The Meaning of Covenant, Part 1
The covenant motif of the Bible (Old and New Covenants) communicates the divine-human arrangement. Yet, while ‘covenant’ is a familiar biblical concept—what does it really mean? For any communication to be effective, the successful transmission of ideas between persons requires a clear definition of words. If this is essential to communication on a human level, it is infinitely more when we seek to comprehend divinely communicated ideas. This teaching establishes the distinct biblical definition, content, and context of God’s revelation concerning ‘covenant’.
Drawing from his wealth of biblical knowledge and leadership experience in the Charismatic and Shepherding movements, Ern emphasises the need to first understand the vertical ‘Creator-creature’ covenant relationship before we will be able to move in any true measure of unity, in horizontal covenant relationships, that God has purposed for his people.
The Men of Covenant, Part 2
God’s covenant with man provides the pattern for man’s horizontal relationships. While Part 1, ‘The Meaning of Covenant’, established that the integrity of horizontal covenant relationships hinges on that of our vertical covenant commitment, now in Part 2, ‘The Men of Covenant’, Ern unpacks the nature of horizontal covenant, as modelled between David and Jonathan.
This message of covenant is genuinely counter-cultural, confronting the disloyalty and division that characterises contemporary church and culture. It shows how loyalty and integrity are foundational to God’s order for the world.