One Covenant

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary

Short Summary
The discourse explains that the Bible contains numerous covenants, with a primary focus on the Abrahamic Covenant and its three subdivisions represented by Abraham’s wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah. The Abrahamic Covenant is a comprehensive, unilateral agreement initiated solely by God to grant life and blessings, while the subordinate covenants are bilateral, involving mutual commitments that operationalize and fulfill the overall program of God’s blessing. This framework illustrates how God’s plan combines an unstoppable divine promise with the necessary human response to receive its full benefits.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse on Bible Covenants (Abrahamic Covenant and its Divisions: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah)

Extensive Biblical Foundation for Covenants:
– Bible covenants are a major theme throughout Scripture.
– Old Testament references: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, among others.
– New Testament references: Matthew, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Hebrews, 1 John, etc.
– Over the past 150 years, many resources (Bible Tabernacle Shadows, Studies in the Scriptures, reprints, sermons, brother’s talks) have elaborated on covenants.

Why So Much Emphasis on Covenants?
– God is described as a God of covenants and a God of life.
– Eternal life is obtained only within the terms of a covenant.
– God’s covenants establish the framework for receiving His blessings.
– The discourse focuses on examining four key covenants related to Abraham and his three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah.

Basic Covenant Concepts:
– A covenant = a binding agreement (biblical and human usage).
– Many types exist, but the focus here is on unilateral vs. bilateral covenants.
Unilateral covenant: Only one party (God) obligates Himself; the other parties are recipients/beneficiaries without obligations.
Bilateral covenant: Both parties mutually obligate themselves, with exchanges of promises, benefits, and penalties.

Examples of Covenants:
Unilateral Example: Genesis 9:8,11 (God’s covenant with Noah post-flood)
– God promises never again to flood the entire earth.
– Noah and his sons are recipients, but they make no reciprocal promises.
Bilateral Example: Hosea 6:7 (reference to Adam’s covenant)
– God promised life and dominion to Adam contingent on obedience.
– Adam promised obedience; disobedience meant death.
– Mutual exchange of promises defines the bilateral nature.

Reasons for Both Covenant Types:
Unilateral covenants demonstrate God’s unstoppable divine plan (Isaiah 55:11: “So shall my word be… it shall not return unto me void”).
Bilateral covenants allow for free will and choice.
– Life is a choice (Deuteronomy 30:19: “Choose life, that thou mayest live”).
– God cannot impose blessing without individual consent.
– Bilateral covenants involve human responsibility to keep promises.

The Abrahamic Covenant and Its Three Divisions (Sarah, Hagar, Keturah):
– Initially, only two covenants were recognized (Old Law and New Law).
– From 1880-1909, the Abrahamic covenant was added as a third.
– After 1909, a distinction was made between Abrahamic and Sarah covenants.
– By 1916, the understanding evolved to one *integrated* Abrahamic covenant with three divisions:
Covenant of Sacrifice (Sarah)
Old Law Covenant (Hagar)
New Law Covenant (Keturah)
– These three subdivisions are not separate covenants but stages or mechanisms to fulfill the comprehensive Abrahamic covenant.
Analogy: Like a master contract with three subcontracts; the subcontracts do not add or subtract from the master contract but fulfill it in stages.

The Abrahamic Covenant:
– First mentioned in Genesis 12:1-3 (God’s call to Abram).
– Becomes a covenant when Abraham enters Canaan.
– Contains sweeping promises:
– Abraham’s exaltation and countless offspring (both spiritual and earthly).
– Leaders, royalty, land ownership.
– Eternal and perpetual blessings.
– Blessing to “all families of the earth.”
Nature: Unilateral covenant — God alone obligates Himself.
– Abraham’s faith and journey were pre-covenant conditions, not part of the bilateral exchange.
– Abraham had no input or reciprocal promises in the covenant.
– Entirely a divine blessing program initiated by God.
Relation to other covenants: The Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah covenants serve to carry out the Abrahamic covenant but add no new substantive blessings.

The Sarah Covenant (Covenant of Sacrifice):
– Purpose: To develop Abraham’s *spiritual seed* (“stars class”).
– Genesis 15:5 uses the “stars” analogy for numerous offspring; later clarified as heavenly and earthly seeds (Genesis 22:17).
– Apostle Paul identifies Christ as the singular seed (Galatians 3:16).
– The “little flock” (Christ and church) and the “great company” (secondary spiritual seed) are part of this spiritual seed (Galatians 3:29; 4:26; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
Nature: Bilateral covenant.
– Jesus and followers voluntarily enter into a covenant of sacrifice (Psalm 50:5).
– Reciprocal promises with God, including penalties for breach.
Relation: It is a process to develop the spiritual seed within the Abrahamic covenant.
– Isaac (the spiritual seed) inherits all that Abraham had (Genesis 25:5).
– Isaac’s class is the channel for God’s blessing to others (Hebrews 11:40).

