Posted on 07/03/2025 5:38:42 PM PDT by Angelino97
I have just finished reading “The Old Covenant: Revoked or Not Revoked?” by Dr. Robert Sungenis. It is a study debunking the notion, now regnant in liberal theological circles, that the Old Covenant still stands side-by-side with the New Covenant.
According to this novelty, in essence, God’s “A Plan” and God’s “B Plan” are both currently pleasing to Him and both fully in effect.
Opposed to this, the Catholic Faith teaches that the Old Law — itself good, holy, and of divine origin — was a preparation for the New, and that the New Law superceded and fulfilled the Old.
Indeed, as Dr. Sungenis shows, Pope John Paul II affirmed the traditional teaching in a not-much-quoted passage of Redemptoris Mater: “Christ fulfills the divine promise and supersedes the old law.”
Years ago, I made an effort at debunking this vogue theology in an article on the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Better Testament. Dr. Sungenis quotes from Hebrews, but he does not limit himself to this, as the pilfered quotations below adequately show.
The following is a series of scriptural, patristic, and magisterial citations from “The Old Covenant: Revoked or Not Revoked?“:
Hebrews 7:18: “On the one hand, a former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness…”;
Hebrews 10:9: “Then he says, ‘Behold, I come to do your will.’ He takes away the first [covenant] to establish the second [covenant]…”;
2 Corinthians 3:14: “For to this day when they [the Jews] read the Old Covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away”;
Hebrews 8:7: “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another”;
Colossians 2:14: “Having canceled the written code, with its decrees, that was against us and stood opposed to us; He took it away nailing it to the cross”;
Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, para. 29: “…the New Testament took the place of the Old Law which had been abolished…but on the gibbet of His death Jesus made void the Law with its decrees fastened the handwriting of the Old Testament to the Cross”;
The Catechism of the Council of Trent: “…the people, aware of the abrogation of the Mosaic Law…”;
Council of Florence: “that the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, of the Mosaic law…although they were suited to the divine worship at that time, after our Lord’s coming had been signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began”;
Council of Trent: “but not even the Jews by the very letter of the law of Moses were able to be liberated or to rise therefrom”;
Cardinal Ratzinger: “Thus the Sinai [Mosaic] Covenant is indeed superseded” (Many Religions – One Covenant, p. 70).
St. John Chrysostom: “Yet surely Paul’s object everywhere is to annul this Law….And with much reason; for it was through a fear and a horror of this that the Jews obstinately opposed grace” (Homily on Romans, 6:12); “And so while no one annuls a man’s covenant, the covenant of God after four hundred and thirty years is annulled; for if not that covenant but another instead of it bestows what is promised, then is it set aside, which is most unreasonable” (Homily on Galatians, Ch 3);
St. Augustine: “Instead of the grace of the law which has passed away, we have received the grace of the gospel which is abiding; and instead of the shadows and types of the old dispensation, the truth has come by Jesus Christ. Jeremiah also prophesied thus in God’s name: ‘Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…’ Observe what the prophet says, not to Gentiles, who had not been partakers in any former covenant, but to the Jewish nation. He who has given them the law by Moses, promises in place of it the New Covenant of the gospel, that they might no longer live in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit” (Letters, 74, 4);
Justin Martyr: Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law – namely, Christ – has been given to us, and the covenant is trustworthy…Have you not read…by Jeremiah, concerning this same new covenant, He thus speaks: ‘Behold, the days come,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…’” (Dialogue with Trypho, Ch 11).
Not necessarily. Messianic Judaism is its own sect, with their own rabbis and synagogues. They even include gentile converts in their congregations.
If you're a Catholic convert (baptised and confirmed), you're a Catholic, regardless of your DNA.
What's not to like . . especially if it is correct? The Apostles were Messianic Jews. You don't want to be associated with them? I don't get it.
It’s what I have been saying all along and the ignorance among today’s evangelicals on this subject is stunning.
To their Credit, Catholics still teach the 10 commandments, ALL 10, because they don’t accept the dual covenant heresy. And it is a heresy. The Catechism has a whole section on the 10 commandments including the Sabbath! And to keep it.
The only difference is they have traditionally taught the papacy had the power and authority to change the weekly holy day from the seventh to the first day.
