What is a covenant? Webster dictionary defines a covenant as a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. Throughout the Old Testament the word covenant is used to remind God’s people of his steadfast and unfailing devotion to them as they navigate in a world without a visible God. As God sends his it is clear to see even more of how God values the covenants he has made with his people. This paper will talk about how God views covenants in the Gospels, Acts, Paul’s Epistles, the General Epistles, and Revelations.
In the Gospels, Jesus fulfills prophecies and promises that God made in the Old Testament, and also as he establishes new covenants with his people.
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Acts 2 16-17 “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it shall be,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” The Holy Spirit coming is also a fulfillment of Jesus’ word in John 14: 16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads all into truth.” The Holy Spirit was sent to live within the hearts of people who had faith in Jesus Christ and to transform them to become more like the Father. Mark Saucy (2004), a professor of systematic theology for Talbot School of Theology of Biola University, wrote in his article Personal Ethic of the New Covenant: How Does the Spirit Change Us that, “The new covenant’s hope for a new heart deeply impressed with the aware ness of God’s favor and love by the Spirit provides insight into the psychological processes that direct the disciple’s transformation into the image of Christ” (p. 356). Another way that people are able to see God’s faithfulness is when they are given an opportunity to remember what God has done for them. In Acts 3 Peter is addressing a crowd in Israel reminding them of the covenant that God had made to their ancestors. Acts 3:25 “And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham,
Covenant and law are both prevalent themes that are used throughout the Old Testament of the Bible. A covenant is a binding contract in which “a kinship bond between two parties” is created when each party carries out assigned expectations established in the making of the covenant (Hahn and Bergsma 1). A law is a binding rule or regulation that is used to regulate the conduct of a community or group of people and is usually enforced by some kind of authority. There are many similarities and differences between covenant and law, and in some cases covenant and law can be connected so that one supports the other. This is especially true when talking about the Mosaic Law and God’s covenant with Israel. In these two items God creates expectations through the covenant, rules and regulations through the Law, and allows for covenant-maintenance by using both together rather than a simple law code.
Covenant- Promises made to humanity by God. Antinomianism- A Greek word that means against the law.
"covenant of grace" as opposed to a "covenant of work." A covenant of grace is
Throughout the history of the world, God has been working to bring humanity back to him. Due to the loss of constant communion in the fall, God set forth multiple promises to eventually establish his eternal Kingdom, the New Testament, is the culmination of these promises. The Gospels are the most specific in how Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenants God made with Abraham and David. More importantly he is the fulfillment of the new covenant, which washes away sin and brings humanity back into communion with God. What is modeled in the Gospels is reaffirmed in Acts, by the way the church is to function according to the culmination of the Covenants. Acts begins to reveal the great mystery that is the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s covenant. Paul’s Epistles take the culmination a step further and defend the idea that the fulfillment of God’s covenants does not just affect the people of Israel, but the Gentiles as well. The General epistles teach that the people are no longer bound by the mosaic covenant since the New Covenant was fulfilled via Jesus Christ. Yet practice of the law is still an important factor of the Christian life style even if superseded by the New Covenant. Revelation shows that covenants are leading up to the lord’s victory and salvation of his people. The sins of the Jews and Gentiles are washed away by Jesus the blood of the lamb so in reality the battle is already won because of the New Covenants fulfillment in Jesus. It is clear from
Biblical covenant is “legal term denoting a formal and legally binding declaration of benefits to be given by one party to another, with or without conditions attached.” (Arnold) Biblical covenant is a part of God holy plan and they reveal enteral plan. Each covenant plays a part of God plan of salvation. The Mosaic covenant showed that being saved by works was impossible and reveals God’s Holy character the need of a savior. “The Mosaic Covenant was like the vassal treaties of the ancient Near East, where a more powerful king entered into a relationship with a lesser king.” Knowing the Bible)
The New Testament and the Old Testament are similar in that they both speak of fulfillment for God’s
The origin of the covenant dates back to ancient Hittite civilizations, and was widely common during various periods in the Bible. Covenants (or treaties) were necessary for a
the belief in a covenant (Carmen 17).² It is the promise between God and the
The Christ of the Covenants demonstrates the relationship between five covenants God instigated with Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, and how they are reflected in Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection in the New Testament. In answering four basic questions, I discovered this main idea to be true time and time again. Robertson exhibits his vast knowledge of the subject with a concisely structured index outlining one clear point for the entire novel.
Understanding the dynamic concept of covenant permeates everything God says in His Word and everything He does in a believer’s life. The following word study will examine the text of Exodus 19:1-8. The text begins with an obscure and severely brutalized people who are saved from slavery and are on the verge of a new covenant between God and man. The word in study is the Hebrew word האמנה, translated “covenant.”
Theologically, a covenant (used of relations between God and man) denotes a gracious undertaking entered into by God for the benefit and blessing of humanity and specifically of those who by faith receive the promises and commit themselves to the obligation which this undertaking involves. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made
Covenant is promise or contract between two parties with certain set of conditions. Sometimes one of the parties involved could be stronger than the other. For example, in the case of the covenant between God and Israel, or other that, an agreement can be between two people at the same position or level. The covenants can be either conditional or unconditional. In this essay, I will discuss the use of Covenant as a way that people relate with God as well as the way people relate among themselves through Covenants.
The Old Testament is a work that is saturated with the theme of Covenant. There is an ebb and flow of the epic history of the Old Testament. According to some theologists, a covenant was not just an agreement or or a contract; it was a solemn bond established between two or more parties. For example, in Exodus when God flooded the earth, He sent a rainbow to Noah to make a covenant with him and the people of the earth that he would never destroy the earth again with water. A covenant also involved a firm commitment to the relationship. There is a slight difference between a covenant and a contract, however. Covenant involves a person’s whole being for the rest of their life.
many times in different texts. Some scholars my say that the word covenants is hard to find a true meaning. You will hear the word covenant throughout the Old Testament. I think sometimes when we hear the word covenant only one or two covenants come to mind. There are many covenants throughout the Bible. I will attempt to define and explain five covenants. These five covenants are: Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant and the Fifth Covenant or the (New Covenant). In these particular covenants we will find the promises God made with his people. In this paper I will attempted to answer questions which of these
Moreover, each of these covenants has “it’s own character and scope; and each prepares for and provides the found for, the next”. Alexander and Baker hold fast in agreement and proceed to say, “ Yet the faith and varied responses of the ancestors and Israelites are best grasped in relation to covenant making, covenant breaking and renewals of covenant”. The narrative of the Pentateuch has a progressive nature, as do the covenants made between people and God.