Introduction
Covenants run through the whole of Scripture – from the Abrahamic to the New – and they play a vital role in God’s plan of redemption for his people. Yet, if we’re honest, they can feel difficult to understand, and we can know little about them. This article aims to simplify what can seem like a complex topic and to highlight the beauty of these agreements between God and His people.
We will explore the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants, and finally the New Covenant – looking at the promises attached to each, any conditions involved, and how they are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. We will also briefly touch on the Adamic administration and the Noahic covenant to see how they apply to us.
On a practical note, I have included Scripture references at key points in the article. I would suggest, as far as possible, looking these up and allowing Scripture to speak. It might take a little longer, but I promise you will leave with a fresh appreciation for the Bible and a new understanding of how God speaks to his people.
What Is a Covenant?
J. Rodman Williams defines covenant as “A formal, solemn, and binding contract between two parties. The essential elements are those of two parties, a promise solemnly given, and an obligation in the covenant’s maintenance and fulfillment.”[1]
This definition works well because it highlights the relational nature of the covenant, as well as the presence of conditions and obligations. Covenant theologians often speak of the covenant formula: “I will be your God, and you will be my people,” and we find numerous examples of this formula in Scripture.
“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” – Genesis 17:7 (ESV)
“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” – Leviticus 26:12 (ESV)
“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Ezekiel 37:27 (ESV)
These passages and the aforementioned formulae should help to highlight the fact that the covenants we are going to discuss are not agreements between just any parties, but between God and His people. J. Rodman Williams notes that, “A divine covenant is a binding contract sovereignly established by God.”[2]
Before we jump into the covenants between God and man, we would do well to have a look at the Adamic administration and the Noahic covenant. The Adamic because it’s the fall of the first Adam that leads to the establishment and need for the New Covenant and the second Adam, and the Noahic because, while it serves as a promise not to destroy humanity again, it fails to solve the problem of man’s sinful heart.
Covenants run through the whole of Scripture – from the Abrahamic to the New – and they play a vital role in God’s plan of redemption for his people.
The Adamic Administration
It’s worth noting at the start that many theologians would recognise the Adamic administration as the first covenant between God and man, but to my mind, it fails to meet the basic criteria of a covenant, and so I think the word administration works better.
Michael Bird puts it well, “We do better to identify Genesis 1-2 as introducing a probationary period with conditional promises and warnings rather than to imagine a fully blown covenant whereby Adam was conscripted to obey a ‘law’ to acquire merit in order to achieve salvation for himself and his progeny”.[3]
This administration is important because it comes right at the beginning of creation and, as mentioned, creates the need for redemption. God creates the Edenic garden and Adam, the first priest of the first garden temple, is, along with Eve, tasked to exercise dominion over the garden and ultimately colonise the earth with the kingdom of God.
‘God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”’ – Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
This was Adam’s task, but it was probationary and came with the condition of obedience.
‘And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”’ – Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)
Our first parents fail, and the consequence is expulsion from the garden and an end of direct communion with God. But it is not just Adam and Eve who suffer the consequences – all of humanity is included in their sin (Romans 5:12). The actions of our first parents have a lasting effect on the human race, one that is ultimately reversed by the second Adam, Christ. (Romans 5:17) The grand narrative has begun. He will come to crush the serpent and be bruised for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5).
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” – Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
Take Away
The fall of Adam means that God has to send the second Adam, and He will do so as He unfolds His plan of redemption through covenants.
The Noahic Covenant
After the expulsion from Eden, the fate of humanity only worsened as violence and sin escalated quickly until finally the Lord brought judgment on all humanity.
‘And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”’ – Genesis 6:6-7 (ESV)
Judgment, as we know, comes in the form of the flood. All living creatures, apart from those inside the Ark with Noah and his direct relatives, are destroyed, and what God had created for Adam on the fifth and sixth days of creation is essentially reversed.