The Hagar Covenant (Old Law Covenant):
– Found in Exodus 19:5-6; God offers Israel the opportunity to be a kingdom of priests.
– A *works* or *performance* covenant requiring perfect obedience.
– God knew Israel could not perfectly obey (Galatians 3:24).
– Purpose:
– To act as a schoolmaster, leading Israel to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
– To prepare a nucleus of faithful Israelites for the New Covenant.
– Jesus perfectly fulfilled this covenant, securing the legal basis for salvation and the ransom (Leviticus 18:5).
Nature: Bilateral covenant.
– Israel promised obedience; God promised blessings.
– Exodus 24:7 depicts Israel’s acceptance.
Relation: Added to Abrahamic covenant “because of transgressions” (Galatians 3:19).
– It does not change the Abrahamic covenant but supplements it.
– Provides the legal foundation for the ransom and prepares Israel for the New Covenant.

The Keturah Covenant (New Law Covenant):
– Described in Romans 11:26-27.
– Purpose: To restore natural Israel (Jacob class) and all who become naturalized Israelites.
– It restores human life and earthly dominion lost by Adam.
Nature: Bilateral covenant.
– Requires individuals to consecrate themselves and have God’s law written on their hearts (Hebrews 8 and 9).
– Free will participation is essential.
Relation: The final phase to perfect the human seed promised in the Abrahamic covenant.
– Completes the blessing to all families of the earth.

Final Illustrations and Summary:
House Building Analogy:
– Abrahamic covenant = master contract.
– Sarah, Hagar, Keturah = subcontracts executing the master contract.
University Analogy:
– One university with three colleges (Pharmacy, Engineering, Law).
– University offers programs, but students must commit and do the work.
– Similarly, God’s covenant offers blessings, but individuals must commit via the three bilateral covenants.
Summary:
– One comprehensive unilateral Abrahamic covenant with three bilateral covenants that fulfill it.
– God’s program is perfect and unstoppable.
– Individuals must voluntarily commit to receive the blessings.
– Jesus, the Church, the Great Company, Ancient Worthies, and the world participate through these bilateral covenants.

Key Bible Verses Cited:
– Genesis 9:8,11 (Noahic covenant)
– Hosea 6:7 (Adam’s covenant)
– Isaiah 55:11 (God’s word accomplishing His purpose)
– Deuteronomy 30:19 (Choose life)
– Genesis 12:1-3 (Initial Abrahamic covenant promise)
– Genesis 15:5; 22:17 (Abraham’s seed as stars and sand)
– Galatians 3:16, 3:29; 4:26 (Spiritual seed and new Jerusalem)
– 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (Differences in glory among stars)
– Psalm 50:5 (Covenant of sacrifice)
– Genesis 25:5 (Abraham’s inheritance to Isaac)
– Exodus 19:5-6 (Old Law covenant promise)
– Galatians 3:19, 3:24 (Law added for transgressions; law as schoolmaster)
– Leviticus 18:5 (Law covenant and life)
– Exodus 24:7 (Israel’s acceptance of the covenant)
– Romans 11:26-27 (New covenant with Israel)
– Hebrews 8 and 9 (New covenant teachings)

—

Keywords: Bible covenants, Abrahamic covenant, Sarah covenant, Hagar covenant, Keturah covenant, unilateral covenant, bilateral covenant, faith covenant, works covenant, New Covenant, Old Covenant, divine plan, eternal life, Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3, Psalm 50:5, Exodus 19, Romans 11, free will, God’s blessing, covenant relationship, Jesus, church, great company, ancient worthies, restitution, ransom.

Transcript

You know, the quantity of resources available to us on the topic of the Bible covenants is nothing short of remarkable. God caused many Old Testament writers to teach, or to at least refer to lessons on the Bible covenants. We find these lessons in the Old Testament in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and that doesn’t name all of them. God also caused our Lord Jesus, most of the apostles and New Testament writers to present covenant lessons as well, and we find these in various New Testament books.

Matthew, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Hebrews, 1st John, and again. That does not name them all. During the past century and a half, God has supplied to us extensive materials explaining the covenants as contained in the Bible Tabernacle Shadows, which has been mentioned several times today. Studies in the Scriptures, of course, reprints, Overland Monthly, Harvest, Gleanings, the sermon book, the covenant book, the question book, and study materials from various brothers over the years in literally hundreds of talks. If you type in the word covenant in Christian Resources or Bible Resources, you’ll find those many of them.

So this begs the question, why? Why so much attention by God and his people on the covenants? We believe it’s because our God is a God of covenants. Why does he use them? Because he’s a God of life.

We understand and we submit that no one, no one gets eternal life on any plane except to be within the terms of a covenant. God is jealous for us. Each must live life on God’s terms in order to get the fullness of his blessing. In light of all that’s been written and said and about Bible covenants, what’s the purpose of today’s remarks? Well, our goal is to take a fresh look at four prominent covenants in the Abrahamic Sarah, Hagar and Keturah.

You’ll recognize these as Abraham and his three wives. Our main focus is threefold. What is each of these four covenants? Second, what kind of covenant is it? And third, how does each one relate to the other three?

