The Everlasting Covenant

by Hubert F. Sturges, M.D., www.everlastingcovenant.com, February 19, 2010

Topics Include:
   Introduction
   The Everlasting Covenant
   Who Was this Covenant Made With?
   The Old Covenant
   The New Covenant
   Sign of the Covenant
   What Did Jesus Do at the Cross?
   The Judaizers
   Law and Grace

Introduction:

Several terms are used to describe agreements between parties. An “intent” to do something is often unspoken and subject to the whims of the individual. A “promise” is spoken and expectations are raised that it will be done. To break a promise lessens the credibility of the person who promised. A “vow” is a more serious commitment and usually includes a consequence if it is not fulfilled.

A “Covenant” including all of these, is a formal commitment and includes stipulations and consequences. Covenants in ancient times were often sealed by blood -- of both parties, one party, or by animals representing the parties. A covenant may be one-sided or binding on both sides. In modern times we use the term Contract which in frontier societies were binding by a firm handshake, but are now often many pages of fine print. To break a contract will usually result in monetary loss.

In the Bible, the promises of God are sure. Covenant is used to inspire assurance to human recipients as to the purpose of God and to the permanence of this purpose.

This website is to examine the Everlasting Covenant of God and to discuss the relationship of the Plan of Salvation, the Everlasting Gospel, the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and other related issues. Extensive documentation is provided on the website, and is not repeated in this article.

The Everlasting Covenant

In the eternity before the creation of this world God the Father and God the Son, in council together formed a plan to support their Creation, and to redeem it if men should exercise their free choice and sin. God gave and the Son came to this earth to make the sacrifice on Calvary and to pay the penalty of the broken law of God.

This is also referred to as “My” Covenant as it is uniquely the Covenant of God. It was not made by man, but by God for man. Men can add nothing to this covenant, and this covenant cannot be broken. It is for men to accept this covenant by faith, or to reject it (“break” it).

This is called the Everlasting Covenant as it was formed before Creation, presented to men throughout history, ratified by Jesus Christ on Calvary, and finds its culmination in the New Earth when:

         “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3, KJV).

Who was this Covenant made with?

When Adam and Eve sinned, before the sun set that day, God presented to them the covenant:

         “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, KJV).

Adam and Eve did not die that day. They were given probation by authority of Calvary (“bruise his heel”) and an “enmity” against Satan and sin by which they were again given a chance to choose Christ.

To Noah was given “My” Covenant as a covenant of salvation. When this world had passed the limit God allowed for wickedness and was destroyed in the Flood, God preserved mankind through Noah and provided for life through regular seasons and a promise of no more flood. It is important to note that God would “establish” and “remember” His covenant. It was through Jesus’ promised sacrifice that mankind was preserved.

To Abraham was given the covenant in more detail. He was to be the father of the covenant nation. It was through Abraham’s seed that Christ would come (Galatians 3:16).

At Sinai, the covenant was given in rich detail. By the power by which He delivered Israel from Egypt, God would make of them “a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (This promise is repeated to the church in 1 Peter 2:9). The Ten Commandment law, spoken by God from Sinai, and written on stone by God would be the means by which God would make of them “an holy nation.” He would do this by the preamble of grace of Exodus 20:2.

In addition to their spiritual blessings and responsibilities, God provided them with land, wealth, health, and influence so long as they were faithful to Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 103:17,18). At the same time they were warned by curses (Deuteronomy 28:15-31) removing all these blessings if they were not faithful to Him.

The Old Covenant

The historical old covenant was also established at Sinai, based on the promises of the people (Exodus 19:8; 24:3-8). It was a human covenant of dedication and commitment to the everlasting covenant of God. It was accepted by God, but depending on the faith of Israel, it was faulty (Deuteronomy 5:28,29). Within 40 days it was broken.

Moses interceded for the people, and the covenant of God was restored (Exodus 34:10).

To this point we can understand that the Everlasting Covenant of God consisted of the promises of Exodus 19:4-6 and the Ten Commandment Law (Exodus 20:3-17; 16:33-34; 25:21; 34:28; Numbers 17:10; Deuteronomy 9:9,11,15; 10:2; Hebrews 9:4).

By contrast, the Old Covenant was a covenant based on human promises, and was faulty as it represented the effort of man to do the work of God in their own strength. It represented an attitude and a way of thinking. As time went on after the covenant of God was restored, the people forgot the Messiah foreshadowed in the sacrifices and began to look on the sacrifices and ceremonies as the sum and substance of their religion. It was a new idolatry, and not far different from the idolatry of the heathen. This was the experiential old covenant.

