Covenants are a central theme within the Bible, with these solemn agreements or promises often marking significant events, relationships, or instructions from God to humanity. Both the Old and New Testaments feature examples of covenants between God and individuals, or God and entire nations. These covenants often serve multiple purposes: to guide, instruct, to seal sacred promises, and to define the nature of the relationship between God and His people. They often also carry conditions, blessings, and sometimes penalties, providing essential guidelines for righteous living.
What Constitutes a Covenant in the Bible?
A covenant in the Bible is described as a solemn agreement, typically between God and His people. These are not casual or temporary arrangements; they hold significant gravity and longevity. Whether unconditional, where God fulfills the pledge regardless of the people’s adherence, or conditional, where the fulfillment depends upon the person’s or people’s obedience, covenants are binding agreements meant to be upheld with utmost solemnity.
Where Are Covenants Found in the Bible?
Covenants are found throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. In Genesis, God establishes His first covenant with Noah, promising never to destroy the Earth with a flood again. In Exodus, God forms a covenant with the Israelites at Sinai, giving them the Ten Commandments, and in the Books of Samuel, God promises David that his lineage will always rule Israel. The New Testament introduces the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, whereby through His death and resurrection, the sins of believers are forgiven, and they are granted eternal life.
Why Are Covenants Important in the Bible?
Covenants hold immense significance in the Bible, maintaining the theme of God’s faithfulness to His promises throughout the Scriptures. They form the backbone for understanding God’s plan for humanity’s salvation, showcasing His grace, mercy, and patience. Covenants also provide guidelines to righteous living and act as a roadmap to understand the promises and expectations God has of His people. Their significance extends to every Christian’s personal relationship with God and provides context and structure to the collective religious experience.
Who Are the Major Participants in Biblical Covenants?
Several significant figures participate in the Bible’s covenants on behalf of humanity. This includes Noah, who receives God’s promise never to flood the Earth again, Abraham, who is promised to be the father of many nations, and Moses, through whom God delivers the Law. The Israelites, as a group, participate in the covenant at Sinai. David is promised an everlasting kingdom, and finally, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ brings the New Covenant of grace and salvation to all who believe in Him.
When Did the New Covenant Begin?
The New Covenant began with the advent, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Referred to in the Last Supper, Jesus describes the New Covenant to His disciples. This covenant departs from the previous ones by focusing on internal transformation—writing God’s laws on hearts rather than on stone tablets. It offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and the power to live a life pleasing to God through the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant is essential to Christian faith, as it solidifies the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Below is the full list of bible verses on covenants (King James Version – KJV). The list is ranked in order of popularity and we hope you find the inspiration you need.
Most Popular Bible Verses About Covenants
Psalm 89:34
“34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
Psalm 105:8-11
“8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:”
Isaiah 54:10
“10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.”
Related Themes: Peace Love Kindness Loneliness
Ezekiel 16:59
“59 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.”
Galatians 3:15
“15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.”
1 Samuel 18:3
“3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.”
Hebrews 6:17
“17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:”
Related Themes: Oaths
Genesis 8:20-22
“20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Malachi 2:4
“4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Hebrews 12:18-24
“18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
Micah 7:20
“20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.”
