In Luke 22:20 we read the words Jesus said when He was handing round the final cup of wine at the Last Supper. What did He mean by ‘the new covenant’? – and what is a covenant anyway?

The idea of a 'covenant' is a recognised legal term even today. For example, the uses to which a house or other property may be put is often enshrined in a covenant established when it was first built and registered. The covenant is so strong that it binds all subsequent owners and occupiers of the property unless varied by a defined legal process.

In UK tax law, a covenant by which a donor promises to donate a stated amount of money to a registered charity for a specified number of years (eg 4 or 7), is recognised as a covenant and the charity is permitted to reclaim the tax paid on the amount given by the donor. (Currently in the UK this arrangement has been subsumed into what is called 'Gift Aid' but the principle is the same)

Marriage is also a covenant. Interestingly, usually at the celebration meal of Christian marriage a special cake is cut to loud applause. The groom and the bride do the cutting together. This arises from a long-standing tradition of 'cutting' a covenant. In days past when an apprentice was taken on to learn a trade from a skilled man, a formal agreement was signed stating how long it would last and specifying the master's responsibilities towards the apprentice. Once completed the agreement document was cut or torn into two pieces, one for the master and one for the apprentice or his parents as a guarantee of the agreement. Each side could prove their rights by showing their half of the document. The idea of 'cutting a covenant ' comes from an ancient Hittite practice described in Gen.15:8-17. All these examples illustrate that a 'covenant' is a very strong and binding arrangement.

All this is because ‘Covenant’ is a very important concept in the Bible and we can trace God’s plan of redemption right through the Bible by investigating the covenants. So what is a ‘covenant’ in the Bible?

First, what a Bible covenant IS NOT: a covenant is not a mutual agreement between God and man; nor is it a negotiated treaty or bargain arrangement.

Second, what a Bible covenant IS – it is always initiated by God; grounded in HIS love, law and justice; and the result of HIS sovereign grace and promise.

In Bible covenants, God, always on His own initiative         

(a) offers fellowship with man, and

(b) commits Himself irrevocably.

We can even go so far as to say that …

GOD NEVER HAS FELLOWSHIP WITH ANYONE EXCEPT BY A COVENANT

or to put it another more personal way:

NO-ONE CAN BE IN A SAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD UNLESS THEY ARE IN A COVENANT WITH HIM

Even though mankind disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and was banished by God, He did not give up on mankind completely but began a long process towards wresting man from the grip of sin and death.

So after the Fall, spread across the history of the OT there are 5 salvific covenants (ie they are to do with salvation) which God makes with His People or with individuals. They are ‘salvivic’  because they express God’s mercy towards those with whom He is setting up the covenant.  Hebrew scholars recognize these covenants too, they are not a Christian invention. But they are revealed as Christian, as we recognize that they are all pointing ahead to what Jesus the Christ will do. They each reveal some aspect of the salvation which Christ will bring in total.                                  

These 5 covenants are with Noah (in antiquity), Abraham (c.2000 BC), Moses (c.1200 BC), David (c.1000 BC) and Jeremiah (c.600 BC). Each has at least one salvific feature. By investigating the characteristics of these covenants we can discover how God progressively and cumulatively revealed what He was going to achieve through His Son.

Go to the Chart of the Bible Covenants

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Your Notes

In old copies of the English Bible the OT and NT were called the ‘Old Covenant’ and the ‘New Covenant’.