It’s after this devastating event that God makes the first unconditional covenant promise, sealed with the sign of the rainbow, to Noah and all of creation that never again would He destroy the earth (Genesis 9:8-11).
This is a new beginning, a type of new creation, and we shouldn’t miss Noah functioning as a “Second Adam” when the Lord gives him the same mandate to be fruitful and increase in number.
“As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” – Genesis 9:7 (NIV)
Take Away
God promises never again to flood the earth. This is important because God’s plan for redemption needs a stage to play out on – that stage is creation.
The actions of our first parents have a lasting effect on the human race, one that is ultimately reversed by the second Adam, Christ.
The Abrahamic Covenant
A fresh start! You might expect the world to be set right again, but humanity quickly falls back into sin. Babel is the high point of man’s sin and quest for autonomy, leading again to God’s judgment on humanity, resulting in the nation being scattered and their languages confused (eventually redeemed at Pentecost). In the midst of this, the Lord calls a man, Abram, to continue His plan for redemption.
‘The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”’
– Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)
From this text we see the Lord promising Abram three things: a land (Genesis 12:1), a people/nation (Genesis 15:5) and blessing for all the earth (Genesis 22:18). To confirm these promises, the Lord cuts an unconditional covenant with Abraham which we find vividly described in Genesis 15:7-21.
‘He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away… When the sun had gone down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.’ – Genesis 15:9-11, 17 (ESV)
The covenant between God and Abraham is often described as unconditional, due to the fact that Abraham was asleep when God passed between the animals, but that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be any conditions attached to the specific promises in the future. For example, the promise of land to Abraham was unconditional, but staying in the land, under the Mosaic covenant, came with a very clear condition of obedience.
With the covenant set in place and confirmed by the Lord Himself (in the form of a smoking fire pot), let’s see how the promises made to Abraham are fulfilled in Christ and how we as Gentiles are included.
Firstly, we have to understand that we are sons and daughters of Abraham. Paul tells the church in Galatia that if we are children of Abraham, Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:7), then the promises made to Abraham in the covenant belong to us, the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).
Let us look quickly at how each of these three promises is fulfilled and what role they play in God’s redemption plan:
Land
The promise of land ties directly back to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden and God’s progressive restoration. Canaan, which is often referred to in Edenic language (milk and honey), was only ever a temporary rest and, like Eden, was conditional. The condition (Deuteronomy 5:33) for staying in the land was obedience, something Israel failed to do. The final rest (Hebrews 4) of the people of God, those in Christ, the new heavens and new earth, will be the ultimate fulfilment of this promise and a return to Eden. (Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 65:17)
People
God promises Abraham that he will become a great nation (Genesis 17:4), as numerous as the sand and the stars. Israel grows in size, but it’s ultimately in Christ, the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29), that this promise is fulfilled in the church (Revelation 7:9).
Blessing
Israel, the descendants of Abraham, were called to be a light to the Gentile nations (Isaiah 49:6), but this did not play out as planned. If anything, Israel adopted the foreign gods of the Gentile nations, and so it is through the saving work of Christ on the cross that we see the Abrahamic covenant ultimately fulfilled, and all the nations being blessed.
Take Away
The promises of the Abrahamic covenant find temporary fulfilment in Israel, but will find their final fulfilment in Christ. The seed of the woman will crush the serpent and lead His people to a final rest.
The promises of the Abrahamic covenant find temporary fulfilment in Israel, but will find their final fulfilment in Christ. The seed of the woman will crush the serpent and lead His people to a final rest.
The Mosaic Covenant
Time passes, and Abraham’s descendants grow in number to become the nation of Israel, but they are enslaved by the Egyptians, as the Lord said they would be (Genesis 15:13). However, the story of redemption doesn’t end with Israel as slaves to the offspring of the serpent. God adopts Israel (Exodus 4:22) and appoints a man, Moses, to lead them out of captivity and into the land promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:1). At Sinai, He makes a covenant with Israel, the law is given, and the covenant formula is again applied. This covenant, the Mosaic (or Sinaitic) covenant, builds on God’s promises to the patriarchs, with a focus on the people, nationhood, and land.
