The Everlasting Covenant

“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” -Genesis 17:7

When the Lord makes a covenant with is, he makes eternal covenants. For this reason, they are called an “everlasting covenant.” When God made a covenant with Noah that  he wouldn’t flood the earth ever again, he made and everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:16). This means he will never break it.

The Old Testament

“Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.” -Leviticus 24:8

When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they were born into the world. But, they did not go alone. In the Garden, they received their Initiatories and the First Endowment (See the Book of Remembrance). These were the covenants of and to their ministry. With these, they went forth with the Spirit of God, teaching the Gospel to the world. Those listened and were moved by the Spirit to follow the Lord became the children of Adam and Eve. As they did so, they became the children of Adam and Eve, fulling the everlasting covenant God made with them that they would be the Father and Mother of all living.

Later came Abram. God made an everlasting covenant with him, changing his name to Abraham (1 Moses 27, Genesis 17). Like Adam and Eve, all those that follow Christ become his seed (Galatians 3). God further made covenants with his seed; Isaac, Jacob who became Israel, and their seed. Eventually the everlasting covenant became the Law of Moses.

The reNewed Testament

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” -Hebrews 13:20-21

In the New Testament, God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. This was not a new covenant, replacing the Law of Moses. It was a renewed covenant that brought us back to the Torah. The Law of Moses was about outward rules and ordinances that signified inward commitments and change, personal growth. However, this became lost to God’s people.

Jesus restored the Law by fulfilling it. He brought it inward once again. Rather than marking men with the sign of the covenant (circumcision) a few days after birth, Christ marked us from within, piercing our hearts once we were born again. In stead of asking for the sacrifice of animals, God requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

From the perception of the people if Israel at that time, this changed everything. However, it was actually the Israelites that had changed. The Law of Moses had been a symbol, a symbol that was lost over time. The Law of Christ is the higher Law, the correct perception of the Torah. The old Law seen with new eyes.

As we look at all the variations of churches we see that its meaning is still lost to many today. This is why Christ gives us grace. With his grace, he meets us where we are and through the Holy Spirit transforms us into what we need to be, or more accurately put: into who we truly are.