Covenants between God and man are a central theme of the Bible. The Bible itself is split into the Old Covenant (Old Testament) and New Covenant (New Testament). The Old Testament is not simply a history lesson; it is absolutely critical in understanding why humans are in a sinful state and why we needed Jesus to come as a Messiah to fulfill the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is actually broken into covenants between God and specific people: the Adamic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. Sometimes we tend to think of the Old Covenant simply in terms of the Law of Moses given to Israel, but Jesus actually fulfills so much more than that. Jesus perfectly fulfills all aspects of the Old Covenant in order that a New Covenant may be established through Him. Jesus was the only acceptable sacrifice on behalf of mankind to act as our substitute; Jesus’ sacrifice atones for all sins of everyone who puts their faith in Him once and for all (Hebrews 10:1-18).
The Old Covenant
The Old Covenant encompasses covenants between God and several different biblical figures. Starting with the failed covenant with Adam resulting in mankind’s sinful nature and progressing through the covenant with God’s chosen people of Israel, these covenants show us the need for a New Covenant through the Messiah.
Adamic Covenant (Genesis 2:4-25): This first covenant between God and man occurs in the garden of Eden. God gave Adam dominion over all of the animals of the earth and allowed him to eat any of the food provided; the only thing God required of Adam was to never eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam’s failure to fulfill this covenant resulted in the sinful nature of mankind for all time.
Noahic Covenant (Genesis 6:9-9:17): The next covenant God made with man was with Noah. God deemed Noah a righteous man living in a world of corruption. God instructed Noah to build an Ark to save him and his family from impending flood waters that would wipe out all the vile humans of the earth. Noah followed God’s instructions exactly as he was commanded. Following the flood, God confirmed this covenant with Noah and promised to never flood the earth again to wipe out the population of evil people.
Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15-18): God’s covenant with Abraham is core to the overall theme of the Bible. God promised Abraham that He would give Abraham and his descendants a promised land and that he would be their God. He instructed Abraham that he and all his descendants must be circumcised as the terms of the covenant. God also says Abraham will become the “father of a multitude of nations”, which is a foreshadowing of the new covenant that will be extended to all people.
Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19-24): The Mosaic Covenant was God’s covenant with the people of Israel after leading them out of slavery in Egypt. God gives Moses the Law that will govern the people of Israel in the Promised Land. The covenant laid out blessings and curses based on their obedience or disobedience, which lays the foundation for the cycles of being in and out of God’s favor we see throughout the Old Testament. The Law was not a means for salvation, but the way to distinguish God’s chosen people from everyone else.
Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7): God’s covenant with King David promises that a descendent of David with eventually sit on the throne over the kingdom of all mankind. The covenant with King David gives hope of the coming of the Messiah we see throughout the prophetic books of the Old Testament.
The New Covenant
The Old Covenants show us how mankind will always fall short when relying on their own works, but the prophets provide hope of the coming of a Messiah that will permanently restore the relationship between God and man. Jesus fulfills every aspect of all the covenants perfectly; He is the new Adam, an infinitely greater Ark, an offspring of Abraham, a perfect example of adherence to the Law, and the shepherd-king descendent of King David.
Jesus is the new and final Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Adam was created in God’s image and had the opportunity to live a life of obedience, yet chose sin. Sin entered the world through the first Adam and left us in death through our sins (Romans 5:12). The path to life entered the world through the new Adam, with Jesus giving himself as the only perfect and acceptable sacrifice on our behalf. The only chance mankind ever had was through the Messiah; the sinful nature of mankind ensures we will fall short of the righteousness God requires, yet we are made perfectly righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus was an infinitely greater Ark. The ark built by Noah delivered those onboard from a flood, but Jesus will deliver those who put their faith in Him from eternal death (Ephesians 2:4-5). The wooden ark delivered Noah from a physical death, while a wooden cross delivers us from a spiritual death. Just as the ark rescued those included in the Noahic covenant, Jesus will rescue those who are part of the New Covenant.
Jesus is an offspring of Abraham (Matthew 1:1-16). God promised Abraham that his seed would receive God’s blessing and lead his people into the Promise Land. While this is fulfilled in a physical sense through Israel, we see this fulfilled in a spiritual sense through Jesus leading all who put their faith in Him into a spiritual Promise Land. The Bible teaches that this New Covenant is a covenant of faith, not one of birth. While Jews entered the Old Covenant simply by being born into it, it is only possible to be a child of Abraham through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:7-29, John 1:12-13). Abraham becomes a father of many nations comprised of all who put their faith in his seed, Jesus Christ.
The Mosaic Covenant differs from the Abrahamic Covenant and Davidic Covenant in that Jesus was not directly related to Moses; Jesus was of the tribe of Judah while Moses was of the tribe of Levi. God gave Moses the Law that Israel must strictly follow to remain in his favor on Mount Sinai. The law showed how, through our own work, humanity falls short of the perfection God requires no matter how hard we try. Offerings were required again and again, but Israel always strayed and disobeyed the law God had given them. The law was given to show the need for the Messiah, the only person who could fulfill the law and atone for the shortcomings of all of humanity. Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the law and gave himself as the only acceptable sacrifice on behalf of mankind once and for all. Through Jesus alone our sins are forgiven; all the punishment for every sin was poured out onto Jesus as he sacrificed Himself and died in our place so that we may live.
God tells King David that He will raise up one of his offspring to establish the throne of His kingdom forever. Throughout the prophetic books, we read again and again how a descendent of King David will arise to be a new king and Messiah. Jesus, a descendent of King David, becomes the Messiah to sit on the throne of the kingdom over all mankind.
The Old Covenant is perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ in every way. Jesus completely followed every aspect of the law and lived the blameless and sinless life no human could ever live. All humans are completely guilty before God under the law, for we are all counted fully guilty before God without Jesus (James 2:10). The New Covenant is established between God and mankind with Jesus as the only mediator. The New Covenant is a spiritual covenant that we can only become part of through faith in Christ; our own works, who our parents are, and any other human or physical component cannot count toward our justification. The only path to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through God’s free gift of Grace, He offers you the full atonement for all of your sins through the blood of Jesus.
Unity at the Cross 