TWO CONTRACTS GOD MADE WITH MEN

THAT CHANGED THE WORLD


Contract (Covenant) #1 *


Upon making Adam in a world that was good, God told Adam that if he ate of one particular tree, he would certainly die, he and all begotten from him.


  • This implied that if Adam had not disobeyed by eating the fruit of the one tree, he would not have died, but rather, he would have lived.
  • The outcome was death to all, not just to Adam, and we see that death became certain for all his descendants as well.



“…through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…” - Romans 5:12


* Biblically, "contract" as used here and later on is called a "covenant", rendering the contract engaging and personal.

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Consequences


The world suffered the consequences of sin and death. Life in it became miserable, with women suffering pain in childbirth, and men facing work that is difficult. Sin belonged to all. Contrary to what many people like to think, the Bible says that no one is good, no not one. Therefore all face the certainty of death.





“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation…”

- Romans 5:18


(See also Genesis 3:16-19)


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You may personally sense the guilt and misery of sin.


The Ten Commandments summarize how a righteous person behaves, and you can see that you do not fully measure up to them. (Please see Exodus 20:1-17)


1. Thou shalt have no other gods before the one true God.

2. Thou shalt not worship God with idols.

3. Thou shalt not take God’s name in vain.

4. Remember the Lord’s Day to keep it holy.



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You may personally sense the guilt and misery of sin.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill [murder].

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor [don’t lie or gossip].

10. Thou shalt not covet what is not yours.


Do you realize that you have not kept all of God’s commands perfectly with the desires of your own heart? Only Jesus did.




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Contract (Covenant) #2


After Adam’s fall into sin, God told Adam of another contract He made that was to deliver many from the consequences of their sin. In that contract, God the Son was to take upon Himself human nature and suffer and die in that nature, as a man. God told Adam that Jesus Christ was to deliver all who would unite with Christ. Such a promise was as certain to take place as death was to come to all mankind.




“For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” - 1 Corinthians 15:21-22


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Consequences


Unlike Adam, Jesus Christ lived a perfectly moral life. Yet He suffered and died anyway. God counted the sins of all who would be united to Christ as belonging to Christ. Their sin is forgiven, and Jesus Christ’s perfect obedience is counted as their own. The resurrection of Christ demonstrated that Christ accomplished these things.


People unite with Christ by turning from their sin and trusting in Christ's work alone for their forgiveness and for being counted as righteous in God's sight.






“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ…”

- Romans 5:17


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Some benefits for those who are united to Christ


  • God sees them as having never sinned and as having the righteousness of Christ.
  • They are adopted as God’s children.
  • They are set apart to serve Christ by obeying his commands, and they begin to grow in actual obedience.
  • They receive the promise of being raised from the dead, and the sting of death is taken away. (They look forward to heaven rather than hell.)





"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

– Romans 5:10-11


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Some more benefits for those who are united to Christ


  • They receive the promise of God’s love.
  • They receive the promise of a clear conscience, and therefore have peace with God.
  • They receive the promise of joy in the Holy Spirit whom God gives to all who belong to Christ.






"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

- Galatians 5:22-25


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Your own covenant


In response to Jesus Christ fulfilling His contract out of love for us, you can make a contract with God and be united with Christ.


Repent of your sinful nature and your sinful practices, and trust in the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. God responds with the many benefits that He promised in the Bible.





“And he … said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.’” - Acts 16:30-32


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God has given you some things to help you grow in Christ.



1. Find a Bible-believing church which faithfully teaches these matters, and be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (You may already have been baptized, and if so, check with the minister to see whether that baptism was appropriate. Typically, if you were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by an ordained minister, you will not need to be baptized again.)







“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:23-25


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Another thing God has given you to help you grow in Christ.



2. Get a Bible and read from it each day. Many people like to start in the New Testament where the truths are presented clearly. The Old Testament is also good because it foretold and explained what Jesus Christ was to do. When you read, consider that you are not only learning about God and how He would have you live to glorify Him, but you are also able to respond to God's instruction with praying.







“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” - Colossians 3:16-17



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A third thing God has given you to help you grow in Christ.



3. Spend time praying to the Father through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible using men to do so. As the Bible is God’s Word, we can pray to God according to His own word. Individuals spoken of in the Bible often prayed to God, and those prayers can be examples for us. Jesus Christ Himself prayed, even early in the morning. When the disciples asked Him, Jesus taught them what we commonly call "The Lord's Prayer".







Jesus spoke: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. – John 15:7

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” - 1 John 5:14-15




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Give thanks to God for the wonderful gift of His Son Jesus Christ.


"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." - John 3:16-17


You can pray:


Heavenly Father, thank you for giving your Son Jesus Christ so that I would not be condemned, but rather have the certain promise of everlasting life. Amen.


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Give thanks to God for the hope found in Jesus Christ.


"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." - 1 John 5:11-13


You can pray:


Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful hope of everlasting life you have given me through Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.



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You may find the following websites helpful

in finding a church.


opc.org

covenantfamilychurch.net