It is of utmost importance that we understand the teaching of Holy Scripture with regard to the old and new covenants. It is not possible to understand the work of Christ as our Substitute and the saving operations of our God in grace, until we understand the distinction between works and grace, between the old covenant of the law and the new covenant of grace.
This distinction is a matter of great confusion to many in the religious world today. I have no doubt that it is a matter of some confusion to some who read these lines. Can you imagine how confusing it must have been to those believers of the first century, especially to those who were Jews?
That time of transition, between the resurrection of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, must have been very confusing to the Jewish believers. And many of the Gentile churches were plagued by the infiltration of Judaizers who attempted to bring them under the yoke of legal bondage by mixing law and grace. Let the confusion forever end (Rom. 6:14-15; 7:1-4; 8:1-4; 10:1-4; Gal. 1:6-9; 3:1-3; 5:1-4; Col. 2:8-23).
The Book of Hebrews was written specifically to correct the confusion by showing the great superiority of the gospel, the superiority of the new covenant over the old, the superiority of this present gospel age to the former legal dispensation. In the seventh chapter the Holy Spirit irrefutably displayed the superiority of Christ's priesthood over the Aaronic priesthood of the Old Testament. The eighth chapter displays the superiority of the new covenant over the old. The new covenant is altogether spiritual, a covenant of grace, pure, free grace, flowing to sinners through the mediation of Christ, established upon the unconditional promises of unconditional grace.