Before we begin looking at each of the four, we want to look at some basic covenant concepts. What is a covenant in the Bible? A definition, admittedly oversimplified, is that a covenant is simply a binding agreement in the Bible and in actual use among humanity today. There are many different kinds or classifications of agreements. There are express agreements, implied agreements, third party beneficiary agreements, executory agreements, unilateral agreements, bilateral hybrid agreements, general contracts, subcontracts, and that only names just A few.

However, we’re not going to try to cover all these today. Our focus is going to be much more narrow. We will identify whether each covenant is either unilateral or or bilateral. Now we believe, and we’ve found for ourselves, that classifying each of the four covenants as either unilateral or bilateral will actually enhance our understanding of each one. Classifying each of the four as either unilateral or bilateral is going to help us to relate these four to each other, but it’s also going to help us to distinguish each from the others.

So what is this unilateral and bilateral differential? Let’s first consider unilateral. You already know what UNIL means. It means one. You know what a unicorn is.

You know what a unicycle is. So in a unilateral covenant or agreement, only one party is binding themselves, only one party is obligating themselves. But now let’s not be misled here. When we talk about God making a unilateral agreement, we’re not talking about God making an agreement with himself. God’s unilateral agreements always involve God as well as others.

Every covenant, every single one, involves two or more parties. So the una in unilateral refers to the fact that only one person in that agreement is undertaking obligations. In the case of today’s remarks, we’re talking about God himself. The others in unilateral agreements are simply recipients. They are beneficiaries of God’s self imposed obligation.

God’s unilateral agreements involve him carrying out his objectives for the benefit of others.

As just one example, let’s consider God’s unilateral covenant found in Genesis chapter 9 that God made after the flood. Genesis chapter 9, verses 8 and 11, and there we read, and God spake unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying, and I will establish my covenant with you. Neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by the waters of a flood. Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

God is obviously not talking to himself here. He’s talking to Noah and his sons. So this is clearly an agreement. But God is the only one making any commitments here. That singularity makes it a unilateral covenant or agreement.

God and God only obligated Himself to never again permit global destruction by a flood. Noah and his sons obviously were involved. They were there listening. But their involvement was merely as recipients of God’s obligation, merely as beneficiaries of God’s commitment that he made. Noah and his sons did not obligate themselves to do a single thing.

Noah and his sons didn’t make any promises. God did not ask them for any type of a return commitment or return reciprocal promise. The fact that God, and God only is the one who obligated Himself is the key identifier of a unilateral covenant. Now, let’s consider a bilateral covenant or agreement. Now you know what bi means.

It means two. For example, a bicycle has two wheels. A bicameral legislature has two divisions, House of Representatives and a Senate. Now, unlike a unilateral agreement where only one party binds themselves to carry out an obligation, a bilateral agreement exists where each party to the agreement obligates themselves to do something relative to the other parties to that agreement. So a bilateral agreement requires a mutual exchange of promises by the parties.

Those promises can either be express or they can be implied promises. The parties mutually agree on, the benefits for compliance and the penalties for breach or for violation.

Let’s consider an example of one of God’s bilateral covenants found in Hosea, chapter six. Hosea, chapter six, verse seven. This is from the Revised Version. But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant. The they in Hosea 6:7 is referring to the Israelites who breached the old law covenant that they had made with God.

The old law covenant, of course, was long after Adam had passed away. So we draw an inference from this reference to Adam. The inference here is that God and Adam were in a covenant relationship, just as God and natural Israel were in a covenant relationship, and we believe that God and Adam entered into a bilateral agreement. We infer from Genesis the terms of this bilateral agreement between God and Adam.

God made a promise. He agreed to give Adam life and dominion. But God did not unilaterally obligate himself to give Adam these blessings, regardless of what Adam did or failed to do. But rather, God’s offer to Adam depended on Adam’s reciprocal commitment to be obedient. God created Adam in his own mental and moral image with the full capability to be fully obedient.

As we all know, God told Adam not to eat of a certain tree in the garden, and if he disobeyed, he’d lose life. He would lose dominion, and we know that that’s exactly what happened. So the point is, God and Adam entered into a bilateral agreement because there was a mutual exchange of promises between God and Adam.

They both agreed. Obey and live, Disobey and die.

Why does God use both kinds of agreements or covenants? Why have unilateral and bilateral what’s the point? Well, let’s first consider why he employs unilateral covenants or agreements. What’s the reason that in some instances that God obligates only himself to undertake a certain course? It’s because God has a plan.

We call it the divine plan of the ages. God wants us to be assured of something. God wants everyone who pays attention to know that plan, his plan, and have total trust and reliance on it. God wants us to know, he wants you and me and everyone to know to be assured that his plan is virtually unstoppable by any others. God’s unilateral covenants cannot be breached by others.

His plan cannot be thwarted by others. It cannot be frustrated by anyone else. So God will accomplish his self imposed objectives regardless of what any other single individual does or fails to do. This is so well portrayed for us and articulated in Isaiah 55:11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth.

