The covenant of grace is God’s promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bible shows how God’s grace is a gift we don’t earn but receive by faith. Today, we’ll explore how this covenant reveals God’s love, mercy, and plan to save us through Jesus.
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What Does The Bible Say About Covenant Of Grace
Genesis 9:16
“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
This verse reminds us of the covenant of grace that God made with Noah after the flood. It is a covenant of God’s everlasting love and faithfulness towards all living creatures. The rainbow serves as a visible reminder of this covenant, encapsulating the promise of God’s mercy and protection.
In our lives, the covenant of grace assures us that God will always remember His promises and never forsake us. It is a comforting assurance that, just like Noah, we can trust in God’s unwavering love and provision no matter the circumstances we may face.
Exodus 34:6-7
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'”
This passage reveals God’s character and His covenant of grace. It highlights His compassion, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness towards His people. Despite our sin and rebellion, God chooses to extend His forgiveness to thousands.
However, this verse also reminds us that God still holds us accountable for our actions. He does not overlook sin, but rather, punishes it. Yet, even in His punishment, we can find hope because He is just and desires our repentance and restoration.
Isaiah 54:10
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”
In this verse, God reassures us of His unwavering love and His unbreakable covenant of peace. No matter the circumstances we face, whether the world around us crumbles or changes, God’s love remains steadfast and His covenant is secure.
God’s compassion towards us is the foundation of this covenant of grace. It is a promise that we can always find peace and security in Him, knowing that His love will never fail us.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, “Know the LORD,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the LORD. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'”
This passage speaks of the coming of a new covenant, surpassing the old covenant made with the Israelites during the time of Moses. This new covenant, established by God’s grace, would be characterized by a personal and intimate relationship between God and His people.
This covenant of grace would involve a transformation of the heart, whereby God’s law would be written in the minds and hearts of His people. It is a covenant that brings forgiveness and restoration, erasing the memory of past sins. Under this new covenant, everyone will know the Lord, experiencing His mercy and experiencing the true knowledge of Him.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Here, God promises a transformation of our hearts through His Spirit. The covenant of grace involves a divine work within us, removing our hardened hearts and replacing them with hearts that are receptive and responsive to God’s commands.
Through the Holy Spirit, God empowers us to live according to His will and to faithfully obey His laws. It is by God’s grace that we are given the ability to live a life that pleases Him and brings glory to His name.
Matthew 26:28
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
In this verse, Jesus institutes the new covenant of grace through His sacrifice on the cross. His shed blood signifies the establishment of a covenant that brings forgiveness and redemption to all who believe in Him.
The covenant of grace is made possible through Jesus’ ultimate act of love and selflessness. It is through His death and resurrection that we are offered the gift of eternal life and reconciliation with God.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This famous verse encapsulates the heart of the covenant of grace. God’s love for humanity is so great that He willingly sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to offer salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Through faith in Jesus, we enter into the covenant of grace, receiving the gift of eternal life and exemption from spiritual death. God’s love and grace are manifested in this covenant that brings redemption and restores our relationship with Him.
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This verse emphasizes the undeserved nature of the covenant of grace. God’s love is not dependent on our righteousness or worthiness, but rather it is displayed in the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
The covenant of grace is rooted in God’s unconditional love and mercy. It is a covenant that extends to us in our brokenness and offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and the hope of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
This passage emphasizes that the covenant of grace is not based on our own efforts or good works. Salvation is a result of God’s grace, freely given to us as a gift that is received through faith in Jesus Christ.
Our own efforts are inadequate to earn or merit salvation. It is only through God’s grace that we can be saved, and this truth humbles us, ensuring that no one can boast in their own achievements but rather gives glory to God alone.
Hebrews 8:10-12
“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
These verses express God’s promise to establish a new covenant, similar to Jeremiah 31:31-34. This covenant of grace is characterized by the internalization of God’s laws, written on our minds and hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Under the covenant of grace, every believer has a personal and intimate relationship with God, abiding in His forgiveness and favor. It is a covenant that brings about true knowledge of God, making Him known to all His people.
Titus 2:11-12
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.”
This verse highlights how the covenant of grace not only provides salvation but also instructs us in holy living. The grace of God empowers us to resist temptation and turn away from ungodliness and worldly desires.
The covenant of grace transforms our lives, enabling us to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the midst of a fallen world. It is through God’s grace that we are enabled to live in alignment with His will and demonstrate His character in our daily lives.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
This verse emphasizes the transformative power of the covenant of grace. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we become new creations, no longer bound by the old sinful nature.
The covenant of grace brings about a radical change in our lives, enabling us to leave behind our former ways and embrace a life characterized by righteousness, holiness, and love. It is through this new covenant that we experience true freedom and abundant life in Christ.
Galatians 5:1
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Through the covenant of grace, Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin and legalism. We are no longer bound by the requirements of the law but are called to stand firm in the freedom that Jesus has secured for us.
This verse encourages us to live in the liberation of the covenant of grace and not to allow ourselves to fall back into legalistic practices or the weight of self-imposed burdens. In Christ, we are free to live according to His grace and walk in obedience to His Spirit.
1 Peter 1:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”
In these verses, we see the covenant of grace as the source of our living hope and the assurance of our eternal inheritance. Through God’s mercy, we have been born anew into a hope that is alive and vibrant.
Our inheritance, secured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is an inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us, reminding us of the unchanging nature of God’s covenant and the eternal blessings that await us.
Romans 6:14
“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Under the covenant of grace, we are no longer enslaved to sin. This verse affirms that sin has lost its power over our lives because we are now under the grace of God.
We are no longer bound by the requirements and condemnation of the law. Instead, we live in the freedom and empowerment of God’s grace, which enables us to walk in righteousness, obedience, and victory over sin.
Colossians 1:13-14
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
This verse communicates the transformative effect of the covenant of grace. Through Christ, we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
Through the covenant of grace, we receive redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. We are no longer defined by our past, but rather, we are embraced as children of God, adopted into His family and granted the privileges and blessings of His kingdom.
Hebrews 7:22
“Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”
Jesus, through His sacrificial death and resurrection, becomes the guarantee of the better covenant of grace. The old covenant was temporary and imperfect, but through Jesus, we are now under a new and superior covenant.
Jesus serves as our mediator and guarantees our access to God’s grace and all the blessings that flow from it. He secures and ensures the permanence and effectiveness of the covenant of grace for all who put their faith in Him.
Hebrews 12:24
“…to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
In this verse, Jesus is depicted as the mediator of the new covenant of grace, offering a better and more powerful sacrifice than that of Abel. His shed blood speaks of forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation.
The covenant of grace, established through Jesus’ blood, brings forgiveness that surpasses the guilt and condemnation of sin. It assures us of our standing before God and enables us to approach Him with confidence and boldness.
2 Timothy 1:9
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”
This verse emphasizes the divine initiative behind the covenant of grace. We are saved and called to a holy life, not based on our own merits or actions, but solely because of God’s purpose and grace.
God’s grace is not a response to our goodness but was bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. It is an eternal and unmerited gift that was lavished upon us out of God’s abundant love and mercy.
Titus 3:5
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
This verse reinforces the fact that our salvation and participation in the covenant of grace are not based on our righteous deeds. It is solely through God’s mercy that we are saved.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we experience a spiritual rebirth and renewal, being transformed from within. This process of regeneration and transformation is a result of God’s grace, manifesting the covenantal relationship we have with Him.