Covenant

Willpower alone is not sufficient to execute spiritual change. The man that says, “Tomorrow will be different,” likely will repeat that every day for the rest of his life unless he makes a covenant with God. Effective change will take determination and commitment, and yet that is not enough to free us from ourselves and sin. God is our only real source of strength and courage. A covenant with Him is the only way we can tap into that source of power.

The word, “covenant” is used throughout the Bible. God made a covenant with the children of Israel back in the Old Testament that if they would serve Him, he would bless and prosper them. Many other examples are sprinkled throughout the Bible, both between man and God as well as examples of man to man. Most often there was something done or set up symbolically to bear testimony of that covenant.

One of God’s most visible covenants he has made to man, was the promise that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. As a visual proof of that promise, He placed the rainbow in the sky for all to see. Read Genesis 9:8-17. Today when we see the rainbow we are again reminded of that covenant.

Jacob and Laban his father-in-law, made a covenant between each other when they met after Jacob had run away from him. They set up a heap of stones, to solemnize that covenant of peace between them. That heap of stones was visible evidence of that agreement, for the following generations. Read Genesis 31:43-55.

Today we also make covenants. We take out a loan at the bank and sign an agreement to repay the money on a set schedule. We both keep a copy of that agreement as a visible proof of what we promised.  We sign contracts of intent to purchase, or to do a job, in which our signature and sometimes a little money are a proof of that promise. There are other commitments we make, such as our marriages, which often rely on our word of honor and love. Any agreement is only as good as those that honor it, and so often man fails in his commitments. However, God never fails or goes back on His commitment. See Hebrews 6:13-20. When God lives in our hearts, His power helps us maintain those commitments.

God’s greatest promise to mankind was a Redeemer to save him from sin. Although obscure, this promise was first hinted at in Genesis 3:15, where God cursed Satan for tempting man to sin. Since our first parents fell, man has never been able to pay for his sin. He may attempt to do so by good works or deeds, however, without God coming to his rescue and saving him, he is without hope. We are born in sin, and that sin needs a covering just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. See Romans 3:23. To make that covering, God killed a couple of animals and used their skins to clothe them. Wherefore in a literal sense it took the death of an animal to give them a covering. God then instituted the practice of animal sacrificing to pay for man’s sins, which was symbolic of what was to come. This continued throughout the Old Testament until Jesus paid the ultimate price, dying for the sins of all mankind and rising again in newness of life. Without the shedding of blood there is no way for man to be saved. And yet the shedding of animal blood could not wholly cleanse man of sin, he needed a perfect sacrifice and that was Jesus. When He died, he permanently paid that debt of sin for anyone who comes to Him. Please read, Hebrews chapter 9.

When we are born into this world, we are innocent. In other words, we are not responsible for our actions and have no knowledge of our sinfulness. However, there comes a moment to everyone when God brings the realization that they are not enough. There is an empty void in their lives and they need something beyond themselves to fill that need. This is something which man cannot avoid neither can he fix. He may try to run from God like Jonah, bury it in a busy life, or drugs and alcohol, yet find that he cannot run from God. No man is acceptable to God without the sacrifice of Jesus. When this knowledge comes upon him, he feels lost, and hopeless and a crying out for someone to save him. That someone is Jesus, who is waiting for that call.

When we enter into a covenant with God, we relinquish our hearts, our lives, our past, present, and future. We confess our sins, holding nothing back. In return God gives us happiness, peace, and joy. The Holy Spirit moves in, transforming our lives, changing our views on ourselves and the world around us. He is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with us, and will remain so as long as we remain true to God. The Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, is a sign of our eternal home in Heaven. Ephesians 1:13-14

This process of entering a covenant with God is being born again. See John 3:3-8. Unless we are born again, and have the Holy Spirit within, we have no hope of entering heaven. The intellectual mind may think that making peace with God is like an agreement, where man bargains with God and comes to terms of peace. This is a false assumption. When we come to God, who is our creator, we bring nothing. We have nothing to offer him. No good works will do, no good intentions, just ourselves, our lives and all. John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much, that He gave His Son to free us from sin and bondage. All we have to do is reach out and accept the free gift. However, He must see the sincerity of our hearts for Him to bestow His goodness upon us. See also John 14:23-24.

This brings us to grace, which is a very necessary part of any agreement or covenant. Without a grace period for us to make payments on a loan, the balance is immediately due, and the lender could seize our property. A grace period means if I make my payments like the agreement, I am free and do not have to worry. However, if I fail to make my payments, I am then guilty, and the lender then has a right to force me to pay or confiscate my property. We often have little say in the terms when we borrow money. Because the lender is taking the risk, he sets the terms, largely relying on our word of honor and a few of our assets, to secure the loan. How much this is like the agreement that God offers to us. He is the one taking the risk, and we have nothing to offer Him in return but ourselves, our lives, and a commitment to serve Him if he will remove our burden of sin. When we make a covenant with Him, He saves us, and we enter His Grace. The evidence of that grace is no condemnation as well as love for everyone, peace and joy. It cannot be hidden. When living in sin, we are without God’s Grace, and guilty and have no covering for our sins. See the comparison of a life of sin, versus the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25

The binding force of a covenant with God is love. We had nothing wherewith to save ourselves, but God forgives our sins setting us free. Love then becomes the force which binds us to Him. There is a story of a man who was a slave. He was a strong man, who would fetch a high dollar when sold. Evidently, he was no longer needed and so at a time appointed he was brought before the crowd to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Before the auctioneer made his call, the man was insisting he would not work for whoever was unfortunate enough to buy him. The auction proceeded amidst his tirade and ended at a very high price. As the new owner came to take him home, he again said he refused to work, no matter what. The owner told him that he did not have to, he bought him to set him free. Whereupon the slave was so thankful and full of unworthiness, he promised to serve him for the rest of his life. This depicts a life of service by love and grace. Our Savior paid for our sins so that we can go free, which compels us to serve Him out of love and not bondage. God’s love will always draw us to Him. He wants us to have a relationship with Him that is founded in love. This relationship cannot be manufactured, or substituted, but is only born out of a realization of, where we were going, and who saved us. As we draw close to Him, confessing or sins, He will forgive us. See 1 John 1:9

Many of us who have been born again have also entered the covenant of water baptism. Like the stones that Jacob and Laban set up, water baptism does not save us but symbolizes the washing of our lives free from sin. John the Baptist baptized people unto repentance of sin. Jesus was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove upon Him. See Mark 1:1-11 The disciples at Pentecost saw that the Holy Spirit fell upon those who believed and many were baptized and added to the church. See Acts 10:45-47. Baptism has been a part of God’s church throughout time, administered to believers, upon their confession of faith, by chosen ministers of the gospel. It is also a door of entrance into God’s church. During times of persecution, baptism has often been a death sentence for the Christian. Many have given their lives for their faith, counting their peace with God greater than anything this world could offer, even life itself.

May all of us come to the Lord and receive His covenant of peace.

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