|Back to Back Issues Page|
Wordwise Insight, Issue #125
January 14, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE...
BIBLE INSIGHTS (and Reader Q & A): What are the major covenants of Scripture?
WORDWISE HYMNS: My Blog called Wordwise Hymns for you to check out!
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? See below for how to send it to us.
Are you finding Wordwise helpful? And do you have your own website? We would be delighted if you would provide a link on your site to ours. This will enable your friends to find us too! Check the page on the Wordwise website called "Link to Us," and follow the simple instructions. Click on
Link to Us.
LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION? On a Bible topic or passage of Scripture? Or one about a hymn or gospel song? Click on
Questions from You.
What are the major covenants of Scripture?)QUESTION: How many covenants are in the Bible? A leader in my church said it's two, but I think it’s more than that. Would you please help me. Thank you.
ANSWER: Thank you for your question about the covenants of Scripture. The word "covenant" is found in the Bible over 300 times. It’s an interesting subject. If you check various resources, you’ll see there is some disagreement on the subject. But I think the outline below is helpful, and can be supported by Scripture.
First, we need to consider a definition. A covenant is a kind of contract or pledge involving two parties. Scofield describes a Bible covenant as: “A sovereign pronouncement of God by which He establishes a relationship of responsibility [i.e. with man]” (The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 5). God’s covenants involve certain promises that He will fulfil, and may also spell out certain conditions under which human beings are responsible to relate to Him.
The Lord can make a covenant with an individual (e.g. Adam), or a particular family (e.g. the family of David), or with a particular nation (e.g. Israel). Or He can make a covenant with mankind in general. The covenants explain and define God’s purposes with the human family. One author states, “God’s relationship with man has always been mediated through one or more of the biblical covenants” (Charting the End Times, by LaHaye and Ice, p. 78).
The covenants are most often unconditional. That is, God graciously obligates Himself, by His sovereign “I will,” to accomplish certain purposes. In this case, the human response may affect the individual’s, or the group’s, enjoyment of the covenant’s blessings, but it can’t cancel the covenant or prevent its ultimate fulfilment, because that rests with God alone.
Many Bible commentators identify eight covenants that are quite significant. Some of the circumstances involved relate to a particular time in human history. But often there are aspects of a covenant that continue to...
(To read the remainder of this article, click on
MY BLOG ON HYMNS!
Come and Pay Us a Visit!I have developed a blog that is called Wordwise Hymns. As the title suggests, it is about hymns, and church music in general.
But as many of you will know, a blog is especially designed to facilitate a conversation on its particular subject. Readers can easily post comments about what they see, and I'm able to reply. I hope you will take part in the discussion!
Through 2010, almanac entries dealt with what happened in hymn history on each day of the year. Beginning in 2011, I hope to analyze hymns from a biblical standpoint, linking to the material that has come before.
My hope is that the blog will add to the value of the website and this newsletter, and promote some profitable exchanges on the subject of sacred music.
What happened on this day in hymnology? To find out, click
|Back to Back Issues Page|