Coming good on promises...

A number of years back, I started to find myself getting caught out a bit for not coming good on promises I'd made. More specifically, I'd make an arrangement but then something else would come up and I'd cancel. Not cool (sorry Ben). Hopefully I'm a bit better now?? This is something I've noticed my Dad to be great at - he's sometimes slow to commit to something but when he does he follows through.

God has made many promises to humans over the course of our existence and I had to give a talk at New River Church a couple of weeks back on the degree to which He's come good on those. I had to speak on the subject "Abraham and The Covenant of Grace", part of a six month series of talks on the book of Genesis. To hear it, click here. This post is a kind of text version.

My challenge was to look at chapter 15:1-7 and put it in the context of the rest of Genesis. Given that I had never heard the term "Covenant of Grace" before, it was to take some amount of study. I expanded the remit and tried to trace the main covenants of God throughout the Bible and what follows is some of the fruit of that, for anyone who's interested. The essay draws from N.T. Wright's commentary on Romans, some online essays of his on Creation and Covenant and Conflict and Covenant, some talks and writings by Ray Mayhew on Romans and covenant family and also from a study by Lambert Dolphin.

To begin with, a summary of what's happened so far in the Genesis story up to the point when Abram arrives on the scene.

Humans were created to be in relationship with God and were given authority on earth. Soon they were tempted by the serpent to think that what they were given was not enough and that God wasn't good and just wanted to control them. They believed this lie and rebelled against Him, rejecting his authority and eating the forbidden fruit (The Fall).

In doing this, they gained a knowledge of good and evil but lost dominion of the world to the Devil and felt shame for the first time. When they next met God, they hid. Since they hadn't yet eaten from the tree of life, He banished them from the garden and they remain mortal - the way back into the garden was now guarded by flames of fire.

But God still obviously loved them - he made clothes for them and promised that in the future Eve's offspring would crush the head of the serpent. This is the first prediction of what Jesus would achieve and is also the first promise that comes under the umbrella term "The Covenant of Grace" (CoG).

It didn't go well for Cain and Abel and things got worse from there until there was such diabolical behaviour on the earth that God decided there was nothing else for it but to send a flood. One family was preserved, Noah's. After the flood, God gives Noah a similar commission to the one he gave Adam and Eve, to fill the earth and rule. He also makes another promise that is not dependent on their behaviour which is that He will never again send a flood.

True to form, humans once again rebel against God which is where Abraham (then known as Abram) comes in. God remembers his promise to Noah and embarks on his plan in and through Abraham's offspring to redeem the whole of humankind and even the whole of creation. Rather than wiping us out, in his mercy, God intended ultimately to bring us back from the exile we shared with Adam and Eve after the Fall. Back from the reign of sin and death into his reign of grace and eternal life.

It's been so useful, as a church, to go through Genesis like this because it really lays out so well the problems and questions to which Jesus is the solution and answer. I've even heard it said that if you can get your head around the first three chapters of Genesis, then you've got a pretty good grasp of what the entire Bible is about.

The Great Covenantal Story from Adam to Jesus

The “Covenant of Grace” is the umbrella term for a series of gracious promises made by God for the benefit of his people… these include the ones made to Abraham and are all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. They demonstrate unmerited favour from God at his initiation. There are also some covenants made that require standards of behaviour from people. This kind is often referred to as a "Covenant of Works" (CoW).

A covenant is a type of contract or agreement or solemn promise. It can be thought of in legal terms but it is helpful to keep in mind marriage – God often talks in these terms and He wants relationship.

I didn't really know exactly why the Old Testament is called the Old Testament and the New Testament is called the New Testament? But I've found out it has to do with covenants. Testament is a translation we use for the Greek word diatheke but “covenant” is actually a closer translation so we could more accurately refer to the Old and New Testaments as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Below is a list of the major covenants of the Bible and a brief comparison of the Old and New Covenants. What was the need for a New Covenant? Did God change his mind?! What is His ultimate purpose and how are we involved?!

Adam & Eve I (CoW)

Gen 1:28 & Gen 2:16-17

When they were created, God said rule over the earth, don’t eat the fruit or you’ll die - Adam & Eve failed to keep their part of the covenant.

Adam & Eve II (CoG)

Gen 3:15

Then they are exiled but their offspring will crush the serpent. Even in exiling Adam & Eve and letting them suffer the consequences of their sin (ultimately death), God is gracious with this promise and, immediately after this, He makes clothes for them.

Noah (CoW/CoG)

Gen 9:1-11

God wipes out everyone except Noah and his family who survive the flood. God’s instruction is similar to Adam & Eve I but he adds that they can meat but shouldn’t kill people, otherwise the murderer’s blood will be required. Either way, his covenant to them and their offspring is that he won’t send another flood. The instructions require certain behaviour from individuals here but the covenant to mankind appears to be without condition.

Abram I-IV [75-99 years old] (CoG & CoW)

Gen 12:1-3, 7 & Gen 13:14-17 & Gen 15:1-7, 18-21 & Gen 17, 1-8

Humans fall into sin again but God calls Abram apart from his people, promising to make him a great nation that will be blessed and bless others and gain the land of the Caananites.

Between the ages of 75 and 99, God repeatedly reaffirms his promise of countless descendants and for his seed, an eternal inheritance of land, possibly the world.

