Covenant Keepers
Fred Smith, a business leader and Christian from Dallas wrote a book in which he described an incident he witnessed at a small coffee shop. He noticed a farm couple: a big burly man and his petite wife. After eating breakfast the man bent over and picked up is wife, revealing a full body brace. Everyone in the Coffee shop watched as he gently and lovingly placed her into their car and drove away. No one said a word. Finally, after several minutes, the waitress said, “now there’s a man who keeps his covenant.”
Jesus made a covenant with his family. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” A covenant is a binding promise made in the past to continue to perform now and into the future that which we have pledged. Our covenant with God is to set up a cultural outpost to stand against the schemes of the devil in the darkness of this fallen world. Romans 12:1 says, “therefore I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.”
The appeal that Paul makes is grounded upon the mercies of God, appealing to the people of God. He called them “brethren” in his male dominated culture. However his address to the family of God applies to both men and women. Chapter 12 of Romans begins the covenantal response of God’s people to God’s grace. By God’s mercy and grace we have been given salvation. Included with God’s gracious gift of salvation is our righteousness, justification, sanctification and redemption. The indicator of our receiving God’s mercy and grace, is our extension of a thankful heart back to God, his son Jesus Christ, and to others to which God has called us to minister.
The verbs in Romans 12 are the keys to our appropriate response in our covenantal relation with God. These verbs include: loving without pretense; detesting that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good; loving one another with brotherly love, burning with the flame of the spirit; serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope; continuing in prayer; distributing to the saints’ needs; giving hospitality; blessing those who persecute us; rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep; condescending to those of low estate; repaying no one evil for evil; providing all things honestly; and as much as lies within us, living peaceably with all men. We are to be overwhelmed by the mercy that God has shown to us. In understanding his mercy, our covenantal response is to “go and do thou likewise.”
God had set up the sacrificial system in the Old Testament for Israel to follow as a covenantal act of faith. The sacrificial animal would symbolize the ultimate supreme sacrifice for our sins, paid for by God’s only begotten son. Because Jesus’ sacrifice of his own blood fulfilled our covenant with God on our behalf, the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifice in Romans 12:1 is not a sin sacrifice, but rather a sacrifice of praise. Our sacrifice of praise manifests itself in our bodies as we allow our minds to be transformed according to his Word. A living sacrifice indicates that we should be devoted not to the things of this sinful world, but rather our devotion is wholly and holy separated from worldly things and therefore acceptable unto him. As men of God our acceptance of of Christ’s supreme sacrifice is revealed by our Godly demeanor, our humble hearts, and our merciful behavior.
When the highest court of our land defines good as evil and evil as good, we should subject our hearts not to the world’s authority, but to God’s authority. The adversary rarely shows his true colors, but when our country advocates killing unborn children to harvest their body parts in the name of “science” this reveals evil in its true form… for the thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy. In contrast, Jesus Christ came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
If God is eternally omniscient, then his omniscience had a causative effect. This is the decreed will of God according to the Word of God. What was the causative effect of Jesus’ death and resurrection? Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemene, was not about his suffering and torture. When Jesus said “let this cup pass from me,” he was praying about being separated from God because of the sin sacrifice he would bear on behalf of the world. He said, “nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” It’s better to suffer for doing good than to live in comfort to do evil. The causative effect of Jesus’s death was that “he who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.” God’s decreed will is his sovereign will and it shall come to pass according to his Word. The decreed will of God is different from the moral will of God. The moral will of God is related to God’s goodness, mercy and grace. God’s moral will also shall come to pass. The paradox is that God takes that which men intended for evil and turns it to good. According to Rom 8:28, all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose. The moral will of God is that he sent his son Jesus Christ to be our high priest on our behalf to make intercession for us. The moral will of God is that ye be kindly affectioned one to another. However, God allows bad things to happen to good people as part of his decreed will in his sovereign perspective. We cannot fully understand God’s perspective in this present life. However, when that which is perfect is come, then we shall know even also as we are known. God’s commandment in Romans 12: 2 is, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that (morally) good and acceptable and perfect (decreed) will of God.” Our responsibility to God is our covenantal response to his ability. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Before he was put to death for the faith one martyr said, “If God is my accomplice, then my life has come to naught. If I am his instrument, then my life was all for his glory… take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee.” His ways are higher than our ways and his covenantal love abides forever. Therefore, present your bodies a living sacrifice (in this life or the next) holy and wholly acceptable unto him which is your reasonable service.
May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ,
Michael