Do the Covenants Contradict Each Other?

Recently, I started a thought experiment with the intent of writing a completely different blog post. But the flood of nearly identical answers I got in return caught me off guard.

I asked people to describe how they understood the Old and New Covenants. The most common response was:

"The old covenant was based on law, while the new covenant is based on grace."

This answer, I believe, reveals a deeper and more pressing issue: the assumption that the law was a burdensome system of works and that grace was God's liberation from it. 

That view misrepresents the story of Scripture, the character of God and the Biblical view of grace. Both covenants are part of God's unfolding plan of redemption and represent gracious invitations to enter into a relationship with Him. They are not opposing systems of law and grace.

As always, we must begin by understanding the implications of this line of thinking. Describing the covenants as a contrast between law and grace leads to three major assumptions about how we understand the gospel. These are:

1. God's standard changes 

2. Grace is freedom from the law

3. God gave Israel the law to enslave them

Let's tackle these one at a time. 

I want to draw on one of the most popular passages used in the law versus grace contrast. It comes from the Sermon on the Mount.

In this sermon Jesus said…

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. 

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28

Many Protestant interpretations claim that this is one of the key moments when Jesus taught freedom from the law. Jesus "raised the standard" or took the law "to another level" by moving it from external actions to the internal motivation of the heart. I've encountered this interpretation in numerous sermons, podcasts, and even Instagram reels.

But consider the logic here…

If Jesus freed us from the law by elevating the standard, then we are left with a troubling conclusion: that God's original standard wasn't good enough.

Scripture is clear that God does not change (Malachi 3:6). And God's standard for holiness is fixed in His own perfect, unchanging nature (Leviticus 11:44). If the standard changes, then God himself changes. 

But he hasn't, and he never will. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Jesus did not introduce a new standard. He taught what the law always aimed for: to transform the heart (Jeremiah 31:33).

Now, let's look at the second assumption. In the law / grace definition of the covenants, the logical conclusion is that grace is freedom from the law.

But if we consider the law to be a burden because it demands outward obedience, how much heavier is the weight of inward transformation? How can we be held to a higher standard but have fewer guidelines and consider that grace? Isn't that just a more oppressive form of slavery?

Keep that in mind. We'll come back to grace in a moment. 

But first, let's explore the idea of slavery a bit more.

In the story of the Exodus, Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelites in Egypt. They were brutally and ruthlessly oppressed and even subject to infanticide. God raised up Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and into freedom. 

After generations of abuse and mistreatment, Israel was finally free!!! 

But that freedom was short-lived. Israel received the law at Sinai. A crushing and impossible burden that they had to uphold to earn their way to God. At least that is where this perspective takes us.

What would it say about God if He rescued Israel from Pharaoh only to crush them with a new form of slavery? Rules. Restrictions. Requirements they could never keep. God exchanged the lashes of Egyptian taskmasters for the unbearable weight of moral failure. A burden far heavier than bricks and straw.

If that were the case, then God is just a new and harsher Pharaoh.

But that is not how the experience at Sinai is described in Scripture. 

Instead, when God gave the law to Israel, it was framed as a moment of intimacy that formed their identity. These are the words God spoke at Sinai:

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. 

Exodus 19:4-5

Receiving the law was a gift of grace that provided Israel with guidance on how to walk in a covenant relationship with the God who had rescued them. The law was not a burden or a form of slavery.

Look at the other ways the law is described in Scripture:

For this [the law] will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations.

Deuteronomy 4:6

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. 

Psalm 19:7

I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Psalm 119:14, 45

The law allowed Israel to live as God's treasured possession. It rightly condemned sin and instructed the people into holy living. The law was seen as beneficial, granting wisdom, refreshing to the soul, offering great riches, and leading to freedom. Not slavery. Freedom.

So if the law isn't something we need liberation from, then what exactly is grace?

Biblically, grace is God's undeserved favor, and it functions in two ways:

1. Grace frees us from the condemnation of sin

2. Grace equips us to live the holy life God has called us to

For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many…The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

Romans 5:15-16

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…

Titus 2:11-12

The grace of God removes condemnation of our sins and purifies us so we can live eternally with Him. 

Grace doesn't mean the standard for holiness has changed. It means the barrier of sin that keeps us from that standard has been overcome by Jesus.

This brings us back to the original question: How should we understand the Old and New Covenants?

We should see the covenants in continuity, not as a correction of what was previously given but as the ongoing revelation of God's grace filled plan to redeem and restore His people. The Old Covenant laid the foundation, the New Covenant brings it to fullness in Christ. There is no contradiction between them.

Reflection Questions:

• Do you believe the law is a burden or a gift? How does understanding the law as a gift of grace change how you read the Old Testament?

• Have you ever struggled with the idea that God in the OT is harsher or different than the God that is revealed in Jesus? How has this influenced your understanding of God’s character?

• If Jesus upheld and fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17–19), what does that suggest about its enduring value in your life (Jeremiah 31:33)?