Tag Archives: covenant

Major Covenants of the Old Testament

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Don Merritt

Introduction Three covenants from the Old Testament form the entire basis of New Testament theology.  Even though there are other covenants mentioned in the Old Testament, these three are referred to over and over by Jesus and the Apostles in … Continue reading →

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“I have made a covenant…” 

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Don Merritt

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,    I have sworn to David my servant,‘I will establish your line forever    and make your throne firm through all generations.’ Psalm 89:3-4 This is really the most amazing couple of verses; … Continue reading →

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Covenant-keeping, an essential aspect of Christian teaching

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Don Merritt

To continue with our discussion of Biblical covenants, we come to an essential aspect of covenants: Covenant-keeping.  To introduce this concept, it is helpful for us to realize that the ancient Hebrews had a special word for this: hesed.  Hesed means covenant-keeper, and … Continue reading →

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Covenant Basics

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Don Merritt

A covenant is an agreement between parties, something like a contract or a treaty.  (This is the simple non-academic explanation) This agreement or treaty (a treaty is a contract between nations, by the way) has parties, terms (or stipulations) and … Continue reading →

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Restraint and Covenant

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Don Merritt

I’ve often told students that in order to understand the Bible, they must first understand covenant.  Without a working knowledge of the concept of Biblical covenant, the Bible is a tough book to follow, and it is this lack of … Continue reading →

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God’s Most Notable Attribute

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Don Merritt

Back in my professorial days, I always taught that we will have a great deal of difficulty in properly understanding Scripture, until we understand Biblical Covenants. It has been years since I discussed this vital issue here on the Life … Continue reading →

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New Testament ‘Hesed’… Part 3

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Don Merritt

Breach of Covenant According to Jesus, love of God and love of one’s neighbor was the foundational basis for all law.  Failure to love God and one’s neighbor is therefore the foundational basis of all law breaking: sin. Under the … Continue reading →

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New Testament ‘Hesed’… Part 2

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Don Merritt

Service: Breadth and Range The lifestyle of the ancient church is demonstrated, at least in concept, by the numerous terms used in the New Testament texts to describe various types of servants. In all cases, these were people who put … Continue reading →

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New Covenant ‘Hesed’ part 1

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Don Merritt

Introduction             You will remember the word hesed from our discussion of the Old Testament.  It is the word used most often to describe God in the Old Testament.  You will also recall that it has two elements: keeping covenant, … Continue reading →

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The New Covenant, part 2

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Don Merritt

New Covenant Terms In the Old Covenant, man’s promises were the terms of the covenant; man’s obligations.  That these obligations needed to be kept was obvious, and those obligations are clearly listed.  What are our obligations (terms or stipulations) living … Continue reading →

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