What significance does the Old testament have for the church of the new covenant? What is the difference between the old and new covenants? What is the relationship between the two? Some have said that the new covenant has a different structure than the old; others maintain that this is a matter of "more" and "less." But what do these terms mean?
These and many more questions are pertinent for every Bible reader. What about the gifts of speaking in tongues and healing of the sick that are mentioned in the New testament? Are these gifts also given to the church of today? Should today's Bible reader strive to also speak in tongues? Or are these special gifts specific to the early church?
Dr. C. van der Waal answers these and similar questions in this book, in a style that is directed at non-theologians as well as scholars. He examines the structure and typifying elements of both Biblical and social covenants, and proceeds to study commonly accepted distinctions such as "covenant of works" versus "covenant of grace" and "law" versus "gospel." The author then describes in detail the relationship between the old and new covenants, followed by an analysis of the special but passing nature of the apostolic era and the permanent "more" of the new covenant.
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