Covenant

H1285 בְּרית briyth (ber-eeth') a compact (made by passing between pieces of flesh). [from H1262 (in the sense of cutting (like H1254)] KJV: confederacy, (con-)feder(-ate), covenant, league. Root(s): H1262, H1254

The Old Testament term briyth, “covenant,” is not easy to define.

God deals with His fallen, human creation through covenants. The concept of covenant, treaty, or agreement is crucial in understanding the Bible. The tension between God’s sovereignty and human free-will are clearly seen in the concept of covenant. Some covenants are based exclusively on God’s character and actions.

  1. creation itself (cf. Genesis 1-2)
  2. the preservation and promise to Noah (cf. Genesis 6-9)
  3. the call of Abraham (cf. Genesis 12)
  4. the covenant with Abraham (cf. Genesis 15)
  5. the covenant with David (2Sam 7; 1Chr 17; Ps 89)

The very nature of covenant demands a response of faithfulness.

  1. by faith Adam must obey God and not eat of the tree in the middle of Eden
  2. by faith Noah must build a huge boat far from water and gather the animals
  3. by faith Abraham must leave his family, follow God, and believe in future descendants
  4. by faith Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai and received specific guidelines for religious and civil life with promises of blessings and cursings (cf. Lev 26; Dt 27-28; 30; esp. vv. 15,19)

This same tension involving God’s relationship to humanity is addressed in the “new covenant” (cf. Jer 31:31-34; Heb 7:22; 8:6,8,13; 9:15; 12:24). The tension can be clearly seen in comparing Ezekiel 18:31 (human action) with Ezekiel 36:27-38 (God’s action). Is the covenant based on God’s gracious actions or a mandated human response? This is the burning issue between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The goals of both are the same:

  1. the restoration of fellowship with God lost in Genesis 3
  2. the establishment of a righteous people who reflect God’s character

The new covenant of Jer. 31:31-34 solves the tension by removing human performance as the means of attaining acceptance. God’s law becomes an internal desire instead of an external legal code. The goal of a godly, righteous people remains the same, but the methods changes. Fallen mankind proved themselves inadequate to be God’s reflected image. The problem was not God’s covenant, but human sinfulness and weakness (cf. Gen 3; Rom 7; Gal 3).

The same tension between Old Testament unconditional (based on God’s promises) and conditional (based on human obedience) covenants remains in the New Testament. Salvation is absolutely free in the finished work of Jesus, but it requires repentance and faith (both initially and continually. Jesus calls His new relationship with believers “a new covenant” (cf. Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20; 1Cor 11:25). It is both a legal pronouncement (forensic) and a call to Christlikeness (cf. Mt 5:48; Rom 8:29-30; 2Cor 3:18; 7:1; Gal 4:19; Eph 1:4; 4:13; 1Thess 3:13; 4:3,7; 5:23; 1Pet 1:15), an indicative statement of acceptance (Rom 4) and an imperative call to holiness (Mt 5:48)! Believers are not saved by their performance, but unto obedience (cf. Eph 2:8-10; 2Cor 3:5-6; Phil 2:12-13). Godly living becomes the evidence of salvation, not the means of salvation (i.e., James and 1Jn). However, eternal life has observable characteristics (assurance based on a life of faith, Heb 11)! This tension is clearly seen in the warnings in the New Testament (see, Apostasy).