GOD’S THREE GREAT COVENANTS

Bob Myhan

    Many fail to understand the proper relation of a Christian to the Old Testament, because they misunderstand the Old Testament itself. Some seem to think that all men living today are somehow equally under both the Old Testament and New Testament. This is incorrect. Others seem to believe that we have no need to study the Old Testament, today. This is also erroneous. Let us consider, first, by way of introduction, the meaning of the word "testament." According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the Greek word "primarily signifies a disposition of property by will or otherwise." He further says, "In contradistinction to the English word 'covenant'...which signifies a mutual undertaking between two parties or more, each binding himself to fulfill obligations, it does not itself contain the idea of joint obligation, it mostly signifies an obligation undertaken by a single person" (Vine, pp. 252-53). It almost always refers to "A promise or undertaking on the part of God." After the flood, for example, God made a covenant with Noah [and with all Noah’s descendants after him] never again to destroy the world [that is, the human population of the earth] with water (Genesis 9:8-17). The word, “covenant,” here, obviously refers to a promise. In this article we are going to notice the three great covenants of God.

GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAM

    In Genesis 12:1-3, God made a covenant with Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham. We want to notice three things concerning this covenant.

    First, God promised Abram that all the families of all the nations of the earth would be blessed in, through, or by means of his seed (22:15-18; Galatians 3:16). This promised blessing was “justification through faith” (Galatians 3:6-8).

    Second, the Old Testament Law of Moses did not supersede God’s covenant with Abram. The Old Testament was given only to the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:1-6) and could not [nor was it designed to] provide justification (Galatians 3:10-12,21).

    Third, the promised blessing of this covenant is now available through the New Testament. Those who have obedient faith receive justification (Galatians 3:6-9; James 2:14-26). Water baptism, as a manifestation of this obedient faith, is essential to receiving the blessing (Galatians 3:26,27). Those who have been “baptized into Christ” are “one in Christ” (v. 28; see also John 17:20,21), are “Abraham’s seed” (v. 29) and are “heirs according to the promise” (v. 29).

GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL

    Years after making a covenant with Abram to bless every family in, through or by means of his seed, God made a covenant with the ancient nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. In order to come to a better understanding of this covenant [referred to in the New Testament as the Old Testament], please consider the following facts.

    First, God made this covenant with Israel, exclusively, not with their ancestors, nor with any other nation, before or since (Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Exodus 19:1-6). The Ten Commandments [also given solely to Israel] formed the basis of this covenant (Deuteronomy 5:4-21; Exodus 20:1-17). While this was the first and only time God made a covenant with a particular nation, He’s always had moral expectations of all men in every nation (Jeremiah 18:7-10; Proverbs 14:34; Jonah 3:10; Romans 1:18-32).

    Second, this covenant was necessary for at least three reasons: To reveal and magnify sin (Romans 7:7-13), to insulate the Jews from the idolatry of the Gentile nations around them (Ephesians 2:11,12; Deuteronomy 12:29-32) and to conduct the Jews to Christ [by Whom justification for all men would be provided, in accordance with the promise of God to Abram] (Galatians 3:19-24).

    Third, this covenant was imperfect, as implied by the very existence of the New Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-35; Hebrews 8:6,7). It was imperfect because it placed a curse on those who did not keep it (Galatians 3:10-12), it was not able to free man from law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-3), and it was not able to make worshippers perfect (Hebrews 10:1-4).

    Fourth, this covenant was temporary; it was intended to last only until the time was full for God to begin fulfilling His promise to bless all families through Abram’s seed (Galatians 3:15-19,23-25; 4:1-5). Jesus “took away the first that he might establish the second” (Hebrews 10:5-9). It was “abolished” by Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-16). It was “nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:8-17). It was replaced by "the faith" (Galatians 3:25-29; Jude 3).

    Fifth, this covenant is still valuable. Its study provides one with hope (Romans 15:4), admonition (1 Corinthians 10:1-12), an account of the origin of sin (Romans 5:12), an understanding of God's nature (Exodus 20:5) and examples of His severity (Romans 11:22; Leviticus 10:1,2).

GOD’S COVENANT WITH ALL MEN TODAY

    No one [either Jew or Gentile] is now under the Law of Moses [Old Testament], since Jesus “nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14) when He dedicated the New Testament, or Covenant (Heb. 9:14-26). It is to the terms of this New Covenant that all men are now obligated. But what are the terms of this new covenant?

THE GREAT COMMISSION

    The Great Commission is to the New Testament what the Ten Commandments were to the Old. It is called “great” because it involved preaching to all men, in contrast to the “limited commission,” which involved preaching only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5,6).

