Edward
2024 Supporter
Covenant theology is interesting to me. A lot of it is largely misunderstood to Believers in Christ, I think. So this should be a good thread which may dispel some of the myths and perhaps make clearer some of the confusion surrounding the four major covenants that we have access to, with our Lord.
Awhile back one of the questions that I had was about, who exactly is the Bride of Christ. It seemed like most Christians were saying that we all are the Bride of Christ and yet, when I read the scriptures, it seemed to indicate to me that, not all who will be saved are the Bride of Christ. So That was a pretty big question for me. You see, I don't want to be the plumber again in the next life, lol! I think I would rather have a white collar position there, so to speak. So I prayed about it and the Lord began teaching me the truth about it, and took me into covenant theology for a season and walked me through all the scriptures about it. I learned that there are 4 major covenants that we are able to advance through and no, we are not all, the Bride of Christ. We are not even all...the sons of God. John 1:12 says we who believe on His name have the right to "become" the sons of God, not that we are right after saying the sinners prayer...Many new Christians believe they are already the Bride of Christ...but they must have a prenuptial agreement or something, one which says I accept you but stay out of my life, I would do what I want to, my life is mine...the sanctification process is a purification process wherein we (slowly) take on the image, character and mind of Christ. It is a growing up in Him spiritually. A maturing process. And if one does not have the foundational relationship with Jesus, they would not be able to advance into a higher covenant with Him. Those are the ones which will hear, I never knew you?
John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:.../
There is a difference between accepting the Lord and receiving Him. Walking in Christ. Obeying. Not my will Lord but thine be done. If we want to become the Bride of Christ we have to submit ourselves unto Him and leave our flesh behind.
The Hebrew women who were to become wed, wore a four part wedding gown. These four parts signify the 4 covenants of the Bride of Christ, which are, in order...
1. Servant.
2. Friend.
3. Sons.
4. Bride.
1. Servant. Most everyone is aware of this covenant. It is the blood covenant. This covenant must be renewed daily. This covenant was initiated by God in the Garden of Eden almost immediately after man fell. The Lord began the process of bringing us back into Bridal covenant with Him. It is a oneness and a common intimacy with Him as we were before we fell. Us Christians call it the sanctification process, and it is in fact a walk through four covenants. So after we fell, immediately the Lord initiated a covenant to us when He slew an animal to cover their nakedness. This is the Kethoneth, or the undergarment of the four piece Bridal gown that the bride wears. (What were they clothed in before they fell? Light. Light and glory.) Keep in mind that a covenant is a contract and requires two parties, the initiator and the receiver. So to move forward into an even better modified covenant we have to...submit ourselves to the terms of the covenant and obey the terms of it. So we must move past mere acceptance of Him into receiving Him. When we do this, it is then that we become the "Friend" of God.
2. Friend covenant. This one is a salt covenant. Abraham was called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). and in ancient Hebrew days salt was a valuable commodity and men carried a pouch with salt in it and when they became friends, they would each take a pinch of salt from their pouch and mix it together in a bowl and then both would break bread and dip it into the salt and eat. A friendship covenant is for life and can never be broken. Now I have your back and you have mine. My resources are yours and yours are mine. The Lord has put His pinch of salt into a bowl and has it offered to us in His outstretched hand. But it can not be entered into without an action on our part. We have to receive it (Him!). When we receive Him and become friends, the next step is full adoption as a "son" of God!
3. Sonship covenant is a sandle covenant. The sandles had no real significance other than they would take old sandles and put them on the boundaries of their inheritance. On the borders of their property. I presume that when Jesus went to the Jordan river and got baptized, and the dove came down upon Him and the voice of the father spoke from the clouds and said, This is my beloved son...that it was at that moment that Jesus entered into His inheritance and sonship. Remember, He came as a servant (and still was and is). So when we enter into another covenant, it does not negate the previous one. It only is a modification and an add on. As many of us, who receive Him, have been given the power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12) Son's have an inheritance. But to whom more is given more will be required. Sonship covenant is an eternal covenant. Then, at some point in our walk with Him after we are at this point...He will initiate the kethoneth. The final covenant... The Bride of Christ.
4. The Bride of Christ. I think this has to be the point where we have literally taken on the very character of our Lord Jesus. And when those will look upon us, they will not see us but they will see the Lord Jesus. He is the head, we are the body. Have you heard the phrase, in the name of Jesus? Try a BlueletterBible word study on "Name" sometime. ...In the name of Jesus we have power. Name means authority. Name means...character. So, go...in the character of Jesus.