It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Now if we reflect back for a moment to the covenant with Noah, we see this unstoppable undefeatable feature. There is absolutely nothing that that Noah or his sons or Satan or anyone else can do to thwart that protective covenant, that unilateral commitment that God obligated himself to carry out, and here we are, here you and I are, thousands of years later with proof that God has indeed faithfully carried out is self imposed unilateral obligation relative to mankind. Well, let’s look at the other side of the coin.

Why does God enter into bilateral agreements with man? Well, at first blush this question may puzzle us in light of what we’ve just said about God’s unilateral covenants. God’s unilateral covenants guaranteed to be successful. They can’t fail. They can’t be defeated by anyone else.

Well, if that’s the case, then it begs the question, why would God ever enter into bilateral agreements which have the possibility of failure on man’s part? We just saw an example of a failure with the Adamic bilateral agreement between God and Adam. Adam breached his agreement with God. Adam was evicted from the garden. He lost his dominion.

He died. God’s proffered blessing to him failed. Well, God reveals through Moses, toward the end of Moses leadership of Israel. We believe the reason that God uses and enters into bilateral agreements with man. Deuteronomy 30, verse 19 Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 19 I call heaven and earth the witness against you this day that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse.

Therefore choose life, that thou mayest live thou and thy seed. Moses gives us here the two word answer to our question of why God enters into bilateral covenants with man. Those two words are choose life. Life is a choice. Moses is reiterating what we already know.

Man was made in God’s image. Just as God has a free will, he created man to have a free will. So just as God is a free moral agent, so we say and we believe, so he endowed the same quality, the very same quality in his intelligent creatures. Now, as odd as this may sound, God cannot give any individual the fullness of life, the fullness of his blessing, if they refuse it. So we distinguish what God can and does unilaterally from what he can or cannot do bilaterally.

Now, there’s no doubt that God will fully and totally accomplish his blessing program. God chooses to do this. He chooses to accomplish his blessing program. But as to whether any individual will join in that program and receive the fullness of life, the fullness of God’s blessing is up to them. Now, with all this background on the dominance, the importance, the meaning and the purpose of the types of Bible covenants, we want to turn our attention to today’s topic.

One covenant. Three divisions we are speaking here that you may have already surmised of the most dominant, impactful and comprehensive agreement in the Bible, the Abrahamic Covenant and its three subordinate covenants pictured by Abraham’s wives, Sarah, Hagar and Keturah. Now, as we’re reading through the reprints and the various references that we find that were provided to us by the faithful and wise servant, we want to notice something. We think it’s very important. Prior to 1880, Brother Russell only saw two covenants, the Old Law Covenant and the New Law Covenant.

And he said so he said, you know, that’s all that Christianity, mainstream Christianity, looks at, believes and recognizes, and he said, when I first started, that’s all I recognized, that all I saw. His understanding, however, began to enlarge in the year 1880. From 1880 until 1909, Brother Russell identified these covenants as three great covenants. The three that he identified were the Abrahamic, because he was now aware that there was this thing called the Abrahamic.

And of course, he was already aware the Old Law Covenant as well as the New Law Covenant. These were identified as the three. Because up until 1909, the Abrahamic Covenant was equated with the Sarah Covenant. However, beginning in 1909 and particularly after 1909, brother also began to recognize a difference between the Abrahamic Covenant and the Sarah covenant. By 1916, brother also saw them as one covenant with three divisions, the one covenant being the Abrahamic and the three divisions being the Covenant of Sacrifice, the Old Law covenant and the New Law covenant.

Well, now, certainly the Abrahamic, the Old Law and the New Law are indeed three great covenants. That characterization is absolutely true. But for this speaker, the best way to understand each covenant and its relationship to the others is to see them as one integrated covenant that contains three subdivisions. The Abrahamic covenant is the all inclusive covenant. Everything is in there, it’s comprehensive.

The other three are the stages or the phases by which the Abrahamic covenant is accomplished. Our hope by the end of today’s remarks is that we’ll be able to see the merit of of this perspective. So what does this one covenant, three divisions relationship of these agreements really mean? What’s it really mean in reality? Well, it means that the Abrahamic covenant is the covenant.

It’s all inclusive, comprehensive. It contains the entire substance of God’s life giving program. The Sarah, Hagar and Keturah features do not add anything substantive, and we underscore the word substantive to the Abrahamic covenant. So what the Sara, Hagar and Kentura features add is procedure or mechanism or process by which the Abrahamic covenant is accomplished.

We offer the following admittedly imperfect example to illustrate this one covenant, three divisions relationship. Let’s assume that you want to build a new house. You select the builder, you meet, and with the builder work out all the details you agree on the size of the house, the style, the windows, the plumbing, the color of the interior of the roof. Not a single detail is left out of this contract that you’re about to enter into with the builder. So the builder draws up a master contract, the general contract, and you and the builder sign it.

You’re ready to break ground. But here’s a twist. The builder is not a corporation. The builder here in this particular example, is only one person. Person.

He has the sole responsibility for the construction. Now, while this builder has all the knowledge and all the skills to build this house himself, he chooses not to do that. This builder, this single individual, chooses to be an administrator, he chooses to be an overseer, he chooses to design houses, he chooses to meet people, he chooses to enter into contracts. But he doesn’t pick up the hammer and actually build the house. But he’s got a house to build.

