Why are Covenants so important to God? Because they are the primary means through which He has chosen to relate to mankind. In fact, the dynamics of the New Covenant, which believers are included into when reborn of God, are a reflection of the intimate relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit . They are in an eternal, relational covenant with each other.  Jesus prayed to Father-God, just before He died that “… they (all believers) may all be one in Me, just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You … .” ✞ John 17:21.

The Bible’s Five Main Covenants Act As Its Structure

That spoken request encapsulated the Trinity’s will and purpose for mankind – even before time began. That plea for our Oneness with God was Jesus’ declaration of the very purpose of the Cross and the New Covenant, made between Father-God and Jesus, mankind’s new Representative and High Priest before God Almighty. It is the last and greatest covenant – of a sequence of five main covenants in the Bible – which progressively reveal God’s Big Picture plan of salvation – from Adam to Jesus, the second and last Adam.  Like the skeleton of our body, the five main covenants are the “structure” on which everything else in the Bible hangs. The unique terms of each covenant explain why and how God interacted differently with each people-group living under each covenant.

God Gave The Mosaic Covenant Only To The Israelites, NOT To The Gentiles

That is why I used so much ink in my ✞ “Elephant” book explaining the history and vital purpose of covenants people made with each other and, more importantly, God’s purposes behind each of the five main covenants in the Bible. They include the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic and New Covenants. While “all scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for reproof, correction and training in Righteousness … ,” not all scripture is written directly to you. For example, God gave the Mosaic Covenant only to the Israelites – not to the Gentiles. The Gentile world (everyone not a Jew) was completely left out of that covenant (unless a particular Gentile chose to be circumcised and come under the heavy yoke of ✞ 613 laws.)

That fact was reiterated by Peter in ✞ Acts 15 (in agreement with Paul) when he went against the view of James and the other Jewish Christians in Jerusalem by stating that the Mosaic Law should not be given to the Gentiles because it was a burden on the Jews that they could not keep. That was a revelation from God that corresponded with what He was doing among the Gentiles under Paul’s ministry.

God’s Main Purpose For The Mosaic Law Covenant

Jesus revealed to Paul that the Law was given, not to eliminate sin, but to actually arouse more sin, minister condemnation and cause death, according to ✞ 2 Corinthians 3:7-11. Another amazing fact is that the Mosaic Law period covers about 1500 years and about 82% of the Bible – right up to Calvary.  That is why the first Four Gospels contain a mixture of Law and Grace. In contrast, Jesus’ whole Gospel of Grace given to Paul is based on the higher Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus – not on Moses. Paul jubilantly declared this superior Law in ✞ Romans 8:1-2:

There is, therefore, now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. For the (higher) Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus set me (Paul) from the (Mosaic) Law of sin and death.

And, just as Jesus had prophesied, true, Orthodox Judaism ended when the ✞ Temple was destroyed in 70 AD because it brought to an end animal sacrifices for “covering sins.” Jesus, the sinless Lamb, “became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” according to ✞ 2 Corinthians 5:21.

The New Covenant, which Jesus’ made with Father-God on mankind’s behalf, replaced the Mosaic Law for Jewish believers AND it included believing Gentiles, who had no former covenant with God. Do you see why understanding God’s plan and purpose for each covenant is essential to understanding what can appear to be contradictions in the Bible because of the differing terms to different people-groups? More on all that will be in future posts.

In the next Post, we will briefly compare the five main covenants and also the three key aspects of this New Covenant “higher Law” of the Holy Spirit of Life which is found in ✞ Galatians 5:1-6. See if you can discover what they are from that passage and then we can compare notes in the next blog post. Keep your eyes on Jesus! Edit