Understanding Covenant; Dispensation of Grace
1)
Covenant between God and man, e.g.,
God covenanted with Noah, after the flood, that a like judgment should not be
repeated. It is not precisely like a covenant between men, but was a
promise, agreed to by God. The principle covenants with God taught by
biblical scholars with evidence found in the scriptures are:
a)
Covenant of Works – God promising to
save and bless mankind on condition of perfect obedience to His commandments and
laws. Adam and Eve broke this covenant.
b)
Covenant of Grace – after making
payment for the sin of mankind, God has promised to save people from death
conditional only on their faith in Christ; receiving Him as Lord and Savior.
This includes the Old Covenant, from which we name the first part of the Bible,
the Old Testament, the Latin rendering of the word covenant and the New
Covenant, or New Testament.
2)
Covenant between two people, i.e., a
solemn compact or agreement, sometimes between tribes or nations. Joshua
9:6,15; 1 Samuel 11:1, or between individuals, Genesis 31:44, by which each
party is bound to fulfill certain conditions and is assured of receiving certain
advantages. In making such a covenant God was solemnly invoked as witness,
Genesis 31:50, and an oath was sworn. Genesis 21:31.
14.
The LORD God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than
every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All
the days of your life;
15.
And I will put enmity Between you
and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the
head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
16.
To the woman He said, "I will
greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."
17.
Then to Adam He said, "Because you
have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about
which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground
because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.
18.
"Both thorns and thistles it shall
grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;
19.
By the sweat of your face You will
eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For
you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
21.
The LORD God made garments of skin
for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
The first
occurrence of the term “covenant” is in Genesis, in the story of a man named
Noah. From this story we begin to see the essence of God’s grace covenant
with humanity. God seems to be compelled by care as He initiates and
dispenses the terms of the covenant He makes with Noah.
17.
"Behold, I, even I am bringing the
flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of
life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
18.
"But I will establish My covenant
with you; and you shall enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife, and your
sons' wives with you.
19.
"And of every living thing of all
flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with
you; they shall be male and female.
20.
"Of the birds after their kind, and
of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its
kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
21.
"As for you, take for yourself some
of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food
for you and for them."
22.
Thus Noah did; according to all
that God had commanded him, so he did.
8.
Then God spoke to Noah and to his
sons with him, saying,
9.
"Now behold, I Myself do establish
My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
10.
and with every living creature that
is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of
all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
11.
"I establish My covenant with you;
and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither
shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."
12.
God said, "This is the sign of the
covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is
with you, for all successive generations;
13.
I set My bow in the cloud, and it
shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
14.
"It shall come about, when I bring
a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud,
15.
and I will remember My covenant,
which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never
again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16.
"When the bow is in the cloud, then
I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17.
And God said to Noah, "This is the
sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is
on the earth."
In
perhaps the most well-known biblical story about the covenant, God extends and
further clarifies His intention to redeem mankind. His plan involves
Abram, a man who is later identified by his great faith in God.
1.
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go
forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
2.
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
3.
And I will bless those who bless
you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the
earth will be blessed."
4.
So Abram went forth as the LORD had
spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when
he departed from Haran.
1.
After these things the word of the
LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to
you; Your reward shall be very great."
2.
Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will
You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?"
3.
And Abram said, "Since You have
given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir."
4.
Then behold, the word of the LORD
came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come
forth from your own body, he shall be your heir."
5.
And He took him outside and said,
"Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count
them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6.
Then he believed in the LORD; and
He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7.
And He said to him, "I am the LORD
who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess
it."
8.
He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I
know that I will possess it?"
9.
So He said to him, "Bring Me a
three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old
ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10.
Then he brought all these to Him
and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut
the birds.
11.
The birds of prey came down upon
the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12.
Now when the sun was going down, a
deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.
13.
God said to Abram, "Know for
certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs,
where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.
14.
"But I will also judge the nation
whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
15.
"As for you, you shall go to your
fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.
16.
"Then in the fourth generation they
will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."
17.
It came about when the sun had set,
that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a
flaming torch which passed between these pieces.
18.
On that day the LORD made a
covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From
the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
1.
Now when Abram was ninety-nine
years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk
before Me, and be blameless.
2.
"I will establish My covenant
between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly."
3.
Abram fell on his face, and God
talked with him, saying,
4.
"As for Me, behold, My covenant is
with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5.
"No longer shall your name be
called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of
a multitude of nations.
6.
"I will make you exceedingly
fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
7.
"I will establish My covenant
between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations
for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
8.
"I will give to you and to your
descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for
an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
9.
God said further to Abraham, "Now
as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you
throughout their generations.
10.
"This is My covenant, which you
shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among
you shall be circumcised.
11.
"And you shall be circumcised in
the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me
and you.
12.
"And every male among you who is
eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who
is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not
of your descendants.
13.
"A servant who is born in your
house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall
My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14.
"But an uncircumcised male who is
not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from
his people; he has broken My covenant."
