All who sincerely believe in Jesus Christ are in covenant with God. God obligates himself to his covenant partners with many promises, and in turn he requires certain things from them.
This year I changed dentists, not because I was unhappy with the dental practice—far from it—but because my health insurance company changed its policies.
If you are like me, you probably feel insecure in your relationship with your health insurance company. Year to year they change premiums, the amount of coinsurance and deductibles, what doctors they work with, and so on. You may have an agreement with a company now, but who knows what will happen next year.
Imagine if the God of the universe were like that; how vulnerable and insecure we would feel. But thankfully God is not like that. In fact, he is the opposite. He is instead the God of covenant. His way of being in relationship is to be in covenant. In a covenant with God, your relationship stands on a rock.
The New Covenant with God
The idea of covenant is central to the gospel. At the Last Supper, Jesus took of the bread and wine being served and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).
This new covenant, based on the blood sacrifice of Jesus, fulfills the previous covenants God had made with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, the nation of Israel, and King David. It was necessary because Israel had broken their previous covenant. (see Jeremiah 31:31–34).
A covenant with many promises
Let’s try to comprehend the idea of covenant and how important it is to the Lord to establish relationships on a covenant.
God’s covenant is a commitment similar to but infinitely stronger than a business contract, or than the treaties that nations make with one another. God’s covenant is a commitment of eternal love. He stipulates exactly what that love entails in the Bible. All the promises God makes in the Bible are his commitment to us. They are foundational to how he relates to us. His covenant promises are as important and visible to him as the tracks on which a train runs.
The lavish blessings that come to those in covenant with God
Here are some of those promises.
- To forgive our sins and cleanse us from them. (1 John 1:9)
- To give us eternal life and an inheritance in the kingdom of God. (John 3:16; Matthew 25:34)
- To prepare a place for us in heaven. (John 14:1–3)
- To raise our bodies from the grave. (1 Corinthians 11)
- To return to the earth to recreate the heavens and the earth as our eternal home. (2 Peter 3:1–13)
- Never to leave us or forsake us. (Matthew 28:20)
- To provide for our needs. (Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:33)
- To heal our bodies. (James 5:13–16)
- To guide us. (Psalm 32:8)
- To deliver us from Satan’s power. (Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 6:10–18)
- To answer our prayers of faith in accordance with his will. (1 John 5:14–15)
- To adopt us as his children. (Ephesians 1:5)
- To reward us for serving and obeying him. (Hebrews 11:6)
This list is by no means exhaustive! God is truly gracious and kind.
God’s covenant requires faithfulness
Because God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping person, faithfulness is of ultimate importance to him. He is absolutely faithful, and he expects his covenant partners to be faithful. He is absolutely truthful and expects his covenant partners to be truthful.
Exodus 34:6 says, “The LORD passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’”
The requirements of people in covenant with God
Covenants make requirements of both parties. God has graciously made many promises to us, and in turn he requires that we respond obediently to him in particular ways. The old Mosaic covenant with Israel required that they keep various laws regarding food, sacrifices and ceremonies in the Temple, and the observing of holy days. In the New Covenant, those requirements no longer apply.
Here is what God requires of those who enter the New Covenant with him.
- Confess your sins and believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, for the forgiveness of your sins. (John 3:16–19; 6:28–29; Romans 3:9–26; Philippians 2:9–11)
- Be baptized in water at conversion, giving public testimony of your faith. (Matthew 28:18–20)
- Receive Communion regularly. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26)
- Love God and love people, in particular by serving the needs of fellow believers. (Matthew 22:34–40; 25:31–46)
- Repent of wickedness, impurity, idolatry, and the love of the world, being holy as God is holy. (Hebrews 10:26–27; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 John 2:15–17; James 4:4; Colossians 3:5–9)
- Embrace a church that is faithful to the Word of God and submit to its authority, joining in worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word. (Acts 2:41–42; Hebrews 10:24–25; 1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 4:11–16)
- Believe and obey God’s Word, the Bible. Most importantly, believe the core doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, justification by grace through faith in Christ, the virgin birth of Jesus, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:14–17; Matthew 22:29)
- Serve the Lord with the abilities and resources he has given you, including finances. (Matthew 25:14–30)
Our way and God’s way
Our way: Fallen sinners are unfaithful in their relationships.
God’s way: God faithfully keeps his covenant.
Life principle: Our covenant with God, which we have by believing the gospel, is the most valuable relationship we have. It is a priceless treasure, the only immovable rock in the ever-shifting sand of this world. Keeping it faithfully is the most important thing we do.
I invite you to read my weekly posts
about knowing God and his ways better.
—Craig Brian Larson
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)