What's New in the New Testament? Quiz

Answer: the new Covenant

According to Christian teaching, Jesus here is making a new institution: the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. It is to be an act of remembrance of His humanity and sacrifice; an act of fellowship with both His (figurative) Body, the Church, and with the Lord Himself; and a sign of participation in the New Covenant, through spiritual participation in His death and resurrection.
The bread and wine respectively represent the body of Jesus broken, and His blood shed, upon the Cross.

According to Roman Catholic teaching, and, in a similar way, that of the Eastern Orthodox churches, the bread (or wafer) and wine are *transubstantiated* into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ: their substance is changed, while their appearance remains the same.
Protestants generally reject the doctrine of transubstantiation, regarding the bread and wine as being only symbolic of - yet equally effective as - the actual Body and Blood of Jesus.

The difference between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teaching on transubstantiation is primarily that, according to Catholicism, transubstantiation takes place at the moment of consecration (i.e. on the church altar), while the Orthodox teaching is that it occurs after being consumed by the communicants.

Question contributed by Rimrunner.

Answer: Love one another

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35 (NIV).

Jesus said this after he predicted his death. He said he wouldn't be around much longer and he had a new commandment for them: love one another.

Question by Jimmy (j-zilch).

Answer: with boldness or confidence

The holy of holies was a sub-section of the tabernacle spoken of in the Old Testament. Only the high priest was allowed into this most holy place, once a year on the Day of Atonement, to receive forgiveness for his sins and that of the Israelites.

Christians believe that this 'new and living way' is specifically through Christ, and according to verse 21, He is now the "...high priest over the house of God", a claim that is disputed by some non-Christians, because they do not accept that Jesus is Messiah or the son of God.
The boldness spoken of in this text is NOT a flippant, carefree sort of boldness, but rather the boldness of a firm conviction that Christ has entitled His followers to approach God's throne with their petitions and requests through prayer. (I have used the King James Version.)

Question submitted by Logan - "logcrawler".

Answer: New Jerusalem

John's description of his holy vision is very regal and uplifting. The glory of God shines in these prophetic words.

Revelation 21:18-21 (NIV) describes it this way:

"The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass."

Question by star_gazer.

Answer: The person must be in Christ

The correct answer is the person must be in Christ. Many Christians use this passage to support the belief mankind must be born again, as per John 3:3. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state this about Paul's use of the words 'new creation': "Redemption is the restoration and fulfillment of God's purposes in creation and this takes place in Christ, through whom all things were made (see John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:12) and through whom all things are restored or created anew (Romans 8:18-23; Ephesians 2:10.)" The books 1 and 2 Corinthians were both written by Paul and addressed to believers in a resurrected Jesus Christ in Corinth, Greece.

Question by David -- Cowrofl.

Answer: the resurrection of Jesus

The Athenians and visitors to the city of Athens in those days were always interested in new philosophies and thoughts concerning man's existence. When Paul proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus to them, and the concept of resurrection and eternal life for all believers, some scoffed at his teaching, yet others embraced the ideas presented to them. Read Acts, chapter 17 for a more complete discourse on what this "new" concept was.

The Epicureans were founded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, and they believed that if "the gods" existed at all, that "they" were largely unconcerned about man and that religion was a form of ignorance. They further believed that the gods were either powerless to overcome evil, or that they somehow sanctioned it in some way. They did not believe that the soul survived after death, and thus refuted the concept of any resurrection.

The Stoics were founded by a Greek named Zeno in about 308 B.C. Stoicism taught that the world was a manifestation of a divine mind; that there was no reality except for matter; and that even the human soul was doomed to eventually be dissolved into nothingness.

(Both philosophies were and are totally incompatible with Christian teachings and beliefs.)

Question submitted by Logan - "logcrawler".

Answer: righteousness

This was indeed something totally new: a New Gospel. Religions of the time, including Judaism, taught that something had to be done to appease their God or gods to get righteousness. Mankind had to do something, such as make sacrifices, to get favour. Here, according to Christian doctrine, Paul explains the 'new gospel': that something done by one will cover the sins of all. Earlier on in this great chapter, Paul describes how by Adam's sin, people were all made to be sinners but here he also tells us that because of Christ's sinless and perfect life, righteousness can once again be given to all. In verse 19 of this same chapter he makes this even clearer. "For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." He repeats in I Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Christians regard this as the 'Good News' of salvation. The word 'righteous' means 'to be in right standing with God'.

Question by birdman585.

Answer: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV) reads, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

Christian teaching is that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that Christians are saved.

Question by lg549.

Answer: a new lump

The NKJV text of 1 Corinthians 5:7 reads: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."

The KJV, NKJV, RSV, ESV, NASB and ASV Bibles all use 'lump'. The NIV, NAB, NRSV, GN and NCV use 'a batch of dough'.

The text of this verse is not all that simple to grasp on a first reading.
Reading the last half first, a Christian reading of this verse might be laid out in modern language thus:

Jesus Christ, our Passover lamb, really was sacrificed for us, and therefore your true nature is in fact to be unleavened (untainted by sin, in this case). Therefore get rid of your old nature completely (which is still inclined to fall into sin) and be (or become) a new, untainted lump of dough: suitably clean to God's purpose, and as malleable to His will.

Question by Rimrunner.

Answer: Old wineskins

Luke 5:37-38 says, "No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

Many Christians believe that Jesus brought new teachings to the world, and the old religious observations of Judaism could not properly contain them.

Question by star_gazer.

Answer: The hundred and forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth

"They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God." - Revelation 14:3-5, New King James Version.

What a worship team that must be!

Question by wordwalker.

Answer: There was no longer any sea

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea."-Revelation 21:1. Later John said that the New Jerusalem came out of Heaven, and God said that he would dwell with men and be their God and they would be his people. Down in verse 6, John writes that God said that he would let anyone who was thirsty drink from the spring of the water of life without cost. We know that the new Heaven and Earth weren't identical to the old ones because of the verse above, saying there wasn't any sea in the new Heaven and Earth.

Question by Jimmy (J-Zilch).

Answer: When the feast of Pentecost came

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language." (Acts 2:1-7)

Act 2:12-13 goes on to say, "So they [the people of Jerusalem] were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?' Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine.'"

There are many devout Christians today who feel confused and even disagree about this manifestation of the Holy Spirit and its relevance in the church today. Paul, in his letter to the the church in Corinth, clearly mentions it as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and 1 Corinthians chapter 14 gives detailed instruction for its appropriate use.

Question by wordwalker.

Answer: a new and secret name

'Let the person who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone. On the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the person who receives it.' (Revelation 2:17, International Standard Version).

Christian teaching is that each Christian becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ. The process of sanctification - becoming holy - is something that a Christian is supposed to work through in life, becoming more Christlike. This new name, known only to the individual and to the Spirit, may possibly be the Holy Spirit's name for the new person which one has become through sanctification. In Africa certainly, and I believe elsewhere in the world, people's names are often changed as they go through life.

Question by Rimrunner.

Answer: on the throne

According to Christian doctrine, 'the one who sits on the throne' is God.
He says, "I make all things new!" because after the final judgement (Revelation 20:11-15) this earth and heaven will be gone (Revelation 21:1) and a new heaven and earth will be created in their place.

Question by AClb.