How Should a Christian in Covenant With God Actually Live?

We have established two great truths in this series.

First, God is the Covenant Keeper. His faithfulness is rooted in His unchanging character. He cannot lie, and He remains faithful to what He has spoken.

Second, we examined the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant and saw what Jesus Christ secured for the believer through His sacrifice—redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, access to God, cleansing, sanctification, victory, inheritance, and an eternal relationship with God.

But there is an important question we must now ask:

How should someone who is in covenant with God actually live?

If God has redeemed me, does He expect anything from me?

If salvation is by grace, does obedience still matter?

If Christ has finished the work, is there anything I am required to do?

Does being under grace mean I can live however I please?

What are my responsibilities as a New Covenant believer?

These questions are essential because there are two opposite errors Christians can fall into.

One is legalism—attempting to earn God’s acceptance through our performance.

The other is lawlessness—assuming that because salvation is by grace, obedience, holiness, discipline, and submission no longer matter.

The New Covenant teaches neither.

We are not saved by good works, but we are certainly saved unto good works.

Ephesians 2:8–10 KJV

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Notice the balance.

We are not saved by works.

But having been saved, we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Grace does not eliminate responsibility.

Grace transforms the foundation and power of our responsibility.

I do not obey God so that He will redeem me.

I obey because He has redeemed me.

I do not pursue holiness so that God will make me His child.

I pursue holiness because through Christ I have become His child.

I do not serve God to purchase His love.

I serve because He first loved me.

That distinction must remain at the foundation of everything that follows.

My First Responsibility Is Faith

The New Covenant is entered and lived by faith in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 KJV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Faith is not merely agreeing that God exists.

Biblical faith places confidence in Jesus Christ—who He is, what He accomplished, and what God has spoken concerning Him.

Paul writes:

Galatians 2:20 KJV

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

The Christian life begins by faith and continues by faith.

Therefore one of my fundamental covenant responsibilities is:

Believe God.

Believe His Word.

Believe what He says about Jesus.

Believe what He says about who you have become in Christ.

Believe His promises.

Trust His character when circumstances appear contradictory.

Hebrews 10:38 KJV

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

Faith is not merely for receiving things from God.

Faith is the way the covenant believer lives.

I Must Love God

At the heart of covenant relationship is love.

Jesus identified the greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:37–38 KJV

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.”

God does not merely want external religious compliance.

He wants our hearts.

Christian covenant life therefore cannot be reduced to:

attending church,

giving offerings,

serving in departments,

keeping Christian routines,

or performing religious duties.

All of those things can be done while the heart gradually moves away from God.

Our primary relationship is with God Himself.

Jesus said:

John 14:21 KJV

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Under the New Covenant, love and obedience belong together.

I obey Christ because I love Him.

I Must Obey Jesus Christ

Grace does not abolish obedience.

Jesus said plainly:

John 14:15 KJV

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Again:

Luke 6:46 KJV

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

That question deserves serious reflection.

It is possible to use the language of Lordship while resisting the government of the Lord.

Jesus is not merely our Saviour.

He is Lord.

New Covenant Christianity therefore means bringing our lives increasingly under the authority of Jesus Christ.

Our relationships.

Our finances.

Our sexuality.

Our speech.

Our ambitions.

Our careers.

Our time.

Our decisions.

Our bodies.

Our ministries.

Everything comes under His Lordship.

Romans 14:7–9 KJV

“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”

The blood purchased us.

Therefore:

We are the Lord’s.

I Must Pursue Holiness

The blood that forgives us also sanctifies us.

God did not redeem us so that we could remain comfortable in sin.

1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Holiness is not an outdated Old Testament idea.

It is central to New Covenant life.

Hebrews 12:14 KJV

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

Grace does not say:

“Sin no longer matters.”

Grace teaches us to reject sin.

Titus 2:11–12 KJV

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”

Notice what grace teaches.

Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness.

Therefore holiness is not the enemy of grace.

True grace produces holiness.

I Must Walk in the Spirit

God did not leave us to fulfil covenant responsibilities through human willpower alone.

One of the great promises of the New Covenant was the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 KJV

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

The Christian life is therefore not:

“Try harder in your own strength.”

It is:

“Learn to walk in the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:16 KJV

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

And what should the Spirit progressively produce in us?

Galatians 5:22–25 KJV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

The evidence of covenant life is not merely what we claim.

It is also the character the Holy Spirit progressively produces in us.

I Must Renew My Mind With God’s Word

The New Covenant includes the internal work of God’s Word.

Hebrews 10:16 KJV

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;”

God’s Word must therefore move from the page into our hearts, thinking, convictions, and decisions.

Paul commands:

Romans 12:1–2 KJV

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The world is constantly attempting to disciple our thinking.

Culture speaks.

Social media speaks.

Entertainment speaks.

Our experiences speak.

Our emotions speak.

Our past speaks.

