- [Jon] If you've been around Christians,
you've probably heard of the idea
of having a personal relationship with God,
which could mean different things in the Bible,
like having God as a friend or your father
or maybe your teacher.
- [Tim] But there's one particular way
that the Bible talks about this relationship
that you find all over.
But strangely, we don't talk about it that much.
And that's the idea of a partnership with God.
- [Jon] A partnership like working alongside someone
to accomplish a goal together.
- [Tim] Right, and this is actually what you see
at the beginning of the Bible.
God creates this good world full of all of this potential.
And then God appoints these unique creatures, humans,
as his partners in bringing more and more goodness
out of all that potential.
- [Jon] But the humans don't wanna partner with God.
They rebel and try to create a world on their own terms.
- [Tim] And so this broken partnership
is the Bible's explanation for why we're stuck in a world
of corruption and injustice and the tragedy of death.
- [Jon] It's not like there's just one
or two humans who have bailed on this relationship.
In the story of the Bible,
everyone has abandoned the partnership with God.
- [Tim] So what God does is select a smaller group
of people out of the many.
And he makes a new partnership with them called a covenant.
And in a covenant, God makes promises
and then in exchange asks his partner
to fulfill certain commitments.
And the purpose of all of this
is to somehow use this covenant relationship
to renew his partnership with everybody else.
- [Jon] Now, there are actually four times
in the Old Testament that we're told God initiates
a covenant relationship with Noah, Abraham,
the nation of Israel, and King David.
- [Tim] And it's through these
that God is forming a covenant family
into which all people will eventually be invited.
- [Jon] So let's see how these work.
The first one is with Noah.
- [Tim] So in this story God has just brought the flood
to cleanse the world of human's corruption
and Noah and his family are the only ones left.
And so God makes a covenant with Noah saying,
"Listen, I know that humans will continue to be evil,
but despite that I'm not going to destroy
it like this again.
Instead the Earth will be this reliable place
for us to work together."
- [Jon] Great, so what does Noah have to do?
- [Tim] Nothing.
And that's what's so interesting
about this first covenant is that God is promising
to be faithful,
even though he knows humans won't be.
- [Jon] The next time we see God make a covenant
is with a man named Abraham.
God chooses him, promises to bless him,
give him a large family, lots of land
where they can flourish.
- [Tim] And in return, God asks Abraham
to trust him and train up his family
to do what is right and just.
And the whole reason for this covenant is God says
that somehow he's going to bring his blessing
to all families of the world through this one family.
- [Jon] So that's Abraham.
The next time we see God make a covenant
is when Abraham's family grows into the tribe of Israel.
- [Tim] And this covenant is with the whole tribe.
God asks them to obey a set of laws,
which are these guidelines for living well
as a community of God's partners.
And if they do this, then God promises to bless them
and that they will become a people who then represent him
to the rest of humanity.
- [Jon] That's the covenant with Israel.
The last covenant is with King David.
- [Tim] Yeah, the tribe of Israel
has become this large nation ruled by David,
and God asked David and his descendants
to partner with him by leading Israel
in obeying the laws and doing what is right and just,
and God promises that one day
one of David's sons will come and extend God's Kingdom
of peace and blessing over all the nations.
- [Jon] So those are the four covenants that God makes
in order to restore his partnership with the whole world.
- [Tim] But here's what happens.
Israel breaks the covenant; they worship other gods.
They allow horrible injustice.
And so they lose their land and are forced off into exile.
- [Jon] So it seems hopeless.
But during this time Israel's prophets talked
about a day when God would restore these covenants
in spite of Israel's failure somehow.
- [Tim] Yeah, they called it the new covenant.
And this is actually what's so interesting about Jesus
is that he's introduced into this story
as the one who fulfills all of these covenant relationships.
We're told that he's from the family of Abraham.
And so he will bring the blessings of that family
to the whole world.
We're told that he's the faithful Israelite
who is able to truly obey the law.
And we're told that he's the king from the line of David.
And so he goes about extending God's Kingdom
of justice and peace to all.
- [Jon] That's really remarkable for one guy.
- [Tim] Yeah and what it highlights
is perhaps the most surprising claim of all
made about this man.
That Jesus is no mere human,
but rather God become human.
And God did this in order
to be that faithful covenant partner
that we are all made to be, but have failed to be.
And so through Jesus, God has opened up a way
for anyone to be in a renewed partnership with him.
- [Jon] So Jesus calls people to follow him
and become part of this new covenant family.
- [Tim] And despite their failures,
Jesus is committed to making them
into partners who are becoming more and more faithful.
- [Jon] The story of the Bible ends with a vision
of a fully renewed world full of goodness and peace.
- [Tim] And there's this renewed humanity there,
partnering together with God
to expand the goodness of his creation.
And so the end of the Bible's story is really a new beginning.