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Page 1 of 6 The Book of the Covenant
The Bible is primarily the book of the covenant between God and man, a written record of the terms, history and validity of God's relationship, purpose and lovingkindness toward mankind. JAHWEH, God of Israel, is a covenant making God. There is no other type of relationship with God available other than the offer freely given in this book. We must understand the nature of covenant relationships as well as the particular terms of the covenant to make sense of the Lord's actions throughout history.
Old Testament/New Testament
The book of the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament.
But what exactly is a "Testament"?
Webster's New World Dictionary defines "Testament" as "a covenant, especially one between God and man ".
The word "covenant" is defined as "a binding and solemn agreement to do
or keep from doing a specified thing; compact." It is synonymous with
an "agreement", "contract", "promise", or "treaty". Covenant in our
modern American culture has lost much of its true meaning and has
fallen from usage in our language and our thinking. Covenant
relationship is more than a simple contract; it is a relationship where
two separate groups or individuals cease from being two and become one,
a unity, a new One that did not exist before the covenant agreement was
reached. The Bible leads us forward and God-ward toward restored union
with Him in every way. The bonds of covenant are stronger than the sum
of total of the parties' strength that enter into it. The strength of
the covenant lasts longer than the lives of those who enter the
agreement. It is passed on and carried from one generation to the next,
so covenant is stronger than even life. The covenants and promises of
God are eternal and unchangeable; they are established and worked out
upon His faithfulness not our own.
Covenant and covenanting is found all over the world in every culture and society from earliest history.
Nelson's Bible Dictionary
says,"…A covenant, in the biblical sense, implies much more than a
contract or simple agreement. A contract always has an end date, while
a covenant is a permanent arrangement. Another difference is that a
contract generally involves only one part of a person, such as a skill,
while a covenant covers a person's total being.
The word for covenant in the Old Testament also provides additional
insight into the meaning of this important idea. It comes from a Hebrew
root word which means 'to cut."
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Whenever a covenant is made there is either cutting of the flesh of the
participants or representatives, or some symbolic emblems that
demonstrate the flowing and sharing of blood. With every covenant
agreement there is the opening up and giving of life towards each other
be it groups or individuals.
Covenant of Restoration
The Bible is a book of the Covenant of God with man. God is
restoring the unfettered relationship that existed between Himself and
Adam before they were separated by Adam's unfaithfulness to God. God
has never abandoned His purpose for mankind "to dress, and keep" the
Lords creation (Genesis 2:15 ). In other words, man is designed to
bring order and justice, preserve life and rule as God's steward and
representative in the world. Without God's intervention to rescue and
restore an intimate union with mankind, there would be no hope to
accomplish this purpose with us and the lies about God that Adam
believed would have been successful in defeating the Lord. Evil
certainly abounds to this day, but where evil abounds, grace abounds
much more. (Romans 5:20 ), and it is the grace of God that will
ultimately prevail.
God is Love, and Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails. NIV
And so God brings a covenant to repair and fully restore every aspect of mankind living in unity - union with Him again.
As we begin to understand the concept and practice of covenanting, we
can begin to understand the depth, simplicity and power of the Bible.
We work WITH God in covenant relationship, we do not work FOR Him as
if He requires our assistance, or our proof of our goodness. There is
no stronger bond than a covenant
Prov 18:24
There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother RSV
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