Because you just Signed, and he just signed a contract committing to do so. So what does he do? He hires three. We’re making this simple, friends.

He hires three subcontractors. He hires one for the earthwork and the foundation. He hires a second subcontractor, do all the framing, the windows and doors and all the framing, and he hires a third subcontractor to do all the finish work. Now, with the master contract carefully in view, he draws up and signs three sub agreements or subcontracts.

All three of these sub agreements together cover the complete construction, every single detail. Each subcontract is done in order, and as each subcontract is done, it advances the master or the general contract. The subcontracts don’t add one single substantive detail to what’s already in the master contract, and so when all three subcontracts are done, the master contract is done.

Every single detail, nothing more, nothing less. So the contracts, the subcontracts, neither add to nor subtract from the substantive detail contained in the master contract. The three subcontracts are merely the process. They are merely the supplemental arrangements that operate to accomplish the purpose, the goal of the one master contract. Now, if we apply our illustration to the Abrahamic covenant and to the Sarah, Hagar and Keturah divisions or features, we equate the Abrahamic covenant with the master Contract.

In all three subcontracts, we relate to the Sara, Hagar and Keturah features. So, just like our illustration, God the master builder is directly involved in all four agreements. Now, admittedly, this house construction illustration has limitations. It has shortcomings. So you can’t take it too far because it won’t work if you take the illustration too far.

But this illustration, we believe, should be sufficient to illustrate the point that we are suggesting. It’s one contract, one comprehensive, all inclusive contract carried out in three divisions. The Sarah, Hagar and Keturah divisions advance the Abrahamic, but do not change, not one single change to the substantive detail that’s contained in the Abrahamic. Every single blessing that God intends to accomplish through Sarah, through Hagar and Keturah are already included in the Abrahamic covenant. So let’s now take a look at the Abrahamic covenant and its three divisions.

And for each of these, we want to focus on our three points. What is each covenant? Is it unilateral or bilateral? And thirdly, how does each one relate to the other three? We start with the Abrahamic covenant and consider each of our three focus points.

First of all, what is the covenant? What Is it? Well, God first mentions it to Abraham as a prospective covenant in Genesis chapter 12, verses 1 to 3. Genesis 12:1 3 and now the Lord said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house unto a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Now once Abraham responded and he made approximately 1000 mile trek to Canaan. The Abrahamic covenant was thereupon when he set foot in the land.

The Abrahamic offer when he was in Mesopotamia now becomes the Abrahamic covenant as soon as he sets foot in the promised land. Now after Abraham entered Canaan, God enlarged his expression of what he committed himself to do you know, we often refer, and rightfully so, we often refer to the Abrahamic covenant as simply in the and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 100% true. But this expression is but a bare sketch of the full scope of the Abrahamic covenant. God reveals much more detail about the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis chapters 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 35, 46 and and I don’t think I got them all.

More details are referred to or revealed in at least 10 other Old Testament books and also in more than five New Testament books. Now these subsequent expressions are not more covenants. They are simply more details about the one covenant. Now what God obligated himself to do to and through Abraham and his family is nothing short of sweeping. It’s comprehensive.

It’s all inclusive. Just as a few examples, Abraham would be exalted and respected. That was part of the covenant. He would have countless offspring, some spiritual, some earthly. Some of Abraham’s children would be leaders was a part of this covenant.

Some would even be exalted to royalty. Abraham’s family would be used to bless many nations. Virtually everyone else, even including the Gentiles. Abraham and his family would have extensive land ownership. Land ownership was part of the covenant also.

Another part of the covenant was that the blessings promised would be perpetual. These would never depart from Abraham’s family. In the Abrahamic covenant we see the fullness of God’s life giving program to everyone who actually God intends to receive life. So we see in the Abrahamic covenant the fullness of God’s life giving program to Jesus to the church, to the great company, to Abraham and his family, to the ancient worthies, to Israel and to the world. The Abrahamic covenant is the most sweeping contractual blessing that could be conceived.

The Abrahamic covenant contains the fullness of God’s blessing to Abraham, his family and all who become, who ever become part of Abraham’s either spiritual seed or his earthly seed.

Is God’s covenant with Abraham unilateral or bilateral? It’s clearly unilateral.

The Abrahamic covenant was not made as a result of a mutual exchange of promises between God and Abraham or between God and anybody else. But a question might come to mind at this point. You might be asking, did not Abraham have to leave Mesopotamia? Didn’t he have to make that commitment to leave Mesopotamia and travel about a thousand miles order to actually enter into this covenant? Yes, Abraham did have to do that, but that did not make it a bilateral covenant.

Why not? Because this was a pre covenant condition, a pre contact, a pre contract condition that God required. You know, the Abrahamic covenant is inherently a faith covenant. It’s a grace covenant. The Abrahamic covenant requires faith.

Abraham had to first demonstrate his faith in God and in the promises of God before God would make a covenant with him. It makes perfect sense that God would require this pre covenant demonstration of total faith in God, because God was certainly not going to waste his time making a covenant with one who did not believe that God would do what he promised. Requiring Abraham to travel about a thousand miles was no part of the terms of the actual covenant itself. It was merely, as we said, a pre covenant requirement. Now once Abraham set forth in Canaan, God made the covenant.

