COVENANTS: AGREEMENTS BETWEEN GOD AND MEN

Generally, God's covenants are not fully understood. In simple words, these covenants are merciful agreements that God makes with human beings. Understanding what they are about helps us understand more about the plan He has for us.

Simply put, a pact is an agreement. And in the Bible this word is often used to describe the agreements God has made with different people, where He offers wonderful promises and asks that certain rules be obeyed in return.

But, although God asks for obedience, his promises always surpass the reward he deserves. In reality, God's promises are not the payment for the human efforts of these people, but rather a demonstration of their love.

And the little requirements that God has are also motivated by that love. God's laws were created for our benefit; Obeying them and loving whoever created them brings automatic blessings! So, it is totally logical that God asks us for obedience and loyalty before giving us his undeserved gifts.

Covenant Examples

God made a covenant with Noah about never destroying the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11). He also made a covenant with Abraham to give physical blessings to his descendants and spiritually bless all mankind through Jesus Christ (Genesis 12: 1-3; 22: 16-18; Galatians 3: 8, 16).

But, one of the most important covenants in the Bible is what God made with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. Through this, God promised to bless the entire nation and the people promised to obey the helpful laws of their Creator (Exodus 24: 3).

However, as the Old Testament relates, the people of Israel did not keep their part of the deal. This is why, in Deuteronomy 5:29, God laments by saying: “Who would give them such a heart, that they would fear me and keep all my commandments every day, so that they and their children would do well forever! " The book of Hebrews then reveals that the cause of the failure of the Old Covenant was not the agreement itself, but the breach of Israel (Hebrews 8: 8).

The New Covenant

Fortunately, Jesus Christ came to earth to make way for a New Covenant that would solve this problem. Through his merciful sacrifice, He paid the death penalty that all humanity deserves for his sins and made it possible for our sins to be forgiven if we repent. This in turn allows God to offer us his Holy Spirit, which begins the process of transforming our heart so that we can internalize and obey God's good and helpful laws with a faithful love that we could not have without His Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 10: 16-17).

In the New Covenant, God not only promises us eternal life, but also gives us the spiritual help we need to fulfill our part of the agreement. Without a doubt, it is absolutely absurd to think that we could gain forgiveness or eternal life for ourselves, but still God asks us for obedience for our own good. He will only give eternal life to those who decide to follow their path of joy and peace for all eternity, not to those who choose the path of selfishness, rebellion and misery.

The Bible has much more to say about God's merciful agreements with humanity — his covenants. We invite you to read more of our articles in the "Covenants" section and to choose the path of life and hope based on the truth of God.