Following a Biblical timeline of covenants.
We have an understanding of God, is a partaker in covenant, covenant with his people, originally with the Hebrew people it is a fundamental understanding of how God and His people relate. We see this through the Old Testament, and we see it in the New Testament, in the New Covenant that Jesus commits too, with those who follow him.
There is a difference between a covenant and a contract.
A Contract is one in which boundaries are set; say I contract someone to build a house, I have a plan and specifications, we set a price, how payments will be made, when certain steps of the build will be completed, we set reasonable objectives, to develop a sense of order. We communicate professionally, both parties have a self-interest. Deviation from the plan could result in penalties, there are obligations, the builder has obligations that are legal requirements and if either of us fails to meet these requirements we have broken the contract. At the end of the build there may be a sum of money retained to ensure faults are repaired within a certain period.
In a covenant there is a mutual commitment, for instance in marriage vows, and please don’t get me wrong as someone who has been through divorce, I understand that sometimes things don’t always work out ideally.
But the ideal is that a covenant has no time limits, it is bonding in relationship through a heart commitment and connection of spirit. It comes with a steadfast resolve of loyalty, an overwhelming sense of devotion and a depth of determination that maintains the focus of the marriage. All marriages come into being through a ritual of commitment, on the wedding day. In Christian marriage, there are three parties involved; a man, a woman and God. It is a very personal engagement between partners. Any deviation from the covenant or wrongdoing in the covenant involves loss of confidence and a need to gain restoration of the relationship.
So, from God’s covenant with the Hebrew people, we get this reference to Jesus' covenant in Romans 9:4. “...the people of Israel.?Theirs is the adoption to sonship;?theirs the divine glory,?the covenants,?the receiving of the law,?the temple worship?and the promises.”
Paul had the understanding that the Jewish people were covenanted with God but that something else, the covenant of Christ, through his blood had to be accomplished to bring many others, not of Hebrew origin into a relationship with God.
Romans 11:25-27, says, I do not want you to be ignorant?of this mystery,?brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:?Israel has experienced a hardening?in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,?and in this way all Israel will be saved.?As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
?? ?he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.”
Jesus himself said this about his sacrifice on the cross in Luke gospel, 22:19 and 20;
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it,?and gave it to them, saying,?“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,?“This cup is the new covenant?in my blood, which is poured out for you.
And Mark 14:24
“This is my blood of the?covenant,?which is poured out for many,”?he said to them.”
At the last supper, Jesus knew what he had to go through, the price that he had to pay. Think on this; the blood he spilt,. The blood of Jesus, around 10 and a half pints, brought the sins of all who would repent and be redeemed, and therefore be justified with God. There has been no need from that time, to make sacrifices in the temple, Jesus paid the price for all of us, through teh new covenant in His blood.
The thing with this covenant, is that unlike a contract which is a mutual commitment usually achieved through negotiation, because of self interest of both parties that is agreed to for a term. In contrast the covenant made through Jesus, blood was made because of the love Jesus has for people. Those whose sins would and will be forgiven as they came into relationship with him. This was a one-off purchase of the sins of mankind through his blood.
Interestingly the writer of Hebrews, whose name is unknown at this time, made around fifty percent of the references to the covenant Jesus made. Remember the book of Hebrews was written to people of Jewish ancestry, people of the old testament covenants who were now Christians, it was written so that they would understand who Jesus is. Here are a few references the writer makes about Jesus:
Hebrews 7:21-22:
...but he (Jesus) became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”
Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.”
In Hebrews 8:6-8: The writer is referring to Jesus being the High Priest in heaven at God’s right hand. And that the priests in the temple were serving as a copy, a shadow of what worship in heaven looks like. Here it is.
‘”But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.’”
Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Hebrews 9:15;
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
This is an abiding and permanent covenant, a better, greater and superior covenant than had ever been, as it pays the price of all sin for all time for those who will accept it. It is about an eternally abiding relationship with God, when we accept it and continue to live in it. This truth is, the good news that shows us the love of God, through this covenant established by Jesus through the shedding of his blood.
As Salvationist’s we have an established soldiers covenant, we make commitments to the way we live in Christ. This is a dynamic that requires complete giving of self to Christ, some might say it is restrictive but in my experience it is freeing of many possibilities that would otherwise likely cause me to stumble. As Christians; Jesus calls us to covenant with him by; Keeping his commandments and denying self. This comes with a promise of the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor who never leaves us.
We as a body of believers, as individuals we are called to be steadfast in our relationship with God, focused not on the world but on him, having the depth of understanding that the covenant in his blood grounds us in the relationship we have with him. Where the world and the things of the world might tempt us, where they may condemn us and challenge us to step aside from the truth that sets us free.
This is not a covenant of rules, Oswald Chambers says it this way, “The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His stand very clear. If my [relationship [covenant]] with Him is one of love, I will do what he says without hesitation. If I hesitate it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him namely myself.” (My utmost for His highest, November 2.)
The writer of Hebrews tells us: in Chapter 13 verses 12-13; “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. “
We live in covenant with Christ, one that is made through his spilt blood, we are brought at a price, and we are brought into an everlasting relationship with our God eternal, We are called to die to self and live daily as his people in a world that does all it can to distract us from the truth that sets us free. The world condemns us if we stand up for Christ. No matter what the world would say about us, no matter the challenges to our faith, the covenant with Christ we have is one that should be steadfast from our side as much as it is from His, written in His blood and seen in our lives as we live respond to it. There is a challenge for us to live a life of covenant, not contact, to live in deep relationship with God, where our heart and spirit connect with Him, to the point where we know that we are doing and living in his will, so that The Power of Christ is seen in us. So, there is something to reflect on this week, is my relationship with God one that is covenant or contract, I leave you with that thought.
Benediction from Hebrews 13: 20-21:
And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the Great Shepheard of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
