The Lord God is a faithful God and keeps His covenant for a thousand generations
The above phrase is a paraphrase from God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Notice that the word covenant is singular, not plural. There are a number of Scripture references used throughout these series of lectures that will reference God’s eternal or everlasting covenant. Taken literally this means God has a single eternal covenant, which He progressively revealed starting with Adam, then to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Eternal means forever, therefore this same covenant is still in effect today.
The study of God and His Word is called Theology. However, the rules of this study are man made, therefore there are a number of different schools of Theology with each putting a different focus on God and His Word. The school of theology that a person has been influenced by affects his Biblical interpretation. During the course of these lectures we will reference many of the differences between the specific interpretations of these schools.
These lectures are heavily influenced by the Biblical Theological method, but have been influenced by the Covenant theology thinking of a single covenant relationship. Biblical theology uses a Christ centered hermeneutic which interprets all of Scripture through the lens of Jesus. Said another way, Biblical theology uses the hermeneutic of the Emmaus road. On the Emmaus road Jesus starts with Moses and the Prophets (Old Testament) and interprets all of Scripture concerning Himself.
Biblical theology is consistent with Paul’s statement that he preached nothing but Jesus and Him crucified, a Christ centered hermeneutic. Interpreting God’s revelation of His Covenant as a progressive process ending with the final revelation of Jesus is consistent with the Christ centered approach. In fact, Hebrews says that Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood.
Our study begins with the thought that in the beginning God. He has always existed and that He created man for His pleasure. God deals with man through a covenant relationship. God’s covenant defines both the boundaries of the freedom He has granted man and man’s responsibilities to God. God determined the rules (terms) of this covenant relationship and man has no input. Our first exposure to this concept is when God commands Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam had no input, but was bound by it.
This commandment is the foundation God’s covenant relationship with His creation. The term covenant was not used when He gave Adam this command, however thousands of years later, God in the book of Hosea, God tells Israel that they like Adam have broken His covenant.
A covenant is similar to what we call a contract or treaty today. A covenant defines the terms of the agreement, both the benefits and penalties. In the Bible these benefits are sometimes called rewards or blessings and are received for keeping the covenant and the penalties or punishments for breaking the covenant are sometimes called curses.
God has determined the terms of this covenant. He is the superior party. It is for His glory. Man has no input into its terms and conditions. There is no negotiating. God’s covenant is binding to all humans past, present, and future. Since creation, every person has lived under the same covenant relationship with God.
Starting with His warning to Adam of don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God has progressively revealed this eternal covenant to man. In each revelation God delegates freedom of choice to mankind. Each revelation emphases rewards (blessings) for those who accept (obey) the terms (commandments) and punishment (curse) for those who reject (disobey) the terms.
God’s first recorded use of the word covenant was with Noah. In one of these references to Noah, God said when I see the rainbow I will remember the eternal covenant with all living creatures . However this was not God’s first revelation to man, because we have already seen that Hosea calls God’s relationship with Adam and Eve a covenant.
God’s purpose for creating mankind was for His pleasure. He has desire for a people to whom He will be their God, they will be His people, and He will dwell with them. God’s desired relationship with mankind is defined by His eternal covenant. It is not revealed in a single Scripture reference, but is progressively revealed, a composite of revelations. God’s covenant revelation starts with Adam and ends with the second Adam who is Christ. Therefore one major themes of the Bible is the revelation of this eternal covenant relationship.
God’s covenant relationship with man culminates in Christ. The culmination of the covenant in Christ was planned by God before the world was created. The Bible states that this was kept a mystery, because if man knew they would not have crucified Jesus .
Due to God’s unchanging nature all of God’s covenant revelations are progressively cumulative and eternal. God is unchanging and all knowing and He will never revoke or change them. Each revelation builds on the previous one and ultimately is fulfilled in Christ when He comes for His bride the church. Jesus said that He came not to abolish the Law but fulfill it and not one letter or portion of a letter of the Law would pass until the heavens and earth pass away. That event is yet to take place but is assured by the Word of God to be a coming event.
Jesus and His crucifixion is the key to understanding God’s eternal covenant relationship with man. This is the unifying message of the Bible. All of God’s covenant revelations terminate in fulfillment of the promise that a SEED of Eve (Jesus Christ) would crush the head of Satan.
Understanding our covenant relationship with God is foundational in building our faith. God’s eternal covenant planned before creation and initiated with the first Adam and completed in the second Adam (Christ) is still in effect and will be completely fulfilled when Jesus comes again for His bride, the church. This will initiate His final step in the covenant revelation. This is revealed in the book of Revelation.
Now may the God of peace, who resurrected the great Shepherd (Jesus) through the blood of the eternal covenant equip us with all that we may need to do His will.
By Rev. Charles King, D.Min.
This is the first of a number of lectures on "God’s Eternal Covenant" written by Rev. Charles King of http://www.foursoilsministry.org that will be posted over the next few weeks. |
