Why Is There an Old and New Testament?

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s Truth for us one drive at a time. You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

In this season, Dannah Gresh, author of Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free, and our friend Staci Rudolph are detectives. 

They’re investigating some of the questions people have about the Bible—questions like, “What’s with all those different versions of the Bible?” We believe that as you get to understand your Bible, you’ll grow trust in it. 

So, True Girl, grab a magnifying glass, because it’s time for the Great Bible Investigation.

Bubble tea has become really trendy! But did you know the bubbles in the tea aren’t actually bubbles? They’re little squishy balls. Let’s see how Staci handles that in episode 7 of season 6, called, “Why Is There an Old and a New Testament?” 

Staci Rudolph: Dannah, I’m not sure I really need—or want—a new way to drink tea.

Dannah Gresh: But bubble tea is more than just a tea, Staci. It’s an experience!

Staci: Oh, I know. I’ve actually had it before. Not sure I’m a fan, but I’m willing to give it another try, you know, for the sake of the great Bible investigation.

Dannah: You’re a good sport. Well, I’m going to suggest the Mango Peach Tea—my personal favorite— and add some panda pearls.

Staci: Panda pearls? Those are actually little chewy balls made of tapioca starch, right?

Dannah: Yeah, you make that sound not delicious, but they are. They are also called boba. Some people call this boba tea. It’s fun, because those little pearls come up through your straw as you drink, and you can chew on them. It’s like having a little snack in your drink!

Staci: R-i-i-ight. Therein lies the problem for me. I don’t want little starchy pearls making their way up into my mouth without me knowing when it’s gonna happen. But, like I said, I’m willing to try again.

Dannah: Okay great! I’ll order. That booth just opened up. Why don’t you go grab it for us?

Staci: Gotcha.

Guess I’ll record some notes while I wait . . .

Start Note. Today Dannah is pushing me out of my comfort zone with bubble tea—a drink that has little squishy edible balls in it. I’ve had it before and didn’t love it, but I’m trying again. I’m very curious what kind of Bible mystery we’re going to solve through drinking this tea! End Note. 

Dannah: Here you go.

Staci: Thanks. That was fast! What did you get?

Dannah: I decided to try the Strawberry Bubble Tea with Cheese Foam.

Staci: Cheese foam? Like, spray cheese?

Dannah: Ah . . . no. I don’t like that stuff. It’s actually made from cream cheese. It’s good!

Staci: I’ll take your word for it. So, this is our investigation destination. What mystery are we going to solve? 

Dannah: Well, when we first got here, you said, you didn’t need a “new way to drink tea,” right? 

Staci: Yeah, because the old, traditional way has worked just fine for me. 

Dannah: vvvv And that’s totally fine when it comes to tea. You can leave here today and never think about this new way of drinking tea again. But when the writers of the New Testament wrote the Bible, it was, in part, to help them find a new way to look at the Old Testament.

Staci: So, today’s Bible mystery we’re solving is, “Why is there an Old and a New Testament?” 

Dannah: Exactly! The words “Old Testament” and “New Testament,” well, they are kind of a good example of things Christians say a lot but maybe don’t really think about what they mean.

Staci: Tell me more.

Dannah: Let’s start with the word “Testament.” It’s not the same thing like we hear in a movie scene about someone reading a “last will and testament.” The original language is more like a “Covenant.” Covenant is an unbreakable agreement between two people. It’s kind of a fancy word for “promise.” And in this case, it’s the strongest agreement or promise that’s ever been made.

In the Bible, the Covenant or “promise” is between God and us—the men and women, boys and girls He created.

Staci: Start Note. The word “testament” actually means “covenant” which is the strongest promise you can ever make with someone. End Note.

Hey, True Girl! Are you wondering what God’s “Old” covenant with humans was? I thought so! Break it down for us, Dannah G. BTW, this Bubble Tea isn’t terrible.

Dannah: Ha ha. I guess I’m glad it’s not terrible. 

Let’s travel back in time to the Garden of Eden to understand the Old Covenant. The world back then . . . perfect! Life . . . good. But then someone told a lie. Let me read to you about the first lie that was ever told. 

This isn’t our key verse today, but I want to read Genesis 3:1–7 to you. Try to imagine yourself in the Garden of Eden.

Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any trees in the garden?”

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. 

Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

The first lie wasn’t told by just any old snake. This serpent was Satan, or the devil, in disguise. The Bible tells us that he is the “father of lies.” When Satan told that first lie, his goal was to get Eve to act on it . . . to sin.

And she did.

Sin, of course, is doing what is wrong or not doing what is right according to God’s rules. 

Sin separates us from God. But He loves us, so He came up with a way to help. You see Adam and Eve were so embarrassed and ashamed after they sinned that they hid from God. They used big fig leaves to cover their nakedness. They felt really bad.

