The God of the Bible is committed to working out his good plans through covenant human partners. Humans continually mess up their end of the covenant, but God remains devoted to his decision to partner with humanity.
Read and Discuss
Video Question
Before watching the video, how would you describe the biblical meaning of a covenant? Jot down your description. After watching the video, how did your understanding of covenants expand or change?
Read: Jeremiah 31:31-34 ; Luke 22:14-23
God is able to do his work in the world independent of humans, but he doesn’t. He is committed to working out his divine will through human covenant partnership, even when humans continually fail to uphold their end of the agreement. In Jesus, God becomes human to create a new humanity who is empowered to live in Jesus’ new covenant as partners with God.
Question 1: Reflect on the passages above. How does God describe his new covenant plan? Why and how will he make this new covenant? How is it different from the old covenant?
Question 2: Consider God’s relentless commitment to partner with humanity despite its violent and foolish history. What do you think this tells us about God’s character?
Question 3: Reflect on the sufferings of Jesus and how God himself was willing to absorb humanity’s violence and foolishness to reverse the past and start anew. What questions, thoughts, or feelings come up for you as you reflect on this?
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see that true covenant faithfulness looks like self-giving love. When we receive, trust, and imitate the love of Jesus, we begin to live as the humans God created us to be. We can once again glimpse the beauty God had in mind when he first created and partnered with humanity.
Question 1: Review 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. According to this passage, what does it look like to partner with God in his new humanity?
Question 2: Who is one person that is difficult to love in your life? How can you partner with God to forgive, love, and honor them this week?
Question 3: Identify a challenge in your family, neighborhood, or workplace where self-giving love could make all the difference. Take a moment and ask God to give you wisdom about how you can be a faithful covenant partner with him in that scenario this week.