God's Covenants With Us
FIRST QUARTER 2023
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #2
JANUARY 14, 2022
“GOD’S COVENANTS WITH US”
There are several “covenants of promise” in Scripture (Ephesians 2:12). Consider three kinds:
- The agreement covenant
- The commanded covenant
- The covenant of promise
The Agreement Covenant. The everlasting covenant was and is an agreement covenant established by God the Father and God the Son in the days of eternity. The reason it is an everlasting covenant is because it existed through eternal ages in the mind of God as an agreement between Members of the Godhead. If there was a time when Christ was not, there could be no everlasting agreement, or covenant, between Himself and the Father. This contract within the Godhead is about what God would do if sin should enter the human family. In the event that man should sin, the agreement between Christ and the Father was that Christ would become a mortal man in order to die for mankind. Adam sinned and Jesus redeemed the fallen race by substituting Himself for mankind. He bore and exhausted the penalty for sin in behalf of the race.
This must not be construed to mean Universalism – the notion that everyone will be saved without conditions, regardless of whether they believe in Christ or not.
The Commanded Covenant. The second kind of covenant is the commanded law of God. After receiving the ten commandments, Moses built a storage receptacle called the “ark of the covenant” into which the law was placed. This commanded covenant becomes a promise to the believer that God will write His law in heart and mind. The mind becomes the ark where the law abides. God’s righteousness is inseparably bound up with His “covenant promises.” His righteousness is defined by His commanded covenant – His law (Psalm 119:172). His everlasting covenant is His perpetual promise to write His law in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:6-12).
The Covenant of Promise. While it is true the everlasting covenant existed in the eternal mind of God for eternity, it becomes new as His promise to us. This promise is the good news of the covenant confirmed in Christ for us (Galatians 3:16-17). It is God’s covenant of righteousness based on His own righteousness, through the faith of Jesus, and given especially to those who believe (Romans 3:21-22, KJV).
The covenant relation between God and his people is central in Scripture. Our lesson this week advances two kinds of covenants. One is unilateral; the other, bilateral. Of the two, the main idea projected in this lesson is the bilateral—, a contract: when we first do our part, then God will do His part. Examples are given: “If you will do this, then I will do that.” Or “I will do this if you will do that.” This is what the people of Israel thought that God proposed to them. They thought His proposal was a bilateral contractual agreement. They were determined to uphold their part of the bargain in exclaiming, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8).
This is close to a subsidy religion. To illustrate: If you can only do 10% on your part of contractual bargaining, by grace of course, then God will have to do 90 %. However, if you can do 90%, then He only has to do 10%.
The last thought on the first page of this week’s lesson spells out the central motif of the week’s lesson. We are to pray that “we will uphold our end of the bargain” — by God’s grace, of course. With a brief perusal of the lessons for this quarter, it seems this is the recurring theme.
While there are conditions of salvation on our part, nowhere in Scripture does God engage in bargaining with us. The conditions are faith, repentance and obedience, which is the fruit of faith. Stated again, these are conditions for accepting God’s “covenants of promise.” God’s conditions are not our upholding “our end of the bargain.” The term “bargain” implies negotiating the terms and conditions of a transaction between parties. A bargain is something acquired by negotiating the terms of a contract.
E. J. Waggoner weighed on this idea declaring, “God does not make bargains with men, because He knows that they could not fulfil their part.” "Present Truth, United Kingdom," March 10, 1898.
Covenants of Promise. “The covenants (plural) of promise” are found in Ephesians 2:12. First of all, God’s everlasting covenant is His promise to us of the good news of salvation. Paul, in Galatians 3:8, quotes Genesis 12:3 – “In you all the nations shall be blessed” stating that this was the gospel preached to Abraham. Then, in Galatians 3:16-19, Paul further clarifies that Christ is central to God’s covenant and that His covenant was “confirmed … in Christ” before the giving of the law, and therefore, cannot be annulled by the commanded covenant.
The “covenants of promise” include, but are not limited to, the everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:9-17), God’s “covenant of peace” (Numbers 25:12; see also Isaiah 54:10; Ezekiel 37:26); God’s covenant of love (Nehemiah 9:32) and the everlasting gospel (Galatians 3:8-17). Other aspects of “the covenants of promise” are grace, redemption, salvation, justification, sanctification and glorification. Even God’s commanded covenant which requires our obedience, under grace, are 10 promises: “The ten commandments, Thou shalt, and Thou shalt not, are ten promises…” Ellen G. White, MS 41, 1896. 1BC 1105).
