In last week’s post, we discussed the Covenant God has made with His people. God says that if we are His people, He will bless us to be a blessing, for His glory, and for the benefit of the people who surround us. But how do we know if we are His people? Where and for whom does this Covenant take place?
Let’s dig into it…
Who is the recipient of this covenant?
God delivers His Covenant to His special people—His treasure.
Deuteronomy 7:6-11
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. 11 You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.
All of His children are recipients of the covenant but not just because we are His children, but because we are special to Him—His treasure. He values us and considers us His most precious gift, which is why He desires to bless us and have us bless others in the process. Those the Lord keeps covenant with are those who love Him and keep His commandments—His people.
Many look at scriptures on the Covenant, particularly in the Old Testament, and claim that these covenantal scriptures do not apply to Christians today. They were written for specific people during a specific time in history. While it is true that God did make covenants with specific people at specific times, God’s broader Covenant with His people has been extended to us through the cross.
Romans 8:12-17
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
We are adopted into God’s family when we receive Christ, and are thus invited into the Covenant God has made with His people. As His children, He promises to lead and guide us and to continually bear witness that we are His children. He wants us to fully receive our identity as children and recognize that it is our privilege to be His children. In turn, we always are to live in the covenant relationship He promises. We all are included; no one is exempt from receiving the full benefit of the covenant.
Where and when does God deliver His Covenant?
So, as Christians, we have the opportunity to enter into the Covenant with God, but does this happen now? And does it happen everywhere?
Christ came to redeem us and to set up His Kingdom on earth. When we enter into a restored relationship with Christ, we are invited into His Kingdom, and it is in His Kingdom that we can experience His Covenant. Wait—but what is His Kingdom?
At Abide Ministries, we like to say that the Kingdom is where the King is. The Kingdom is where God rules, where His power reigns and operates, and where His will is carried out. He brought His Kingdom to us so that we can live in this relationship now, here on earth. So in order to be in the Kingdom and experiencing the Covenant, we need to be with the King and surrendered to His will. It is not guaranteed that we live in His Kingdom, even if we have already received Him and become a Christian. In order to enter the Kingdom, we have to submit to His authority in our lives, humble ourselves, and ask Him to lead us into His will.
Deuteronomy 15:5-6
5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
In order to experience the Covenant, we must be living in God’s Kingdom, in which He reigns, and we do not. The Covenant is not automatic, but requires us to surrender our own wills to His, and allow Him direct and restore our lives. When we do this, we open ourselves up not only to immense blessing and restoration, but also a deep and loving relationship with the King, who desires for us to thrive and experience abundance under His Covenant.
We’ve now discussed who the Covenant is for and where we must be in order to experience the Covenant, but the scriptures we’ve discussed on the Covenant have also said a lot about obeying the Lord and doing His commandments. This reveals to us that, like all Covenants, there are two sides to be upheld. What, specifically, does God promise to deliver if we obey His commandments? And what are the commandments we are to obey? What is our role in the Covenant? We will discuss these things over the next two blog posts, so check back in!
And, as always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions. We are here to help you on your journey to encountering Christ in a new way. Send us a message on our Contact Page—we’ll be happy to respond to any of your questions!
