A Rescue Ministries International Bible Study

An Adventist’s Guide to the Old and New Covenants

What Every Bible Student Should Know About Israel’s Covenant, the Curse of the Law, and the Better Covenant Established by Jesus Christ

From Sinai to Calvary. From law written on stone to God’s law written upon the heart.

Many doctrinal disagreements begin with one foundational question: What covenant governs the believer today? This Scripture-centered guide carefully examines the covenant made with Israel at Sinai, its sign, blessings, curses, and purpose—and then shows how Jesus Christ established a better covenant through His sacrifice, priesthood, grace, and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Digital PDF 12 Chapters 4 Appendices Approximately 41 Pages Published in 2026

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Why Understanding the Covenants Changes Everything

Why did God give Israel the Ten Commandments at Sinai, written on tables of stone, and later promise a new covenant that would not be like the covenant made with their fathers? Why does Paul describe Sinai as a ministry of condemnation while also declaring God’s law holy, just, and good?

These are not merely academic questions. They shape how we understand salvation, obedience, grace, the Sabbath, the cross, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian life. Misunderstanding the covenants can lead either to legalism—treating obedience as a means of earning God’s favor—or to the rejection of Christian obedience altogether.

“This book invites you to open your Bible, examine every passage in context, and follow the covenant story from Sinai to Calvary.”

Two Covenants—One Great Biblical Story

The Old Covenant

Made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai
Its covenant words were written on tables of stone
The Sabbath served as a sign between God and Israel
It contained covenant blessings and covenant curses
It exposed sin but could not transform the human heart
Israel repeatedly broke the covenant

The New Covenant

Established through the blood of Jesus Christ
God writes His law within the heart
Christ redeems believers from the covenant curse
The Holy Spirit seals and indwells the believer
Forgiveness rests upon Christ’s completed sacrifice
Obedience becomes the fruit of faith and grace

Questions This Book Answers

What exactly is a biblical covenant?

With whom was the Sinai covenant made?

Were the Ten Commandments the words of that covenant?

Why did biblical covenants have identifying signs?

Was the Sabbath a sign between God and all humanity or God and Israel?

What were the blessings and curses of the old covenant?

What did Paul mean by the ministry written and engraved in stone?

Why did Jeremiah promise a covenant unlike Sinai?

What makes the new covenant better?

From what curse did Christ redeem us?

What is God’s seal upon the new covenant believer?

What does it mean to live under grace and walk in the Spirit?

What You Will Study

Part One: The Covenant Made at Sinai

Examine the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, the Book of the Covenant, Israel’s national calling, the Sabbath as a covenant sign, and the legal structure of Israel’s theocratic nation.

Part Two: The Broken Covenant and Its Curse

Follow Israel’s repeated covenant failure, the blessings and curses, exile and judgment, and Paul’s description of the covenant written on stone as a ministry of condemnation whose glory was passing away.

Part Three: The Better Covenant in Jesus Christ

Explore Jeremiah’s promise of a new heart, Christ’s better sacrifice and priesthood, redemption from the curse, the Holy Spirit as God’s seal, circumcision of the heart, the law of Christ, the obedience of faith, and assurance of salvation.

Who Should Read This Book?

Adventists seeking a clearer biblical understanding of covenant theology.
Christians studying the relationship between law, grace, and salvation.
Pastors, Bible teachers, ministry leaders, and small-group facilitators.
Former Adventists reexamining doctrines built upon the Sinai covenant.
Believers who struggle to reconcile passages that exalt the law with passages describing the old covenant as obsolete.
Anyone who wants to understand the Bible’s movement from Sinai to Calvary.

“The goal is not to win an argument, but to understand the structure of Scripture more clearly and to see the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.”

Discover the Better Covenant

The covenant story does not end at Sinai. It moves through Israel’s failure, the promise of the prophets, the cross of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The new covenant does not leave the believer condemned before tables of stone. It brings forgiveness, a new heart, the indwelling Spirit, and freedom to serve God through the obedience of faith.

Read prayerfully. Test every conclusion by Scripture. See how a proper understanding of the covenants can unlock the message of the entire Bible.

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Published by Rescue Ministries International
Truth Matters—Untangling Adventist Theology

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