The Covenants of God

More and more, I see the apostasy that has embraced the church today.  Sadly, my friends the roots of believers today overall are sadly lacking in Biblical knowledge. Does it surprise me? No. The Apostle Paul talked of the apostasy that would come in 2 Thessalonians 2.  But with that said, I am keenly observant of what is being taught in the churches today and how those things align with the full counsel of God.  

Dr. Arnold Fruchentenbaum is one of the premier teachers of solid Biblical truth and the foundations of our faith today. I cannot even begin to say how much I've gleaned from this great man. In my next few entries, I am going to be condensing some of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's commentary on the 8 Covenants of the Bible. Please note I will be condensing.  I have asked and received permission to use from Ariel Ministries, owners of the Manuscripts.  I also urge you not to stop here, but to glean from all the teachings available (Including the Full Texts of the Covenant teachings) that can be accessed free of charge at https:www.ariel.org/resources/come-and-see/studies?navid=2390956 
 

You already know that I am expecting my Lord to come soon.  Because of that, the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18 pursues my heart. It is for this reason, I try to share as much as I can with others what the Lord has brought freely to me.

Can we really know the Bible without understanding "Covenant"? I don't think so. Let’s talk about “covenant”. We hear the words "heirs" according to promise, but what is that we inherit? Who am Let’s begin by examining the basics…

A covenant is a legal agreement, a contract between two or more parties. God in all of history has Covenant with only two nations:  1) The nation of Israel and 2) The new nation that would be birthed as the Church -- Neither Jew nor Gentile, but one new man in Christ.  

In common with most business or personal contracts the Covenants of God contain the following:

1. Parties to the covenant.
2. Specified territories and areas of concern.
3. A reason for its existence, an outcome.
4. Rules, provisions and conditions.
5. Results, benefits and penalties. In spiritual language these are called blessings and cursings.
6. Signatures, Witnesses and a Seal.
7. Implementation Procedures: ratification, registration, publication and a starting date etc. 

 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Dr. Fruchtenbaum teaches us that since much of God's relationship to man is based upon covenantal relationships, a study of the eight covenants is a very important aspect of correctly understanding Scripture.  The most common way to divide the Bible is by dispensations.  The dispensations, however, are based upon specific covenants, and understanding these covenants will help Bible readers to "rightly divide the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15). Although the dispensations may come to an end, the covenants themselves continue.

There are two types of covenants in the Bible: conditional and unconditional. It is important to distinguish between these two types of covenants in order to have a clear picture of what the Bible teaches.

Dr. Fruchtenbaum notes that a conditional covenant is a bilateral covenant in which a proposal of God to man is characterized by the formula: if you will, then I will whereby God promises to grant special blessings to man providing man fulfills certain conditions contained in the covenant. Man's failure to do so often results in punishment. Thus one's response to the covenant agreement brings either blessings or cursings. The blessings are secured by obedience and man must meet his conditions before God will meet His.

Two of the eight covenants of the Bible are conditional: the Edenic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant.

An unconditional covenant is a unilateral covenant and is a sovereign act of God whereby He unconditionally obligates Himself to bring to pass definite blessings and conditions for the covenanted people. This covenant is characterized by the formula: I will which declares God's determination to do as He promises. Blessings are secured by the grace of God. There may be conditions in the covenant by which God requests the covenanted one to fulfill out of gratitude, but they are not themselves the basis of God's fulfilling His promises.

Six of the eight covenants are unconditional: the Adamic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Land Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant.

In the next few postings, primarily borrowing from Dr. Fruchtenbaum's work, we will be examining both the conditional and the unconditional covenants of the Bible.