{"id":90890,"date":"2021-04-29T18:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T22:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/8-biblical-covenants-their-meaning-for-you\/"},"modified":"2023-10-07T14:42:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T18:42:59","slug":"8-biblical-covenants-their-meaning-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/8-biblical-covenants-their-meaning-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Biblical Covenants: Their Meaning for You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A covenant (berith<\/em> in Hebrew; diatheke<\/em>\nin Greek) is a promise from God to man. \nAs opposed to a \u2018contract\u2019 where both parties execute an expectation or\nthe contract is void, a covenant from God is fulfilled regardless whether man\ndoes his part or not.  In short, God\nalways keeps his promises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Covenant of Works<\/strong> (Genesis 1:28<\/strong>; 2:15-16<\/strong>; 3:15-19<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prior to the Fall, Adam could remain in Eden as long as he obeyed (a conditional covenant).\u00a0After the fall, God would send a Savior (an unconditional covenant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? Because all humans come from Adam and were represented by him,\nthey are all under this same covenant and guilty of failing to keep it (Rom. 5:12<\/strong>;\n1 Cor. 15:21\u201322<\/strong>).\nBecause God is holy, you are at enmity with God based on your own imperfect\nworks. Furthermore, because you have a sinful nature due to the corruption\nresulting from Adam\u2019s fall, you commit more sins that heap more guilt upon you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Covenant of Grace<\/strong> (Titus 1:1-2<\/strong>; Hebrews 13:20<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The covenant with all repenting sinners to be saved through Christ (unconditional covenant).\u00a0We first find the unconditional covenant of grace in Genesis 3:15<\/strong> where God promises that a savior will come who will crush the head of the serpent (i.e. Satan). In the covenant of grace, people are saved by God\u2019s grace through faith in Christ alone because of Christ\u2019s perfect keeping of the law and his perfect and complete sacrifice, through the shedding of His innocent blood, once and for all for sin (1 John 1:7<\/strong>; Rom. 5:12\u201321<\/strong>; Heb. 7:27<\/strong>; 10:14<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? Because you are sinful, you can never keep God\u2019s law perfectly\nand be pure to stand in his presence. Through faith in Christ alone, you are\ndeclared righteous in God\u2019s sight, forgiven of your sins, have peace with your\nCreator and gifted all the rights and privileges as God\u2019s child everlastingly (Eph. 2:8\u20139<\/strong>;\nRom. 5:1<\/strong>;\n8:15<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Noah Covenant<\/strong> (Genesis 8:21-22<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the unconditional Noahic\ncovenant, God made a promise to Noah to never again bring a flood to destroy\nthe earth (Gen.\n9:1\u201317<\/strong>) and that the seasons would continue until the end of time.\nGod instituted the Noahic covenant to preserve the earth so that humans would\nnot destroy each other, in order that the Savior, Jesus Christ, could come at\nthe appointed time in God\u2019s redemptive plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? Since Christ has come and done His saving work, God \u201cis patient toward\nyou, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance<\/strong>\u201d\n(2 Pet. 2:9<\/strong>).\nJesus will return one day to fully establish His kingdom (Rev. 21<\/strong>). If you have not received\nChrist as your Savior, do so right away, for now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The Abraham Covenant<\/strong> (Genesis 12:2-3<\/strong>; 13:14-17<\/strong>; 15:5<\/strong>, 18<\/strong>;17:8<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The covenant of grace is more\nfully revealed in the covenant of Abraham. God made an unconditional, permanent\ncovenant with Abraham: \u201c\u2018I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I\nwill curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed<\/strong>\u2019\u201d\n(Gen. 12:3<\/strong>;\n15:5\u20136<\/strong>).\nGod fulfilled his promise to Abraham by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus,\nto the earth as the Savior of the world to be born in the flesh from a\ndescendant of Abraham (Matt. 1:1\u201317<\/strong>; Luke 3:23\u201338<\/strong>; Gal. 3:16<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? All who receive Christ as Savior are the true heirs of Abraham\nand have all rights and privileges thereof. Abraham believed God would keep his\npromise, \u201cand if\nyou are Christ\u2019s, then you are Abraham\u2019s offspring, heirs according to promise<\/strong>\u201d\n(Gal. 3:29<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The Mosaic Covenant<\/strong> (Exodus 19:3-8<\/strong>; Leviticus 26<\/strong>; Deuteronomy 28<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mosaic covenant was a\nconditional agreement between God and the people of Israel that was mediated by\nMoses (Exod.\n19\u201324<\/strong>). The people of Israel had to fulfill God\u2019s stipulations to\nstay and prosper in the land God had given them. None of the Israelites were\never pure before God through the keeping of this covenant, because it was\nimpossible for anyone to obey it perfectly. They were only declared righteous\nby faith alone, just as Abraham (Gen. 15:6<\/strong>). \nIncidentally, God will eventually bring Israel back to Himself, forgive\ntheir iniquity and forget their sin (Jer. 31:31-34<\/strong>; Is. 42:6<\/strong>; 43:1-6<\/strong>; Deut. 1:1-<\/strong>9; Heb. 8:7-12<\/strong>).  