Relationships:  An Integral Part of Covenant Life

To be in covenant is to be in relationship and relationship is the integral part of covenant life.  Covenant life can only exist in relationships for a covenant is made with others.  So the word covenant cannot be defined except there are two or more persons. The word covenant is mentioned 292 times in the Bible.  The Hebrew word for covenant is "brit".  It means a covenant, treaty, compact, agreement or association between two parties with various responsibilities, benefits and penalties.  The Greek word is "diatheke" to set in order, to disperse in a certain order therefore a testament and covenant.

  Let us view the meaning of these following words.  The word relate means to have connection, to be connected and to interact in that association with others.  The word relationship must now be considered.  The suffix ship on the end of a word such as friendship, worship and here relationship means the state, condition and quality of something.  Therefore relationship is the state, condition and quality of a relation.  Is it a righteous relation?  Is the condition of it healthy and good?  Is it fulfilling as to purpose?  The church must truly ask these questions as well as each person and family.  

 It must be understood that a covenant expresses what is to be given, offered or extended, and what is to be expected.   It declares how one will relate and what he will be and do.  Indeed righteous conduct, loyalty, honesty, faithfulness and integrity are ingredients in a covenant.  It is what one promises, or agrees to extend to the other. 

 We have stated the importance of relationships in covenant life, that it is an integral part of it.  It succeeds or fails depending on the quality of the relationship.  If it is a righteous relationship it will be a definite blessing.  The word integral is a key word, which means that which is essential or necessary for completeness.  Then for covenant life to be what it is intended to be and for all that it is to accomplish, we must realize the completeness of what righteous relationship brings. Jealousy, pride, self-centeredness, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, resentment, laziness, procrastination and an independent spirit, betrayal and etc. never allows the completeness of what God purposed relationships to accomplish.  These sins bring about wounds, hurts, lack of trust, separation, and can change the character of others who were wronged.

 In relationships there are functions to fulfill gifts to give for health and wholeness.  Covenant binds us to fulfill our functions and extend our God given gifts for the good of family and church (our spiritual family).  God is the author of spiritual relationships by birthing us into His family through Jesus Christ.  Then He expects us to relate that is to be truly connected to interact between ourselves for divine purposes.  This we must do in divine order, by a divine word and in divine character through faith and grace (His ability).

 What does a good relationship in covenant life bring?  It brings fullness of function.  That means all are blessed to give and receive what pertains to life. So a righteous relationship brings life, it brings the manifested presence of Christ, and it brings victory over our enemies. 

"For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love."   Eph. 4:16 ANT.

 In God's mind being related demands certain things by the law of love, for the heart of the covenant is love.  What it gives is care, protection, help, provision, discipline, correction, guidance, instruction, nurturing, security and patience.  Yes, the lying down of one's life.

 Therefore, a righteous relationship meets the needs of our being, for God made us to relate.  As you read, The Church in Covenant Relationship, keep this in mind.  No one man is everything in himself.  God made us dependent that through others we could experience the flow of the Lords' life.  In this relationship of dependence we find provision in the process of being matured.  What we fail to be and offer becomes someone else's lack; it leaves them unaided, exposed and hindered in their spiritual growth.  True they must assume responsibility also, but so are we to be responsible towards them.  Covenant demands being responsible.

 We as sons are a fellowship of people with divine things to share, in the  family of God.  Do we realize that we are a living organism needing each part to function as a whole?  We shall speak more of this latter when we look at living in the spirit of a corporate attitude.

 To withdraw from relationships and become isolated is to be out of the realm of what relationship brings.  Of course you may say relationship has brought me nothing but pain and hurt; this is why I have turned inward.  I did not want any more hurt.  That is never God's answer, healing is, because God wants us to continue to relate and to know the flow of His life through the body.  God has someone whom He will send and who will keep covenant principles and covenant love with you.  You must pray for that one that group, that church wherein you can experience the covenant love of God through them.  We must guard against bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness or hurts that isolate us and harden us.

 You do realize that a relationship brings out what is truly in us; it reveals how deeply the character of God is formed in us or how carnal we still are.  Our relationships as you know, are not fully matured yet. Have you considered this?  God uses relationships to mature us, for we shall meet the undesirables, the fleshly carnal ones. Shall we respond in flesh or in spirit?  See Gal. 5:15-21.  Do we understand that almost if not all sins in our family or church family are due to failure is some aspect in our relationships with each other?  This reveals that our relationship with the Lord is not where it should be.  You cannot have a good relationship with the Lord and a fleshly one with the brethren.   Yet the way people talk they seem to think so.   The very first thing we must realize is that righteous behavior among the brethren is a matter of righteous relationship to the Lord.  Matt. 25:40,45.  Our relationship to Him in love forms our relationship to each other.  If our relationship is not governed by love and wisdom, the flesh will govern it. 

 As we speak of relationship as the integral part of covenant life consider these words about the family of God.   "Everyone who believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring). 1 John 5:1-2. ANT.   Note 1 John 3:1-2.  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is". KJV.  These verses declare that we are a family of the highest kind.  We are of noble divine birth, of royal decent.  Therefore in a royal relationship our behavior must be a royal one.  The awesome reality that unfolds is this truth: God is relational in the highest order of perfection love.   The term Father is a term of relationship. See John 5:7; Rom. 8:15; Rom. 11:28; 1Cor. 8:6.   Keith Intrater in his book, "Covenant Relationships" says, "A father cannot be defined alone."  This means there must be family.  Note the heavenly Father's expression of relationship to His Son Jesus in Matt. 3:17. 

 Wisdom repeats that relationships are not ideal at a distance.  We cannot avoid each other; we cannot be away from each other and nurture relationships.  It requires interaction of righteousness.  It requires unity, truth, peace, transparency, communication, faithfulness and love, which are true relationship characteristics.

 We come now to the word know.  This also is a relationship word.  Look at this word in John 17:3.  "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, which thou hast sent."  The Greek word translated know is ginosko, it means to know experientially, to be acquainted with, to be associated with personally in a continual and expanding experience of relationship.  It speaks not so much of information as it does of acquaintance.  It doesn't mean to know about God even though that is important; but rather to have an intimate acquaintance (relationship) with Him. 

 To be gifted doesn't mean that you have an intimate relationship with God.  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  And in thy name cast out devils?  And in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart form me, ye that work iniquity.  1 Cor. 8:3 reveal the reason why they were not known of God.  "But if any man love God, the same is known of him."  Now what is love for God?  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.  1 John 5:3.  Isn't it obvious to see that in relationship to God love is the essence of obedience?  If you don't have obedience you don't have love and if you don't have love you don't have a good relationship.

 Who will believe that eternal life is based upon personal acquaintance (relationship) with the Father and Jesus Christ?  Only those who have had the revelation of what John 17:3 really means. Will you believe that the goal of intimacy is the fullness of the Lord's life in you?  Then eternal life is in knowing; a growing knowing if you please. Many think that just a social church life means acquaintance with God, but I want to tell you it is definitely not.  This is a substitute for intimacy.  What a great deception and loss.