15.
Then God said to Abraham, "As for
Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16.
"I will bless her, and indeed I
will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of
nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
17.
Then Abraham fell on his face and
laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years
old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
18.
And Abraham said to God, "Oh that
Ishmael might live before You!"
19.
But God said, "No, but Sarah your
wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will
establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants
after him.
20.
"As for Ishmael, I have heard you;
behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him
exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a
great nation.
21.
"But My covenant I will establish
with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
8.
since Abraham will surely become a
great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be
blessed?
The
New Covenant
5.
Thus says God the LORD, Who created
the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,
6.
"I am the LORD, I have called You
in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I
will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
7.
To open blind eyes, To bring out
prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8.
"I am the LORD, that is My name; I
will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
9.
"Behold, the former things have
come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them
to you."
19.
And when He had taken some bread
and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body
which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
20.
And in the same way He took the cup
after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the
new covenant in My blood.
1.
Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2.
For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3.
For what the Law could not do, weak
as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4.
so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
19.
Now we know that whatever the Law
says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be
closed and all the world may become accountable to God;
20.
because by the works of the Law no
flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of
sin.
21.
But now apart from the Law the
righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the
Prophets,
22.
even the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no
distinction;
1.
What then shall we say that
Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
2.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not
before God.
3.
For what does the Scripture say?
"ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."
The
addition to the covenant of the Law of Moses was designed to show men and women
that they were in need of a Savior. By the time the Messiah came on the
scene, the faith of Abraham had become distorted and favor with God was
understood to be for only the elite. When Jesus arrived, He made it clear
that the real beneficiaries of the covenant that God made with Abraham were not
necessarily those who were related to him merely through their ancestry.
The real children of Abraham are those, who like him, live out their lives by
faith, counting on God’s unconditional love and receiving it by faith.
13.
For the promise to Abraham or to
his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but
through the righteousness of faith.
14.
For if those who are of the Law are
heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;
15.
for the Law brings about wrath, but
where there is no law, there also is no violation.
16.
For this reason it is by faith, in
order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be
guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17.
(as it is written, "A FATHER OF
MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even
God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
18.
In hope against hope he believed,
so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had
been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE."
39.
They answered and said to Him,
"Abraham is our father." Jesus *said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do
the deeds of Abraham.
40.
"But as it is, you are seeking to
kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham
did not do.
14.
For sin shall not be master over
you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15.
What then? Shall we sin because we
are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
16.
Do you not know that when you
present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one
whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in
righteousness?
The
church today rushes people into salvation, to which they quickly respond by
getting “fire insurance.” But they are not familiarized with the Holy
Spirit’s mission to bring conviction for sin, righteousness and judgment.
Instead they hear of eternal fire, forgiveness of sin, help from God, and the
hope of heaven, and they want it and buy it to add to their already stressed and
chaotic lifestyle like they are shopping at Walmart.
16.
"For whoever wishes to save his
life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
10.
If Christ is in you, though the
body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12.
So then, brethren, we are under
obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
13.
for if you are living according to the
flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of
the body, you will live.
8.
"For whoever wishes to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will
save it."
Romans 8:14
You are Sons of God.
John 1:12
Potential to become children of God
Romans 8:16-17
Fellow heirs with Christ.
Ephesians 1:11
We have obtained an inheritance.
Galatians 3:29
Heirs of promise.
Romans 8:28
All things to work together for.
Philippians 4:19
All my needs are met.
1 Corinthians 2:9
God has prepared unimaginable things for those who love Him.
Colossians 3:4
Will be revealed with Him in glory.
1 Corinthians 2:16
We have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 4:13
I have His strength.
Colossians 1:11
Strengthen with all power.
Romans 3:23-24
Justified by grace.
Ephesians 1:4
Holy and blameless before Him.
Galatians 5:22
The fruits of the Spirit are the characteristics of our life.
Colossians 1:6
Bearing fruit and increasing.
Ephesians 1:7
Forgiveness of trespasses.
Colossians 1:14
Forgiveness of sins.
Romans 5:1
We have peace with God
John 14:27
Peace of Jesus.
Colossians 3:15
Peace of Christ.
Ephesians 2:14
He is our peace.
Philippians 4:7
Peace of God guards our hearts.
Romans 5:5
Hope produces the love of God in our hearts.
Ephesians 6:11
Able to stand against the devil.
Ephesians 6:16
Able to extinguish the devils flaming arrows.
Romans 5:9
Saved from the wrath of God.
Colossians 1:13
Rescued from the darkness.
Colossians 2:10
Made complete in Him.
Romans 5:17
Reigning in Life.
Romans 6:23
Eternal Life.
John 3:16
Eternal Life.
John 17:3
Eternal Life.
Philippians 3:11
Resurrection from the dead.
Colossians 2:12
Raised you up with Him.
Colossians 2:13
Made alive.
Ephesians 2:5
Made alive.
John 10:10
Abundant Life.
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