God's Covenant-Loyalty
- UnstoppableRevKev
- Aug 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 21
📖Scripture: “Praiseworthy is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great covenant-loyalty He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,”
1 Peter 1:3-4
🔎Reflection: The Greek word eleos translates the rich sense of the Hebrew word khesed — God’s covenant-loyalty. This is neither mere sentiment nor just “not getting what we deserve.” It is God’s unilateral, steadfast love that simultaneously secures the covenant on God’s side, which was never in question, and humanity’s side, which has always been in question since Genesis 3. God forshadowed the Cross and the sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the vivid imagery of the bloodpath covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. God traversing the bloody scene alone as a blazing torch, signified that He alone would fulfill the obligations and penalties for both sides. Where we fail, God Himself bore the consequence (Isa 53:4-7; Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:6-13) in His covenant-loyalty!
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Gal 3:13
“So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to those eagerly awaiting His return.” Heb 9:28
The comprehensive testimony of Scripture is that, at the Cross of Calvary, Christ fulfilled both our obligation and paid our penalty IN FULL. Unlike human covenants, which are flawed, conditional, and fragile, God’s covenant, through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus (Heb 13:20), rests entirely on His immutable character.
This means our new birth, identity, and eternal hope are all established not in our fickle and frail obedience but in His perfect and unstoppable love. Western Christianity's prosperity-oriented consumer “faith” often depicts God’s covenant as transactional — if He “does” His part, then we’ll “do” ours. But true covenant loyalty is unilateral: all of God, all of grace. That unwavering truth demolishes pride, destroys self-reliance, and anchors us in grateful devotion and perpetual praise!
“We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5
🤺Action: Examine yourself: Are you subtly living as though God’s favor depends on your performance? Repent of self-sufficiency and rest in Christ alone, whose finished work secures our salvation. At the same time, remember that while obedience never earns God’s covenant-loyalty, the conviction of disobedience or unwillingness to fully devote ourselves to cooperation in sanctification is God’s gracious warning light—revealing that our regeneration is absent or counterfeit (2 Cor. 13:5).
🙏Prayer: Dear God, I thank You for Your covenant-loyalty. You fulfilled both sides of the promise. Please forgive any pride in me that seeks to earn the salvation You’ve freely given in Christ Jesus, and for any negligence in cooperating with You in my sanctification. Please anchor me in Your steadfast love, that I may praise You humbly, gratefully, and faithfully in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Blessings and love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor
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