Before Isaac is born, Abraham is shown his part in the covenant, which is for him and his people, offspring and household, to be circumcised.

This covenant was confirmed with Isaac, Jacob (called Israel) & Joseph, his son.

Moses (CoW)

Exodus 19:3-6

After the Passover and the foretold exodus, the Mosaic Covenant is made with the nation of Israel which will be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. It is connected with the giving of “The Law” to Moses at Mount Sinai. In reality, all have fallen short of the glory of God and are condemned by the Law…

This Covenant frequently gets renewed.

Palestinian covenant (CoG?)

Deuteronomy 30:1-10

There is a later covenant made with Moses which reinforces the Abrahamic covenant and seems to be unconditional with respect to the Law but does seem to require a subsequent return to the LORD & obedience. It points towards the New Covenant with regards to the circumcision of hearts.

David (CoG)

2 Samuel 7:11-16

The covenant God makes with David refers again to the seed (offspring) aspect of Abrahamic covenant and points again towards the kingdom of Jesus being established.

New Covenant (CoG!!)

The New Covenant is quoted in full. It is made when it is obvious that Israel has not kept their part of the old covenant (notice the marriage analogy):

Jeremiah 31:32-34

31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,

"when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them, "

declares the LORD.

33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel

after that time," declares the LORD.

"I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,

or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,"

declares the LORD.

"For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more." *

This is not a renewal of the Mosaic covenant but a fresh agreement since Israel was not faithful to the Mosaic covenant. Notice the marriage reference in v32. As is possible in a marriage, because of the violating actions of one party, the agreement is subject to nullification.

Jesus, and God’s Great Purpose

Finally looking at the goal at the heart of all these covenants we can see how in the gospel of Christ there is both a continuity of the story of Judaism, yet at the same time a radical newness.

From Abraham through to time of Jesus, the violating actions of ethnic Israel have left the Old Covenant subject to nullification. The goal of the old covenant is not nullified however. The goal stems from the events in the Garden of Eden when humans went into exile and sin and death began to reign.

The goal of the covenant with Abraham was to address the problem of the human race in and through his offspring, Israel. The goal was to usher in the reign of grace and life on earth.

The New Covenant was intended to bring about in and through Israel what the Old Covenant failed to do because of Israel’s disobedience.

It promised a renewal of hearts and minds and still had as its goal the return from exile of not just Israel but the whole world. Man’s return to a loving, right and faithful relationship with God. Man’s return from exile and a restoration of the whole of creation.

Did God change his mind then? No, says Paul in Romans, it’s just that the Jews has misunderstood his mind – they were looking for covenant faithfulness and saving justice from God but they weren’t expecting it in the way God served it up. In Romans, Paul explains that God has been faithful to his covenant and that his saving justice and faithfulness are unveiled in the death of Jesus. This is the good news, the Gospel and it is a 'turning point in cosmic history' (N.T. Wright).

Jesus confirms his role in the New Covenant in the following passage:

Luke 22:19-20

19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. *

Jesus is the embodiment of the Passover lamb. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He understands his place in the great covenantal story, that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness - remember the covenant with Noah and all the sacrificial requirements in the Law.

Jesus confirms the New Covenant as is its Mediator and sets us free from the sins committed under the Old Covenant.

Jesus is referred to as the “Last Adam”, the man from heaven rather than from dust. Think of Him as the Seed with a capital ‘S’, the Offspring with a capital ‘O’.

He is the seed (offspring) of Eve who crushes the serpent’s head

He is the seed (offspring) of Noah

He is the seed (offspring) of Abraham

He is the only man who was faithful to the Mosaic covenant, Who bore the promised curse on our behalf.

He is the seed (offspring) of David

He is the Son of God

Conclusion

Finally, where do we fit in?

In Romans 8 it says:

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.*

The Holy Spirit puts the Law in man’s mind and writes it on his heart (Jeremiah 31:33) and circumcises the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). Jesus poured the Spirit out on us after He ascended. The Spirit enables us to be faithful to the New Covenant and to have a loving and faithful relationship with God, having been set free from sin and death and made right with Him through the pouring out of Jesus blood.

And what are we to do? After opening their minds to understand what the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms were all saying about Him, Jesus commissions the disciples as described in chapter 24 of Luke's gospel:

46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."*

This sounds very much like the redemptive plan for the whole world that God intended to carry out through Abraham's Seed, very much like the plan which ends in a return from exile and eternal life for all humans who repent and believe. And it continues to be carried out through us who...

...have received the gracious promises revealed in the New Covenant

...as Christians are in Christ.

...have become descendants of Abraham through faith in Jesus around whom Abraham's family has been redefined

...by grace have become part of the New Covenant family

...have become part of Israel in whom and through whom God intends to liberate creation from its bondage and decay and restore it.

...are the continuation of Abraham’s story of blessedness

...pray let your kingdom come!

When the Bible talks about God's righteousness, it is normally referring both to his justice and to his faithfulness to his promises (his covenant faithfulness). God has been faithful to the promises he made, even though we have not been faithful. With that in mind, and to finish, here is a paragraph from Romans 3:21-26 which addresses both believers who are ethnically connected with Abraham and those who are not, Jews and Gentiles, both of whom are heirs of Abraham, heirs of Christ.

22 But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.**

* New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

** The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.