This topic is one of the main themes of the bible. There is hardly a passage of scripture that doesn't have some relevance to God's promises and His requirements. There is not really an 'Old covenant vs New Covenant' shift in the way God deals with His creation. Rather, His intent to have a father-child relationship with mankind has been a constant from the day He created Adam.
The first binding agreement was between God and Abram, later renamed Abraham. In the first book of the bible, Genesis, the Lord calls Abram out of Haran and tells him to 'go to the land I will show you.' He promises to make Abram into a great nation, telling him he would have a great name and be a blessing to all peoples on earth. Abram heads to Canaan with these promises as his only security.
The actual agreement is made by the Lord in answer to Abram's request for assurance that he would really get what God promised. Genesis, chapter 15, contains the details. Abram is asleep when a blazing torch, representing the Lord, passes through a sacrifice laid out by Abram. God once again promises to give him the land 'from Egypt to the Euphrates'. Abram apparently sees and hears in a dream state, because he is reassured.
Many think the first agreement involves the law of Moses. However, the law came centuries after the Lord bound Himself with promises to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The law was made up of regulations that set forth the way Abraham's descendants should live, much like regulations structure society today. People need to obey the rules of the road when driving their own cars, for instance.
God did not give the law to make things harder for His chosen people. He gave them good rules; however, He knew that they would not be either able or willing to keep them perfectly. He therefore made a way for atonement through a sacrifice of animal blood. God has always wanted to give man all the good things He has for him, to show His unconditional love. However, the problem of sin must be dealt with in order to maintain justice.
It was never the Father's intent to institute only the first agreement. The Old Testament is full of prophecy that foretells the coming of a messiah. The New Covenant is contained in the sacrificial blood of Jesus, which paid for sin once and for all. No longer would regular animal sacrifices be required; belief in Jesus Christ and repentance of sin are what is needed to enter into the eternal life of God's kingdom.
There are differences between the first and second agreements. The first binds God to the Jewish people, and He has always had a remnant of faithful followers in that race. The second brings grace to all mankind, through the body and blood of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of all. However, the Lord's intent is unchanged. He wants to establish a relationship with his children and to give them all good things, including eternal life.
However, the state of a man or woman's heart was always important. No sacrifice could replace a true surrender to the Lord, either at the beginning of time or today.
The first binding agreement was between God and Abram, later renamed Abraham. In the first book of the bible, Genesis, the Lord calls Abram out of Haran and tells him to 'go to the land I will show you.' He promises to make Abram into a great nation, telling him he would have a great name and be a blessing to all peoples on earth. Abram heads to Canaan with these promises as his only security.
The actual agreement is made by the Lord in answer to Abram's request for assurance that he would really get what God promised. Genesis, chapter 15, contains the details. Abram is asleep when a blazing torch, representing the Lord, passes through a sacrifice laid out by Abram. God once again promises to give him the land 'from Egypt to the Euphrates'. Abram apparently sees and hears in a dream state, because he is reassured.
Many think the first agreement involves the law of Moses. However, the law came centuries after the Lord bound Himself with promises to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The law was made up of regulations that set forth the way Abraham's descendants should live, much like regulations structure society today. People need to obey the rules of the road when driving their own cars, for instance.
God did not give the law to make things harder for His chosen people. He gave them good rules; however, He knew that they would not be either able or willing to keep them perfectly. He therefore made a way for atonement through a sacrifice of animal blood. God has always wanted to give man all the good things He has for him, to show His unconditional love. However, the problem of sin must be dealt with in order to maintain justice.
It was never the Father's intent to institute only the first agreement. The Old Testament is full of prophecy that foretells the coming of a messiah. The New Covenant is contained in the sacrificial blood of Jesus, which paid for sin once and for all. No longer would regular animal sacrifices be required; belief in Jesus Christ and repentance of sin are what is needed to enter into the eternal life of God's kingdom.
There are differences between the first and second agreements. The first binds God to the Jewish people, and He has always had a remnant of faithful followers in that race. The second brings grace to all mankind, through the body and blood of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of all. However, the Lord's intent is unchanged. He wants to establish a relationship with his children and to give them all good things, including eternal life.
However, the state of a man or woman's heart was always important. No sacrifice could replace a true surrender to the Lord, either at the beginning of time or today.
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