He alone structured its scope, God alone structured its duration, God alone structured its contents and other aspects. God did not consult Abraham about the content of the covenant. Do we find anywhere where God went to Abraham said, hey Abraham, what would you like to have in this covenant? There’s nothing like that. Abraham had no input whatsoever on the terms this covenant.

God did not reveal the contents of the covenant in advance and then ask Abraham to agree to them. There’s nothing like that anywhere that we see at no time that God ask Abraham to comply with the terms that God offered. There was no mutual exchange of promises nowhere. God did not impose conditions on Abraham. God did not say, Abraham, if you promise us, and so I will do this in return for you.

There’s no bilateral aspect to this covenant. The Abrahamic covenant was solely God’s creation. It was solely God’s self imposed obligation. Abraham was strictly a beneficiary the only action that Abraham had to take relative to the covenant occurred before the covenant was actually made. The Abrahamic covenant, we believe, can be characterized as a blessing program, a blessing program that God created.

And neither Abraham nor anyone else can thwart this program. So the Abrahamic Covenant has all the criteria of a unilateral covenant, and it doesn’t have any criteria of a bilateral covenant. Let’s consider our third focal point about the Abrahamic covenant. How does it relate to the other three? Well, as we’ve already suggested, the Abrahamic Covenant embodies the fullness of God’s blessing, the fullness of life to all who are or who ever become part of Abraham’s seed, including Jesus, the Church, great company, ancient worthies, Gentiles in the world of mankind.

So the Sarah, Hagar and Kentura features do not and cannot add any substantive blessing to anyone. Why? Because the Abrahamic Covenant is already complete. However, the Sarah, Hagar and Kentura covenants operate to accomplish the Abrahamic covenant. How does it do that?

Well, let’s look at each one of these three subordinate covenants. So let’s turn to the Sarah covenant, the Sarah feature, and consider our first point. What is this covenant? Well, the covenant is God’s arrangement to create or develop a certain part of Abraham’s seat. We call it the stars class.

God embedded the Sarah division in the Abrahamic Covenant. So we say we believe that the Sarah division was created at the same time as the Abrahamic covenant. Genesis 15:5. Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them, and he said unto them, so shall thy seed be.

Now we want to notice here in Genesis 15:5 that there is no mention of any sand or dust. There is no distinction between Abraham’s spiritual seed and his earthly seed in this particular context. In this particular text, God used stars, the stars analogy to simply say that all of Abraham’s seed would be quite numerous. Brethren, have you ever tried counting the stars on a clear night in big sky country? There’s too many for me to ever count, that’s for sure.

Now, after Abraham offered Isaac on the altar, God clarified to Abraham that he would have two seeds. So again, more detail starts to come out. It will be a heavenly as well as earthly. Genesis 22:17 that we read in part in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. Now, when we read this Genesis 22:17, we see that it’s still not perfectly clear who the stars class is, who all it is.

But the apostle Paul tells us plainly that It’s Christ. Galatians 3:16 3:16 now to Abraham in his seed were the promises made. He saith, not as to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.

However, Paul doesn’t leave it there because in Galatians 3:29 he goes on to assure us that the body members of Christ. Thus to say the little flock is also part of Abraham’s spiritual seed. Galatians 3:29 and if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise? Not only does Paul tell us that Abraham’s spiritual seed is the Christ, but he tells us in Galatians 4:26 that Sarah’s child, the antitypical Isaac, is the new Jerusalem. A city.

What does a city represent in Scripture? A city is a governing body. So the thought here is that this spiritual seed would be the primary governing body of the kingdom of God. Galatians 4:26 from the ISV Galatians 4:26 but the heavenly Jerusalem is the free woman, and she is our spiritual mother. So we deduce from this that the primary purpose of the serif feature is to develop the main governing body of the kingdom, the little flock, the Christ head and body.

However, two texts suggest that a secondary spiritual seed, a great company, is also developed under the Sarah covenant. First Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 35 to 49, which is too lengthy for us to read here. But those verses, 1 Corinthians 15:35, 39, tell us that star differeth from star in glory. Some of these stars, we believe, are the little flock. Most of these stars, in terms of the quantity, are actually great multitude, great company.

The great company, of course, do not receive the divine nature. They are not on the throne, as we’re told in Revelation. They are before the throne. So we see that the stars, part of Abraham’s seed, includes the great company as a lower class of stars. Let’s consider our second focal point about the Sarah covenant.

Is it unilateral or bilateral? It’s bilateral. As a part of the original unilateral Abrahamic covenant, God purposed the call and the development of the spiritual seed class. However, as we all know, the Sarah covenant was Barren for some 2,000 years. It did not produce any spiritual seed for some 2000 years.

Why not? Very simple. God did not call any individuals to this class for 2000 years. God invited Jesus first. God.