God keeps His word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This covenant was extremely\nimportant for two reasons: 1) it showed the nation of Israel (and us) the\nimpossibility of keeping God\u2019s law perfectly and the need for a savior and 2)\nit provided a forum for Christ to come and be the perfect Son of Israel who\nwould obey God\u2019s law in all things and be the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? The Mosaic covenant shows us that, because of indwelling sin,\nthe law is a taskmaster that humans can never appease (Rom. 3:19\u201320<\/strong>). Yet, there is no need\nfor you to despair: through faith in Christ, you are declared righteous before\nGod, since Christ\u2019s perfect obedience is counted to you and your sin is counted\nto Christ (Rom.\n5:12\u201321<\/strong>; Heb. 7:27<\/strong>; 10:1<\/strong>4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The Davidic Covenant<\/strong> (2 Chron. 13:5<\/strong>; 2 Sam. 7:12-16<\/strong>; 23:5<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2 Samuel 7<\/strong>, God made a promise that\nhe would raise up David\u2019s offspring and \u201cestablish the throne of his kingdom forever<\/strong>\u201d (7:12\u201313<\/strong>).\nGod promised unconditionally to put a son of David on the throne, but only the\nrighteous son would reign for eternity. While David\u2019s son Solomon ruled over\nIsrael, he failed to keep God\u2019s commands (1 Kings 9:4\u20139<\/strong>; 11:4\u20138<\/strong>). Only David\u2019s descendant,\nJesus, was the true and faithful Son deserving of the everlasting throne of\nDavid (Ps. 2;<\/strong>\n16<\/strong>; 110<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? Unlike mere human rulers who disappoint us with their failure\nto rule justly, Jesus obeyed God in all things\u2014even giving his own life out of\nhis love for the world\u2014and earned the right to rule in glory forever (John 3:16<\/strong>;\n1 Kings 2:35<\/strong>;\nRev. 11:15<\/strong>).\nYou can take comfort in knowing that the resurrected Christ is the one truly\nrighteous King who has not only secured everlasting life for all believers but\nwill also put an end to all injustice and evil one day (Rev. 21:4<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. The New Covenant<\/strong> (Jeremiah 31:31-34<\/strong>; Matt. 16:18<\/strong>; 26:28<\/strong>; Luke 22:20<\/strong>; Heb. 13:20-21<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Moses was the mediator of\nthe old covenant between God and the nation of Israel, Christ is the mediator\nof the new unconditional covenant between God and believers through his\nfinished work of redemption in his life, death, and resurrection. While the old\ncovenant required national obedience, the new covenant requires individual faith\nin Christ, the perfectly obedient Son of Israel (Jer. 31:31\u201334<\/strong>; Matt. 26:28<\/strong>; Gal. 3:16\u201318<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for\nyou personally? While the new covenant requires faith in Christ, this faith\nitself is a gift from God, given to all who trust in Christ as their Savior (John 1:12<\/strong>;\nEph. 2:8\u20139<\/strong>).\nAs a Christian, you can rejoice that you have peace with God (Rom. 5:1<\/strong>),\neverlasting life (Rom. 6:23<\/strong>), indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16<\/strong>),\nbeing conformed to the image of Jesus (Rom. 8:29<\/strong>) and enjoy the Church and fellowship as\nHe perfects His saints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. The Covenant of Redemption<\/strong> (Ps. 40:6-8<\/strong>; Zech 6:12-13<\/strong>; John 17:15<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without the covenant of redemption, the only other\ncovenant in this list that could exist is the first one: the covenant of works.\nThe covenant of redemption, as God\u2019s very first covenant, was established\nbefore creation and is the pact between the persons of the Trinity in which the\nFather sends the Son to do the work of redemption, the Son submits to the\nFather\u2019s will, and the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of the Son\u2019s\naccomplished work to believers (Ps. 40:6\u20138<\/strong>). As a reward for his obedience, the\nFather gifts the Son with glory and an everlasting kingdom (Ps. 110<\/strong>;\nIsa. 53<\/strong>;\nZech. 6:12\u201313<\/strong>;\nJohn 17:1\u20135<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this covenant mean for you personally?\nIf the persons of the Trinity didn\u2019t make this pact\u2014and keep it\u2014we would all be\nunder God\u2019s condemnation without any hope for meeting his holy standards. God\ndid not have to save any of us from the consequences of our sin, but He did so\nout of his unfathomable love (Rom. 3:23\u201326<\/strong>). Don\u2019t depend on your own imperfect\nworks to be right before God; instead, believe in and receive Jesus Christ as\nyour Savior today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A covenant (berith in Hebrew; diatheke in Greek) is a promise from God to man.  As opposed to a \u2018contract\u2019 where both parties execute an expectation or the contract is void, a covenant from God is fulfilled regardless whether man does his part or not.  In short, God always keeps his promises: 1. The Covenant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,537],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 Biblical Covenants: Their Meaning for You - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Biblical Covenants: Their Meaning for You - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A covenant (berith in Hebrew; diatheke in Greek) is a promise from God to man.  As opposed to a \u2018contract\u2019 where both parties execute an expectation or the contract is void, a covenant from God is fulfilled regardless whether man does his part or not.  In short, God always keeps his promises: 1. 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