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From Eternity Past
should shut themselves away from the world so that they could have
no influence upon it. It was their evil heart of unbelief that led them
to hide their light instead of shedding it upon surrounding peoples, to
shut themselves away in proud exclusiveness as if God’s love and care
were over them alone.
The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden. After
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the Fall, there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman
should bruise the serpent’s head. To all men this covenant offered
pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through
faith in Christ. It also promised eternal life on condition of fidelity to
God’s law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation.
This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, “In
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 22:18
.
Abraham trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith
that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with
Abraham also maintained the authority of God’s law. The testimony
of God was, “Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My
commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Genesis 26:5
. Though
this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could
not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise
of God; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ,
it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this
covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again
into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey
God’s law.
Another compact—called in Scripture the “old” covenant—was
formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the
blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant, ratified by the blood of
Christ, is called the “second,” or “new” covenant, because the blood
by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant.
But if the Abrahamic covenant contained the promise of redemp-
tion, why was another covenant formed at Sinai? In their bondage the
people had to a great extent lost the knowledge of the principles of
the Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God sought
to reveal His power and mercy, that they might be led to love and
trust Him. He bound them to Himself as their deliverer from temporal
bondage.
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