The Great What-If
8/10/21
Do we know just how far the extensions of God's Covenant go, or to what lengths it covers, and is it even possible to understand it fully? Covenant is a concept that cannot be understood overnight, nor can it be fully known with a finite mind but it is a concept that we can learn about and live under, growing in it as each day passes by. Covenant is a major part of the definition of God so it is our responsibility to know Him as much as possible, thus knowing Covenant as well. God has no "what if" categories within His definition, all is black and white, it is our doubts that create such an abomination. It is our responsibility to understand this eternal "promise" enough to guide us to tell others about God's Son and how His blood provides us this all-encompassing protection and substance. Do we fulfill this Truth about God, Church? Or do we play simple games to entice people enough for them to sit in our pews? It is time we change this policy of ours and begin doing what God wants us to do, share God's Will and not worldly lies.
The title of this article shares the same with a movie that was produced a few years back. While this movie is a good one and I recommend it's seeing, it has nothing to do with what this article topic is about, nor will it be used in any type of reference concerning the said movie. This article deals with Covenant how it should mean to our lives on a daily basis and how Covenant defines us if we allow God to inhabit our lives. Covenant is continually dealt with in the entire Bible but somehow we have systematically and superficially applied it to our lives. It takes time and effort to understand this principle and for some reason, we fail to spend the time in order to "get it".
One of the most important sessions in some denominations uses the procedure of confession as a means to go about the telling of wrongs in order to correct their standing with God. While this is a noble gesture it means nothing to God unless our hearts change when these sessions are confessed. I am not here to knock the procedure of confession either; however, you might be interested to know that Confession and Covenant are the same which truly explains why those who go to confession tend to take it superficially and not seriously. See, we are all in this together and all of us fail to meet God's qualifications for eternal living, and as long as we do not take the Word of God seriously and live its contents within our hearts moment-by-moment all of our deeds are not even recognized by God.
We will be referring to two verses in this article, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New Testament, remember all of God's Word is needed in order to understand what God is saying to His people, not just one Testament or the other. By no means is this the entire definition and explanation of Covenant, this topic merely touches the surface of the issue and requires us to study deeper into the Bible to find out more. This information shall help you face the coming trials in our lives and it shall most importantly help us to effectively witness to those who need God. The two verses are as follows:
Psalm 33:4
"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The entire process of Covenant boils down to the first word in the second verse of this article, "If". This two-letter word appears numerous times within the confines of the Word of God and it starts a process into each life that accepts its vulnerability and directness. One of the most understudied or forgotten portions of Covenant is about the promises that it carries with it. The word "if" is a choice word, for a person makes a choice to either acknowledge it or deny its conditions, whatever those conditions may entail. Covenant is about promises, and in a day and age of continual broken promises, it is readily difficult to place our trust in another, especially a Being that we must rely upon through faith and not always through the physical.
The placement of our lives into this Covenant of God separates us from the world, without exception. God is not a part of this world, He never has, He is not now, nor shall He ever be connected. God cannot be around sin and when He sees sin He must rid that sin from His presence. This policy has never changed and it never shall either, ask Satan. Holiness can have no part with sin, it is a spiritual and eternal line that cannot be crossed, if one tries to only devastation and destruction can result; in your devastation and destruction only. It is for this purpose of protection and coverage that God set into motion His promises to us, to keep us safe and pure before Him. No matter how hard the world tells you that you can be pure through its pleasures, it is a lie. If you live in the world your setting of both these verses shall return empty, if you surrender yourself to God your return shall never be void but full of life.
Remember back in Genesis when God established Covenant with Abram and in completing this ceremony He outlined what would occur to our lives if we ever violated it. The verse in Psalm 33 reminds us that once God brings anything into being it must be done completely and accurately, without blemish or sin. It is us who violate this eternal setting, not God. See the Genesis verses say that if anyone curses you that God will curse them and if anyone blesses you then He will bless them, there is that "if" word again. When God uses such a term it means that He has ordained such a process and He cannot break such Word. God's promises always contain caveats on both sides, He wants us to always remember that He shall never violate such oath, nor can He forget about it either. This word "if" then becomes the great "what if" for everything that we live for depends on our living through this word.
How many times can we look back on our lives and remember when supposedly good friends or even family members abandon us when we need them the most? It is disheartening to think about those times and ponder how lonely we were begging for someone to talk with while things in our lives were being decimated. It does not matter if it was things we had done or not done, those times hurt and it seemed like no one cared any longer. God understands that we shall make mistakes, some of which hurt others quite extensively and that we need to serve our consequences for those, but that does not mean He leaves us. It is this time that He wants so much for us to cry out to Him for help, for it is the perfect setting in which for Him to enter and to help. Also, when one accepts God's Covenant over their lives, they voluntarily give up the burden of self and allow God to guide them in all areas. Imagine, not having any care in the world about what is going on in the world around except for those who need God.
1 John 1 also tells us that God shall be faithful to us. This word "faithful" is the Greek word "pistos" which means trustworthy, faithful, believing. How many times during a single day do we see unfaithfulness beat? Those numbers sometimes hit directly home and these settings too hurt and cut deeply. From my own experiences, I could have saved myself a bunch of hurt and heartache if I would have consulted God instead of my friends for they just wanted to be a part of a ceremony to look important when the ceremony itself was a violation of Covenant. Even this action by friends who hurt, steal, or kill are curses against you. Why don't we teach the faithfulness of God comes when we obey Him and His Ways? Many times we are quick to make cuts into people's lives without understanding that they need help and not condemnation. These acts toward them are curses not blessings and thus we shall reap such what we have sown.
Another detail we tend to forget about Covenant and that is when God states something all of it must come to pass. We have a tendency to study or to claim only the blessings portion of God's Covenant with mankind and minimize the so-called or believed "negative" portion of His statement. Remember, whatever God proclaims is true and alive and must be fulfilled, it may be fulfilled tomorrow, next week, next year, or next decade but it shall come to pass. God's Word is not always comforting to hear or to go through just ask all of the people He allowed to die in Scripture due to their disobedience. Please keep this aspect of promises close to your heart as well, for if you can teach someone to remember such Truth before they act, times might be a tad better.
The connection between these two verses is that the word "confess" that is used in 1 John 1 is a Greek word that is defined as "homologomen" which means assent, Covenant, acknowledge. It does not matter which of these three descriptive words for this Greek word is used they all describe the character of God and what He means when He displays Covenant terms. When we confess something it means we did it or we live by it, or unfortunately, we deny it. I become overjoyed when both Testaments come together and act as one Word. The Psalm 33 passage tells us that the Word of God is true on all levels including being right and He is right 100% of the time. The Bible could not make this statement if it was not true, for God is the origin and definition of truth and when we combine this verse in Psalm to the one in 1 John we have two pieces about God (Covenant) that remind us who we live for and who we were Created for. It also means that when we live under Covenant that our lives will be subject to God both physically and spiritually.
God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we only confess (Covenant) with Him. We actually live out Covenant with God when we do what is right in His eyes, and we move His Kingdom forward while we Covenant with HIm as well. Church, we need more Covenant understanding and teaching in our hearts. There is no way possible for us to live like Jesus if we do not understand what Covenant is and what it means to our lives. We have a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time but we can do it. All we have to do is to repent and truly confess God in our lives every single second of every single day. Covenant cannot be hidden, it can be ignored and brushed off by the world but if Covenant lives within you, your light will so ever shine brightly to the dark world, and the great what-if shall reach to the heavens as it was meant to be when it was Created.
DLB
