Biblical Studies / Covenants

  • The Distortion of Lawlessness

    Romans 6:1-14

    Of all the types of antinomianism, we are perhaps most prone to look for loopholes in the law of God. So, for instance, we may excuse certain behaviors because there is no express command in Scripture against them, even though ...Read More

  • The Faithful God

    Genesis 15:1–21

    It is easy for Christians to talk about the trustworthiness of our God. Sometimes, however, we discuss God’s faithfulness openly without really believing that He will fulfill His promises to us. Look at your life to find areas where ...Read More

  • The Feast of Booths

    Leviticus 23:33–43

    At each Feast of Booths, the Israelites gave up the comforts of their homes in order to commemorate God’s salvation. This is a reminder that in order to be redeemed, the people of the Lord must surrender certain things ...Read More

  • The Feast of Trumpets

    Leviticus 23:23–25

    As we will see, Christians are waiting for the Feast of Trumpets to be fulfilled in its entirety. But Christ the Lamb of God has come and by His death has inaugurated the last days, which comprise the entire period ...Read More

  • The First Gospel

    Genesis 3:15

    The protevangelium, or first gospel, of Genesis 3:15 declares that God’s kingdom will once more be present in its fullness when Satan is destroyed. Christ came and dealt the crushing blow to the Devil, triumphing over him and ...Read More

  • The Grain Offering

    Leviticus 2

    As we have seen, there are many layers to the grain offering. This offering emphasizes the need to dedicate ourselves to the Lord and provide for the work of the clergy. It also encourages us to recognize that all we ...Read More

  • The Grain Offering Restored

    Joel 2:12–27

    God’s prophetic word to Israel is a word for us this day: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). Even if we feel like we have fallen too far for ...Read More

  • The Importance of Pentecost

    Deuteronomy 16:16–17

    Matthew Henry comments that at Pentecost “none must appear before God empty, but every man must bring some offering or other, in token of a dependence upon God and gratitude to him.” It can be easy to think that our ...Read More

  • The Kingdom of God

    Matthew 11:1-6

    Some promises of the new covenant have already been fulfilled (the reign of Christ on David’s throne and His atonement), and some are not yet realized (the complete removal of sin). Praise God for those things already accomplished and ...Read More

  • The Lamb and His Tribes

    Revelation 7

    The prophets looked forward to the day when the Gentiles would worship Abraham’s Lord. However, the prophets did not understand this fully (Eph.3:4–6), nor did they see that these Gentiles would be the ones in God ...Read More

  • The Law and the Promise

    Galatians 3:15–25

    The proper function of the law is to put before us the right way of living before God. This is very nearly the definition of coram Deo—to live before the face of God, under His authority and unto His ...Read More

  • The Lord’s Passover

    Exodus 12:1–32

    Though not himself a Christian, Lord Alfred Tennyson captures the pervasiveness of sin in his poem “The Holy Grail”: “In me lived a sin / So strange, of such a kind, that all of pure, / Noble and knightly in me twined ...Read More

  • The Mosaic Covenant

    Deuteronomy 7:6–8

    The old covenant law testified to the perfect holiness God demands, and it also trained Israel to look for a Savior. It was not through keeping the Law that the ancient Israelites were commanded to seek salvation. As with us ...Read More

  • The Mysteries of the Gentiles

    Ephesians 3:6

    That God has made those of us who are Gentiles fellow heirs of all His covenant promises should not make us arrogant. We have done nothing to deserve this grace, and our remaining sin should always remind us how far ...Read More

  • The New and Living Way

    Hebrews 10:19–20

    Most of the old covenant saints could never enter into the Holy of Holies. Even the high priest who could enter could do so only once a year. But through Christ, we can enter God’s presence daily in our ...Read More