The Law
Key to the Mosaic covenant is the introduction of the law: if Israel is to be the people of God, they must follow His ways and remain distinct from the surrounding nations. God called them to be a holy nation, yet their status depended on their faithfulness in keeping the covenant. This marks a key difference from the Abrahamic covenant: its conditional nature. God established the terms and gave the law, and Israel, in turn, agreed to obey.
‘Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”’ – Exodus 19:3-8 (ESV)
The law, as given by God, was to serve as a guardian or temporary measure until Christ came to release His people (Galatians 3:25-25). And while it served this purpose, it also exposed the great sinfulness of Israel. This created a problem. God had tabernacled with Adam in the garden because of an absence of sin, but a holy God couldn’t dwell in the midst of a sinful people.
The sacrificial system was the temporary solution to this dilemma. By allowing the sacrifice of animals as an atonement for sin, God could still tabernacle with His people, albeit at a distance. The Holy of Holies was in the middle of the people of Israel, but it was still separated by necessity and could only be entered once a year by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. But even the sacrificial system could not turn the hearts of the people towards the Lord.
The Land
What should have been a seamless entry into the Promised Land was, as we know, delayed by Israel’s lack of faith and disobedience. 40 years would pass, from their freedom from captivity to their final entry into the land. The promise God made to Abraham would, however, not be fulfilled in Moses, but in Joshua. As mentioned previously, Israel had agreed to keep the terms of the covenant, but despite repeated warnings from the prophets, they were eventually exiled.
“You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.” – Leviticus 20:22 (ESV)
Take Away
A more permanent solution was needed for the people of God, a sacrifice that would once and for all deal with the sin of Adam and replace the written law with the law written on their hearts. Both of those would be found in the person and work of Jesus, the perfect lamb who would atone for the sins of the whole world and fulfil the full requirements of the law. (Matthew 5:17)
A more permanent solution was needed for the people of God, a sacrifice that would once and for all deal with the sin of Adam and replace the written law with the law written on their hearts.
The Davidic Covenant
The Davidic covenant builds on the Abrahamic covenant by blessing the nations with the promise of an eternal King. With the appointment of David, Israel has, for the first time, a king who brings peace and stability (unlike Saul), but more importantly, it’s through God’s covenant with David that God will continue His plan of redemption:
“When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” – 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV)
As we trace the history of Israel, we know that David’s throne was not everlasting; it would fall into decay, but it would not cease. The promise that a king from the line of David would reign forever would find its fulfilment in Christ. The lineage of Jesse, David’s father, would produce a King who would reign forever. Jesus took on human flesh in fulfilment of God’s promises to David.[4]
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” – Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
The opening lines of the New Testament pick up the story of succession. Jesus, the son of David, the shoot from the stump of Jesse, will reign forever:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” – Matthew 1:1 (ESV).
The crowds shout during the triumphal entry, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9, ESV)
Take Away
The Davidic covenant builds on God’s earlier covenants with Adam and Abraham. Through a future Davidic King, God’s promises of righteous rule, offspring, land, and blessing would ultimately be fulfilled.
The New Covenant
We have spent some time reviewing the previous covenants that God made with His people and how, through them, He has kept His plan for redemption moving forward. For the enmity between the offspring of the serpent and that of the woman to be finally resolved in the coming Messiah (Genesis 3:15), God needed to lead unfaithful Israel by covenanting with them as a sign of His faithfulness.