Jesus was the one who opened up the new and living way. Jesus heard the invitation and he responded. How? By voluntarily entering into a by lateral covenant of sacrifice. Psalms chapter 50, verse 5, which we’re very familiar with.

Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. This bilateral aspect is perfectly portrayed by Rebekah when asked if she would be Isaac’s bride. We read in Genesis chapter 24, verse 58, and they called Rebecca and said unto her, wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. I will go.

That was Rebecca’s reciprocal commitment. That was her reciprocal promise to the invitation to be Isaac’s bride, and that’s what Jesus said when he was called. He said, I will go, and that’s what the church says when they’re invited.

I will go by the Lord’s grace. Psalms chapter 50, verse 5 suggests that God and Jesus entered into a mutual exchange of promises. God promised Jesus the divine nature in exchange for Jesus promise to complete his earthly sacrifice. Now Jesus could have failed his part. In theory, there is no unilateral guarantee that Jesus would be faithful.

And the same with us. If we breach our Sarah covenant, our covenant of sacrifice, we know the penalty. We either become secondary stars or we cease to exist. When we consecrated we made a reciprocal promise to God to be faithful. We agreed to the benefits and we also agreed to the penalties.

Our success does not rest entirely with God. It rests with whether we keep our part in this bilateral Sarah feature of the Abrahamic covenant. Let’s consider our third focal point. How does the Sarah covenant relate to the other three? Well, the Sarah covenant adds nothing substantive to what God had already embedded in the sweeping, all inclusive Abrahamic covenant.

God predestinated the star, or the Isaac class predestinated their character, predestinated the concept. But he did not predestinate any individual to that class. Becoming part of the Isaac class required an invitation. It required each individual making a personal promise of sacrifice, a commitment. A personal commitment.

So the Sarah covenant was simply a supplemental bilateral arrangement that advanced this particular component of the Abrahamic covenant, that is to say, the development of the spiritual seed. So the Sarah covenant adds procedure. It adds a process whereby this part of the Abrahamic covenant can be accomplished. As to the relationship between the Sarah covenant on one hand and the Hagar and Keturah covenants on the other hand. We read in Genesis 25:5 that Abraham gave all that he had, everything that he had unto Isaac.

Well, this implies that Isaac actually would share his inheritance. So God Abraham promised that the Isaac the church would be the channel, the channel of God’s blessing to everyone else. For example, we see relative to the heroes of faith, the ancient worthies in Hebrews 11:40, that they, that is to say, the ancient worthies without us, the Isaac class should not be perfect. So in a word, the Isaac class would be God’s channel of blessing to Abraham’s other seed, to Israel and to the world. We now turn to the Law covenant, also known as the Old Law covenant.

What is it? Well, we read in Exodus 19, 5, 6 what this covenant is now. Therefore, if ye will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. For all the earth is mine, and it shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation. God offered to Israel the first opportunity to gain life and to be the blesser seed.

He offered them the opportunity to be of the royal priesthood. For Israel to receive life in this exalted blessing, Israel had to obey perfectly. Why? Because the Old Law covenant is not a faith covenant, but rather it is a works covenant. It is a performance covenant.

God foreknew that Israel could not obey. He knew when he entered into this covenant with him, they couldn’t live up to it. So why go through the exercise? Wasn’t it just pointless? No, it was not pointless at all.

There are two main reasons, there are others. But we’re going to focus just on two for today. First, in Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 24, Galatians 3:24, we read there that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. So the Old Law covenant taught all the sincere, sincere hearted Israelites that they could not gain life by perfect obedience. They needed a Savior.

They needed to be brought to Christ. So the Old Law covenant made the consecrated. The truly sincere Israelites were ready to become Christians. When the way was opened up, it concentrated. It allowed them to become Christians.

It allowed them to enter into it made them ready to enter into this sacrifice, this covenant sacrifice of their earthly life to aspire to a spiritual life. The second reason that God entered into the old law of covenant is brought to our attention in Leviticus 18:5. Leviticus 18:5. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. Jesus not only complied with the Old Law covenant, He not only lived his earthly life perfectly.

He fulfilled the Old Law covenant. He gained the right of human life offered by the old Law covenant. We call it life rights. The life rights that Jesus procured under the Old Law covenant is the legal basis of salvation for all. It is the legal basis for the ransom.

The ransom is not just the death of a perfect man. The ransom is the death of a perfect man who has the legal right to be alive because of the Old Law covenant. Lets consider our second focal point on the Old Law of Covenant. Unilateral or bilateral? This one is very obvious.

It’s bilateral. Exodus 24:7 and he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient. So God promised life to Israel in exchange for their promise to be obedient. So this is a multiple promise. This is a multipurpose promise.

It’s obviously a bilateral agreement. So let’s consider our third focal point with the Old Law of Covenant. How does it relate to the other three? Well, Paul gives us the answer, and this is a key. This particular text in Galatians 3:19 is a key in terms of how these covenants relate to each other.

In Galatians 3:19, Paul says, Wherefore then serveth the law? And he’s referring to the Old Law Covenant. Here he said it. The Old Law Covenant was added. Added to what?

