RECAP THE COVENANT FOUNDATIONALLY IS OTHER-CENTERED STEADFAST LOVE TOWARD GOD AND MAN (GEN 15:1, DEUTERONOMY 31:6, HOSEA 6:6). JESUS’ LIFE OF PERFECT RELATIONAL INTEGRITY IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE COVENANT(JOHN 13:1, HEBREWS 1:1-3, 2 CORINTHIANS 4:14,15).

WAS MAN CREATED/DESIGNED FOR COVENANT(RELATIONSHIP)?

CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27

WHO AND WHAT IS GOD?

GOD AND GODHEAD The word “God” as used in reference to the true God is used 3,876 times in the Bible. The term “Godhead” is used a meagerly 3 times by the same author; the Apostle Paul.

What’s the Difference? Whenever the word God or term Godhead is used it is always to be perceived as speaking in a plural sense. The Hebrew word used in scripture for God is “Elohim” and it is a plural word, denoting that the thing or the person being described is actually an entity or a unit of some kind.

GOD IS A DIVINE COMMUNITY “Let US make man….” Genesis 1:26 “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 “Brought up….as one with Him.” Proverbs 8:30 “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…”Matthew 28:19 The usage of the term Godhead is meant to communicate the fact that it is a divine community.

THE IMAGE OF GOD & ITS REPRODUCTION What is an image? It is the depiction or illustration of something or someone. When scripture speaks of the Image of God, it is a character sketch of God. So when God or the Godhead proceeded to create humanity or creatures in general, His aim was to create beings who would live in relationship, in love with one another.

GOD is a covenant and because He is a covenant He is the source of life. As we know in a world, human beings do not come into existence spontaneously. There must be the coming together of male and female with their reproductive organs to bring another human life into existence. Since He is the source of life, when He creates intelligent creatures, i.e. human beings, they must be a reflection of Him, the source.

Is this reflection physical? NO. Scripture makes it clear that God is a spiritual being and man is a physical being with limitations, therefore man can not be in every which way made in the “image” of God (John 4:24). The only way in which man can be like God or reflect God is in character.

BEING MADE FOR COVENANT And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28

In Genesis 1:28 we see that God creates humanity male and female not only in relationship with each other, but in a marriage. He created them for co- existence, a co-existence that could only remain so, if unselfish love is its continual foundation. People in any relationship; whether it is a marriage, friendship, parent-to-child, business associations, often tend to vacate the relationship if they sense that there is no unselfish love being exhibited by the other.

CREATED FOR LOVE AND VALUE We were created to receive love and give love. We are just wired that way. We crave love and its natural. It is that way because God created it that way because He wants us to live together in unselfish love. It’s the only way that things truly can work in this world.

THE FULFILLMENT OF COVENANT The Godhead is a covenant and when we live together in unselfish love as the members of the Godhead do, we fulfill covenant with God and with one another. The covenant is meant to reinforce the fact that if we live to benefit each other, no person is lacking in the reception of love. It would be a perfect tide of love among God’s creatures the way God intended for it to be.

THE FULFILLMENT OF COVENANT (CONCLUSION) 1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.