Philip Dampier's Blog

Covenants Part One

Abraham

God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). The covenant contained three stipulations all made by God. These were land, descendants, and the coming savior.

Land: God promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. This was not just to Israel but to all of Abraham’s descendants.

Descendants: God promised to make Abraham into a great nation with descendants as numerous as the stars. The land around Canaan hosted the children of Abraham in every direction.

Blessing: God promised that through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. This was a foretelling of the coming of Jesus who would fulfill all former prophecies.

As an unconditional covenant its fulfillment was not dependent on Abraham’s or his offspring’s behavior or faith.

Moses

God made a conditional covenant with Moses and thus the children of Israel whom Moses was the head. Every part of this covenant was conditional on Israel’s obedience to the terms of the covenant. They were many and difficult.

Law: The first consideration was the Law, which included the Ten Commandments. There were over six hundred separate laws that had to be kept. It was not a case of keeping some as total obedience was required.

Blessings and Curses: Obedience to the Law would bring great blessings such as prosperity, security, and national power. On the other hand, disobedience would bring great curses which would include, famine, disease, defeat by their enemies and eventual exile.

Priestly System: Because Israel could not keep the Law, God provided a system of sacrifice and a priesthood to intercede for them. Those sacrifices maintained a fellowship with God and dealt with their sins in the immediate period. The entire covenant looked forward to a future lasting atonement that would involve faith and grace.

Jesus

The third and final covenant was made by God with all the peoples of the earth to the end of time. This covenant is conditional upon the faith of mankind. There is no law system but there is a belief system involved. The new covenant, as it is best known , is a gift of grace but the grace is a product of faith.

Salvation: This covenant provides the forgiveness of all sins through the blood of Jesus. There is no punishment or cost to the sinner.

Eternal Life: This covenant provides everlasting life for the covenant keepers.

Holy Spirit: This covenant provides help for the covenant keepers so that they can maintain their faith and thus receive grace. The Holy Spirit is a free gift of the covenant as is the salvation He ensures.