While God’s law is the law of righteousness, we cannot go to it to get righteousness. This is not its purpose. Its purpose has always been to point to and to describe God’s righteousness. Since the entrance of sin, the law reveals that our righteousness can never stand before God’s righteousness. The purpose of the law is to drive us to Christ so we can be justified by faith in Him alone (Galatians 3:24). When justified by faith in Jesus alone, He brings us into harmony with His moral law of righteousness. Then it appears to us what it really is – God’s 10 promises of love.
Consider the following promises:
6 "My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished. 7 Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults". (Isaiah 51:6-7).
His righteousness can be known by those only in whom His law is written in the heart. The promises continue:
8 "Hear, O My people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if you will hearken unto Me, there shall no strange God be in you, neither will you worship any strange god. 9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god". (Psalm 81:8, 9, KJV).
"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David". (Isaiah 55:3).
Let’s turn to the lesson on day 3 entitled “The Tithe Contract.” Next week’s lesson is entirely on this “Contract.” The issue of money seems to be the reason for this quarter’s lesson. And for good reason. For years tithing has been practiced by only about 50% of church membership. It may be lower than this now. Today church members have many places to send their tithes and offerings, or parts thereof.
I pastored a church whose tithe percentile was close to 100%. I must hastily add that this per cent was in place before I arrived, so it was not my doing. The per cent was so high that the Conference treasurer did not put it into his monthly report which he distributed to all the pastors in the Conference.
A number of years ago we, as the 1888 Message Study Committee, refused to accept tithe. We are of this same mind today. We have been tested on this very point. I remember the following: sometime after moving our office from Ohio to Berrien Springs, MI, a man sent us a check with the words “First Tithe” written on it. Our secretary at the time called him and explained to him that we did not accept the first tithe. He replied that he sent it to test us to find out if we were telling the truth about this.
Now to “The Tithe Contract” lesson:
God uses very strong language about the theft of tithe by His own people as recorded in Malachi 3:7-9. Today, there are those who are offended by such strong language. Resentment arises in the heart of some when any implication of what we ought to do or not do is expressed in tithing or in any other matter. Customer mentality has come into some church groups who expect to be treated with deference because of the misplaced notion that the customer is always right.
There are Dispensational Christians who believe there is no command for Christians to tithe after the cross. Their understanding in their way of thinking is: Jesus did away with all the laws including the moral along with the tithing law as found in the Old Testament. Dispensational Christians think they are now under God’s grace, they are not under the jurisdiction of His law of the Old Testament.
In discussing issues of the Old and New Testaments with a former Theology major (and former Adventist), he informed me that he was a “New Testament Christian.” But you cannot be a New Testament without being an Old Testament Christian. This is because Jesus Himself stated that the Old Testament passages “are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39).
He further declared:
46 "If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46–47).
Contrary to Dispensationalist thinking, we are to show our appreciation to God for the privilege of returning His tithe to Him with additional offerings. Those under grace will not limit the giving of the tithe as the limit of their love. The Jews brought to God numerous offerings in addition to the tithe. Shall not we who are under more abounding grace, do as much to sustain the cause of God as was done in the former, less-favored dispensation?
Instead of using grace as an excuse for withholding the tithe, we should return it to God is an inward experiential sign of His marvelous grace: “The payment of a faithful tithe [shows] that the grace of God is working in the heart” -Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health, p. 590.
God addresses people today who rob Him of the tithe, as they did in the time of Malachi, calling it an “an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). Now, as well as then, there is only one kind of righteousness and that is by faith in Christ alone. Those who are righteous by faith will happily return the tithe to God, in appreciation from the heart for what He has done for them. Those who rob God rob themselves of God’s grace and the righteousness of Christ.
Never did Jesus change the returning of tithe to God. Before He died, He stressed its importance. There is not a shred of evidence that He changed it when He died. To the contrary, His death sealed the law of the tithe. As God, Jesus spoke through Malachi regarding the tithe. Then, as the Son of Man on earth, He stressed the importance of giving a faithful 10 percent tithe.