    In Matthew’s account of the Great Commission (28:16-20), we are told that the apostles were to “Teach [make disciples of] all nations.” They were then to baptize these disciples, “teaching them to observe all things” Jesus had commanded.

    From Mark’s testimony (16:14-16), we learn that the apostles were to “preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark also reports Jesus saying, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved, but he that does not believe will be condemned.”

    Luke (24:44-48) relates that the apostles were to be witnesses to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, and to preach “repentance and remission of sins …to all nations.” When the apostles preached the gospel they were but speaking the things that they had “seen and heard” (Acts 4:18-20).

    Notice that, in each of the above passages, only a part of the Great Commission is revealed. To get the entire picture we must put the parts together. Matthew reveals that the apostles were to make disciples, but does not fully explain how disciples would be made. Mark implies that the apostles were to make disciples, at least in part, by having the gospel preached to them. However, Mark does not make clear what preaching the gospel would entail. Luke reveals that preaching the gospel would involve testifying to the facts, commands and promises of the gospel.

    Thus, the apostles were to proclaim the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; they were to command believers to repent and be baptized; they were to promise remission of sins. It is true that Matthew does not mention the need for alien sinners to believe and to repent, but Mark and Luke make clear that these are implicit in the “disciple-making process.” It is true that Mark does not mention the need for alien sinners to repent. But Luke does mention it. It is also true that Luke does not say anything [in his account of the great commission] about the need for alien sinners to believe and be baptized. But both Matthew and Mark mention baptism.

    John (20:19-23) mentions neither the responsibility of the apostles to preach the gospel nor the responsibility of alien sinners to believe, repent and be baptized. He merely records Jesus’ statement that those whose sins were remitted [or forgiven] by the apostles would be remitted, and those whose sins were retained by the apostles would be retained [see also Matthew 16:19], indicating their role as divinely chosen and divinely approved ambassadors. There was no need for John to mention the commands of the gospel, as Matthew, Mark and Luke had already mentioned these.

THE FIRST GOSPEL SERMON

    On Pentecost [following the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ] the facts of the gospel were published for the first time (Acts 2:22-24). Jesus, Peter said, had been approved by God among them, by miracles and wonders and signs, which God had done by Him (see also John 20:30,31). They, themselves, knew this to be the case.

    Peter also pointed out that it was not from weakness on Jesus’ part, but in accordance with the purpose and foreknowledge of God, that He was yielded up to them. When thus yielded up, they had through wicked hands put Him to death by crucifixion. But God had raised Jesus from the dead, because it was not possible for death to hold Him.

    Peter then applied several Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 16:8-11; 110:1; 132:11; and 2 Samuel 7:12-16) to show that this was in keeping with what God had revealed. Convinced by the combined testimony of the apostles and the Old Testament prophets that Jesus is “both Lord and Christ,” the people asked, “What shall we do?”

    Peter did not tell them to believe that Jesus is the Christ, because they had already come to believe through Peter’s sermon; he commanded them to “repent, and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:37,38). To “repent” is to determine to forsake and avoid sin. To “be baptized” is to be buried (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12) in water (Acts 8:36; 10:47,48). They were to be baptized “for [“in order to”] the remission of sins” [forgiveness]. Consider the same phrase, “for the remission of sins” in Matthew 26:28. Was the Lord’s blood to be shed “because of” or “in order to” forgiveness of sins?

    The expression, “Calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:21; 22:16; Romans 10:13) obviously means appealing to the authority of the Lord. The apostles were authorized by Jesus Christ to state conditions whereby we may be forgiven. We are forgiven, or saved, by the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) when we do what He has authorized to be done for salvation, and not until then. After Peter encouraged his hearers “with many other words” to save themselves from that “untoward generation…those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:40,41).

    Since being baptized is a command given by the apostles to alien sinners, it must be part of what the Lord has authorized alien sinners to do for forgiveness. Many who claim to be ministers of the gospel are going around telling people who want to be saved to believe, repent and pray, rather than to believe, repent and be baptized. Yet, no inspired man [apostle or New Testament prophet] ever told an alien sinner [one who is still outside the kingdom of God] to pray for forgiveness. Thus, the New Covenant does not promise that God will forgive the alien sinner in answer to prayer. However, once an individual has obeyed the commands to believe, repent, confess and be baptized, he is then on speaking terms with God [having been justified on the condition of an obedient faith] and may with God’s approval ask for forgiveness when he sins.