The problem with the Old Covenant established at Sinai.
The people’s agreement at Mount Sinai did not establish a method of salvation. It did not institute a way to God for sinful humankind. God only can establish the way to him for the created orders of intelligence. The covenant at Sinai represents a human effort to establish a way to God. It represents the human concept of salvation. The people thought that if God told them what they should do, they would do it and, thus, be saved. The people did not, and do not, understand that sinful spirits could not be made good. The spirit God put in the first man, Adam, could only become perfect or a sinner. There is no other option. Also, the replacement of the sinful spirit with the perfect spirit of Jesus Christ could be accomplished by God only, not by any other order of intelligence. Performance is conducted in the flesh. And the performance in the flesh cannot lead to God, who is Spirit, not the flesh. The people at Sinai did not understand that the only method of salvation was God-to-Man. The man-to God method cannot work. Human efforts in the flesh, however good and noble, could neither save nor contribute to the salvation of sinners.
The man-to-God method of salvation is ineffective because humankind cannot obey the law perfectly. The Moral Law (not ten commandments specifically) requires perfect obedience, with no exceptions. “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Galatians 3:10. Sinful humanity could not have achieved justification through its efforts. Justification is the undeserved and a selfless gift from God.
The people were sincere in entering into a contract with God. They meant well. However, they broke the agreement before it became effective. The people could not continue doing all they thought they could do. “For if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah.” Hebrews 8:7 – 8. Therefore, the only hope for sinful humankind is that God grants to it something that does not include the performance in the flesh. The only hope was that God would replace the man-to-God concept with the God-to-man method of salvation. Human participation in the covenant is useless. Humankind must be the beneficiary of the covenant.
The new covenant is next.
