The magnitude of God’s covenant of redemption for self-exalting wicked mankind cannot be brushed by so quickly.  We need to tarry for a moment and look deeply into the covenant made with Abraham; perhaps, there we can begin to understand the significance that covenant holds for us.  When God called Abraham out, he had gone as God told him.  The covenant was established that through Abraham’s offspring would come the “Blessing to all the earth.”  The messiah, the Savior would be born to pay for our redemption. 

Artwork used by written permission of Ronald Barba. © 2010 Ronald Barba.

Have you ever needed to run back to the altar where you first came to Christ? (stumbling and with a humbled heart broken by the Majesty of God’s Grace toward you) How often, I have with a broken, contrite heart; humbled by God’s grace fallen before Him in repentance, love and adoration of Him

This covenant of redemption would be based on God’s Faithfulness in spite of man.  Abraham, much like we are too often; was a man of great faith at moments and of great failure at times.  With great patience and endurance, God remained faithful throughout the process of “growing up” the faith of Abraham.  Did God put a hedge about Abraham and protect him from every trial of life?  Indeed not.  More likely, Abraham faced greater dilemmas than most for the very purpose to

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After God’s continued grace and His covenant plan of redemption was revealed to Noah, it wasn’t long until mankind again continued in his own folly and self-pride.  Noah himself became drunken with wine and thus placed himself in a position that opened the door for one of his own sons to sin.  Had he forgotten all that God had done?  I think not.  Did he lose his salvation of faith?  No, but it shows that even the most faithful must remain sober, diligent and watchful of their relationship with the Heavenly Father. When we neglect to spend time in prayer and Bible Study we tend to allow our spirits and hearts to become filled with those things of this world.  As a father would, I am certain Noah was filled with remorse for his own foolishness.  As men began to increase in numbers again to replenish the earth, they desired to gather and prove that man could do anything in their own strength, they wanted to “build for themselves a name.”  Oh the folly of these self-exalting hearts of men.   Thus they were planning to build a tower to heaven on their own.  God divided them by language and geographically there at the tower of Babel. (Genesis 11) Once more, the wickedness and the evil of man began to cover all of the earth.  God then chose Abraham and set forth His covenant with Abraham as follows.

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God’s Covenant of Redemption by Future Grace given to Abraham was given by Faith Alone.

Genesis 12: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

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So Adam had chosen the creation rather than the creator; yet, God made a covenant of Grace-a covenant of redemption and a covenant of God’s faithfulness.  He provided a picture of Christ in establishing a sacrificial system of offering.  From the first generation onward through all of history, some would come humbly before God bringing to Him their offering of praise and others would proudly bring the “works” of their own hands and be angry when God did not accept them. There again lay the problem that man desired to be exalted and made worthy by his own works.  Yet, the only righteousness which God can accept is His own righteousness; because it is the only pure and perfect righteousness untainted by evil.  That was why His plan of redemption for fallen

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Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord. God remained true to His own Faithfulness to fulfill His Covenant Plan of Redemption for wicked man that Christ would pay the price for man to Gain the Prize of Joy in God.

man was through the sacrifice of Christ in the which not only did He cover man’s sin; but also, clothed mankind with His righteousness for all who would believe in Him.  You say, but Christ had not died in the Old Testament?  True, but God’s covenant of redemption and His covenant of His faithfulness to accomplish this were laid out in His covenant with Adam, thus salvation in the Old Testament was also by faith.  As the years went by, man continued to seek his own

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God created all of heaven, earth, and the ministering angels in preparation for His creating mankind.  He wanted to pour out His overflowing fountain of love, joy, and glory on a people.  One of those angels who so desired to overthrow God and to rule over this earth was angry that God was the one true God-for Satan, himself wanted to be the ruler.  Thus began pure evil which so contrasted pure righteousness.  Pure righteousness being the presence of full light (God) and evil being the absence of that pure light of righteousness (thus the absence of God).  Therefore, Satan attempted to destroy God’s workmanship by tempting man who had been given the ability to rationalize and to choose.  Satan knew that he could entice them through their desire to be greater than their creator, to tell them that God had kept the best from them and to entice them to doubt their provider.  Before this, they had enjoyed the presence of God in pure innocence of evil or its effects.  They after choosing Satan’s temptation, would now and for all the generations to come be overcome by guilt, death, pride, and misery (Satan’s tools of destruction).  Now they could see true righteousness as contrasted against their own pride filled, self exalting, and darkened, rebellious hearts.  Just as Satan thought he had won; God revealed His plan of redemption which had been designed before anything had been made.  He presented a covenant with Adam that would then stand firm from the moment of the fall and throughout eternity future.  That covenant was God’s covenant of Redemption and Faithfulness.  

Artwork courtesy of Ronald Barba and is copyright protected © 2011 Ronald Barba

He revealed His plan of redemption that He would send a Savior who would destroy Satan’s power. His faithfulness will forever reign.

Read these verses.

GENESIS 3: “15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel…..²¹ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

God made coats to cover them which was an act of pure grace.  He covers us

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On Saturday we looked at the book of Malachi.  We saw God pleading with Israel to turn from their rebellious hearts to see Him as He is—Glorious, Gracious, Joyous, and Perfect Righteousness.  He wanted them to discover Him, because He so wanted to pour out His treasures upon them; yet, they were so caught up in themselves that every act they did of tithing, sacrifice, and following the law was an act to bring self honor.  It was as if they were saying, “God, aren’t you so proud to have worshippers such as we?  Then give us all that our self-centered heart’s desire.”  Still God knew that were He to hand them those desires, they would only want more of counterfeit things; because, their hearts were performing these acts out of dark, self-exhalting, self-centered hearts.

Artwork courtesy of Ronald Barba  and is copyright protected  © 2012  Ronald Barba

In God’s  great wisdom, He knows the only true joy that can be found is found in Him.  He knows that the only true righteousness can be obtained through faith in Him.  He knows that Perfect Love is only in Him.

You might erroneously say that, He then thinks too highly of Himself; but what a fool that would make you.  He is the Creator of the entire Universe and each tiny miraculous cell of this earth.  His beauty, righteousness and glory so exceed anything that our finite minds can imagine and has since before time and space even existed; because He was eternal.  He had no need for mankind—the trinity of God was complete within itself.  It is His overwhelming act of unselfishness that He desired to share all that He has and is with another and thus created man.  It is His great and tremendous Grace that would continue to contend with

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