:wink
Awhile back one of the questions that I had was about, who exactly is the Bride of Christ. It seemed like most Christians were saying that we all are the Bride of Christ and yet, when I read the scriptures, it seemed to indicate to me that, not all who will be saved are the Bride of Christ. So That was a pretty big question for me. You see, I don't want to be the plumber again in the next life, lol! I think I would rather have a white collar position there, so to speak. So I prayed about it and the Lord began teaching me the truth about it, and took me into covenant theology for a season and walked me through all the scriptures about it. I learned that there are 4 major covenants that we are able to advance through and no, we are not all, the Bride of Christ. We are not even all...the sons of God. John 1:12 says we who believe on His name have the right to "become" the sons of God, not that we are right after saying the sinners prayer...Many new Christians believe they are already the Bride of Christ...but they must have a prenuptial agreement or something, one which says I accept you but stay out of my life, I would do what I want to, my life is mine...the sanctification process is a purification process wherein we (slowly) take on the image, character and mind of Christ. It is a growing up in Him spiritually. A maturing process. And if one does not have the foundational relationship with Jesus, they would not be able to advance into a higher covenant with Him. Those are the ones which will hear, I never knew you?
John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:.../
There is a difference between accepting the Lord and receiving Him. Walking in Christ. Obeying. Not my will Lord but thine be done. If we want to become the Bride of Christ we have to submit ourselves unto Him and leave our flesh behind.
The Hebrew women who were to become wed, wore a four part wedding gown. These four parts signify the 4 covenants of the Bride of Christ, which are, in order...
1. Servant.
2. Friend.
3. Sons.
4. Bride.
1. Servant. Most everyone is aware of this covenant. It is the blood covenant. This covenant must be renewed daily. This covenant was initiated by God in the Garden of Eden almost immediately after man fell. The Lord began the process of bringing us back into Bridal covenant with Him. It is a oneness and a common intimacy with Him as we were before we fell. Us Christians call it the sanctification process, and it is in fact a walk through four covenants. So after we fell, immediately the Lord initiated a covenant to us when He slew an animal to cover their nakedness. This is the Kethoneth, or the undergarment of the four piece Bridal gown that the bride wears. (What were they clothed in before they fell? Light. Light and glory.) Keep in mind that a covenant is a contract and requires two parties, the initiator and the receiver. So to move forward into an even better modified covenant we have to...submit ourselves to the terms of the covenant and obey the terms of it. So we must move past mere acceptance of Him into receiving Him. When we do this, it is then that we become the "Friend" of God.
2. Friend covenant. This one is a salt covenant. Abraham was called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). and in ancient Hebrew days salt was a valuable commodity and men carried a pouch with salt in it and when they became friends, they would each take a pinch of salt from their pouch and mix it together in a bowl and then both would break bread and dip it into the salt and eat. A friendship covenant is for life and can never be broken. Now I have your back and you have mine. My resources are yours and yours are mine. The Lord has put His pinch of salt into a bowl and has it offered to us in His outstretched hand. But it can not be entered into without an action on our part. We have to receive it (Him!). When we receive Him and become friends, the next step is full adoption as a "son" of God!
3. Sonship covenant is a sandle covenant. The sandles had no real significance other than they would take old sandles and put them on the boundaries of their inheritance. On the borders of their property. I presume that when Jesus went to the Jordan river and got baptized, and the dove came down upon Him and the voice of the father spoke from the clouds and said, This is my beloved son...that it was at that moment that Jesus entered into His inheritance and sonship. Remember, He came as a servant (and still was and is). So when we enter into another covenant, it does not negate the previous one. It only is a modification and an add on. As many of us, who receive Him, have been given the power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12) Son's have an inheritance. But to whom more is given more will be required. Sonship covenant is an eternal covenant. Then, at some point in our walk with Him after we are at this point...He will initiate the kethoneth. The final covenant... The Bride of Christ.
4. The Bride of Christ. I think this has to be the point where we have literally taken on the very character of our Lord Jesus. And when those will look upon us, they will not see us but they will see the Lord Jesus. He is the head, we are the body. Have you heard the phrase, in the name of Jesus? Try a BlueletterBible word study on "Name" sometime. ...In the name of Jesus we have power. Name means authority. Name means...character. So, go...in the character of Jesus.
:wink
