COVENANT INSTITUTED: A UNILATERAL ORIGIN
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Covenant Instituted
a) We see that the new covenant came through a unique mediator, from a unilateral origin, with universal application.
b) Definitions:
i) Unique: One of a kind. There is no other like Jesus.
ii) Unilateral: One sided. God did not negotiate his covenant. He made it without any help from his created beings.
iii) Universal: For the whole wide world, all humankind.
2. A Unilateral Origin
a) God’s covenant is God’s covenant. It was not formulated by us, or in consultation with us. In this sense it is unilateral or one-sided.
b) There is a sense, of course, in which God’s covenant is bilateral or two-sided, because under the covenant God is not the only one required to do anything. Having formulated and initiated the covenant by himself, God now requires us to act in obedience to the terms of that covenant.
c) The Old Covenant an Example...
i) Regarding the old law of Moses, God said, "Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation..." (Exodus 19:5-6).
ii) Moses pleaded with the children of Israel to "enter in to the covenant with the Lord your God and into his oath which the Lord your God is making with you today" (Deuteronomy 29:12).
iii) You will observe that the children of Israel, even Moses himself, had no input into the formulating of the covenant. It was a unilateral directive from God. Their part was to obey.
d) New Covenant From God...
i) The new covenant is also unilateral, in the sense that it came from God and we had no part in initiating or formulating it. Jesus "has obtained a more excellent ministry, because he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is based on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6-8).
ii) Although the new covenant is vastly different from the old, it was nevertheless instituted by God unilaterally as a law with promise and penalty.
iii) Jesus didn't come into the world to help humankind negotiate a covenant with God. He came to mediate a covenant already prepared by God without human input.
iv) Jesus understood that the covenant he mediated was unilateral in its institution. "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me." (John 14:23-24).
v) You will observe that Jesus says, "Keep my word". He doesn't say, “Keep the agreement we made together”. The covenant Christ mediated to us was unilateral in its origin. Remember, however, that the covenant is bilateral in the sense that we are required to “keep” (believe and obey) that word.
The End ...
1. Covenant Instituted a) We see that the new covenant came through a unique mediator, from a unilateral origin, with universal application.
b) Definitions:
i) Unique: One of a kind. There is no other like Jesus.
ii) Unilateral: One sided. God did not negotiate his covenant. He made it without any help from his created beings.
iii) Universal: For the whole wide world, all humankind.
2. A Unilateral Origin
a) God’s covenant is God’s covenant. It was not formulated by us, or in consultation with us. In this sense it is unilateral or one-sided.
b) There is a sense, of course, in which God’s covenant is bilateral or two-sided, because under the covenant God is not the only one required to do anything. Having formulated and initiated the covenant by himself, God now requires us to act in obedience to the terms of that covenant.
c) The Old Covenant an Example...
i) Regarding the old law of Moses, God said, "Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation..." (Exodus 19:5-6).
ii) Moses pleaded with the children of Israel to "enter in to the covenant with the Lord your God and into his oath which the Lord your God is making with you today" (Deuteronomy 29:12).
iii) You will observe that the children of Israel, even Moses himself, had no input into the formulating of the covenant. It was a unilateral directive from God. Their part was to obey.
d) New Covenant From God...
i) The new covenant is also unilateral, in the sense that it came from God and we had no part in initiating or formulating it. Jesus "has obtained a more excellent ministry, because he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is based on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6-8).
ii) Although the new covenant is vastly different from the old, it was nevertheless instituted by God unilaterally as a law with promise and penalty.
iii) Jesus didn't come into the world to help humankind negotiate a covenant with God. He came to mediate a covenant already prepared by God without human input.
iv) Jesus understood that the covenant he mediated was unilateral in its institution. "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me." (John 14:23-24).
v) You will observe that Jesus says, "Keep my word". He doesn't say, “Keep the agreement we made together”. The covenant Christ mediated to us was unilateral in its origin. Remember, however, that the covenant is bilateral in the sense that we are required to “keep” (believe and obey) that word.
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