God’s Covenantal Journey with Mankind

Here at Living Waters, we teach that Scripture tells the covenantal journey between God and mankind, culminating in the covenant Jesus brought through His death, resurrection, and ascension. Knowing which covenant we’re under is key to how we relate to God. If we mix them up, we risk putting a heavy yoke on ourselves that Jesus never intended us to carry. As He said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)—a stark contrast to the Mosaic Law the Pharisees tried to keep people under.

In this post, we’ll explore the three types of covenants, walk through the five major covenants in Scripture, and see why the “better covenant” Jesus inaugurated matters so much. Through it, we’re grafted in as co-heirs with Him, invited to bring heaven to earth as God’s fully alive sons and daughters.

Three Types of Covenants: How God Makes Agreements

Scott Hahn from his book, Kinship by Covenant, he teaches that covenants are “the master concept that unlocks the meaning of the Bible.” They’re sacred bonds, not contracts, and come in three forms:

Grant: This is an unconditional gift from God, like a king rewarding a loyal servant. It depends solely on His promise, not our performance—seen in His pledge to Noah and Abraham’s descendants. It shows God’s grace, freely given.

Vassal: Here, the great King, sets terms for His people to follow, like a ruler over subjects. The Mosaic Law is the example—obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings curses.

Kinship: A mutual agreement between two parties. It emphasizes partnership, specially in marriage.

Five Covenants: God’s Unfolding Story

Scripture presents five major covenants—Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus—each demonstrating the three types of covenants but most importantly God’s unwavering faithfulness in drawing humanity back to Himself.

Noah (Grant) : After humanity’s sin led to the flood, God promised Noah, “Never again will I destroy the earth with water” (Genesis 9:11). The rainbow sealed this grant covenant, showing His mercy to all creation despite mankind’s failures.

Abraham (Grant): God called Abraham, saying, “Through you, all nations will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3), promising land, descendants, and a legacy. This grant covenant based on God’s promise to Abraham that he will become the father of many nations.

Moses (Vassal): At Sinai, God told Israel, “If you obey me, you’ll be my treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5). God offered kinship as His “firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22), but Israel’s infidelity turned it into a vassal treaty, a tutor (Galatians 3:24) binding them like a marriage along with its yoke (Acts 15:10).

David (Grant): God promised David, “Your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16), granting an everlasting kingdom. Though Israel’s kings faltered, this royal grant held firm, fueling hope for a Messiah who’d reign perfectly.

Jesus (Grant/Kinship): Ending the Mosaic law, and fulfilling the Davidic covenant, Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). This royal grant between Father and Son secures our sonship through His finished work. At the Last Supper, a picture of marital engagement, He offered His body and blood, binding us as His bride with the new command—“Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34)—a kinship of mutual love.

The Better Covenant

This journey reveals God’s unshakable faithfulness, even as Israel repeatedly rejected Him. They broke the Mosaic covenant with idolatry and disobedience, yet God didn’t abandon them. He renewed His promise through David’s line, a royal grant that didn’t depend on their fidelity. That Davidic hope, “a king forever,” became the bridge to Jesus, the better covenant, proving God’s love endures our failures.

Why does this matter? It’s an eternal grant covenant between the Father and Son, sealed when “Christ redeemed us from the law’s curse by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13), ending our marriage by His death (Romans 7:4), its priesthood and yoke obsolete (Hebrews 7:12). The Spirit of adoption makes us no longer slaves but God’s children and as heirs—co-heirs with Him, seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

At the Last Supper, there is an invitation to a marital engagement. Jesus offered His blood, saying, “This cup is the new covenant” (Luke 22:20), His new command, and prayer “that they may be one as we are one” paint us as His Bride. This kinship nests inside the grant, unbreakable by us, revealing the beauty of the new and better covenant.

This is the kingdom narrative: returning us to co-creation as a family unit. Jesus’ light yoke frees us from the old covenant and invites us to partner with God in His mission as sons and daughters, fully alive, praying “Your kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As a body and bride, we’re called to reflect His love and life to the world, a mystical union mirroring the oneness the Son has with the Father.

So let’s live under the right covenant—not mixing the old with the new, but embracing the freedom Christ offers.