Justified by Covenant

“Covenant: a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement” – Merriam-Webster Online

The piece of the above definition I hone in on is that of the “binding agreement”. This to me indicates that it is set and all parties are held to the agreement and it is not able to altered.

God has entered into two major covenants with man, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. These covenants are binding agreements and were not to be altered by either party. Both covenants are still active today as they work together.

The Old Covenant was driven by the laws and rules established by God in preface to the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This was driven by keeping the laws and rules so as to stay in right standing with God. And even when there was not the right standing with God, there was the ability to offer an annual sacrifice to Him to regain favor and right standing.

That sacrifice was the transition to the New Covenant that was enacted upon the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. The sacrifice of Jesus took the place of the annual sacrifice to regain favor and right standing. I no longer “need” to sacrifice to God, I only need to repent and seek forgiveness for the sins I have and will commit.

“²⁴So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” — Galatians 3:24-26 (ESV)

There is still the need to follow the law, only the law I follow is that of God and not for the purpose of gaining something, but in obedience and because I have faith in Him. I follow God thanks to His promise to provide for me as he demonstrated with the death of Jesus for my sins as He was sinless. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus I am free from sin. Just as with the Old Covenant and the annual sacrifice, I am good to go as relates to being justified, only I will now rely on God and not the law to be sanctified and maintained in my faith. I have salvation from that sin and no longer have to present to God other than my obedience to Him.

It is the promise of the covenant that keeps me in right standing with God. I have been justified by faith, and that faith is due to the covenant that God has with me. The unwavering promise that is binding and unchangeable. I know what I have in God and know that He will always be here with me and I have nothing left to do to gain His favor. I only have a lot to do because of His favor.

How are you looking to be justified? Are you continuing to follow the law in hopes that it will do it for you? What if you followed God and knew that you are justified and that His promises will not waver or be changed?