Bible Question: what is a covenant |
Bible Answer: Here is one of the simplest brief explanations I have seen of the difference between the two Testaments or Covenants. Every Covenant has blessing and curses associated with it. Blessing if the terms of Covenant are kept and curses if they are violated. Adam and Eve violated the terms of the Covenant (Gen 2:16) and suffered the consequences (Gen 3). This same pattern is repeated over and over again throughout the Old Tstament and even extends to the New Testament (1 Cor 11:29-30). "one of the most significant differences bewteen the old and New Covenants: the Old Covenant is adminsitered by God with human mediators who came under oath and then sinned- like Adam (see Rom 5:12-21) and Israel (see Hebrews 3-4)-thereby triggering the covenant curses. In contrast, the New Covenant is established by the God-man, Jessus, but only after he had fulfilled the terms- and borne the curses- of the Old covenant. He thus became the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8-9), which he ratified by oath-swearing." A Father Who Keeps His Promises, by Scott Hahn, p 26 1994, still in print The slaughter of animals and passing between the two half carcasses was a traditional covenant sealing ritual between two parties. The parties to the covenant would pass between the body pieces invoking upon themselves a fate similar to that of the slaughtered beast if they failed to keep their word or part of the covenant as pledged in the covenant agreement. For the ancient Israelites the difference between a contract and a covenant was te difference between an encounter with a prostitute (an exchange of goods and services) and marriage ( a giving of one's total self to on another). That is why the marital image of God relationship with Israel is often depicted as a marriage relationship and Israel's idolatry is depicted as adultery. But God is always seeking reconciliation. |
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ematt05 | ||
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ministermay | ||
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Kickingguru22 | ||
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scjm | ||
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dpfreeman | ||
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susu | ||
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churchladies101 | ||
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ministermay | ||
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kalos | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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justme |