By Wilmer Wilke
For some time I have been a member of a Sabbath-keeping and Holy Day-observing church. Since the break up of the former Worldwide Church of God (WCG) many questions have arisen over the laws and commandments to be observed by Christians. Whilst most splinter groups, formed from the WCG, adamantly maintain that most of the laws given to the Israelites are still to be kept, virtually none of these groups have provided any support based upon the very covenants in which these laws were included. Yet the covenants, (i.e. Abraham, Sinai and the New Covenant) appear to be the basis upon which Abraham, the Israelites and Christians were to establish a relationship with God.
As a result, I have many questions that I feel should be clarified, with supporting scriptures, to provide a sound basis upon which to build and maintain a relationship with God. Surely the covenant agreements should illustrate what God expects of Christians just as the covenants illustrated what God expected of Abraham and the Israelites.
I do not know how any church or Christian group can teach others or maintain a congregation of believers when a reasonable understanding of the covenants is neglected in their teaching. To date I have found very little teaching on the covenants included in the teachings of virtually all the splinter groups that I have had access to via published articles or information made available via the Internet. Surely one must understand the covenants that God has taken the time to reveal to Abraham, the Israelites and to Christians, in order to understand the Sabbath, the Holy Days, Tithing, Clean/unclean meats, etc. Virtually, all of the beliefs and practices of the church ride on how the covenants are understood (i.e. when they started/ended, who was included in the covenant, who was excluded, what was expected of the participants, the result of breaking the covenant, etc.).
If anyone can provide any answers to my questions or provide your teaching on the covenants, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Some of my questions are outlined below:
Background
Scripture illustrates many covenants or agreements between God and mankind following the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The covenants of interest include: 1. the Covenant with Abraham; 2. the Old Covenant; 3. the New Covenant.
Understanding these covenants is crucial to understanding how God has chosen to work with His creation to redeem man and ultimately, God’s plan for salvation; as Christians we need to understand the role that the covenants (with Abraham, Israel and the New Covenant) take in our relationship with God. There are many questions to address in seeking a satisfactory understanding. Some of the questions need to be addressed to fully understand how to position agreements included in the covenants in the life and beliefs of Christians.
The Covenant with Abraham
1. What was the covenant agreement between Abraham and God?
2. Who was the mediator?
3. Why did God made this covenant with Abraham?
4. When was this covenant made?
5. How was the agreement between Abraham and God made?
6. What is the sign of the Covenant with Abraham?
7. What was contained in the agreement?
a. What did Abraham have to do?
b. What was God promising to do?
c. What were the terms of this Covenant?
d. How long was this covenant to last?
e. Did the Covenant with Abraham come to an end?
8. What are the moral and ceremonial laws of the Covenant with Abraham?
The Covenant with the Israelites
1. What was the Old Covenant?
2. Who was the mediator?
3. When was the Old Covenant made?
4. Who were the participants in the Old Covenant?
5. Why was the Old Covenant made?
6. How was the agreement of the Old Covenant made?
7. What is the sign of the Old Covenant?
8. What was contained in the Old Covenant?
a. What did Israel have to do?
b. What was God promising to do?
c. What were the terms of the Old Covenant?
d. How long was the Old covenant to last?
e. Did the Old Covenant come to an end? If so, then how?
9. What impact did the Old Covenant have on the Israelites?
10. What are the moral and ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant?
The New Covenant
1. What was the New Covenant?
2. Who was the mediator?
3. When was the New Covenant made?
4. Who were the participants in the New Covenant?
5. Why was the New Covenant made?
6. How was the agreement of the New Covenant made?
7. What is the sign of the New Covenant?
8. What was contained in the New Covenant?
a. What did each participant have to do?
b. What was God promising to do?
c. What were the terms of the New Covenant?
d. How long was the New covenant to last?
9. What impact did the new covenant have on Christians?
10. What are the moral and ceremonial laws of the New Covenant?
11. What Old Covenant observances still apply to the New Covenant Christians?
12. What are the similarities and differences between the Old and New Covenants?
Current Covenant Situation
Upon the death of Jesus Christ, significant changes occurred with the covenant agreements between God and the nation of Israel.
1. When are the terms of the New Covenant to be in place?
2. When are the terms and agreement of the Old Covenant to cease?
3. What are the covenant agreements that Christians are to acknowledge and agree to?
4. How do Abraham’s Covenant, the Old and New Covenants affect beliefs and practices of Christians today, including Sabbath observance, Feast/Holy Day observance, observance of New Moons, clean and unclean meats, tithing.
5. How are Christians to understand such scriptures as Matthew 26:26–28, Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:17–20, John 17:4, John 19:30 and Hebrews 12:2, which clearly indicate that Jesus came to do a work (redemptive work), complete the work and shed His blood to initiate a New Covenant agreement?
6. What did the Apostle Paul teach about the covenants to Jewish and Gentile Christians?
7. What covenant are Christians to be in now?
8. What laws, ordinances, commandments and observances are important to Christians? Why?
I would appreciate any information on the covenants that would answer the questions that I have asked above.
—Wilmer Wilke
Phone: 613-256-4690,
e-mail: wawilke@trytel.com
1142 Corkery Road, Carp,
Ontario, K0A 1L0, Canada
I have wanted to study the covenants of the Bible for a long time. I think such a study would help me know what I believe and help me work with other Christian groups that often base much of their theology on “the New Covenant”. I do not have time to study it now, but I would encourage others to study the covenants and respond to Wilmer Wilke.
While his outline is a good starting place, I think there are several other issues that need to be considered that are not listed here:
1. What other covenants are there beside the three mentioned above?
2. Are there commands of God to everyone which are separate and distinct from the covenants?
3. What commands or covenants were in effect before Abraham’s covenant with God?
4. Is it possible that God will still work within the terms of an older covenant, when the parties are unaware of a replacement covenant (traditional Christianity has sometimes been such a poor witness to the Jews that God may not hold them responsible for looking into a “New Covenant”)?
5. Does God wave parts of a covenant when it cannot be fulfilled (such as when there is no priesthood to fulfill its functions, or when understanding of parts of the covenant have been lost)?
6. Are there parts of obsolete covenants that God’s people continued to practice because they produced good fruit?
7. Are there parts of obsolete covenants that have changed and taken on new spiritual meaning in a later covenant?
— NSE