But the covenant believer must allow God’s Word to have the final authority.

We must read it.

Study it.

Meditate upon it.

Believe it.

Speak it.

Obey it.

And allow it to reshape the way we think.

I Must Maintain Fellowship With God Through Prayer

The blood of Jesus has given us access to God.

That access must be used.

Hebrews 4:16 KJV

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Notice:

“Let us therefore come.”

Access has been provided, but we must come.

Prayer is not merely an emergency system for difficult moments.

It is fellowship with our covenant Father.

Jesus Himself maintained a life of prayer.

Mark 1:35 KJV

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

If Jesus maintained communion with the Father during His earthly ministry, how much more should we?

The covenant believer should develop a consistent prayer life—not from fear that God will abandon him, but from hunger for fellowship with God.

I Must Quickly Repent When I Sin

Being under the New Covenant does not mean believers become incapable of sin.

But it changes how we respond when we sin.

We do not hide.

We do not justify ourselves.

We do not blame others.

We do not become comfortable in disobedience.

We come into the light.

1 John 1:8–9 KJV

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Repentance should therefore remain part of normal Christian life.

A healthy covenant relationship with God produces a heart that is quick to respond when the Holy Spirit corrects us.

Grace should make us more responsive to God, not less.

I Must Love Other Believers

Covenant with God brings us into relationship with God’s people.

Christianity is not designed to be lived in isolation.

Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment.

John 13:34–35 KJV

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Notice the standard:

“As I have loved you.”

Our model for loving one another is Jesus.

This means covenant love must become practical.

We serve.

We encourage.

We pray for one another.

We carry burdens.

We correct when necessary.

We forgive.

We refuse bitterness.

We seek restoration.

We rejoice with those who rejoice.

We weep with those who weep.

Christian maturity is impossible without learning how to love imperfect people.

I Must Forgive Because I Have Been Forgiven

Few responsibilities reveal our understanding of grace more clearly than forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:31–32 KJV

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Notice the foundation of Christian forgiveness:

“As God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

We do not forgive because what happened was insignificant.

We forgive because we ourselves live by mercy.

Colossians 3:13 KJV

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

A person who lives continually conscious of the enormous debt Christ forgave becomes increasingly unable to justify permanent bitterness toward others.

I Must Walk in Love Toward Everyone

Christian love does not stop with fellow believers.

Jesus commanded:

Matthew 5:44 KJV

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

This is one of the most demanding expressions of covenant life.

The world says:

Treat people according to how they treat you.

Jesus says:

Respond according to who you belong to.

The covenant believer does not allow another person’s behaviour to determine his own character.

We represent our Father.

I Must Guard My Relationships With Other Believers

Paul gives an important instruction:

Ephesians 4:1–3 KJV

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Notice:

“Endeavouring to keep.”

Unity requires intentionality.

This means I cannot casually entertain:

offence,

gossip,

slander,

envy,

competition,

division,

unforgiveness,

or unnecessary strife.

Covenant people must learn to protect covenant relationships.

I Must Remain Connected to the Local Church

The New Covenant does not create isolated believers.

It creates a people.

Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

The Christian needs the Body of Christ.

We need fellowship.

Teaching.

Pastoral care.

Correction.

Encouragement.

Corporate worship.

Service.

Accountability.

Opportunities to use our gifts.

A believer who continually disconnects from healthy Christian fellowship deprives himself of something God designed for his growth.

I Must Submit to Godly Spiritual Leadership

The New Testament recognises spiritual leadership within the church.

Hebrews 13:17 KJV

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

This does not give leaders unlimited authority.

No human leader replaces Christ, overrides Scripture, or has biblical permission to manipulate God’s people.

But neither does the New Testament support an independent Christianity in which every believer rejects legitimate spiritual oversight.

God gives leaders responsibility to watch for souls.

And believers have responsibility to respond rightly to godly leadership operating under Christ and His Word.

I Must Serve God With What He Has Given Me

Every believer has a place in God’s purpose.

1 Peter 4:10–11 KJV

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Notice the word:

“Stewards.”

A steward manages something belonging to another.

Your gifts are not ultimately yours.

Your opportunities are not ultimately yours.

Your abilities are not ultimately yours.

God has entrusted them to you.

Covenant therefore brings stewardship.

We should ask:

“Father, what have You placed in my hands, and how do You want it used for Your glory?”

I Must Be a Faithful Steward of My Finances

If Christ is Lord, then He is Lord over our money too.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 KJV

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

New Covenant giving is not merely a financial transaction designed to force God to give us more money.

It is worship.

It is stewardship.

It is generosity.

It is participation in God’s work.

It is care for others.

The question is not merely:

“How little must I give?”

The covenant heart asks:

“How can everything God has entrusted to me serve His purpose?”

I Must Use My Body for God’s Glory

The New Covenant has implications for the physical body.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 KJV

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Our bodies belong to God.

