The Covenants
As one studies the Bible, he will quickly recognize a direct correlation of the Old Testament and New Testament. Although the books contained therein were written with a division of hundreds of years between them, there is a beautiful connection between them. One cannot deny the relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament, and it is impossible for him to comprehend fully the teachings of either Testament without a proper understanding of the other. Each aspect of the Old Testament must be viewed in light of the teachings of the New Testament, and the New Testament must be studied with the teachings of the Old Testament in mind. Likewise, the various covenants that are contained within the Scriptures must be studied simultaneously. The material of the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant must be learned in relation to each other in order for one to gain a proper appreciation for the basis and fulfillment of each. “The covenants contained in the Scriptures are of primary importance to the interpreter of the Word and to the student of Eschatology. God’s eschatological program is determined and prescribed by these covenants and one’s eschatological system is determined and limited by the interpretation of them.” Not only did the covenants affect the events of the New Testament, but they also affect much of what takes place today. “In its essence, this New Covenant is the fulfillment of two Old Testament covenants, that with Abraham and that with David. In the Abrahamic Covenant lay the breadth, the blessing for all peoples (Genesis 12:3); in the Davidic Covenant was the height, the royal throne of Messiah (I Chronicles 17:11-14).” The three covenants are linked, and on...
... middle of paper ...
...Judah.” It also states that God is “the mediator of the new testament.” The New Covenant is mentioned throughout the New Testament, and one can clearly see God’s intention of making a New Covenant with His people.
As one studies the various covenants of the Scriptures, he will soon realize that the correlation between the Old and New Testaments is undeniable. “Whether covenant is a sufficiently broad concept to encompass all the Old Testament is doubtful, but its importance, reaching as it does into the New Testament, cannot be questioned.” No argument can prevail over the proof that there is a direct relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament. By gaining a deeper understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant, one can learn to appreciate fully the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
To gain a clearer understanding of the tenets of dispensational eschatology, it is necessary to investigate the main non-dispensational perspective, covenantalism. In discussing the foundational differences between dispensational and non-dispensational eschatological system, Dr. Dan Mitchell suggests the main contrast lies in the hermeneutical methodologies each maintains. Covenantalism views prophetic revelation deductively by first regarding the fulfillment of the prophecy and then retroactively constructing how the prophecy was fulfilled. Specifically, covenant eschatological interprets Old Testament prophecies through the lens of a New Testament Christocentric perspective which dictates that all prophecies be fulfilled in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the church. This forced hermeneutical perspective requires a great deal of allegorizing of the prophecies for it to maintain any semblance of cohesion. Dwight Pentecost described this overly allegorized method as “interpreting a literary text that regards the literal sense as the vehicle for a secondary, more spiritual and more profound sense.” The...
Flanders, Henry J, Robert W. Crapps, and David A. Smith. People of the Covenant: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.
The redemption that mostly played out in the New Testament in a part of the New Covenant found in Jeremiah 31:33, “‘or this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This covenant is also known as the permanent covenant, because God promised to write it on our hearts, and because God laid out His plans for the coming of Christ. The coming of Jesus was prophesied early in the Bible, and according to Williams Rainey Harper in his journal, Micah 5 told of the coming of Christ. The journal states, “A cornerstone shall be established in Zion; and out of Bethlehem from the line of David shall come a righteous ruler, who shall lead Judah against the Assyrians.” These verses in Micah also solidify the prophecy made by Nathan in 2 Samuel 7. Jesus is the Son of God, and He is from the lineage of David, He was born to atone for the sins of mankind. When Jesus first came to earth, and was declared to be the Son of God people did not believe Him. The Resurrection of Jesus and the Hope of Immortality states, “…significance for believers or for all men is considered to depend logically upon the similarity of Jesus to other men and is weakened in the degree in which he is considered unique as the Son of God, the second person in the Trinity.” While it is sometimes hard to understand, God fulfilled the New Covenant. Jesus died on a cross, so we are forgiven our sins. His blood was the price of our sins. The most well known Bible verse John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” His death promised us an eternal
• The Old Testament and the New Testaments means the old and the new covenants. A covenant is a promise.
The covenants between God and man constitute one of the principal keys to the interpretation of the Old Testament, denoting the dividing lines between the different dispensations and indicating the several changes of procedure in God’s dealings with the earth. There are arguably eight covenants made by God referred to in Scripture. Much could be written concerning these different covenants, but we will only deal with the covenants in Genesis. At various times God condescended to enter into a compact with man, and failure to observe the terms and scope of these compacts leads to the utmost confusion. These covenants are an important pact between Gods relation with man.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
This is also an important Abrahamic covenant moment, as we see that not just Israelites are children of God, but now all people, through belief in Jesus, have the power to become children of God. Through Matthew, we were able to gain an understanding of Jesus’s role as teacher to the people, bringing blessings to all of the nations through his miracles, and interactions with people. Through John, we will be able to explore the importance of what belief in God and his son can do, and how they impact the blessing of all nations, leading to the global restoration plan God had in mind and promised through the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant.
Surveying the Old Testament reveals the theme of God’s faithfulness to his people. In light of this understanding, the restoration of the Israelites prophesized in the Old Testament is essentially the fulfillment of every covenant with God. This perspective relates to the work of Christ and encourages any follower of God to trust in his faithfulness.
Levine, Amy –Jill and Douglas Knight. The Meaning of the Bible: What Jewish and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011
Charlesworth, Matthew. "The Covenants in the Old Testament." Academia.edu. N.p., 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
There are five aspects of covenant. For the purposes of this paper I am going to be referring to primarily the new covenant that is offered us through Jesus. The first aspect is the parties involved. There are two parties: God and the elect. Unlike the old covenant, the elect goes beyond the Jews. It also includes the gentile, or non-Jew in all the nations. This is one aspect of covenant that has helped shape my worldview. I have spoken to people who believe that God only selects a few privileged people to be saved, and condemns the rest to eternal punishment in hell. I now wholeheartedly believe this to be completely false, and even a heresy. In John 3:16 God uses the phrase “panta ta ethne” which means “all the nations.” There are other places in scripture, for example, when Paul says in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” He clearly says ‘everyone who believes’ not leaving anyone out. There are places in scripture, such as Ephesians 1:11 that talk about things which are predestined for believers. This verse is commonly taken out of context by those who believe in predestination. He has indeed planned out things He wants those in covenant relationship to accomplish for His kingdom once we accept Jesus and make Him Lord of our life. He does not, however, make the choice beforehand to save some, and damn some to hell! God created us in His image, therefore we have also been given the gift of free will to choose to love Him or love the world. This is the depraved condition of mankind in our fallen state.
A covenant agreement outlines the obligations and promises made between two unequal parties. Scripture describes a number of such covenants which God made with human beings. These include covenants which God made with Noah, the patriarchs, Israel, and David. Human beings have a propensity for dishonoring these covenants, but through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, God has made a new covenant which Jeremiah describes as "written in the heart".
God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of the temptation of Jesus and how other sects defined the Messiah.
The New Testament student will develop a much richer faith by embracing the study of the Old Testament. The exploration into the depths of details that God’s plan has threaded into both Testaments will expand the researchers understanding of God. The revelation that God concealed the plan of salvation in the Law and the Prophets until the right time for it to be reveled is one of the many treasures of studying the Old Test...
Back in Abraham’s day, God promised him that he would make a great nation for him. From that promise, two beginnings of messianic prophecy would take shape. One would emphasize the glorious future of the Kingdom of Israel, and the other would speak to the coming work of the Messiah, portraying him not as a reigning king but as a suffering servant who would be slain on behalf of his people.