Dual Covenant heresy came about in part because today’s evangelicals know Sunday keeping isn’t in the Bible. So they bought this heresy......OT is law, NT is grace. No law, meaning no Sabbath....just grace.
Until of course you try to take their car or sleep with their wives....then there is law again.
In the final analysis, one will either side with the papacy and keep Sunday....or with the Seventh day Adventist message and keep the Bible Sabbath. In the end there will be no other option. The Mark of the Beast will concern God’s law. Just as a decree issued in Daniel’s day concerned God’s law. Daniel 6:5
Never tinker with God’s holy things.....and the weekly Sabbath is a holy thing that God made holy. And he made it for man. Genesis 2:1 and 2......and Mark 2:27.
At least the Catholics are not fooled by this dual covenant heresy......Evangelicals have been snookered hook line and sinker.
No law = no sin. The Law defines sin. It is a measurement. The Law condemns but does not save. So the world puts it aside and ignores it. But God sees all and records.
Paul penned Christ became our Sabbath ... Christians ‘rest’ (or sabbath) in Christ every day of the week and two times on Sunday ...
Matthew 5:17 pretty well answers the question,
“Opposed to this, the Catholic Faith teaches that the Old Law — itself good, holy, and of divine origin — was a preparation for the New, and that the New Law superceded and fulfilled the Old.”
That is the position of many Protestants as well. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law.
Silly Sun god worshiper. Christ only becomes our rest if we are saved. God has designated one day of the week to rest/worship Him and that is the Sabbath. It started at Creation where God rested (He was not tired) as an example of what we are to do. When Jesus walked the earth, He observed the Sabbath. Why aren't you?
"and two times on Sunday?" Is this a new Catholic wives tale. I've never heard it before. Certainly not in Scripture.
So you believe the Law is still valid or did Jesus abolish the Law? Has heaven and earth passed away?
Obviously, you have NO clue who Christ was, is and will be ... HE was there when the ‘days’ were invented...
YOU stupid people are so staunch on the hated Catholics, you are literally clueless as to what Christ taught.
Twice on Sunday, was to jerk your wad, and boy oh boy did it jerk you.
Oh you are a real scholar aren't you? Look up Saturday/Sabbath in Spanish or French or Latin. Pagan Rome used pagan gods to name their days of the week. Don't follow pagan Rome.
Well, one of us doesn't have a clue.
Which is kind of irrelevant when they changed the Ten commandments and renumbered them to still equal ten.
So why are you telling me?
I thought the 'ten commandments' were first penned in the Hebrew language? Might want to search out what that word Sabbath means in the Hebrew and quit pointing fingers to Pagan Rome ... There is nothing more pagan than worshiping a day of the week ... especially a day named after the devil...
Your crew has NO clue who the fake Jesus is, because your crew is alllll wrapped up in worshiping a day of the week.
I don't follow or want to know who this fake Jesus you are referring to. I follow the real one.
because your crew is alllll wrapped up in worshiping a day of the week.
Of course we all know that is a lie. You do know lying is a sin, right? Falsely accusing the brethren and all of that. We worship on the day God designated. We worship on the day Jesus observed while on earth. The same day that will be observed in Heaven throughout eternity. You wouldn't want to miss out on that, would you?
To those who want to look further into this question, but want a non-Catholic-Christian source, may I suggest reading The Gospel of the Kingdom by Philip Mauro.
I'm not criticizing the article that was posted at all (I agree with it), but I recognize that some people who are not Catholic may prefer additional, non-Catholic, sources.
Dispensationalism, and the Scofield Reference Bible, are a modern invention and are heresy to any Christian.
___Which is kind of irrelevant when they changed the Ten commandments and renumbered them to still equal ten___
Until one actually studies the Bible and prophecy and sees this attempt to “change set times and law” was predicted. Daniel 7:25. The only commandment having anything to do with time......is the holy Sabbath time. The literal 24 hour period God set aside and made holy. Kept throughout the entire Bibly by God’s people and Christ himself.
How ironic. The ONLY change of the weekly holy day in scripture was a prophecy showing the great counterfeit would attempt to change it.
Never tamper with God’s holy things.......do it at your own risk. “The Sabbaht was made for man”..Mark 2:26. And it was made in Genesis......Genesis 2:1 and 2.
One can recognize that Dispensationalism or dual-covenant theology is incorrect without being anti-semitic.
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