As Alan J. Thomson says, “The interconnectedness of these covenants across the Scriptures reminds us again of the unity and coherence of God’s Word and the faithfulness of God. God is a faithful, promise-keeping God. His commitment to rescue and renew a people who reflect his character magnifies his wisdom, patience, righteousness, and grace.”[5]
The clearest description of the New Covenant is found in Jeremiah, but that’s not to say we don’t find it mentioned elsewhere (Isaiah 49:8, Hebrews 8:6-13). The whole of Scripture is leading up to this point and to the arrival of Christ, who inaugurates (Luke 22:20) the covenant with His blood.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For 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. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV)
House of Israel
On first reading this passage, we might be tempted to ask the question, ‘What about the Gentiles?’ The Lord seems very clear that this is a covenant between Himself and the tribes of Israel. It’s an important question and one that theologians have wrestled with. To answer this, we need to turn to Hebrews. Without quoting the full passage, Hebrews 8 tells us that Jeremiah’s promise of the New Covenant is fulfilled for those who belong to Jesus.
Again, Alan J. Thompson says, “This is what Jesus himself says – that the scriptures are about him and that they point forward to his death and resurrection, and also to the spread of the good news to the nations (Luke 24:44-47).”[6]
With this good news of the inclusion of us Gentiles in the promised New Covenant, let’s take a look at what this entails. What is new, and how does it fulfil the old?
A Renewed Heart
“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” – Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)
Israel had always struggled with a “heart of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26-27), despite promises to give them a heart of flesh; their outward observance of the law written on tablets could never bring about inward transformation. The New Covenant promises that the law will now be written on our hearts, and this inward change, empowered by the Holy Spirit, would keep God’s people from turning away.
Covenant People
“And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)
A new heart means transformation and a renewed fellowship with God. We again see the covenant “formulae” used, but this time the desire to follow God and be His people is fueled from within. Those who were outside have been brought near. Through Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, but a renewed people of God, a royal priesthood and holy nation.
“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:10 (ESV)
Knowing and Belonging
“And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. ‘Know the Lord,’ …” – Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)
This promise might seem strange to us at first. What does it mean, and how should we understand it? To be a member of the New Covenant means that you will know Him and be a member of his covenant family. This is in contrast to Israel, who, despite being in covenant with God, were often unregenerate (Romans 9:6-7).
Thomas Schreiner says it this way, “By way of contrast, members of the Old Covenant weren’t necessarily regenerated. Certainly, the remnant was regenerated by the Lord, but many were part of the covenant without being transformed.”[7]
This, according to Schreiner, is not the case with members of the New Covenant people of God, but it would be good to keep in mind that Schreiner is a Reformed Baptist and so in his model anyone baptised into Christ will of necessity be regenerate, redeemed, and eternally secured. I mention this because not all denominations would see this in the same way, e.g. Presbyterians.
Forgiveness
“For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)
It’s hard to understate how important this is for us as believers. The sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant had provided a means for the forgiveness of Israel, but it would no longer be the means of atoning for sin. Under the New Covenant, Christ, by one sacrifice, has bought forgiveness for His people.
“For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14 (ESV)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
Christ has once and for all defeated the serpent and brought forgiveness and redemption to all who are in covenant with Him.
Take Away
As believers in Christ, we have access, through His blood, to the covenant promises of the New Covenant. The law is now written on our hearts, and we belong to and know the one, true God.
Conclusion
As we conclude, I hope that this article has, in a small way, helped to show the continuity of the covenants (although not perfect) and to demystify what is a big and often very complicated topic. There is a lot more that could be said about this topic, but I hope that this has piqued your interest and opened you to the idea that God’s plan for redemption is found throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Christ has once and for all defeated the serpent and brought forgiveness and redemption to all who are in covenant with Him.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” – Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
References:
1. J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective, pg. 275
2. J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective, pg. 276
3. Michael Bird, Evangelical Theology, pg. 280
4. Matthew Bates, Beyond the Salvation Wars, pg. 48
5. Alan J. Thomson, A Basic Guide to Biblical Theology, pg. 41
6. Alan J. Thomson, A Basic Guide to Biblical Theology, pg. 42
7. Thomas Schreiner, Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World, pg. 93
