Hello, we received a question from a transitioning Adventist. "Hello po, I have another question. What if Israel didn't break the Mosaic covenant? Wouldn't the Mosaic laws still be valid? Would God require all people in the world to be under that covenant? And what if not everyone submits? Does that mean there is a separate judgment for Israel and the Gentiles?"
First of all, I want to say that this is a brilliant question. It is the kind of deep, critical thinking we love to see here on the Former Adventists Philippines blog. A lot of young people and young adults in our circles ask these exact "what if" scenarios when they are trying to untangle the things we were previously taught.
Let us unpack this together, looking through the clear lens of New Covenant Theology, so we can see the grand design God had from the very beginning.
The Mosaic Covenant Was Always Designed to Expire
To answer your first question, if Israel never broke the covenant, would it still be valid?, we have to look at what the Mosaic Covenant actually was.
In our past background, we were often taught that the Old Covenant was "Plan A," and because Israel failed, God had to bring in "Plan B" (the New Covenant). But that is not what the Bible teaches. The Mosaic Covenant was never meant to be eternal. It was explicitly designed by God to be temporary.
Think of it like the scaffolding used when constructing a high-rise building in BGC or Makati. The scaffolding is necessary. It serves a vital purpose to help build the structure. But once the building is finished, the scaffolding is removed. It is not removed because the scaffolding "failed" or broke; it is removed because its purpose is complete.
In Galatians 3, Paul calls the law our "tutor" or "guardian," meant to lead us to Christ. Even if, hypothetically, Israel had kept the law perfectly (which they couldn't, because human nature is fallen), the Mosaic Covenant would still have been replaced. Why? Because it was only a shadow. Jesus Christ is the substance. The Old Covenant was a localized, temporary contract pointing to the universal, eternal New Covenant in Christ's blood.
Was the Law Meant for the Whole World?
Your next question is fantastic: Would God require everyone in the world to be under the Mosaic covenant?
The short answer is no. This is one of the most liberating truths in New Covenant Theology. The Mosaic Covenant (including the Ten Commandments on stone, the Sabbath, the dietary laws, and the feast days) was a specific national treaty made exclusively between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19).
Imagine it like the Philippine Constitution. Our constitution applies to Filipinos. If you are a Japanese citizen living in Tokyo, you are not judged by Philippine laws. In the same way, God never gave the Mosaic Law to the Gentiles. He didn't expect the ancient Filipinos, Romans, or Greeks to keep the Sabbath or avoid eating pork. The law was Israel's specific "national constitution" to set them apart as a nation that would eventually birth the Messiah. Once the Messiah came, that national boundary wall was torn down (Ephesians 2:14-15).
The Question of Two Judgments
Now for your final point: If not everyone submits, does that mean judgment is separate? Is Israel judged by the Mosaic covenant and Gentiles judged separately?
Actually, the Apostle Paul directly answers your question in Romans 2:12 (NIV): "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law."
So historically, yes, there was a distinction in how God evaluated them! God is perfectly fair.
- The Jews (Israel) were judged by the written Mosaic Law because they had the contract.
- The Gentiles (the rest of the world) were judged by the moral law written on their hearts, their conscience (Romans 2:14-15).
But here is the ultimate plot twist of the Gospel: Both groups failed.
Whether you had the written law of Moses or just the basic human conscience, nobody made the passing grade. The Jews broke the written law, and the Gentiles violated their own consciences. This is why Paul concludes in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Because both groups failed their respective tests, God brought them both together under one singular solution: Jesus Christ.
Moving Forward in Grace
For those of us coming out of heavily law-based backgrounds, this changes everything. We do not need to worry about placing the whole world under the Mosaic Covenant today, nor do we need to force ourselves back under it. Christ is the fulfillment of the law!
When we understand this through New Covenant Theology, the Bible opens up in a fresh, vibrant way. We aren't juggling two separate plans or trying to force Gentile believers into an ancient Israelite contract. We are all, Jew and Gentile, old and young, invited into the New Covenant, where the Spirit writes His love directly on our hearts.
Keep asking these great questions! It shows that your mind is engaging with the Word, and that is exactly how we grow deeper in our freedom in Christ.
Galatians 3:24-25 (NIV): "So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."
Call to Action: Let go of the hypothetical "what ifs" of the Old Covenant, and embrace the beautiful reality of the New Covenant in Christ. Stop living under the heavy burden of a law that was meant to point you to Jesus, and start walking freely in His grace today!
FORMER ADVENTISTS PHILIPPINES
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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