The term covenant is crucial for a correct understanding of Christianity and theology. The word testament is Latin for covenant. Some examples may be helpful. Think of the covenant with Adam in Genesis; t’s often called the covenant of works. The covenant stipulated that perfect obedience by the creature was required by God:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Gen 2:15-17, ESV)

Covenantalism, you see. It’s a promise from God to us, his creatures. Believe God, trust him, obey him, and ultimate blessing comes. Disbelieve God, suppress him/deny him, and disobey, and bear the curse.

Secondly, think of the covenant with Abraham from Genesis 17. God makes promises yet again to his creatures. Will the creatures trust the word of the Lord? Will they be obedient? Those are questions you should ask:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (Gen 17:1-8, ESV)

Over and over again, covenant.

Then there’s the Davidic covenant. Think of the section from 1 Chronicles 17:

Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (1 Ch 17:1-15, ESV)

Covenant, again and again. At its most fundamental, a covenant is a promise made by God that is inseeparable from the way he deals with creatures; covenants underlie all of the Bible.

Then we have the new covenant begun by Christ in the New Testament/covenant: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Lk 22:20, ESV). There it is again–covenant.

The covenant of works given to Adam led to the covenant of grace whereby any sinner is ever redeemed by the triune God. Adam failed. You fail. I fail. There’s none righteous (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:23) but God. That’s the point of the covenant–to drive us to the person and work of Christ. It’s all of grace. That is, if anyone is born again, he is born “from above.” That’s what John 3 is all about. It’s not a human work where he/she keeps the covenant of works and merits salvation or favor with God. By no means!

It is God’s gracious work of doing what we sinners never could or would do–obey fully and live holy and righteous lives that please the Lord. Only Christ did that. That is why he is the hero, not us. This is why even the stones can be made to cry out that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father.