I often hear the word Covenant used in sermons, theological discussions and in a context of our relationship with God. But what is a covenant and what is a covenant in the Biblical sense?
Webster’s Dictionary defines covenant as the following when used as a noun. Covenant is usually a formal, solemn and binding agreement. It is a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties, especially for the performance of some action.
The Greek work used in the New Testament for Covenant is diatheke (διαθηκη). When translated, diatheke is usually a legal term representing a formal and legally binding declaration of benefits given to one party by another, without any conditions or strings attached. Diatheke is the ordinary translation of the Hebrew word berith (ברית), which also refers to legal pledges and can have the character of an agreement. The interesting thing with the Hebrew definition of berith is that it can also have the implication of a one-sided promise or grant. How many times in our lives and relationship with God is the relationship one sided, we often disobey God, don’t follow His best plans for us and often don’t seek Him on a daily basis. It is interesting that God knew we’d be this way and still chose to enter into a covenant with us even if, at times, it was going to be one sided.
If we take Webster’s definition and apply it to our relationship with God, we see at its basic level that covenant is a serious agreement between God and us. A covenant relationship with God is formal, solemn and binding in the sense that God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus, who never sinned, took all of our sin, once and for all upon himself. He died on the cross in our place so we could be a part of the covenant. The agreement is binding since Jesus’ death and resurrection sealed the agreement and the requirements of our relationship with God. We no longer have to do anything works related to earn our salvation. We no longer have to wonder if we’ve lived a good enough life. All we have to do is accept and agree that without Christ’s death, we would be separated from God. Our portion of the covenant is dependent on having faith in Christ as our Savior and living a life of worship to God.
The second part of Webster’s definition is interesting too. It says that a covenant is an agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. I realize that Webster’s Dictionary is not the Gospel, but I do find it interesting that there is a direct parallel to our relationship with God and the definition of a covenant. In the book of Acts, in the New Testament, we see the “Church” being sealed with the Holy Spirit. He seals our lives as believers when He comes to live in us when we accept Christ as our Savior. The Holy Spirit is our helper, He is our conscience, He is our guide and He is the one who convicts us when we are not living in a daily worship lifestyle relationship with God. By definition, a covenant has two or more parties involved. Just from our initial study, we see the Biblical covenant involves God the Father, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and us. We already mentioned that a covenant is sealed for the performance of some action. What might that be in a biblical covenantal case? I would suggest that the performance of action is to worship God, to have everlasting life with him, and to be an active part of the ministry that God has called us to each day of our lives. We are enabled to participate in this aspect of the covenant by daily yielding to the Holy Spirit as He guides and directs our steps.
We can be actively living a covenantal relationship with God or we can miss the benefits of this relationship when we choose not to be a part of it. When we choose not to be actively involved in the covenant, trouble usually results, as we are not daily yielding to the Holy Spirit and receiving God’s best for our lives.
In the Bible we see the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. We often see in the Old Testament how Israel and others did not always follow through with their part of the relationship. In the New Covenant, if we are honest with ourselves and with God, we often do not hold up to our end of the relationship either. This is where the Hebrew definition of covenant is all too applicable in our daily lives.
Are you in a two-sided covenantal relationship with God today? I like how God is emphatically putting the stake in the sand and declaring and promising His part of His covenant in Jeremiah 32:31-34:
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
In our daily walks, let us be thankful for the covenant God has given us, let us be thankful that even though we often make it one sided, it is God who chooses to never walk away from us. Lord, I thank You that Your covenant is formal, solemn and binding and that there are no strings attached in our relationship with You. It gives me greater reason to worship You knowing that even when I fall away and the covenant becomes one sided, You are still there, eager and waiting for me to return.
(you may want to start playing some worship music here and begin worshipping……….)
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