The Ten Commandments, which God Himself declared to be His covenant, were not replaced. You are misunderstanding Paul—just as many have done—by placing his words above the words of Jesus and the prophets. But Paul cannot contradict Jesus. If he did, then you must choose whom you will follow.
I'm not disputing that the Ten Commandments, along with the entire Law, was a "covenant." Hebrews calls it the "Old Covenant."
Heb 8.6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
Paul, of course, does not contradict Jesus, although it appears that way to you? Jesus was speaking in the context of the era he was living under at the time. But even then, he was not under the Law himself, as I explained earlier.
But what Jesus said to Israel at that time still required Israel to live under the Old Covenant of Law. Paul, by contrast, spoke of a time when the dividing wall between Israel under the Law and the pagan nations had been broken down. The Law of Moses was no longer in effect for Israel.
This is not a contradiction--rather, it is an explanation. These are two different times, one under the Law of Moses, which became an outmoded covenant, and the other, under the New Covenant of living by Christ alone. I'm sorry you don't understand this. I hope others do.
You quote a single verse to support your view but ignore the rest of the context in Jeremiah 31. Let’s read the full passage:
Yes, we know the passage already. The quote was a reminder. As I said, in the Old Covenant era, such prophecies will not detail the New Covenant because the Law was still being required. The most it said is that this New Covenant will be "different" than the old one. And it will satisfy what failed the nation under the Old Covenant.
The fact Christ became a means of Eternal Life is what distinguished the New Covenant from the Old Covenant. But he was still a mystery at that time.
You say this is a new system with “new commandments,” but God says He will put His Law—the same Law they broke—into their hearts. The covenant didn’t change; the location of the Law changed. It moved from stone tables to the heart. God never said, “I will replace My Law,” but “I will write it inside of them.” That’s what makes it “new”—it is inward, spiritual, living.
I already addressed this. Jer 31 says the opposite of what you're asserting. I need not address it again. It was definitely to be a "change"--a *new* covenant.
You also seem to ignore Jesus' own words:
Heaven and earth have not passed away. That means the Law still stands—especially the Ten Commandments, which were written by God’s own finger and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, separate from the other laws Moses wrote in a book. Jesus didn’t teach us to abandon these commandments; He called us to live them in their fullness, in spirit and truth.
The continuity of the universe is not the basis for a continuation of the Law. Jesus indicated that every law within the Law of Moses had to be kept before he "fulfilled it" in himself. And he had to "fulfill it" before the universe could pass away.
It was his fulfillment that ended the need for Israel to keep the Law because indeed when they kept it the apparent lesson is that Israel was not qualified to obtain Eternal Life. Jesus had to fulfill the Law to enable them to inherit the earth. That's when the universe could be changed and inherited forever.
Both Israel's observance of the Law and its fulfillment in Jesus had to be completed before the universe passes away because Jesus was the only means by which the earth could be inherited by Man. God did not want the universe passing away before men were enabled to inherit it!
When Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. This veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence was. Only the high priest could enter, once a year, with blood for sin. But when Jesus gave His life, the barrier was removed by God Himself. This means that through Jesus, access to the Father is now open—but only for those who believe and obey.
Yes.
Jesus didn’t say, “My new commandments,” or “Moses’ commandments are gone.” He pointed always to His Father's will. And the Father already told us what His covenant is: the Ten Commandments.
Again, Jesus lived under the "old" era, when the Law was still in effect. He certainly wouldn't be advocating for disobedience to the Law while it was still in effect! The Covenant is *not* just the 10 Commandments--it is the entire system or agreement that God made with Israel, including all 613 requirements.
The New Covenant does not cancel the Ten Commandments—it makes them living and personal by writing them into the hearts of those who follow Christ. Those who love God and walk in His Spirit do not ignore His Law—they delight in it, just as Jesus did.
I've said that the New Covenant and the Old Covenant are not distinguished by the New being "of the heart." All of God's covenants and laws are "of the heart." The big difference in the new is that the *record* of failure, contained in the Law, has been ripped up. Now, we live by the heart under a Law without the record of our failure.
The Apostle John makes a clear distinction between old and new commandments, and treats them both as "of the heart," but even moreso as leading only to following Jesus' commandments and likeness--not the Law of ordinances, or Temple Law. This ddidn't mean the New Covenant is "of the heart" and the Old Covenant was not of the heart. John simply said they were both moral and love in God, both leading to Christ alone.
Please don’t be quick to dismiss the foundation of God’s eternal covenant. The same Law that reveals sin is also the one that points us to the Savior. Jesus fulfilled it, not to erase it, but to empower us to live it—through Him.
The Old Covenant, or the Law, is a record of failure. We must see it as "nailed to the Cross." We live by the same principles of love and holiness. But they are now to be distinguished as something lived in Christ alone, and not by a system or record of 613 requirements that were insufficient for Israel to obtain Eternal Life.
