Covenants
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Most people don’t talk about “covenants”. Lawyers and property developers talk about covenants, but other than that, we normally only hear about them when discussing the Bible.
In the Bible, a covenant is a deep and binding agreement between two parties. It’s stronger than a contract, but much more personal than a deal. It’s a key way God chose to relate to his people throughout the Bible.
In the Bible, we’re given a range of covenants.
Some of them are conditional covenants. With these, it’s like God says, “If you do this, then I’ll do that.”
Some of them are unconditional covenants. With these, it’s like God says, “Regardless of what you do, I’ll do this.”
In this article, we’ll explore the conditional covenant God made with and through Moses, and how this points to the unconditional covenant he makes through Jesus.
Covenant and Exodus
In Exodus 24, God makes a covenant through Moses. We call this the “Old Covenant”. Moses reads out God’s laws, and the people enthusiastically respond, “Everything the Lord has said we will do” (24:3).
Here’s the thing you need to know: God’s Old Covenant was conditional, bloody, written in stone and temporary. Let’s break that down.
Conditional. In Exodus 19:5, we get an “If-Then” statement: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” In Exodus 24:3, the people agree to follow the covenant: “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” And again, in 24:8: “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” The covenant is conditional and involves obedience.
Bloody. The covenant also involves blood. In Exodus 24:4, Moses builds an altar. The young men offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in verse 5. Then in verse 6,
”Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.” In verse 8, after the Israelites agreed to the covenant, Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Why blood? Why not a pinky promise? It’s probably because it shows a life-for-life seriousness. In Leviticus 17:11, we read:
The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
The life of a creature is its blood, and therefore, blood is what makes atonement.
Written in stone. After this, God tells Moses: “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” God writes the covenant down on stone. Then in Exodus 31:18, God gives Moses the stone tablets.
Temporary. Soon after coming down the mountain, Moses breaks the stone tablets when he sees the Israelites worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 31:19). This hints at something very significant: this covenant, much like the tablets they are written on, is breakable and therefore temporary.
So, God’s Old Covenant was conditional, bloody, written in stone and temporary.
2. Covenant and Jesus
God’s New Covenant, his covenant through Jesus, is different. God’s new covenant is unconditional, (still) bloody, written on our hearts and eternal. Let me explain.
Unconditional. Whereas the covenant with Moses depended on obedience, the new covenant depends on God’s grace. The old covenant was defined by “if-then” statements. The new covenant is defined by “I will” statements, statements spoken by God himself. As Hebrews 8:6 says, “the new covenant is established on better promises.” God establishes and sustains this new covenant.
Bloody. It’s still bloody. After all, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). But when we come to the New Testament, we discover that it’s “impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus “did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood” (Hebrews 9:12). Animal blood can’t take away sins—Jesus’ blood can and does.
Written on our hearts. This new covenant is not breakable, like something written on a stone tablet. It’s written on our hearts. In Hebrews 8:10 (quoting a prophecy from Jeremiah), God tells us: “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.” Whereas the covenant with Moses was external, this covenant was internal. Whereas the covenant with Moses was informative, this covenant is transformative.
Eternal. Therefore, this covenant is also eternal. It lasts forever. Jesus “entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). Similarly, “by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus ensures that this covenant lasts forever.
God’s new covenant is unconditional, (still) bloody, written on our hearts and eternal.
3. Covenant and Us
So, what do we do with this covenant? We boldly share this glorious new covenant.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3 that God has made us “ministers of a new covenant”—a covenant of the Spirit, not the letter; a covenant that gives life, not death (2 Corinthians 3:6). He says the old covenant, which brought guilt and condemnation, came with glory—but the new one brings even greater glory, because it brings righteousness (3:9).
Then he says something big in 3:12:
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
That’s what the New Covenant does—it gives us boldness. Confidence. Joy. A reason to keep going, even when life is messy.
Here’s what it means for you.
You don’t have to earn God’s love—Jesus has done everything.
You don’t have to be smashed by guilt—you’re fully forgiven.
You don’t have to worry about being a fake—the Holy Spirit is working in you.
You don’t have to freak out about not belonging—this covenant makes you God’s child forever.
You don’t have to stay silent—you’ve got something worth sharing.
So, be bold. What does boldness mean? It has to involve evangelism, sharing the good news of Jesus boldly. “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:6). We don’t share Jesus as if there’s a veil over our faces, muffling the words we have to speak. No. We shout it from the rooftops, through megaphones.
Why?
Well, how can we not? How can we keep a message like this to ourselves? God has made us ministers or servants of a new covenant, a covenant that is unconditional and that lasts forever, a covenant that cost the blood of his Son, a covenant that is so important to him that he sends his own Spirit to populate our hearts and minds. Don’t we want our friends and families to know about this?
We have such a great hope!
“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”
