Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

COVENANTS

By The Venerable Dr. Ifechukwu U. Ibeme

Click Here For

PriscAquila Christian Resource Centre

THE MEANING OF A COVENANT:Covenant (Hebrew=

berit, Greek= diatheke) is a solemn agreement between two parties

for self-giving, sacrificial intimacy. A covenant is jealously

guaranteed by the covenanting parties with an oath. It may be:

1.mutually agreed between two equals (also Greek=sun t heke

as in peacetreaties for civil alliances,compacts for social

relationships and self-plightingt rot hs for marriages).

Here,blood covenants are cut to bind the parties into a lifelong brotherhood/friendship/partnership/union and carry thepen alty of condemnation and ostracism on the violator. (Gen. 31:44-54; Joshua 9).

2.unilaterally stipulated by a superior (e.g. God or any

potentate) with the inferior graciously invited to pledge

consent (as in Divine or worship Testaments and Suzerain or

royalOrdi n an ces).

Here,blood covenants are cut to bind to irrevocably unending allegiance and usually impose thecurse or sentence ofdeath on the violator, who is inevitably the inferior party. (Exd. 24:4-8; Jer. 34:18). But there is usually a provision forat on emen t.

Unilaterally stipulated Covenants could be:

1.conditional law (promiseswith commandments \u2013 \u201cIf you

will \u2026, then I will \u2026\u201d) for regulation of hard-heartedness and

lawlessness; or

2.unconditional grace(promiseswithout commandments)

either as:

(i)

reward for past merit (\u201cBecause you have \u2026, I will

surely \u2026\u201d)or

(ii)

grant for no merit (\u201cBecause I have \u2026, I will surely

\u2026\u201d).

Christian marriage is a good example ofmutual covenant between a

husband and a wifeplighting their life and love to each other in the

Lord,(NOT demanding love and service from each other). The New

Testament of salvation in Christ isun i laterally granted by God to all

who pledge their commitment to Christ.

Christ is both theMediator (Finisher/Perfecter) of the New Covenant (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) and theTestator (Author/Pioneer) of the New Testament (Heb 9:16-17; 12:2). Through His death Christ activated His Gospel Testamentonce-for-all: and by His resurrection from death, He lives forever to administer His New Covenantperpetu ally.

WITH THE ENACTMENT OF THE NEW COVENANT, EVERY OTHER COVENANT VANISHES AWAY (Heb 8:13). No wonder the New Covenant was, in apostolic times, known even among Jewish Christians as the covenant which is \u201cbetter\u201d (Heb 7:22), \u201csecond\u201d (Heb 8:7) and \u201cnew\u201d (Heb 9:15).

Covenants have four elements shared by the covenanting parties:

1.the terms or responsibility and benefit as agreed/stipulated and

consented;

2.the curse or penalties for violation;

3.the oath or binding pledge in God\u2019s name for accepting

responsibilities, benefits and penalties;

4.the sign or rite/symbol of ratification and commemoration.

Covenants with God involve God taking the initiative to graciously

makepromises and issuecommandments (andcurses), with

invitation to man who then pledges to keep the commands, accept the

promises as well as the penalties.

COVENANTS IN THE SCRIPTURE: God made

what the Scripture calls \u201ccovenants\u201d with:

1. Noah for preservation from universal deluge (Gen. 9:9-17) \u2013

Unconditional Covenant.

2. Abraham for descendants with Messianic Spiritual blessings for all

nations (Gen. 17:2-21; 12:2-4) \u2013 Unconditional Covenant.

3.Israel (Legal/Probationary andTemporary/Preparatory, Gal

3:23-25; 4:1-4) \u2013 Conditional Covenant:

At Sinai for conditional heritage of Canaan-land temporalities as

God\u2019s special people (Exd 24:4-8; 34:10-28) which was thereafter

reenacted severally:

-at Moab (Deut 29;1 ff),

-under Joshua (Josh 24),

-under Jehoiada (2Chron 23:3),

-under Hezekiah (2Chron 29:10),

-under Josiah (2Kin 23:3),

-under Ezra (Ezr 10:3).

2. Levi (Malachi 2:4) and Phinehas (Num 25:12-13) for Israelite

priesthood \u2013 Unconditional Covenant.

3. David (2Sam 7; 1Chron 17) for Israelite and Messianic rule \u2013

Unconditional Covenant.

4.TheNew (Internalised, Eternal, Universal,Final)Covenant

with BOTH Israel and All Peoples through Christ for ALL

Spiritual blessings (Lk 1:72-79; Matt 26:26-29; John 1:29; Isa

49:8; 56:3-8; Jer 31:31-33; Rom 4:13-14; Gal 3:8,29; Heb 8) \u2013

Unconditional Covenant.

NOTE: The Scripture shows that God comes redemptively to man by

means of covenant relationship as thesure andintimate way of

revealing Himself and dispensing His riches. Otherwise, worshipping

God would be a fruitless guesswork \u2013 a mere uncertain groping as in the dark (Acts 17:27). Through His Covenants, God graciously invites us to obtain His superlative blessings: (i.e.

-restoration to life offellowshi p with God,
-heritage of God\u2019s Kingdom and
-possessionof spiritualities \u2013 purity & power,

andt emporalit i es \u2013 protection & provision)

through our singular commitment (i.e. faith and obedience).

All the other covenants are unconditional except the covenant with Israel which is conditional. While other covenants promised temporal blessings, the New Covenant promises spiritual blessings.