The Covenants: Toward A Biblical Understanding

[Guest shiloh357]

I've not seen these two - covenantalism and dispensationalism mixed, side by side. Anytime i've been in the room with both sides of this coin i see nothing but debate.

I think you are referring to "Covenant Theology" which is not what I am espousing. Covenant Theology IS in controversy with Dispensationalism. I have never heard of "covenantalism."

[EricH]

I've not seen these two - covenantalism and dispensationalism mixed, side by side. Anytime i've been in the room with both sides of this coin i see nothing but debate.

I think you are referring to "Covenant Theology" which is not what I am espousing. Covenant Theology IS in controversy with Dispensationalism. I have never heard of "covenantalism."

It has been interesting to see both dispensationalism and Covenant Theology evolve over the last decade. They are actually both moving not (closer to each other) as evidenced by Progressive Dispensationalism and New Covenant Theology

[Guest shiloh357]

I've not seen these two - covenantalism and dispensationalism mixed, side by side. Anytime i've been in the room with both sides of this coin i see nothing but debate.

I think you are referring to "Covenant Theology" which is not what I am espousing. Covenant Theology IS in controversy with Dispensationalism. I have never heard of "covenantalism."

It has been interesting to see both dispensationalism and Covenant Theology evolve over the last decade. They are actually both moving not (closer to each other) as evidenced by Progressive Dispensationalism and New Covenant Theology

Yeah, I have been looking into that. It is a very interesting thing, indeed.

[Willow99]

I've not seen these two - covenantalism and dispensationalism mixed, side by side. Anytime i've been in the room with both sides of this coin i see nothing but debate.

I think you are referring to "Covenant Theology" which is not what I am espousing. Covenant Theology IS in controversy with Dispensationalism. I have never heard of "covenantalism."

I'm thoroughly enjoying this study. Thank you for taking the time to write it out. Looking forward to more!

Willow99

[Treasure]

And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

(Genesis 9:8-17)

Am I reading this correctly, that God made this covenant between Himself and the earth?

[Guest]

Dr. Scott Hahn is BIG on "covenant" and its place in Salvation history. Has anyone read any of Dr. Hahn's books?

[Smalcald]

I saw him on EWTN.

[Resurrection Priest]

Someone a page or two back asked why the need for a "new" covenant.  My answer to that, is to explain that the Covenant of Sinai is presented as a Marriage Covenant. 

Isaiah 54:5  “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.”

        The Son of God created all things, including this earth and our heavens (Jn 1:1-3, Jn 1:10, Col 1:15-17, Heb 1:1-2).

    Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O backsliding children,’ says the LORD; ‘for I am married to you.”

    Jeremiah 2:1-3 “Thus says the LORD: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness . . .”

        Anciently the betrothal was the binding marriage covenant.  Adultery during this period of betrothal, was punishable with death.  

    Jeremiah 31:32 “the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.”

Ezekiel 16:32  “You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.”
    
    Ezekiel 16:38  [Speaking of Jerusalem] “I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.”  

The LORD gave the 10 Northern Tribes a "bill of divorcement".   Much later Judah was "widowed" when her "husband" was crucified. 

    Jeremiah 3:8  “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”

    Isaiah 50:1 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, whom I have put away? . . . And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.’”

This necessitated a NEW Covenant of Marriage - with Israel (which includes all grafted in Gentile believers). 

Result:  Jesus Christ will marry Israel redeemed.  We are "betrothed" to Him.

2 Corinthians 11:2 [Paul] “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

    Ephesians 5:23  “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”

Let me repeat.  The first marriage covenant - the Sinai Covenant - really is “obsolete”.  It was rendered obsolete when the “husband” of Israel died.   

        The “new covenant” is also a marriage covenant. We are now “betrothed” to “Him who was raised from the dead” by a NEW covenant of marriage.  The wedding feast has not yet taken place, nor the consummation of that covenant, but we ARE presently under that new covenant, IF we belong to Christ Jesus.  His death sealed that covenant.

Under the Law, a man was forbidden to re-marry a woman he had divorced for adultery.  Just so - the "husband" of the First Covenant could not re-marry Israel - the "women" He divorced.  Unless of course - He died, and then lived again - as "another man" (Romans 7:4). 

This is the only legal argument I have seen, for WHY there had to be a "New" Covenant. 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Resurrection Priest