The New Covenant

While Judah was in captivity in Babylon, prophets wrote frequently of the restoration of the nation. In this setting, Jeremiah wrote about a “new covenant,” a covenant whereby God would “put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

The New Covenant is the covenant of grace. “New” can also be translated “Renewed.” In the setting of the captivity of Judah, this would make sense. It has become the subject of much discussion and is used to describe all other applications of the covenant of grace including the Everlasting Covenant and “My” Covenant of God.

Sign of the Covenant

The Seventh-day Sabbath was first given at Creation (Genesis 2:1-3). I has also been stated to be the sign of sanctification (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12,20) which is the work of grace under the New Covenant to restore the image of God in mankind.

Circumcision was given to Abraham and his descendants as the token of the covenant (Genesis 17:10-17) and the sign of belonging to the covenant people of Israel. Baptism was the sign of entry to the church (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38). The final and greatest sign is the love commanded by Jesus between Christian believers (John 13:35).

What Did Jesus Do on the Cross?

Under the most adverse of circumstances Jesus lived a sinless life on earth. At every turn He did the will of the Father, He assisted those burdened with sin and disease, and He confronted Satan on a daily basis. Jesus further worked to fulfill prophecy in detail. When His “hour had come” He willingly submitted to an unfair, illegal, cruel trial and to an unjust crucifixion.

As our sin bearer, and as a human being, He felt shut out from the Father. He cried, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Then He remembered “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased,” the glory of the transfiguration, the power of the Father as He taught, healed the sick, and even as He raised the dead. Even those He loved were with Him at the crucifixion, weeping.

His faith revived, and He would end the ordeal triumphantly as He cried, “It is finished!” “Into thy hand I commit my spirit.”

In Jesus’ death on the cross He paid the penalty of the broken law of God for every man. The way was now open for every man to come to the throne of grace for help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Humanity was “bought with a price.”   The stranglehold of sin and Satan was broken. 1500 years of sacrifices and ceremonies were now confirmed and made effective (Hebrews 9:15).

Did Jesus now abolish the Old and institute the New Covenant? There are problems with this view. God has saved mankind all throughout history by grace through the Everlasting Covenant also called the New Covenant. On Calvary, what was done in anticipation was now a reality. It was strengthened and made real.

To believe that there was an old covenant which included the ten commandment law of God is to ascribe to God fault and irresponsibility. It is also to believe that God is partial (a respecter of persons) and has two ways to save mankind. If this were true, and mankind could be saved by his keeping of the law of God, then the Crucifixion would not be necessary.

But the broken law of God could be reconciled only by the shedding of blood. And only the Divine Lawgiver could meet that penalty by His sacrifice. With this as a background, the dearest gift that the Christian can return to Jesus is his own life, changed by His grace, as evidence that grace is sufficient to save. To show to men and angels that Jesus did not die in vain!

The Judaizers

There were Jewish Christians in the time of Paul who could not give up dependence on their lineage from Abraham and their meticulous keeping of the “Law of Moses” as their means of salvation. As gentiles began to come into the church this came to a head. These Jewish Christians could not accept that a person could be saved unless he “became a Jew.”

In the book of Hebrews and in several of his epistles, Paul contrasts the effective sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary and His effective priesthood in heaven with the symbolic animal sacrifices and ceremonies, and the human priesthood. These animal sacrifices and human ceremonies had now met their fulfillment in Jesus and had no more significance. To continue to insist on following these ceremonies was to deny the efficacy of Jesus and His sacrifice on Calvary.

Much of what Paul has to say in Hebrews and in several of his epistles deals with this problem. It is in these discussions that the old covenant is referenced a number of times. One needs to be clear on what the old covenant is to understand what is said. Almost all these discussions are comparisons, between the perceptions of the Jews and the fact of what Jesus has done.

In Hebrews the perception of the sacrifices and the ceremonies as the covenant (now old, faulty, and about to pass away) is compared with the effective sacrifice of Jesus. It is only through the sacrifice of Jesus that the New Covenant of grace is made effective.

Law and Grace

This controversy continues to this day in the discussion of Law and Grace. On the one side there are those who teach that we are saved only through grace. While this is true they fail to see that faith and grace are shown through the beautiful fruits of holiness brought about by keeping the ten commandment law of God. After all, when through the New Covenant the law is written on the heart, it can only be the ten commandments of God that is written.

Some in emphasizing law, are in danger of becoming legalistic in trying to obey in their own strength. Generally, people do keep the law of God on a superficial level. But the selfishness, pride and unbelief of the sinful heart can be cleansed only by grace.

In recent years there has been too much of an emphasis on faith and grace, too often as abstract principles. This has led to permissiveness and laxness in society and even within the Christian churches.

To be ready for Jesus to come again, there must be balance. The Christian must have a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. He must trust Him fully and completely. And he must consent to the work of grace in his life. This involves a decision to do right and a reliance on grace for the ability to do God’s will.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you in your interest and study of the Everlasting Covenant.

Hubert F. Sturges, M.D.