Hebrews 8:13
In that He 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, NASB).
1. Danker: treat the first covenant as obsolete Hb 8:13a (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, palaiow, page 751).
2. NIDNTT: Heb. 8:13 takes up the promise of the new covenant of Jer. 31:31-35: "In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete [pepalaiwken]. And what is becoming obsolete [palaioumenon] and growing old [geeraskon] is ready to vanish away." This is entirely God's work. Seeing that God in Christ makes a new covenant, the old covenant of the law has become obsolete. In Christ the first can be regarded only as old and fulfilled (2 Cor. 3:14) (2:716, Old/One, H. Haarbeck).
3. TDNT: God Himself declares in Jer. 31 that the first covenant is outmoded, and He promises a new one. The first covenant is now a venerable institution with all the signs of age and decay. It has no more right to existence, 8:13 (3:282, arxiereus - high priest, Schrenk).
4. TDNT: The new covenant --> "It is the perfect counterpart of its predecessor, which has now been superseded and doomed to perish, 8:13; cf. 7:18f" (3:450, kainos - new, Behm).
5. Louw/Nida: to cause to become old and obsolete, and hence no longer valid -'to make old, to make out of date.' 'by speaking of a new covenant, he has made the first one out of date' He 8.13 (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 67:103, palaiow, page 643).
6. Wuest: Concerning "made old": is in the perfect tense, which tense speaks of an action completed in past time having present results. Thus, we could translate, "In saying new, He has permanently antiquated the first (covenant)." The word "decayeth" is the translation of the same verb, and we have "that which is being antiquated." The words "waxeth old" are the translation of gerasko which means "to grow old" and carries with it the suggestion of the waning strength and the decay which are incident to old age. It has the meanings also of being obsolescent, failing from age (Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Kenneth Wuest, Volume 2, page 149, Hebrews 8:13).
Unless a command from the Old Covenant is repeated in the New Covenant it is not binding upon the Christian. In fact, 9 Commandments from the Decalogue are repeated in the New Covenant. Since the command to obey the Sabbath is not repeated in the New Covenant it follows that Christians are not required to obey the command to physically rest on the 7th day.
The Sabbath command is not repeated under the new covenant while the other nine are:
1. No other gods (Romans 1:25)
2. No images/idols to worship (Ephesians 5:5)
3. Name in vain (1 Timothy 6:1)
4. Sabbath (N/A)
5. Father and mother (Ephesians 6:2)
6. Murder (Romans 13:9)
7. Adultery (Romans 13:9)
8. Steal (Romans 13:9)
9. Lies (Romans 13:9)
10. Covet (Romans 13:9)
a. NIDNTT: On Colossians 2:16, Here Paul argues that the Jewish law (the legal demands) were cancelled in the death of Christ (v. 14), and therefore the Jewish food regulations and religious calendar are not binding on the Christian. Included in this ritual was the Jewish sabbath observance. These observances, Paul claims, pointed to a spiritual reality fulfilled in Christ (3:410, Sabbath, W. Stott).
b. TDNT: With liberation from bondage to the basic principles of the world the regulations are also set aside so that the Christian community is definitely freed from the Sabbath commandment - no matter whether this is based on the supposed necessity of the Law to salvation or on the controlling power of cosmic forces (7:30, Sabbaton, Lohse).
The New Covenant began on Pentecost (Acts 2:4).
1. NIDNTT: What until Pentecost, the decisive date for the universal church, was the privilege of only a few individuals, is from that day forward the most important characteristic of the Jewish and subsequently (cf. Acts 10) the Gentile church. According to Acts 2:4, all were "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:739, Fullness, R. Schippers).
2. NIDNTT: Under the heading "Significance of Pentecost for Luke" we read "...it is the fulfilment of the covenant promise (2:39; 3:25; 13:23, 32; 26:6), emphasizing the role of Pentecost as the institution of the new covenant. So too his description of events before and after Pentecost underlines that for Luke Pentecost is the birthday of the church (2:38, 41, 42, 43-47) (2:786, Pentecost, J.D.G. Dunn).
3. TDNT: Concerning Acts 2:4, "This event is regarded by Luke as the birthday of the church" (6:50, pentekoste, Lohse).
4. Thayer: in the beginning, when the church was founded, Acts 11:15 (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, arche, page 76).
5. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: The primary reference to Pentecost in the NT is in connection with the pouring of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the church (Acts 2:1). This event was in answer to the explicit promise of Christ (Jn. 16:7, 13; Acts 1:4, 14). It is almost universally agreed among theologians that Pentecost marks the beginning of the church as an institution (4:783, Pentecost, C.L. Feinberg).
6. NIDOTTE: The Spirit of God is the agent of creation (Ps 104:29; Job 33:4). His Spirit was active not only at the original creation (Gen 1:2) and at the re-creation after the Flood (8:1), but also at the creation of the people of Israel (in the form of wind, Exod 14:19-20; 15:10) and at the creation of the church (Acts 2:1-4) (3:1075, ruah, Van Pelt/Kaiser/ Block).
7. Vine: In the Epistles the only direct mentions are in Col. 2:16, "a sabbath day," R.V. (which rightly has the singular, see 1st parag., above), where it is listed among things that were "a shadow of the things to come" (i.e., of the age introduced at Pentecost) (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Sabbath, page 984).
8. David Peterson: (Acts 1:26): It is important to observe that there are no further examples of such decision making in the NT. As those who were about to enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant, the apostles were using a practice that was sanctioned by God but belonged to the old era. It took place before Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out in a way that signified a new kind of relationship between God and his people. From Luke's emphasis on the Spirit's role in giving wisdom, guidance, and direction, it would appear that the apostolic example on this occasion is not to be followed by Christians today (Pillar New Testament Commentary, Acts, page 128-129).
