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Discover the transformative experience of being born again. For believers in the New Testament, Serving God takes on a whole new meaning in comparison to the Old Testament.
As believers in Christ, we are reborn into a new creature, offering us a fresh start and a unique relationship with God. In the New Testament, we are privileged to enjoy a closer, more intimate connection with our Creator.
Join us as we explore the privileges and blessings available to believers in the New Testament, setting us apart from the believers of old. Experience the abundant life that awaits you as a born-again believer in Christ.
For what you should after becoming born again, please read; Now that you are Born Again! What Next?
| SN | CRITERIA | NEW TESTAMENT | OLD TESTAMENT |
| 1 | Access to God | Direct access for all believers in christ | Indirect access through proxies such as Prophets, priests and kings |
| 2 | God’s Family | As many as believe in Christ | Only the Jews |
| 3 | Righteousness | Gift from God | Attained or earned through works |
| 4 | Relationship with the Holy Spirit | To indwell all believers forever | Could come upon a selected few, namely, Kings, priests and prophets, for a given divine assignment |
| 5 | God’S Promises | Are unlocked by faith in Chist Jesus | Are unlocked through laws and ordinances |
| 6 | Spiritual Authority | Empowered to exercise the victory of Christ over satan, sin and sickness. | Only a selected few could access spiritual Authority |
Access to God
Unlike in the old, in the new testament, God has granted mankind the privilege to access him directly through a relationship with Christ. Ephesians 2:18, 3:12
Proxies such as Priests, Prophets and kings, have been reassigned with other duties than being the middleman to God and the middleman position is now occupied by the holy spirit who now lives in every believer forever. Hebrews 1:1-2
God’s investment in mankind is such that his law is written in the heart of the believer and the holy spirit inside of the believers empower them to know the word of God and obey them. 1 John 2:27, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrew 10:16
The name of Jesus is the believer’s password to unhindered access to God and one only becomes a believer by passing through the door of salvation offered by Christ when He shed his blood. Hebrews 10:19-20, John 16:23-24
God’s Family
After the fall of man at Eden, God embarked on a quest to reconcile mankind to himself and He called Abraham out from an adulterous nation of the Chaldeans, Genesis 12, to journey to a faraway nation where he would start a new nation which would eventually, after the third generation, become known as Israel, named after the immediate ancestor Jacob whom God renamed as Israel. Genesis 3:10
God adopted Israel as his first born, Exodus 4:22, and made a covenant with them through Moses as the mediator. The mosaic brokered covenant was designed to raise a nation of priests, Exodus 19:6, starting with a sample of people from the family of Levi, Deuteronomy 18:5, to become the first priests. Laws and ordinances were given through which to maintain the relationship with God .
Through this nation of Israel, Christ was born with the mission to mediate a better covenant, Hebrew 8:6, between God and man; starting with Israel and extending to the other nations of the world until the world becomes the Kingdom of God and His Christ. Revelation 11:15
So as many as receive the salvation offered by Christ, Jew or gentile, becomes a member of God’s family. John 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:19
Righteousness
In the New Testament, the believer in Christ is declared righteous by God because the righteousness of Christ is credited to his or her account as a gift unlike in the old testament when one needed to keep some rules and offer some sacrifices to attain righteousness through their works. Ephesians 2:8-9
Hence, in the New testament, God imputes the righteousness of Christ on believers enabling them to carry out righteous works. Romans 4:3-17
Relationship with the Holy Spirit
In the New Testament, God released His spirit to permanently dwell with mankind and to forever live in the believers in Christ. John 14:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19
The work of the Holy Spirit will be to mark the believers in Christ, Romans 8:9b, to teach them the word of God, to remind them all that Christ taught while on earth, to guide them daily and to empower them over sin, sickness and the Devil. Romans 8:14, 1 John 5:4
While in the Old Testament, those who belonged to the family of God depended on the trio of Prophets, priests and kings for Instructions, guidance, leadership and to be taught, in the new testament, members of God’s family, qualified through salvation in christ, is to depend on the holy spirit instead of the three personalities, for their need for Instructions, guidance, leadership and to be taught, 1 John 2:27, John 16:13.
The three functionaries are therefore re-assigned a new duty of helping members grow towards maturity in christ, Ephesians 4:11-13. This they will do by teaching and by confirmation of what the spirit of God is ministering to the child of God.
God’S Promises
The Old Testament contains specific laws to activate God’s promises, while in the New Testament, faith in God’s word is all that is required to activate any promise.
Obeying God’s commandments,as shown, in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 leads to blessings, whereas disobedience, as shown, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 brings curses.
However, in the New Testament, believers in Christ receive blessings by believing in God’s promises, praying in Jesus Christ’s name, and acting in faith. Mark 11:23-24, Matthew 7:7, James 1:5-8 demonstrate this.
The New Covenant emphasizes faith in God’s word as the key to accessing His promises.
Spiritual Authority
The Lord Jesus Christ, obtained all the power in Heaven and earth and handed it over to believers, in him, to operate. Matthew 28:18
In Christ, believers are spiritually exalted above demonic principalities and powers. Ephesians 1:18-22, Ephesians 2:6-7 , Philippians 2:9-11
You can explore more on living a victorious Christian life by reading Prayer is the Master Key to a Victorious Life.
In conclusion, being a born-again believer in Christ brings immense privileges through the superiority of the New Testament. These privileges include unhindered access to God, an inherited righteousness, membership in God’s family, a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit, and spiritual authority over sin and the devil. As believers, let us embrace and cherish these blessings, walking in the fullness of our identity as new testament believers. We encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences by commenting on this blog post. Thank you for being a part of this discussion.
More Interesting read about the differences between the new testament and the old