Originally posted on 5.20.20
Universality Of Covenants
The concept of covenant among human beings is phenomenal and necessary. It is the means by which parties live and interact in agreement. It is an inherent part of civilization. Contracts, which satisfactorily represent the concept of covenant for our purposes in this lesson, are common between persons and parties and have been for a long time. The fact of covenant is designed into creation. It is apparently necessary where there is significant relation between persons. God Himself did not initiate relationship with mankind apart from covenant. Upon creation of Adam, He immediately entered into covenant with him (Genesis 2:17). After creating Eve, God brought her into a covenant relationship with Adam (Genesis 2:24). The Bible, from beginning to end, is about covenants. In fact, the two major divisions of the Bible are called the Old Testament (Covenant) and New Testament (Covenant). Summarily, the Bible is about the two major covenants God made with the human race for redemptive purposes. The people of God have often been called, the covenant people. That is because they have entered into covenant with God throughout the course of redemption. All of God’s dealings with His people have been covenantal.
Definition Of Covenant
Wayne Grudem, in his audio series of lessons called, Systematic Theology, gives the following definition of covenant:
“If we look over the whole Bible from beginning to end, is there anything we can say about how God relates to human beings? Well, He doesn’t leave us guessing about how He relates to us, but, in fact, He gives us words that tell about how He relates to us. And those words take the form of covenants.”
“A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely-imposed, legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship. It’s divinely-imposed. We agree to it but God dictates the terms. And it’s unchangeable. It can be superseded by a different covenant or replaced but, once God has spoken a covenant, it can’t be itself changed.”
What Grudem described as the unchangeability of the divine covenants is true of covenants between men as well, as the Apostle Paul observed (Galatians 3:15).
It is remarkable that God would bind Himself by a covenant to human beings. As previously mentioned, covenants are necessary for serious agreements. No agreement between parties is as serious as that between God and mankind. As Jonathan Edwards eloquently pointed out in his famous sermon, Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God (A.D. 1741)*, God is not bound to any person except by the covenant He has made with us. I would add to this fact that He is only bound by that covenant according to its divine construction. He is not bound by a single word that is misconstrued, misinterpreted, misunderstood, or misapplied. (Hence, the need to study so as not to be disappointed or ashamed— 2Timothy 2:15).
Covenants have terms.
The concept of covenant, as it relates to salvation in Christ, is widely missed among modern Christians— at least in the area of the specificity of its terms. Christianity is often approached as a smorgasbord— find what’s suitable and leave the rest for someone else. Needless to say, that is not what a covenant is about. A covenant is something you sign into in its entirety, to which you are bound to uphold. In fact, the attractive thing about a covenant for both parties is the total agreement of it and the mutual promise to keep it— whether that covenant is between persons entering into marriage or an arrangement to finance a car. It’s fascinating that God would condescend to our level to enter into covenant with us. But that’s how serious He is about having a relationship with us— not one that’s vague or variable, but is fixed, that is, covenantal— one you can count on at all times, under all circumstances. Now that’s a relationship! We can count on Him for sure, but He also wants to count on us. And He wants us to know and remember that we are in a covenant with Him. Thus, a covenant is mutual commitment. No wonder it’s a necessary feature of human existence.
The specific terms for entering into the New Covenant with God are easy to identify. In the case of human covenants, terms of the covenant are presented at the outset of the agreement. Likewise, we learn of the terms of the New Covenant on the very first day it began, at the very first preaching of the Gospel. (I’m sure all rational beings would expect this to be so.) That day was indisputably the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). After preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, Peter enjoined the terms of salvation for the Christian era. When asked by his hearers what they were to do, Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38-39). Three thousand people embraced the New Covenant that very day. That Covenant, by the way, has never changed since its beginning on the Day of Pentecost. That’s a solid theological fact. And, of course, the terms cannot be amended either (Galatians 3:15). Acts 2:38 is still the Christian plan of salvation today.
*I strongly recommend the reading of Edwards’ sermon. It has some great theological points related to covenant. It’s available free online. Edwards is considered by many to be the greatest American theologian ever.
See also FAQ post 25 on this website on the subject of Covenant.