The Narrative

As I think of a story, I tend to think of the characters and how they relate. The story of human history, the Bible, characters and how they relate to one another is important. There are no bigger character relationships in the story of the Bible than the relationship between God and mankind. If I were to describe this relationship in one word, that word would be covenant. Webster’s dictionary defines the word covenant as; a formal binding agreement between multiple parties. Covenant is an important word for describing the relationship between God and mankind, because since the very beginning of the story God has been in a specific purposeful promised agreement with man. As the covenant relationship between God and mankind unfolds, so too does the story with God and mankind. So to understand the Biblical narrative, we must understand the flow of the covenant relationship we have with God.

The first covenant that the story of the Bible comes to is the covenant of works. God has just created the entire universe, including human beings, and now sets out to establish His rule through man in creation. God covenants with Adam and tells him to get to work. Genesis 1:28 states, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth’”. This is the first command given by God to mankind and it includes working hard to rule in the place of God and spread His glory over all of the earth. God makes His first promise to man, if only man can keep his end of the agreement.

But the problem with Adam was that he was not perfect and disobeyed God immediately after this covenant was established. God, being a loving and gracious God formed another covenant with Adam and the human race, a better covenant. This is the covenant of grace and throughout the remainder of history, this covenant continues to unfold. This covenant of grace finds its very beginning in Genesis 3:16. In this verse God tells the now sinful man and woman, “I will put enmity between you [the serpent/Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel”. This is the first promise in the covenant of grace, that God guarantees one will come who will destroy the work of sin and eventually lead mankind back into a right relationship with the covenant God.

But the covenant of grace has depth beyond what Genesis 3 teaches. In the story of Noah, God adds to this covenant when He declares another promise to mankind in Genesis 9:11, “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth”. Now God in His covenant relationship with mankind has declared a promise in that He will never destroy the earth again by a flood and gives the sign of a rainbow as a promise symbol.

God deepens the covenant, in the story with Abraham. In Genesis 17:7 God declares, “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you”. The Covenant of Grace through Abraham, now adds the fact that blessing will come in the future deliverer and that God will be God to all of Abraham’s generations. This adds to the covenant of grace an element of future blessing and eternal security.

The covenant of grace gets more beautiful when the children of Israel come onto the scene. In Exodus 19:5-6 God adds the element that the other party in this covenant of grace will be his holy possession. God states, “now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. This covenant of God is through a people, for a people, to fully make a people His own.

In the story of King David, we find our next element of the covenant. Not only do we see the promise to King David in a promised redeemer who will come through David’s family, but we also find out this coming Messiah will also be a King. God declares to David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This means that the covenant of grace given to David will be enteral and the coming King will reign for all eternity.

But even with God adding layers to the covenant of grace throughout the centuries, mankind still needs help to keep their end of the agreement. God makes a promise that one day He will make a way, through the redeemer, for His holy possession to have the ability to keep their end of the covenant. God through His covenant mouthpiece, states, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). God finally tells his people that in His grace, he will give them a heart transplant that will enable them to declare with their lips He is Lord and have the ability in their lives to keep the covenant.

The covenant of grace comes into full view when the promised mediator arrives. Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah comes as a better Adam, Noah, Abraham, child of Israel, and King David. This means that Jesus is the only true one that will keep the human part of the covenant. But even though Jesus comes as the only perfect covenant keeper, He dies like a covenant breaker so that all the other covenant breakers are given a way back to God. As Galatians 3:13 states, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (covenant stipulations) by becoming a curse for us (the lawbreakers). So for those who believe in Jesus, life can be enjoyed through the covenant of grace.

Because of Jesus and His covenant keeping life, the covenant of grace can come full circle. The covenant of grace began in the garden of Eden when God had to make a better covenant because Adam broke the first covenant. One day, thanks to the life of Christ keeping the first Covenant, all of those who have trusted and believed in Him, who are given the covenant of grace, will be able to enjoy the perfect garden again. When the perfect mediator and covenant keeper returns for His holy nation, the covenant of grace will be no more, as God will have no need for a covenant as His creation is once more restored into a perfect life for all eternity. In fact, all of eternity will be a celebration of the covenant of grace.