most don't).
I'd also like to point out just what Grace is. Grace is not some "get out of work free card" as many people believe. Grace, the unearned gift from God that saves us, is the plan of salvation. It is Christ's perfect life, death, burial, and resurrection and it is also the New Testament itself, the pattern we are to follow to get to heaven. If God had not given us either Christ or the NT, we could not get to heaven. But that plan only saves us through our obedient faith to it. It IS a law, as you have rightly said. The New Law IS Grace, and it is, in every point ever considered in scripture, better and easier than the Old Law.