The setting for this was while Jesus pronounced a series of woes upon the Pharisees who were, in fact, returning the tithe to God. They tithed everything – items such as “mint, dill and cumin.” But they disregarded “the weightier matters of the law” which are “justice, mercy and faith.” Jesus told the Pharisees that their tithing, along with the “weightier matters,” was to continue. At that time, their lack was neglecting the “weightier matters” of the law. Both should have been done (Matthew 23:23).
Tithing is an activity under grace. Grace came as God’s gift after sin entered the human race. Grace is His unmerited favor and also God’s grace working within us to change our hearts, minds and characters. Tithing was one of the privileged gifts along with grace. God knew, beforehand, the selfish nature that controls mankind. Tithing, under grace, is one important way to draw us away from our selfishness and covetousness.
Tithing is a response of gratitude to God for His goodness to us. It is not a contract to negotiate. It is not something we do as our part of a contract. It is not an old covenant bilateral agreement. Tithing is under grace which we return to God out of love and respect for Him.
Tithing is first recorded in Scripture when Abraham returned from defeating an army who subjugated the kings of Sodom and other cities of the plain. The armed forces of Abraham delivered Lot, who had been taken captive. They also recovered the goods that were taken from the cities of the plain (Genesis 14:14-17). Abraham, the victor, “gave tithe of all” to Melchizedek after the high priest gave credit to God for the victory and pronounced His blessing on Abraham. The giving of the tithe was Abraham’s heartfelt response of appreciation to God.
One last section in the lesson will close this Insight. This is about Sunday’s lesson titled, “The Salvation Covenant.”
The lead paragraph states, among other things, that “salvation is not unilateral—it is not given to everyone, regardless of what they do.” But, what does Scripture say concerning this?
According to John, Christ was sent to earth as the Savior of the entire world of sinners. He wrote: “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14).
On another occasion John wrote of Christ’s salvation as understood by Samaritans. Jesus spent two days teaching them about His salvation:
40 "When the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." (John 4:40–42).
How did they know that Jesus is the Savior of the world? He must have told them that He is indeed “the Savior of the world.” How else would they have made such a profound declaration of glad tidings? He could not have taught this in Israel because they limited what God could do. This was because of their bilateral, bargain dealing and contractual covenant mindset concerning salvation.
The Holy Spirit continued with the light regarding salvation through Paul in his letter to Timothy. “The living God is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). The immediate context informs us that “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance,” then gives the imperative: “These things command and teach” (verses 9 and 11). Here is evidence Paul did not write to Timothy that he was involved in a bilateral contract in which he upheld his part of the bargain.
There is a condition stated that involves eternal salvation. That condition is faith, which is the gift of God. All have been saved from something, but they are not saved eternally. Only the believer in Christ is saved eternally. Everyone has been saved from the second death, which is the penalty for sin. But those who reject faith in Christ will experience the penalty at the close of the millennium (Revelation 20:7-15; 19:19). This is not universalism.
Waggoner taught the conditions of salvation while teaching the salvation of all men. He was accused of teaching a universal salvation from which he did not shy away, but he stated the condition of why the lost are lost.
The following is his clear statement:
He willeth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Tim.2:4. And He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Eph.1:11. "What! do you mean to teach universal salvation?" We mean to teach just what the Word of God teaches, --that "the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men." Titus 2:11, R.V. God has wrought out salvation for every man, and has given it to him; but the majority spurn it, and throw it away. The Judgment will reveal the fact that full and complete salvation was given to every man, and that the lost have deliberately thrown away their birthright possession. Thus, every mouth will be stopped. (EJW, The Glad Tidings (1900), 22-23).
The teaching that Christ is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe, is as far different from Universalism as daylight is from darkness. Moreover, this is the only doctrine that can successfully combat Universalism.
We will close with the following from E. J. Waggoner:
That which makes all the trouble is that even when men are willing to recognize the Lord at all, they want to make bargains with Him. They want it to be a “mutual” affair--a transaction in which they will be considered as on a par with God. But whoever deals with God must deal with Him on His own terms, that is, on a basis of fact--that we have nothing and are nothing, and He has everything and is everything, and gives everything. EJW, Glad Tidings, 132.
What then, is your response?
~Jerry Finneman