Some of you are already saying, “That’s ridiculous! The two words, grace and contract, are incompatible with each other.” I agree 100% with your conclusion. However, many Christians live by the premise that they contract with God for His grace. An even greater issue is the fact they don’t even realize it. The word contract is found nowhere in either the Old or New Testaments and no equivalent word was known. The OT uses covenant 284 times and the NT records its Greek translation 33 times all of which mean covenant. Some Bible dictionaries and commentaries present contract and covenant as interchangeable synonyms. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first known use of the word contract came in the 14th century. Knowing the difference between a contract and a covenant will determine your perspective of God and His relationship with you.
A contract is a bilateral agreement between two parties based on certain conditions that each side must fulfill. Simply stated, if you do your part, then I will do my part, but if you don’t fulfill your part then I’m no longer obligated to do my part. We enter into a contract when we purchase a car on credit. If we pay our monthly bill, then we can drive the car. However, if we fail to make the payments, then the dealer repossesses the car. The closest concept of a contract in the Bible is the conditional covenants God made with Adam and Israel. The key words for a conditional covenant are ‘if’ and ‘then’ as with a contract. God told Adam he was free to eat from all the trees in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If Adam did eat of it, then he would die (Gen. 2:16-17). God conditioned His agreement with Adam by requiring obedience. The other conditional covenant, God made with Israel. He also based it on their obedience to the Law (Deut 28, 29). It can be summarized “If you obey Me, then I will bless you; if you disobey Me, then I will bring curses on you.” The Lord knew Israel could never live up to this covenant or contractual agreement and designed it to show man their need for a Savior through the New Covenant or the Covenant of Grace He would institute (Jer. 31:31, 33).
The remaining six covenants in the Bible, including the New Covenant, were unconditional with the key phrase, “I will.” God made covenants with individuals as Noah, Abraham, and David. In each one, God says “I will do my part whether you do yours or not.” The Covenant of Grace offers the sinner salvation by grace through faith in Christ. In contrast to a contract, a covenant is unilateral promise established by God and based on His ability to keep His promises.
True biblical covenants are almost non-existent in our modern times. Marriage is supposed to be a covenant; however, secular society increasingly views it as a contract. When taken in this respect, it reduces marriage to a binding agreement between a man and women. With the introduction of ‘no fault divorce’ in the 1970’s, the marriage contract can be broken for any reason by either party. Contracts are entered based on suspicion. We enter a covenant based on trust. Marriages can now include pre-nuptial agreements. This shows a lack of total trust and a suspicion that one party may abandon the contract. The strength of any covenant lies in the ability and promise of the one making it. Marriages entered into as a covenant can end because we are sinful humans. However, God’s strength is infinite and His promises eternal. A marriage covenant is a sacred partnership in which we promise to love our spouse even when they do not deserve it and we will do whatever is takes to continue as long as we draw breath. God’s covenant of grace is the same.
The covenant of grace also comes with promises of His ability to keep us: to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless . . . (Jud 1:24); He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (2Ti 1:12); He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted (Heb 2:18); . . . being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform (Rom 4:21). We covenant with our spouse by exchanging vows, we promise, “I’m yours forever.” When we covenant with God for His grace, He promises, “I’m yours forever.” When rough times come in a contract marriage, it is too easy to end the contract. When we enter marriage as a covenant and encounter rough places—and we will—we work with mutual respect and forgiveness to restore the relationship. We may have a broken fellowship for a time, but we are still married. We may sin and break our fellowship with God, but we are still in His covenant of grace. He works to restore our communion with Him. If you realize you are living as if you are contracting for grace, accept and enter His covenant of grace.
Sustaining Word for the Week: You are in a covenant of grace, not a contract for grace. Grace is a free undeserved gift because of what Jesus did. You enter this covenant by faith in Christ’s completed work.