07-Old-Covenant Terms in the New

I have accused the Fathers of changing the ekklēsia by going
to the old covenant (and paganism), but is it not true to say
that the New Testament uses old-covenant language? It
certainly is! But the question is, of course, how does it use
that language? Think of 'temple', 'priest', 'sacrifice',
'sabbath', 'circumcision', 'redemption', 'law', and so on.
The New Testament uses all these terms, but, when referring
to the new covenant, it uses them in a new-covenant sense.
The very newness of the new covenant demands it!1 Of
course it does! Christ has fulfilled the old covenant,
rendering it obsolete (Heb. 7:19,22; 8:13), so that the
shadows of the old covenant have all given way to the reality
in Christ (Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1).2 Clearly, therefore,
while, when referring to the old covenant, the New
Testament uses old-covenant language and terms in an oldcovenant
sense, when referring to the new covenant, it uses
that same language in a new-covenant, spiritual sense. This
distinction, this nuance, must be maintained at all times.