Salvation in the Bible - Covenants

Introduction

Genesis 15:18 KJV 1900

18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Pray - Be Seated

There is a story about a man who had to cross a wide river on the ice. He was afraid it might be too thin, so he began to crawl on his hands and knees in great terror. He thought he might fall through the ice at any moment. Just as he neared the opposite shore, exhausted and scared out of his mind, another man glided past him nonchalantly sitting on a horse-drawn sled loaded with pig iron.

Christians are a lot like this. Heading toward Heaven but trembling at every step lest the promises of God break under our feet.

By resting completely in Him and taking God’s promises at face value, we can drive out the paralyzing fear that hinders our effectiveness in serving Christ and move forward boldly, confidently, effectively.

Body

What Is A Covenant?

Define Covenant

“Covenant” means “League, treaty, alliance”

They’re permenant. Never broken. There are no loopholes. No technicalities. No fine print.

Only way out is upon pain of death.

This is why God hates divorce.

The marraige covenant is a model of God’s covenant with us.

Divorce does not reflect the irrevocability of God’s Covenants, it reflects mankind’s natural predilection of breaking our covenants.

Until death do us part!

Origin of Covenants

God is the one that originates ALL covenants. Always!

God draws them up and then invites us to enter in.

God has given us the authority to say “yes” or “no”. That’s it.

We have no authority to alter the terms of God’s covenant.

God is:

A Covenant-Making God

A Covenant-Revealing God

A Covenant-Keeping God

A Covenant-Enabling God

Parts of a Covenant

The Words of the Covenant - To include the promises, terms, oaths, and books of the Covenant

The Blood of the Covenant - As all Covenants were viewed as life and death commitments the ratification of it involved bloodshed.

Includes the sacrifice, the mediator, and the sanctuary of the Covenant.

The Seal of the Covenant - An ongoing tangible witness to the veracity of the covenant.

Served as a reminder of the authenticity of the Covenantal Promises and Terms.

Also known as the sign, or token of the Covenant.

Duration of a Covenant

Everlasting Covenant - These will last forever and are always in effect.

Ex: Covenant of Noah.

Temporal Covenant - Limited to a specific period of time.

Ex: Most of the Mosaic Covenant.

Irrevocable Covenant - One in which God obligates Himself to fulfill the promises of the covenant regarldess of man’s response.

These covenants are not based in man’s obedience but in God’s faithfulness.

Ex: Abrahamic Covenant.

Revocable Covenant - One in which God obligates Himself to fulfill the promises of the covenant only upon man’s obedience to the conditions attached to it.

Ex: Mosaic Covenant.

How is Covenant Relationship Established?

God calls

God formulates the covenant, then presents it to man.

God can choose to offer His covenant to whoever He chooses.

Man enters

After God presents the covenant to us, we choose to enter into a covenant relationship with God, or not.

Again, all we’re authorized to say to the terms are “yes” or “no”. We cannot alter the covenant in any way.

Both parties are then bound to the terms of the Covenant

Both parties must fulfill their obligations to stay in covenant.

While in a covenant relationship, both parties may enjoy the benefits of the relationship.

It is possible to ‘break covenant’ with God.

The Abrahamic Covenant, Part II

An extension and an amplification of the previous two covenants (Adamic & Noahic).

Includes language of blessing (dominion, the gifting of land, etc.)

Includes language of fruitfulness (they would multiply, they would have great possessions, etc.)

Further details the coming of the Messiah by stating He would come through this nation that would come out of Abraham.

Duration of the Abrahamic Covenant

The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional in that Abraham had to obey God’s instructions to be a recipient of the covenantal blessings, but his descendants did not.

The Abrahamic Covenant is eternal in that it continues to apply even today and will apply until the end of time.

This Covenant is the first instance of God separating a chosen people from the rest of the world.

The first two Covenants were given to the Patriarchs:

To Adam, the father of the human race.

To Noah, the father of the human race after the flood.

This Covenant was given to a Patriarch, but of a chosen nation, a chosen people, separate and distinct from the rest of humanity.

This covenant is the first instance of God requiring participation from us (i.e., we have responsibilities to fulfill if we were to enter into covenant with God).

With Noah, righteousness was already imputed to him, and then he received the promise of salvation from God.

With Abraham, the promise was received first, then believed before God declared him righteous.

Romans 4:20–22 KJV 1900

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Abraham was declared righteous by his obedient faith in the promises of God.

Romans 4 links us directly to the Abrahamic covenant, becoming heirs of salvation through our obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

The Words of the Abrahamic Covenant

Confirmed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to the nation of Israel

Abraham

Genesis 22:16–18 KJV 1900

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Isaac

Genesis 26:2–5 KJV 1900

2 And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Jacob

Genesis 28:12–14 KJV 1900

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

The Promises

Promises of blessing

Personal and national blessings

Through them, the entire world would be blessed

God would represent and identify with Abraham and his descendants

God would bless them that blessed Abraham

God would curse them that cursed Abraham

God would fight for Abraham

God would establish a relationship with Abraham

The promise of a coming Messiah would come through Abraham and through his descendants.

God would give Abraham a great name

God would bless Abraham and give him a multitude of descendants.

Nations would rise from him

Kings would rise from him

Blessing of land

Genesis 15:18–21 KJV 1900

18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Hebrews 11:9–10 KJV 1900

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The Terms of the Covenant

Faith

Genesis 15:6 KJV 1900

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Romans 4:3 KJV 1900

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Obedience

Genesis 22:18 KJV 1900

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The Oath of the Covenant

Hebrews 6:13–18 KJV 1900

13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Because God swore by an oath, it becomes irrevocable.

Again, Abraham’s conditions required obedience, but his descendants enjoy the full blessings of the covenant because of his obedience.

In this, Abraham becomes a type of Jesus Christ in that:

The sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary was dependent on His obedience to the plan of God.

Now, because He was obedient, even unto death, when we are adopted into the family of God, we can enjoy the full privileges of this new covenant as well, even though we were not obedient.

The Blood of the Covenant

The Sacrifice of the Covenant

The Bread and Wine from Melchisedek (Genesis 14:18)

The Animal Sacrifices (Genesis 15:7-17)

The Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22)

The Mediator of the Covenant

The Priesthood of Melchisedek (Genesis 14)

Ministered bread and wine to Abraham

Received tithes of Abraham

The Priesthood of Abraham

Built altars and offered sacrifices

Interceded for Lot and his family before God

The Seal of the Covenant

Acts 7:8 KJV 1900

8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

Called the “Covenant of Circumcision”

Referred to as:

A token (Genesis 17:11)

A Seal (Romans 4:11)

A Sign (Romans 4:11)

The administration of the Rite involved three things:

The cutting off of the flesh, involving the shedding of blood

The child’s name would be pronounced over him during the rite

Done on the eighth day

Significance of the Rite:

Only by performing this rite could any of Abraham’s descendants enter into covenant with God.

To reject or neglect this rite would be to break covenant and to cut himself off from God.

This was to be the outward evidence of a man’s inward commitment to the terms of the covenant.

Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

In the New Testament Church

Colossians 2:10–13 KJV 1900

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

In Water Baptism

Into the water - we identify with Christ’s burial.

Out of the water - we identify with Christ’s resurrection.

The Name - our new names are pronounced over us - the Name of Jesus Christ

In Circumcision of the heart

Cutting off of the fleshly, carnal life

Experiencing newness of life

Walking in the nature and in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Romans 2:28–29 KJV 1900

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.