It was added to the Abrahamic because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. So Paul is telling us here that the Old Law Covenant was added to the Abrahamic covenant. You say, well, wait a minute. I didn’t think anything could be added to the Abrahamic. I thought it was all complete, all comprehensive.

Well, friends, the key word here is the Greek word prosthomy. Prosthomy. We all know what a prosthesis is. A prosthesis replaces a missing limb. It does the same exact thing as the original limb.

It doesn’t add to it, it doesn’t subtract from it. It simply is an additional arrangement to replace a missing limb. Paul is very careful about using that word which conveys a volume of understanding for us to understand the relationship between the Old Law Covenant and the Abrahamic, and that’s Paul’s point. The Old Law Covenant did not change the Abrahamic, but rather the Old Law Covenant advanced the purpose of the Abrahamic.

And as we said, the Old Law Covenant provided the legal basis for the ransom. Because without the ransom, of course, nobody, nobody gets life under the Abrahamic, and we also said that the Old Law Covenant prepared a Jewish nucleus to become Christian when the way was opened up by our Lord to become the children of the Sarah covenant, and of course Sarah’s child Isaac. The royal priesthood would be the mediator to serve the New Law of Covenant.

We now turn to the New Law of Covenant, also known as the New COVENANT, and our first focal point is. What is it? Romans, chapter 11, verses 26 and 27 gives us the answer Romans 11, 26 and 27. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my New covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.

I’ve supplied the word new because I believe that that’s what’s intended here. The function of the New Law Covenant is to restore the Jacob class. That’s what Paul is telling us. To take away their sins, to restore human life, to restore earthly dominion. All the things that Adam lost.

The Jacob class is natural Israel, but the the Jacob class also includes all the Gentiles who will become naturalized Israelites. The New Law covenant is made with the houses of Israel and also the house of Judah. There is no other human restitution covenant. There is no other human perfection covenant. This is it.

So we deduce that the Jacob class eventually includes every restored human being. It restores the sand class and is also known as the dust class. Depending on which text in Genesis that we look at, let’s consider our second focal point about the New Law Covenant. Unilateral or bilateral? Clearly bilateral.

In Hebrews chapters eight and nine, Paul teaches that the Old Law covenant is a type of the New Law covenant. The Old Law of Covenant was bilateral. That’s very, very obvious from the Scriptures, and so therefore, so is the New Law of Covenant. In order for any member of the restitution class to be restored to life, he or she must make a consecration.

They must commit to do the things necessary to have the Law of God rewritten in their minds and in their hearts, and unless each human exercises their free will to be restored, they cannot receive life eternal. Let’s consider our third focal point. How does the New Covenant relate to the other three? The New Covenant is what accomplishes the development or the perfection of the human seed that God promised in the Abrahamic covenant.

The New Covenant is the last phase of the blessing of all the families of the earth and making them part of Abraham’s either sand or dust seed, again, depending on which text you look at. As a direct result of the accomplishments of the Abraham, the Sarah and the Keturah covenants, God’s family is finished. We’re going to offer one final analogy to help illustrate the Abrahamic Covenant and its three divisions, Sarah, Hagar and Keturah. Imagine for a moment, if you will, a university, and this university is subdivided into three colleges, only one university, but it has three different colleges.

It has the College of Pharmacy, the College of Engineering and the College of Law. Now the university founder has it all laid out. This university is well endowed, well equipped, well designed to produce three collections, kinds of professionals. Here’s the question. Does the university by itself produce pharmacists or engineers or lawyers?

No, by itself it can’t produce a single one of those. What’s needed. What’s needed are the students who make application. What’s needed are the students who are accepted by the university into one of these three programs. What’s needed are students who commit themselves.

What’s needed are students who attend class. What’s needed are students who do the work, who start thinking like professionals. What’s needed are students who pass the tests. The university by itself can only offer the programs, but it takes the students to commit themselves. Committed to make the personal sacrifices necessary, committed to make the change.

Committed to to be transformed. God’s unilateral Abrahamic Covenant is the three division program. But it’s the bilateral Serah, Hagar and Keturah features that accomplish that carry out the program and produce the seed that was designed to be produced by God. In summary, we have one sweeping unilateral covenant in three bilateral covenants to fulfill the one unilateral covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant is God’s unilaterally created comprehensive program to deliver the fullness of life and blessing to all who will receive it.

The program is perfect. It’s unstoppable. Nobody can defeat it, nobody can derail it. Nobody can slow down God’s program. However, God cannot unilaterally impose the fullness of his blessing on any intelligent individual.

Individuals need to buy into, as it were, the Abrahamic Covenant program. Individual buy in is the function of the Sarah, Hagar and Keturah bilateral covenants. Voluntarily agreeing to do God’s will is the only way that any individual can receive the full blessing that was perceived and designed in the Abrahamic Covenant, and so there’s only one amazing program of life. It’s called the Abrahamic Covenant.

The other three all serve that one program. It takes the bilateral commitments of Jesus, the Church, the great company, the ancient worthies and the world to receive the fullness of God’s blessing of eternal life on each of their respective planes of existence.

Click Here for the PDF transcript.