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 covenant is made in Genesis chapter 15, when Abram falls into a dream and the Lord makes a prophetic statement about the future of Abram's descendants. There is a symbolic ceremony with dead animals and a blazing torch, signifying God's affirmation of His promises to give the land 'from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates' to the descendants of Abram.
The Lord renewed His covenant with Isaac, Abraham's son by his wife Sarah, and later with Jacob. Many people consider the law of Moses part of this agreement. However, others consider the law as simply a set of rules, much like the regulations that govern our lives today. We can't drive a car in any way we choose, for example, but must follow the rules of the road.
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.
The first agreement was eternally binding. However, the scriptures of the Old Testament are full of prophecies about the messiah which foreshadow the new agreement. This covenant is in the blood of Jesus, which was shed for all men and is sufficient sacrifice for sin. The new rules state that, to gain forgiveness of sin and eternal life in God's kingdom, people need to believe that Jesus died for their sins, to ask for forgiveness, and to surrender dominion over their life to God.
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 covenant is made in Genesis chapter 15, when Abram falls into a dream and the Lord makes a prophetic statement about the future of Abram's descendants. There is a symbolic ceremony with dead animals and a blazing torch, signifying God's affirmation of His promises to give the land 'from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates' to the descendants of Abram.
The Lord renewed His covenant with Isaac, Abraham's son by his wife Sarah, and later with Jacob. Many people consider the law of Moses part of this agreement. However, others consider the law as simply a set of rules, much like the regulations that govern our lives today. We can't drive a car in any way we choose, for example, but must follow the rules of the road.
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.
The first agreement was eternally binding. However, the scriptures of the Old Testament are full of prophecies about the messiah which foreshadow the new agreement. This covenant is in the blood of Jesus, which was shed for all men and is sufficient sacrifice for sin. The new rules state that, to gain forgiveness of sin and eternal life in God's kingdom, people need to believe that Jesus died for their sins, to ask for forgiveness, and to surrender dominion over their life to God.
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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