The Everlasting Covenant
July 2008
Is the love of God guaranteed.
The Gospel is His love proclaimed,
The law of God is His love expressed.
The everlasting covenant provides a framework
for all the truths of the Bible.
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The Covenant Project
Understanding the covenant(s) will strengthen your understanding for all the truths of the Bible.
This presentation is the result of four years study of the covenant(s) in the Bible. Much has been written about the Covenant(s) with famous works in the past 1000 years (Catholic, Luther, Calvin, Mormon); well thought out positions (Covenant Theology, New Covenant Theology, Dispensationalism, etc); and a number of speakers and writers in my own church (SDA). To say the least, there is much variety in understanding of the covenant(s).
I will concentrate on what I have found in the Bible. Once you work out what the Bible says, then it is helpful to go back to see what other writers say. Many will be different (wrong?) from what you have found in the Bible. With others you will now agree and will see things that you did not see before.
I will present my theory of the covenant(s). I present it as a theory as my own position has changed more than once during this study. As truth is made clear, my position may change again. For this reason you are urged to use the forum to present comments and questions.
Each person has what I call his "model of reality," that is to say, "the truth." We need to realize that much of our belief is really just that, a "model." This model is made up of a well supported framework of truth revealed from the Bible. But the framework is not complete. We automatically fill in the spaces with conjecture of how we think it is. This then becomes a mental picture of what we think truth is.
The problem is that we often are not able to discriminate between the revealed framework supported from the Bible and the conjecture that we fill in. Much of this conjecture is based on systems of belief – but we still must discriminate between revealed truth and conjecture even in the writings of the great men of the past.
Each of us have certain truths that are not negotiable. I will be frank and state mine:
God is a God of love
God is not a respecter of persons. Everyone is on equal standing with Him.
God does not change. His Plan of Salvation is the same in all ages.
God is the Creator of this earth and of all that is in it.
If your model is different, and your non-negotiable truths are different, please take part in the forum discussions too. Your viewpoint is valuable.
As a framework for discussing the covenant, I would suggest that:
• All the Creation of God is governed by His laws – moral, scientific, and common.
• To
break these laws leads to
consequences – immediate,
delayed, and some causing
death
• The
everlasting covenant, "My"
covenant, is the covenant of
grace and provides
forgiveness.
•
Promises and man-made
covenants flow from the
everlasting covenant but
have specific features. This study is to find
God’s purpose and will in
the covenant(s), and to make
application to our daily
lives. Understanding the
covenant(s) will also help
to strengthen the framework
for all the other truths of
the Bible. The following
presentations were made at the Redwood
Camp Meeting this July 24 -
August 2. This is material
taken from the general
articles, summarized, and
condensed into six rather
long articles. They are
offered, with accompanying
references, for your
interest. 1.0 From the
Foundation of the
World 1.1 From
the Foundation,
References 2.0 Abraham,
Covenant Explained 2.1 Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob;
References 3.0 Sinai, One
or Two Covenants? 3.1 Covenants
at Sinai -
References 4.0 New
Covenant, The
Changed Life 4.1 New
Covenant References
5.0 Covenant
Confirmed, Faith
becomes Fact 5.1 Covenant
Confirmed References 6.0 Covenant
Mandate, Grace
Sufficient 6.1 Covenant
Mandate References The Covenant Forum is open for those who wish
to use it. This will give
you opportunity to ask
questions and make comments.
You are asked to register,
and when I approve, you may
begin. Your email address is
closely guarded. You will be
able to send and receive
emails through the Forum
program, which does not
publish your email address. Have Fun! And may God
bless you. Hubert F.
Sturges endCamp Meeting Presentations!
Covenant Forum
904 Topler Ridge Court
Grand Junction, Colorado
81505