Are there conditions for being included in God’s covenant of grace?
(Jer. 31:3; Matt. 5:17-19; 22:35-40; Rom. 5:5; 13:10; Heb. 2:9-10; 1 John 4:16-17) Blog May 16-22, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: God bases his lasting relationship with his people on a covenant. First, he makes a proposal and after a period of time enters into a covenant with them. When Adam broke God’s covenant with humanity, God immediately offered a new covenant for our redemption. This covenant, like those made with Noah, Abraham, and David, were given by grace and the blessings offered are received by faith alone. The covenant God made with Israel at Sinai, like that made with Adam before the fall, was based on human performance.
Motives (Gen. 3:1-5; Ex. 19:5; Josh. 9:3-15; Jer. 31:3; Matt. 22:35-40; Rom. 13:10; 2 Cor. 11:1-3)
1. What are true motives for proposing and forming a covenant? True motives for proposing & forming a covenant are mutual attraction, love, a desire to benefit the other party and/or the desire for mutual benefit.
2. What are false motives for prosing or making a covenant? False motives for proposing or making a covenant are the desire to dominate the other party or to take advantage of or mistreat the other party.
3. What method is generally used in order to make an inappropriate covenant? Deception.
4. Give Bible examples of when deception was used in order to make an inappropriate covenant: Lucifer used deception to beguile Eve in the Garden of Eden & the Gibeonites used deception to exact a covenant from Joshua & the leaders of Israel.
5. What was God’s motive for proposing and seeking a covenant with humanity? Love.
6. According to Jesus where is love most perfectly defined? In the Ten Commandments.
7. According to Paul where is love most perfectly defined? In the Ten Commandments.
8. How are the Ten Commandments related to all God’s covenants? The Ten Commandments are the underlying basis & wording of God’s covenants with the human race.
Obligatory Covenants (Matt. 5:48; John 1:17; Rom. 3:20; 5:12-19; 2 Cor. 9:8; 1 John 4:16-17)
9. If God’s covenant with his people is based on our obedience to the Ten Commandments what is the result? We fail miserably & break the covenant just as Israel did at Sinai.
10. What has God done in order that we may be included in all his covenant promises. God has given us a new Federal Representative in place of Adam & in our place (as our vicarious Substitute) he has fulfilled every obligation outlined in the Ten Commandments.
11. For whom did Jesus fulfill all the demands of God’s everlasting covenant? For everyone found in him.
12. How can I be found in Christ so as to be included in all the blessings of God’s everlasting covenant? By believing in him as your Lord & Saviour.
13. What hope of eternal life do we have on the basis of our being loving like God? None, for “by the deeds of the Law [love] there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.”
14. Could God have changed his Law in order to receive us in our fallen condition? No, for God is LOVE & since he is unchangeable & his Law is but an expression of who he is then it would be impossible to change his Law in order to receive us in our fallen condition.
A Law of Love (Matt. 5:17-19; Rom. 5:5; Heb. 2:9-10)
15. If Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law in my place why should I have any interest in keeping the Ten Commandments? You will not likely have any desire to keep the Ten Commandments if you have not trusted in him as your Lord & Saviour, but if you have accepted him as your Substitute & Surety before God, you will love him for what he has done for you & that love will express itself in obedience to all his Commandments. Why would a person want to hurt the one who had suffered & bled, sacrificing life itself for their redemption? Jesus paid the bride price before the marriage that we might enter into a loving covenant with him.
16. For what reason might unbelievers desire to keep God’s commandments? Unbelievers might desire to keep God’s Commandments in order to receive his temporal blessings of health, happiness, & harmony with society & in the home
17. If love is what God is and what he wants us to be, how are we to attain that goal? When we believe in Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit who places love in our hearts & continually works with us to increase that love. This work continues until the Spirit’s final work of glorification fits us to lovingly live in God’s presence forever.
18. What should be our attitude to the obligations mentioned in God’s covenant? We, like David should proclaim, “Oh how I love thy Law; it is my meditation day and night.” God’s every command is a glorious promise that he will fulfill in us if we cooperate with him.
19. Can we conclude that there are no conditions for being included in God’s covenant of grace? No, there is one condition & that is faith in Jesus for to him were all God’s promises made & in him they are Yeah & Amen.