In that He 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, NASB).
1. Danker: treat the first covenant as obsolete Hb 8:13a (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, palaiow, page 751).
2. NIDNTT: Heb. 8:13 takes up the promise of the new covenant of Jer. 31:31-35: "In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete [pepalaiwken]. And what is becoming obsolete [palaioumenon] and growing old [geeraskon] is ready to vanish away." This is entirely God's work. Seeing that God in Christ makes a new covenant, the old covenant of the law has become obsolete. In Christ the first can be regarded only as old and fulfilled (2 Cor. 3:14) (2:716, Old/One, H. Haarbeck).
3. TDNT: God Himself declares in Jer. 31 that the first covenant is outmoded, and He promises a new one. The first covenant is now a venerable institution with all the signs of age and decay. It has no more right to existence, 8:13 (3:282, arxiereus - high priest, Schrenk).
4. TDNT: The new covenant --> "It is the perfect counterpart of its predecessor, which has now been superseded and doomed to perish, 8:13; cf. 7:18f" (3:450, kainos - new, Behm).
5. Louw/Nida: to cause to become old and obsolete, and hence no longer valid -'to make old, to make out of date.' 'by speaking of a new covenant, he has made the first one out of date' He 8.13 (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 67:103, palaiow, page 643).
6. Wuest: Concerning "made old": is in the perfect tense, which tense speaks of an action completed in past time having present results. Thus, we could translate, "In saying new, He has permanently antiquated the first (covenant)." The word "decayeth" is the translation of the same verb, and we have "that which is being antiquated." The words "waxeth old" are the translation of gerasko which means "to grow old" and carries with it the suggestion of the waning strength and the decay which are incident to old age. It has the meanings also of being obsolescent, failing from age (Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Kenneth Wuest, Volume 2, page 149, Hebrews 8:13).
Unless a command from the Old Covenant is repeated in the New Covenant it is not binding upon the Christian. In fact, 9 Commandments from the Decalogue are repeated in the New Covenant. Since the command to obey the Sabbath is not repeated in the New Covenant it follows that Christians are not required to obey the command to physically rest on the 7th day.
The Sabbath command is not repeated under the new covenant while the other nine are:
1. No other gods (Romans 1:25)
2. No images/idols to worship (Ephesians 5:5)
3. Name in vain (1 Timothy 6:1)
4. Sabbath (N/A)
5. Father and mother (Ephesians 6:2)
6. Murder (Romans 13:9)
7. Adultery (Romans 13:9)
8. Steal (Romans 13:9)
9. Lies (Romans 13:9)
10. Covet (Romans 13:9)
a. NIDNTT: On Colossians 2:16, Here Paul argues that the Jewish law (the legal demands) were cancelled in the death of Christ (v. 14), and therefore the Jewish food regulations and religious calendar are not binding on the Christian. Included in this ritual was the Jewish sabbath observance. These observances, Paul claims, pointed to a spiritual reality fulfilled in Christ (3:410, Sabbath, W. Stott).
b. TDNT: With liberation from bondage to the basic principles of the world the regulations are also set aside so that the Christian community is definitely freed from the Sabbath commandment - no matter whether this is based on the supposed necessity of the Law to salvation or on the controlling power of cosmic forces (7:30, Sabbaton, Lohse).
The New Covenant began on Pentecost (Acts 2:4).
1. NIDNTT: What until Pentecost, the decisive date for the universal church, was the privilege of only a few individuals, is from that day forward the most important characteristic of the Jewish and subsequently (cf. Acts 10) the Gentile church. According to Acts 2:4, all were "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:739, Fullness, R. Schippers).
2. NIDNTT: Under the heading "Significance of Pentecost for Luke" we read "...it is the fulfilment of the covenant promise (2:39; 3:25; 13:23, 32; 26:6), emphasizing the role of Pentecost as the institution of the new covenant. So too his description of events before and after Pentecost underlines that for Luke Pentecost is the birthday of the church (2:38, 41, 42, 43-47) (2:786, Pentecost, J.D.G. Dunn).
3. TDNT: Concerning Acts 2:4, "This event is regarded by Luke as the birthday of the church" (6:50, pentekoste, Lohse).
4. Thayer: in the beginning, when the church was founded, Acts 11:15 (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, arche, page 76).
5. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: The primary reference to Pentecost in the NT is in connection with the pouring of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the church (Acts 2:1). This event was in answer to the explicit promise of Christ (Jn. 16:7, 13; Acts 1:4, 14). It is almost universally agreed among theologians that Pentecost marks the beginning of the church as an institution (4:783, Pentecost, C.L. Feinberg).
6. NIDOTTE: The Spirit of God is the agent of creation (Ps 104:29; Job 33:4). His Spirit was active not only at the original creation (Gen 1:2) and at the re-creation after the Flood (8:1), but also at the creation of the people of Israel (in the form of wind, Exod 14:19-20; 15:10) and at the creation of the church (Acts 2:1-4) (3:1075, ruah, Van Pelt/Kaiser/ Block).
7. Vine: In the Epistles the only direct mentions are in Col. 2:16, "a sabbath day," R.V. (which rightly has the singular, see 1st parag., above), where it is listed among things that were "a shadow of the things to come" (i.e., of the age introduced at Pentecost) (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Sabbath, page 984).
8. David Peterson: (Acts 1:26): It is important to observe that there are no further examples of such decision making in the NT. As those who were about to enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant, the apostles were using a practice that was sanctioned by God but belonged to the old era. It took place before Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out in a way that signified a new kind of relationship between God and his people. From Luke's emphasis on the Spirit's role in giving wisdom, guidance, and direction, it would appear that the apostolic example on this occasion is not to be followed by Christians today (Pillar New Testament Commentary, Acts, page 128-129).
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