New Reminders: Covenant
by Ardith Hoff
A covenant is an agreement or contract. It can be in the form of a written, legal document or can simply be a promise wherein both parties agree to certain types of behavior. A rental agreement might be in the form of a signed lease, or it can be a less formal agreement with the exchange of a rent payment for the use of a certain piece of property for a certain period of time.
A covenant with God is a sacred and binding agreement, a promise of love and commitment between God and humanity. It's a relationship built on promises and expectations, with God offering blessings for obedience and humanity responding with faith and loyalty. The covenants, found throughout the Bible, demonstrate God's enduring love and desire to connect with us.
In Biblical terms, a covenant is a deeply personal, and lasting relationship. In practical terms, it is stronger than a business contract or even a treaty between nations. God’s word outlines several covenants in which God makes promises to humanity, often involving blessings, protection, and guidance. In response, God asks for obedience to his commandments, faith in Him, and a commitment to living according to His will. The difference between a worldly agreement and a sacred agreement, is that in this world, either party can break an agreement, but with God, only man can break the agreement, God never will.
The Bible highlights several covenants, including those with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, each building upon the previous ones. With Noah, God promised never to flood the earth again, after the great flood, demonstrating his commitment to creation. God promised Abraham a vast lineage and a promised land, showing his commitment to a chosen people. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and laws through Moses, establishing a framework for their relationship with God and each other. God promised a royal line from David, pointing toward the eventual coming of the Messiah. And the “New Covenant”, which was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, offers forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with God for all who believe.
That new covenant is the one that affects us as believers and is God’s promise to us is that if we believe and are true to our commitment to God’s will, we can expect God to forgive us when we sincerely repent of our sins and will lead and guide us through the Holy Spirit and protect us from eternal damnation through the death of His Son, Jesus, on the cross. It could not be more straight forward, yet, for whatever reason, we have trouble living up to our end of the agreement. We have to be continually brought back into the fold of God’s forgiving grace. Try as we might, to uphold the promises we make to be faithful, we continually break our promises. The good news is that God is faithful, even when we are not, and again and again He keeps his covenant promises to redeem us from all of our wayward ways, as long as we recognize the error of our ways and ask for His forgiveness. Jesus instructed His disciples to make disciples “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.