Covenant relationship; the foundation of the Christian walk(PastorMI Israel)
2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the LORD knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’’
Psalm 11:3 “If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do?”
It is good we started by defining what a covenant is, then relationship and also the precise meaning of Foundation as it affects our Christian walk.
What is a covenant?
A covenant is an oath-bound promise whereby one party solemnly guarantees to BLESS or SERVE another party in some SPECIFIED way. The keeping of the promise solely, sometimes, depends upon the meeting of certain conditions by the party to whom the promise is made. A covenant can exist between humans, between a spiritual being and human. It can also be established between two equals or between the weak and strong.
What is a relationship?
Relationship can be defined as the connection and way in which two or more people feel and behave towards each other.
Covenant relationshipin other words, is the relationship that exists between two or more covenanted people.
What then is foundation?
Foundation refers to the structure below that supports a building. It is the beginning, cause and reason for all things that came to be. For this study, it is the basic cause and reason behind our Christian walk.
Every question God asks in the bible is not a rhetorical question. Every question asked has a corresponding answer in the bible if we search carefully. The foundation here means the cause or principle or reason behind everything. When people lose the reason for every of God’s commandment or expectations of them, like the commandment “Do not commit immorality, Live holy,” etc. they will find it difficult to obey them because they will keep asking why? Why must we obey that? What for? This all means that the foundation has been destroyed.
2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the LORD knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’’
It is out of place and sinful to question God’s standard for a righteous and fruitful Christian living.
It is very clear here that as many that are born again, reconciled to God, who have God as their God and nameth on the name of Christ TO DEPART FROM INIQUITY. When we talk about foundation, God says he knows those who are his. Why would he say so? It is because he knows those who are genuinely born again and are really faithful in serving him in truth and spirit. Are you surprise? Of course he knows your level of spirituality and devotion. Let’s continue.
God spoke to Abraham and handed down the covenant to him.
Genesis 17:7 ” I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between ME and You and YOUR DESCENDANTS after you for the generation to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
Here God established a covenant with Abraham and his descendants to come to be his God and the God of his descendants still to come.
We often talk about the blessings of Abraham without mentioning the covenant relationship he had with God that produced the blessing. It is the covenant that took place in Genesis 17:7 that gave rise to the blessings we all enjoy as true believers. It is good we become true believers if we are not one yet.
To repair the foundation that was destroyed, we need to go back and catch the revelation behind the covenant. We should pray to get the personal revelation of God. It is not enough to learn or be taught God’s principles; we must get the foundation right, for us to be the carrier and beneficiaries of the covenant blessing. We must know God for ourselves till he becomes our God, not just nominal church goers.
The covenant revelation as handed over to Abraham is the basis, the reason and the foundation for every commandment, blessings, relationship and promise from God. That is our hope for our Christian walk. What God accomplished in his relationship and covenant with Abraham. Rebellion made us to lose out, that’s why Jesus came to reconcile us back to God through his death on the cross. Jesus, the seed of Abraham came and restored the covenant with a better covenant, thus making us inherit the blessings of Abraham.
Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
We are the descendant s of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ, thus, the revelation of God via the covenant has to pass down to us that he may be our God not just the God of Abraham. We have to receive this revelation and pass it out to our generation. When they see us, they will see God because of what he is doing in us and through us. Isaac was a carrier of the covenant revelation and its blessings.
What Jacob took from Esau was not just the physical lands and property but the covenant revelation and blessings. He took it the wrong way; hence it was not real or operational in his life, which is why he needed the angel to bless him. He had physical blessing and inheritance, why would he ask for blessings then? He knew his father had the covenant revelation of God but he did not. This implies that the promise and the blessing cannot flow through him or handed over from him to the next generation. Through the covenant God is the God of his fore father, Abraham and God of his father Isaac, but not yet his God.
Little wonder the angel changed his name from deceiver to Israel a carrier of God’s revelation.
The bible says that When Abraham was about to die, he gave gifts to the children of his concubines but gave an inheritance, all he had to Isaac. It was not just physical property but a trans-generational covenant revelation of God, his promise and the blessing. This is the foundation of all things. So if the foundation of my preaching be destroyed as a preacher people will miss it, therefore cannot obey or apply what is being said. I’m afraid; I may have labored in vain.
The foundation has to be okay and a determinant of the height and magnitude of the building of my faith, revelation, dream, obedience, impact and blessing.
People will rush in to serve God through Christ Jesus if they catch and understand the revelation, the very foundation of our covenant belief.
The level of result you will produce in your Christian walk or journey is directly proportional to the strength of your foundation. Whereas your foundation is the level of the covenant revelation you have about God and his ways of righteousness.
MI Israel Impact 