So, God’s solution was to kill an animal in the Garden of Eden. He brought the fur of that animal as clothes for Adam and Eve to wear—much more comfortable than those fig leaves.

From then on, animal sacrifice—in Old Testament times, anyway—was a part of God’s Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant on a very basic level is this: God created people. People chose sin over God. God made a way for them to be made right with God by having them bring different sacrifices. 

These were creatures, crops, and things that mattered to them—true sacrifices from their lives. 

Now, a notable sacrifice were lambs or goats. And not just any lamb or goat from the flock . . . it had to be a spotless one that wasn’t wounded or broken. It had to be a very special one. 

You know, when that lamb died, the sins of a person of family were forgiven. It was a lot of work—and super sad—to be made right with God under the Old Covenant. 

Staci: Yeah! I’ve read a lot of those things in the book of Leviticus before. It’s hard to imagine all that God’s people had to do in order to make up for their sinful acts.

Dannah: For sure! Each time they saw a lamb die, I imagine they remembered that sin causes death. But through that lamb’s death, they were forgiven.

Now let’s get to that New Covenant. As you learned today with your bubble tea, when something is “new,” it means something has changed. Or in this case, someone changed everything—Jesus!

Staci: I love talking about Jesus! The greatest superhero of all time! 

And, True Girl, here’s today’s focus verse, John 1:29. In this Scripture a man named John the Baptist saw Jesus walking towards him. This verse tells us how John introduced Jesus to the crowd: 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Dannah: As you would say, Staci, that verse is fire, because it tells us how Jesus changed everything forever! 

When Jesus came to the earth and gave His life for all of our sin, it established the new covenant! Since Jesus became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, it meant that people no longer needed to constantly make sacrifices to God for our sin anymore. 

Jesus did it once and for all. And to top it all off, He completely beat sin and death, because three days after He died, He came back to life! The ultimate champion!

Staci: And that’s the covenant or promise we live under! If we accept Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins, we can begin to live in freedom from the effects of sin and death. All we need to do is genuinely accept that Jesus died for us. 

I know you and I have done that Dannah, but I have some people in my life I love very much who haven’t accepted that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away their sin.

Dannah: Yeah, I have people in my life like that, too, Staci. 

True Girl, do you know someone who has not accepted the New Covenant—the promise that Jesus takes away their sin? 

How about this week for your assignment, you spend time specifically focused on praying for that person or those people that just came to mind? Pray they would believe Jesus is the only way to have an intimate relationship with God, just like it says in John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Staci: I’m gonna take time this week to pray for my friends who don’t believe just how new Jesus made everything.

Dannah: So, I have to know. What’s the final verdict on the Bubble Tea?

Staci: While I’m really thankful for the experience, Dannah, I think I’m just gonna stick with tea that doesn’t have little balls rolling around in it. I just wanna slurp my drinks, not chew them. Know what I’m sayin’?

Dannah: Okay, alright. You were a trooper for trying it again. Thanks for humoring me and my object lesson today. 

Staci: Dannah, I take this detective thing very seriously—whether that means digging into things that are old or diving into something new!

Dannah: Well, you’re going to love next week’s lesson! Can you believe we’re almost done with our Bible mystery solving series? And next week, we’re going to learn one of the most important lessons of all!

Staci: I can. Not. Wait. This has been a lot of fun. It’s good to be adventurous! Now, let’s have an adventure at a good old-fashioned tea shop. Sound good?

Dannah: Sounds good! But that one is going to be on you. 

Claire: Ha ha ha. Well, Staci clearly does not want to chew her tea! But wasn’t it amazing to hear why there’s an Old and New Testament? Or should I say “covenant.” Honestly, I hadn’t really thought of it before, had you?

Some of today’s lesson dealt with the lie Eve believed in the Garden of Eden. In Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free, Dannah Gresh explains that we’re all prone to believe lies. And believing lies leads to sin, and that makes us feel bad—just like Eve who hid because she was so ashamed and embarrassed. If you want to dig deeper into how lies entered this world and how Jesus sets us free, you should check out our online Bible studies for tween girls like you . . . and your mom is invited, too! 

You can register for our Fall 2022 study based on Dannah Gresh’s book Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. It’s part of a series of books edited by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. True Girl lead teachers Shani McKenzie and Janet Mylin will guide you through Dannah’s book and the Bible study associated with it—starting with Genesis 3 and that story of Eve eating the fruit! Learn more at MyTrueGirl.com.

Next week is our final episode of the The Great Bible Investigation season! Can you believe it? You don’t want to miss it, because you’ll learn why Staci can never stop wearing her detective hat . . . and neither can you! Join us next week!

True Girl is a production of Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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