New Covenant Theology is a Calvinist view of biblical history that sees a definitive break between the Old and New Testaments. It argues that some Old Testament promises refer to the church, not literal Israel. It is a middle ground between Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. The church replaces Israel as the recipient of unfulfilled Old Testament promises. Covenant Theology sees more continuity between the two time periods, while Dispensationalism believes in seven dispensations. Understanding the word “covenant” is fundamental to understanding these theologies.
New Covenant Theology is a view of biblical and world history held by some Calvinist Christian circles, especially in Reformed Presbyterian or Reform Baptist groups. Its uniqueness lies in its vision of a definitive break between the Old and New Testaments. While other groups, such as dispensationalists, take a similar view, New Covenant Theology also argues that some promises in the Old Testament refer to the church – or spiritual Israel – rather than literal ethnic or national Israel. This view is sometimes seen as a middle ground between two older theologies: covenant theology and dispensationalism.
Followers of New Testament theology believe that the Old Testament was a temporary covenant, designed to be replaced by the New Testament. They argue for a definitive break between these two periods of salvation history. In this view, the church, which began at Pentecost, replaces Israel as the recipient of any promises made in the Old Testament that had not been fulfilled at the time of Christ.
New Covenant Theology retains some similarities to Covenant Theology, which is another Calvinist viewpoint. Both views allow for the salvation of Jews before the time of Christ, but argue that they were saved under the Covenant of Grace – the New Testament Covenant – even though they did not know it existed at the time. Significantly, however, Covenant Theology sees more continuity between the two time periods than New Testament Theology. While the latter sees the Old Testament abolished, the former sees it completed. Covenant theology also holds that the church existed during the Old Testament rather than having been founded after the time of Christ.
Another similar but competing view is that of dispensationalism. Like New Covenant theologians, Dispensationalists see a definitive break between the Old and New Testaments and regard the day of Pentecost as the starting date of the church. However, dispensationalists believe that covenants made with Israel will be fulfilled with Israel – the literal descendants of Abraham – rather than with the church as a spiritual incarnation of Israel. Dispensationalists, rather than believing in two major saving time periods—Old and New Testaments—believe in seven total dispensations, some of which, including the millennium, have not yet been born. This view is popular in both Calvinist and other Protestant groups.
Fundamental to understanding any of these theologies is an understanding of the word “covenant,” which is synonymous with “testament.” Both words are sometimes referred to as simply “promise,” but in reality, a covenant is a little more complex. A covenant is an agreement between two or more people or groups that can be conditional or unconditional, eternal or temporary. Some of the many theological interpretations of the covenant hold that the covenants God made with Israel in the Old Testament continue to apply today. Other views claim that these covenants are now void, or that they actually now apply to the church rather than ethnic or national Israelites. These promises include both spiritual and physical salvation.
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