With all the chaos and hate happening around us daily, it is a good time to talk about covenants. The term covenant, which is today a lost meaning, mostly but not always because it is not talked about or taught. But in the past, a contract or deed was entered into by those in authority, considered a covenant, since they were often held accountable for the lives of those they ruled. Though they may have been a primary participant in the ceremony, the covenant itself often empowered and benefited all persons represented. Therefore, for believers who are in covenant with the God of all creation, there must be knowledge and understanding of the sacrifice offered in making such an agreement.
The word of God reveals that it is the very life and blood of Jesus, God’s only Son, who came and gave Himself up His life to establish everyone in a covenant with the God who had created them. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. The covenant God made with humanity through Jesus’s sacrifice provides salvation, or a remission of sin, and eternal life with God.
Jesus brought about a New Covenant that we are told is better than the Old Covenant established with God and Abraham. As that covenant required a cutting into of animals, and an offering of praise, as Abraham passed through them by a lamp. Gen 15:17 (GW) 17 The sun had gone down, and it was dark. Suddenly a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between the animal pieces. In addition to the Abrahamic Covenant, another covenant was established upon the Law and given through Moses. This covenant was found to be impossible for Israel to keep in all aspects of its union with God. Requiring more, God brought a New Covenant into existence through Jesus. Heb 8:6-8 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
I want you to notice something in the next verse: that Old Covenant God had established was not the problem; it was Israel and Judah that were the problem, as spiritual mediocrity prevailed in them. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. The New Covenant through Christ is capable of bringing forth the spiritual offspring of God, those cleansed from sin, as outlined in the following verses. Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
What about a marriage covenant between a male and a female? Let’s start with this fundamental truth: when entering into marriage, each must be willing to engage in a process that is not just a traditional ceremony, but one that is far more life-impacting. To start with, marriage is an ordained covenant process of intercourse that takes place by piercing into each one’s life essence to such a degree that it can change one’s status with God. As the words “I DO” are uttered by both the male and the female, there is an acceptance of the fact that they are entering into an agreement or covenant. Thus, two creations of God are making a willful choice to allow their individually created life of spirit, soul, and body to be in intercourse through covenant with another God-created life. As a result, two become one in companionship that is built on an eternal promise of God.
The essence of this covenant is that two lives are now joined for the purpose of fulfilling what we have seen about His creative purpose of males and females. Each one exists by God’s creative power and is held responsible for their individual life carried out by their will personally. Therefore, they must choose whether to give another person the authority or right to affect the life they alone are being held accountable for by God. Thus, the right or authority for someone to have an influence on one’s living existence capable of affecting the outcome they are solely accountable for to God requires a covenant-type binding or agreement.
I know this is not what you thought was going on when you said I do, but it is the same in the case of your covenant with God through Jesus Christ. You choose whether to give a right and/or an authority for the intercourse of a relationship to occur by the Holy Spirit. The aspect of intercourse here is no different than when Paul talks about sexual unions between husbands and wives, where each has rights to the other’s flesh, but by the authority must give the other a right to engage it in sexual intercourse. 1 Cor 7:4-5 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. There is authority in place in the covenant of marriage regarding both spouses.
The Greek word for power in these verses is (exousiazō), meaning to exercise authority, but the root word is (exousia), meaning power or given control to do so. The sense here refers to one’s flesh and the power or authority given to another person to access it for sexual intercourse. John 1:12 (AMP) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name. That right or authority to enter into another life is (exousia) a right or authority to intercourse into God’s living existence as His spiritual son or daughter, in turn, giving Him the right or authority to intercourse into their life.
I used the word “intercourse” because it best describes the intimate terms of the covenant and the type of relationships it reflects, as we are created spirit, soul, and body. And the fact that you are in such an intimate covenant with God not only has Him as your companion, but Jesus, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The making of covenants in the Old Testament is defined by the cutting or shedding of blood, a symbol of the essence of life each person brings; thus, there is more than a ceremonial event at work here. To be in covenant with God must also have a spiritual intent involved by either the male or female of creation. Thus, what I believe is being cut because of these covenants in each person’s life, which consist of them as spirit (remnant of God), soul (intellect, emotions, feelings, consciousness, and will), and the body (fleshly house). It is by covenant a piercing into the life of another living entity, whether it be by the Spirit with God or another person, during the term of the covenant.
So, for every believer today who feels they are under scrutiny from the world order of things, be confident in the fact that the covenant you have with God cannot be annulled, and neither should the one you have with your spouse. As these are the foundations of your existence in this hour, and ensure the God of all is working on your behalf to fulfill His part in both. The covenant you have as a child of God carries within it power and authority that far exceeds anything the world will ever try to prevail against you, since the victory over it is founded in Christ’s death and resurrection.
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