New Testament v. New Covenant | Rightly Dividing with David Reid

Aug 12, 2026    David Reid

Covenant and testament are not interchangeable—both come from the Greek word diatheke, but they function as two distinct legal instruments with different parties, different activation requirements, and different beneficiaries. This study traces both timelines side by side: the covenant as a contract requiring mutual agreement, and the testament as a last will requiring the death of the testator, revealing why Paul identifies himself as a minister of the new testament—not the new covenant—and what that distinction means for the Body of Christ.