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  THE OLD TESTAMENT IS GOOD: THE NEW TESTAMENT IS BETTER
  by Ignatius of Antioch
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Summary: The Old Testament is good, but the New Testament is better
because of the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ and His
resurrection.

Topics: "Jesus Christ", "New Covenant"
Scripture References: Matthew 28:19, John 13:34, John 14:6, Hebrews 4:14, 1 John 4:7

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DESCRIPTION
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Ignatius of Antioch emphasizes the superiority of Jesus Christ as the
High Priest who holds the secrets of God and the Way to the Father. He
highlights the unity of God through Jesus Christ, the prophets,
apostles, and believers, stressing the importance of love among
believers. The Gospel surpasses the former dispensation with the
appearance, passion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, fulfilling the
prophecies of the prophets and extending the message to all nations
through baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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CONTENT
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The priests indeed, and the ministers of the word, are good; but the
High Priest is better, to whom the holy of holies has been committed,
and who alone has been entrusted with the secrets of God. The
ministering powers of God are good. The Comforter is holy, and the Word
is holy, the Son of the Father, by whom He made all things, and
exercises a providence over them all. This is the Way which leads to the
Father, the Rock, the Defence the Key, the Shepherd, the Sacrifice, the
Door of knowledge, through which have entered Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, Moses and all the company of the prophets, and these pillars of
the world, the apostles, and the spouse of Christ, on whose account He
poured out His own blood, as her marriage portion, that He might redeem
her.

All these things tend towards the unity of the one and only true God.

But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former
dispensation], viz. the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, His
passion, and the resurrection itself. For those things which the
prophets announced, saying, "Until He come for whom it is reserved, and
He shall be the expectation of the Gentiles," have been fulfilled in the
Gospel, [our Lord saying, ] "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." All
then are good together, the law, the prophets, the apostles, the whole
company [of others] that have believed through them: only if we love one
another.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/ignatius-of-antioch/the-old-testament-is-good-the-new-testament-is-better/
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