When God says something, He uses words that children can understand. For instance, take the word “covenant.” Children have a word that many think is the same—the word “bargain.” For example, let’s say I have a new skateboard. I tell you, “I’ll sell it to you for a dollar.” You say, “Okay, I’ll buy it. I’ll give you a dollar for it.” So we agree on the deal. We say, “We’ve made a bargain. I’ll do my part (that is, give you the skateboard).” You say, “I’ll do my part (that is, pay the dollar).”
Grownups call that a “covenant.” It’s very easy to understand. And the Bible tells of two covenants. One is that we think we have made a bargain with God. Let’s look at the one that is called the “old” covenant. That was the “bargain” that God’s people made with Him at a place called Mount Sinai, on their way to their wonderful Promised Land.
The bargain they thought they made with God was this: For His part, He would give them this Promised Land and many blessings to go with it—including salvation from sin and eternal life. For their part, the people would give Him something—they promised that they would be faithful to keep all His commandments perfectly; they said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said” (Exodus 19:7). This should make God happy, they thought. This “bargain” or agreement became the “old covenant.”
That should be a good “bargain,” many people think
The people would get the Promised Land and everlasting life to go with it. God would get their perfect obedience. But there was a problem: the people didn’t keep their end of the “bargain.”
They broke God’s commandments. In just a few days, they gave up everything and made a golden calf, knelt down, worshipped it, and got themselves into a wild party where they forgot all about God and His commandments.
The problem was that they could not keep their promise, even though they may have wanted to and promised to. We human beings have all been born separated from God. We’re like a branch of an apple tree that has been broken off. Any little apples on the broken branch die.
The Bible says that of ourselves, we are so separated from Him that it’s impossible for us on our own to keep His commandments. So if we promise ever so faithfully, and keep promising for a thousand years that we will keep all His commandments perfectly, people have always ended up failing to do so. Our very nature is evil. We need to be born again. We need a new heart.
But God had already done the right thing, and had made a “new covenant” that was already perfect. The people had just forgotten about it, or had dis-believed it.
When God makes a covenant with us, it’s not a “bargain” like you and I agreeing on the skateboard. When God has a “skateboard” that He wants us to have, He doesn’t make “a bargain” with us about it, or an agreement that if we will do something, then He will do something. He just gives us the skateboard straight out—a gift. No promises, no bargain of any kind, on our part. It’s totally a gift on His part. That’s the way God likes to do things. Did you promise God anything before you came out of the womb to be born? No, you simply were born. Period.
But that doesn’t mean that we have nothing to do on our part. When we understand that He has given everything, including Himself, for us to be saved, then we can’t say “Thank You!” enough. Our hearts are so fully changed that from now on we want to keep His commandments perfectly. It becomes our greatest joy to obey. That’s the wonderful thing that the New Covenant does for those who will believe God’s promises.