The Bible presents several key covenants that reveal God’s unfolding plan for humanity. Divine covenants are formal agreements established by God, central to His redemptive plan, and can be classified as unilateral or bilateral. Unilateral covenants are unconditional, where God guarantees to fulfill His promises regardless of human actions. Examples include the Noahic Covenant, in which God promises never to flood the earth again (Gen 9:8-17); the Abrahamic Covenant, assuring land, descendants, and blessings for all the families of the earth (Gen 12:1-3; 15:18-21); the Davidic Covenant, promising an eternal throne through David’s lineage (2 Sam 7:12-16; Psa 89:3-4); and the New Covenant, offering forgiveness and a transformed heart (Jer 31:33-34; Ezek 36:26-27). Bilateral covenants, on the other hand, are conditional, requiring both parties to fulfill specific obligations. The Mosaic Covenant is a key example (Ex 19-24), where Israel must obey God’s law to receive blessings and avoid curses (Deut 28). Unilateral covenants highlight God’s sovereign grace, while bilateral ones emphasize human responsibility in maintaining covenant faithfulness.
The New Covenant was made between God and the nation of Israel (Jer 31:33-34; Ezek 36:26-27). Unlike the Mosaic Covenant, which Israel had broken, the New Covenant promises an internal transformation, with God’s law written on their hearts, a restored relationship with Him, and the complete forgiveness of sins. Ezekiel elaborates on this transformation by describing how God will give Israel a new heart and spirit, removing their heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh, and by placing His Spirit within them, enabling them to live in obedience. The covenant will reach its full realization during the millennial reign of Christ, when all Israel will know the Lord and experience these promised blessings in their entirety (Rom 11:25-27; Zech 12:10).
The church is not a party to the New Covenant, but it shares in its spiritual blessings through its union with Christ (Rom 11:17-24; 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6). At the Last Supper, Jesus declared that His blood inaugurated the New Covenant (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). Fruchtenbaum states, “By His shedding of blood, He [Jesus] inaugurated the New Covenant. He replaced, by His sacrifice, the old system and established the New Covenant.”[1] Constable states, “Jesus ratified the New Covenant when He died on the cross, the blessings that will come to Israel did not begin then. They will begin when Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom on the earth. However, the church enters into some of the blessing of the New Covenant now.”[2] Hebrews 8-10 affirms that Christ is the Mediator of a better covenant, highlighting the superiority of His sacrifice over the Old Covenant system. However, to be clear, the church does not replace Israel but is grafted into Israel’s spiritual blessings (Rom 11:17-24). As a result, believers in the church age experience forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7) and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)—blessings that flow from Christ’s New Covenant work. Fruchtenbaum states, “The Church is merely partaking of the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant as she is partaking of the spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.”[3] The full realization of the covenant remains future, awaiting Israel’s national restoration at Christ’s return (Rom 11:25-27). Showers notes, “the Church is partaking of the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant, the material and national promises of that covenant are not being fulfilled with the Church.”[4] Fruchtenbaum states:
“There is only one New Covenant which is made with Israel. Like the Abrahamic Covenant, it contains both physical and spiritual promises. As with the Abrahamic Covenant, the physical promises are limited to Israel but the spiritual were promised to go out to the Gentiles. Gentile believers have become “partakers” of the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant as they are of the Abrahamic Covenant.”[5]
Since Israel has not yet accepted the Messiah as a nation, the New Covenant awaits its complete fulfillment in the millennial kingdom. The New Covenant’s full intent is national and eschatological—meaning that while believers today experience aspects of its blessings (such as forgiveness of sins and the indwelling Spirit), its covenantal structure remains distinctly tied to Israel’s future national restoration. Fruchtenbaum notes, Jesus “will some day come back, judge, and bring in the Millennial Kingdom with the full application of the New Covenant.”[6] During this time, Israel will be fully restored to their land (Ezek 36:24-28), experience national regeneration (Jer 31:34), have God’s law written on their hearts (Ezek 36:26-27), and see the Davidic kingdom fully established with Christ reigning as King (Jer 33:15-17). This perspective maintains the essential dispensational distinction between Israel and the church, affirming that God’s unconditional promises to Israel remain intact and will be fulfilled in the future. Fruchtenbaum notes:
“The Church is related to the New Covenant only insofar as receiving the spiritual benefits of the Covenant (salvation benefit), but the Church is not fulfilling it. The Church has become a partaker of Jewish spiritual blessings, but the Church is not a taker-over of the Jewish covenants. The Church partakes of the spiritual blessings and promises, but not the material or physical promises or blessings.”[7]
For the church today, Christ’s inauguration of the New Covenant means we share in its spiritual blessings, such as forgiveness of sins, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but without nullifying God’s future plan for Israel. This distinction is critical. God’s faithfulness to His unconditional covenants with Israel guarantees that He will also fulfill His promises to the church. Failure to distinguish between Israel and the church leads to serious doctrinal confusion, including the false doctrine of replacement theology. By maintaining this biblical separation, believers gain clarity regarding God’s eschatological timeline and the future fulfillment of all covenantal promises during the millennial reign of Christ, when Israel’s national restoration will occur, and the Messianic Kingdom will be established.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
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[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 133.
[2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Matt 26:28.
[3] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 359.
[4] Renald E. Showers, There Really Is a Difference!: A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology (Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1990), 107.
[5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 364.
[6] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles, 183.
[7] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 636.