Over two hundred times throughout the Bible the word covenant occurs. Occasionally it refers to a covenant between individuals, as for instance the covenant between David and Jonathan and the covenant between Joshua and the children of Israel; but usually it refers to God's covenant with man, God's sacred pledge of love and care for His children.
This covenant is not confined to a certain group of people nor to a certain period of time. The first mention of it is in Genesis in God's pledge to Noah (Gen. 9:9-16): "And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you...for perpetual generations...And I will remember my covenant...the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."
In the New Testament a new covenant between God and man is declared, based upon Christ Jesus' ministry. Paul writes in the epistle to the Hebrews (10:16), "This is the covenant that I will make with them ...,saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."
Mary Baker Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (pp. 196, 197), "The Scriptures require more than a simple admission and feeble acceptance of the truths they present; they require a living faith, that so incorporates their lessons into our lives that these truths become the motive-power of every act." God's covenant with man is the motive power of existence, of our existence. It is God's holy Word to us; His Word, which does not return unto Him void, but accomplishes His purpose of good for humanity.
Just what is God's covenant with man? The Bible from beginning to end tells us of it. It is of healing, of life, of protection, of supply, of deliverance from evil, of salvation. It bestows blessings innumerable.
And what about man's part in this covenant? For his part is an essential one also. Pondering this question and studying the Scriptural references to the word covenant, a student of Christian Science found many challenges to his thinking. This was no mere theory or abstraction, this covenant of God with man, he realized; this was a completely practical way of life, the very motive power of life. As his study progressed, it gradually unfolded to the student that his part in it was a continuous opportunity to serve God, an opportunity manifold in nature, including obedience to God's law, willing obedience, for unwilling obedience is really no obedience at all. It meant courage, which is the utilization of faith and spiritual understanding in human experience. It meant humility, the acknowledgment of God's presence and power; gratitude the appreciation of them; and above all it meant love—love which is our greatest and most vital contribution not only to the worship of God, but to the well-being of ourselves, our neighbor, our world as well.
Can man live up to his part in the covenant? Yes, for he is not a creature apart from God, created and motivated of himself. Man is the image and likeness of God, the living evidence of God, God's witness. It is impossible for him to possess, or to be, anything that God is not. Man is the reflection of God, Christian Science teaches. The reflection cannot help reflecting the original; thus man cannot help reflecting God. Because God is, man is. He is free from false beliefs, false appetites, false allegiances, free from fear, limitation, disease, lack, for he is wholly spiritual, wholly good, wholly intelligent, wholly pure.
Not only is man created by God; he is the expression of God's government and is maintained by God. Every function of his body, his being, or identity, is governed by God, by divine Mind. Mrs. Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 151), "Every function of the real man is governed by the divine Mind." And she continues farther on, "All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal."
And who is this man created and governed by God? He is the true selfhood, the real and actual identity, of you and of me. "But I am still human," we may say. So it may seem. But not really so. To think of man as still human is one of the most insidious temptations of mortal mind, and one of the most limiting. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God," the Bible declares (I John 3:2). It is to us then that the covenant pertains. It is we who are loved and protected of God. It is we who are the sons and daughters of God, His heirs, and "joint-heirs with Christ." It is we who are at one with God; at one with the infinite power and majesty of divine Mind. Let us therefore treasure this covenant. Let us accept the promise. Let us trust divine Love wholly.
The Psalmist declared, "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies" (Ps. 25:10). Christian Science teaches us how to keep His covenant and His testimonies, to honor God with willing, wholehearted obedience, with faith, with spiritual understanding, courage, humility, gratitude, and love. Thus there will be peace in our hearts and in our land; there will be mercy, truth, and "good success."
