Of course, I am sure that you know when we say Old Testament or New Testament we are referring to the old covenant and the new covenant with God. -
Covenants and contracts are "agreements".
A covenant starts with an "if" clause;(either implied or explicit). If I do this for you, then you must do this this and this. A covenant is always conditional and believe it or not there is no inherent penalties, even though the words "must" or "shall" are in the agreement.
Some people feel if they do not follow the 10 commandments they will be punished by God. But actually, they simply don't get the rewards of a godly life. If they commit the civil crimes of the 10 commandments then the civil authorities will do their thing.
A contract starts by saying that each party is to do a certain thing. The subject services are binding. They must each do what they have signed to do. --- toward the end of a contract you may add suggested penalties if a party to the contract fails to do what was agreed to. But even if their is no "penalty" ammendment to the contract, The courts will decide the penalty for breaking a contract. -
2007-01-18 16:09:29
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answer #1
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answered by MrsOcultyThomas 6
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Covenants and contracts are two different words for the same concept: an agreement between parties, where at least one of the actions of performance is future. There are no particular guarantees for either, nor are oaths required, and the "conditional self-malediction" is a nonsense phrase.
2007-01-18 16:00:21
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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An agreement between two or more persons to do or refrain from doing some act; a compact; a contract. The Hebrew word berith′, whose etymology is uncertain, appears over 280 times in the Hebrew Scriptures; more than 80 of these occurrences are in the five books of Moses. That its basic meaning is “covenant,” comparable to our modern legal word “contract,” is seen from cuneiform tablets found in 1927 at Qatna, an ancient non-Israelite city SE of Hamath.
Covenants always involved two or more parties. They could be unilateral (where the party on one side was solely responsible to carry out the terms) or bilateral (where parties on both sides had terms to carry out). Besides the covenants in which God is a party, the Bible records the making of covenants between men, and between tribes, nations, or groups of persons. To break a covenant was a grievous sin.
The term “covenant” is applied to a sure ordinance, such as that concerning the showbread (Le 24:8), or to God’s creation governed by his laws, as the unchangeable succession of day and night (Jer 33:20); it is also used figuratively, as in the expression “covenant with Death.” (Isa 28:18) Jehovah also speaks of a covenant in connection with the wild beasts. (Ho 2:18) The marriage compact is called a covenant. (Mal 2:14) The expression “owners (masters) of the covenant” has the sense of “confederates,”
2007-01-18 17:05:13
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answer #3
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answered by BJ 7
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A contract is a legally binding document, by which a person has a right to expect something from another party listed in the document, on the basis of what the document stipulates. A covenant is a binding agreement, where one party promises to give everything that belongs to them personally to another person or group of persons. A contract gives someone "the right" to demand something from someone else. A covenant is about making a committment to give away your rights to another.
For example, if you sign a contract to purchase a home, and you fail to make payments as specified by the mortgage, the lender will foreclose on your property. They have a right to do that if you don't fulfill your end of the deal. That's an example of contract.
Marriage was intended to be a form of covenant. I realize that there is a "marriage contract," but that is different. The entire idea of marriage is based upon two people of the opposite sex making a committment to one another, each giving themself to the other person for the remainder of their natural lives. In marriage, everything becomes common property between the two individuals. It was God's intent that the marriage covenant (in which "two are made one flesh") would exemplify the covenant that He has made with us in Jesus Christ His Son.
A covenant is actually the combination of two seperate persons to become one person. This is the case with marriage, and it is the case with salvation, when accepting the blood of Jesus Christ. By faith in Him, we are made one with Him for all eternity - essentially marrying Him. That's why the church is referred to as the "bride of Christ."
The terms of a contract are often conditional. The terms of a covenant are unconditional.
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2007-01-18 16:10:18
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answer #4
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answered by firebyknight 4
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A covenant is an agreement. A contract is a signed or legal agreement.
2007-01-18 16:02:35
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answer #5
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answered by AnswerSeeker 3
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A contract is more of a slave master relationship where as a covenant is more of a loving relationship.
2007-01-18 16:09:21
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answer #6
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answered by Midge 7
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a Covenant is a contract from a higher to a lower being
2007-01-18 15:59:22
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answer #7
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answered by Caleb 2
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant
2007-01-18 16:00:59
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answer #8
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answered by dogpatch USA 7
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You should really do your own homework...
2007-01-18 15:58:12
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answer #9
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answered by Jerse 1
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