Therefore sexual purity matters.

What we do physically matters.

How we treat our bodies matters.

The Christian cannot say:

“It is my body; I can do whatever I want.”

The covenant response is:

“I was bought with a price. My body belongs to God.”

I Must Guard My Speech

Covenant life should eventually become audible.

Our words should increasingly reflect Christ.

Ephesians 4:29 KJV

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

This affects:

gossip,

slander,

lying,

cruel speech,

filthy conversation,

uncontrolled anger,

and destructive criticism.

James reminds us:

James 3:9–10 KJV

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

The mouth that worships God should not continually destroy people.

I Must Be a Witness for Jesus Christ

The New Covenant creates a missionary people.

Before ascending, Jesus said:

Acts 1:8 KJV

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

The Gospel was not given to us merely to enjoy privately.

We have responsibility to make Christ known.

Jesus commanded:

Matthew 28:19–20 KJV

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Every believer should participate somehow in God’s mission.

We pray.

We witness.

We give.

We disciple.

We invite.

We support gospel work.

We represent Christ wherever God places us.

I Must Be Willing to Suffer for Christ

Covenant does not guarantee a trouble-free life.

Paul wrote:

Philippians 1:29 KJV

“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

Jesus never hid the cost of discipleship.

Luke 9:23 KJV

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Following Jesus may cost us comfort.

Popularity.

Opportunities.

Relationships.

Money.

Status.

And for some believers throughout history, even life itself.

But covenant faithfulness means:

Christ is worth following whatever the cost.

I Must Persevere

The Christian life is not merely about beginning well.

We must continue.

Hebrews 10:35–36 KJV

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

There will be seasons when faith is tested.

There will be delays.

There will be disappointments.

There will be spiritual battles.

There will be unanswered questions.

But covenant people learn to endure.

Hebrews 12:1–2 KJV

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The secret of perseverance is contained in those words:

“Looking unto Jesus.”

I Must Remember That Covenant Responsibilities Are Empowered by Grace

After everything we have discussed, we must return to this point.

If we leave this teaching simply thinking:

“I must pray more.”

“I must give more.”

“I must obey more.”

“I must serve more.”

“I must be holier.”

“I must try harder.”

Then we have missed something essential about the New Covenant.

God does not merely tell us what to do.

God works within us.

Philippians 2:12–13 KJV

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Notice the beautiful cooperation.

We work out.

Because God works in.

We obey.

But God supplies grace.

We walk.

But the Spirit empowers us.

We serve.

But God gives ability.

We persevere.

But Christ sustains us.

This is New Covenant Christianity.

Not passive.

Not legalistic.

But grace-empowered obedience.

The Great New Covenant Pattern

We can therefore summarise our responsibilities under the New Covenant this way:

Because God has loved me, I love Him.

Because Christ has redeemed me, I belong to Him.

Because He has forgiven me, I forgive others.

Because He has made me holy, I pursue holiness.

Because He has given me His Spirit, I walk in the Spirit.

Because He has given me His Word, I renew my mind.

Because the blood has opened the way, I draw near in prayer.

Because I belong to His Body, I love and serve His people.

Because everything I have comes from God, I live as a steward.

Because Jesus is Lord, I obey Him.

Because the Gospel saved me, I share it with others.

Because Christ suffered for me, I am willing to suffer for Him.

Because He is faithful, I persevere.

This is not how we purchase covenant.

This is how covenant people live.

The Question Is No Longer, “What Can I Get From God?”

This may be one of the most important changes covenant revelation should produce.

An immature understanding of covenant continually asks:

What can God do for me?

Can He heal me?

Can He provide for me?

Can He protect me?

Can He promote me?

Can He answer my prayer?

Can He fulfil His promise?

Those questions have their place.

But mature covenant consciousness eventually asks something deeper:

“Since I belong to God, how should I live for Him?”

Paul gives us the proper response.

Romans 12:1 KJV

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Notice the order:

“By the mercies of God…”

Then:

“Present your bodies.”

God’s mercy comes first.

Our surrender follows.

God’s grace comes first.

Our obedience follows.

Christ’s sacrifice comes first.

Our living sacrifice follows.

We do not sacrifice ourselves so that Christ will save us.

Because Christ sacrificed Himself for us, we now present ourselves to Him.

A New Covenant Declaration

I have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

I am not my own.

I belong to God.

Jesus Christ is not only my Saviour; He is my Lord.

Therefore I choose to live by faith.

I choose to love God.

I choose to obey His Word.

I choose holiness.

I choose to walk in the Spirit.

I choose to renew my mind with God’s Word.

I choose prayer and fellowship with my Father.

When I sin, I will repent quickly and return to the light.

Because Christ forgave me, I will forgive others.

Because Christ loves me, I will walk in love.

I will honour the Body of Christ.

I will serve with the gifts God has entrusted to me.

I will steward my time, body, finances, opportunities, and abilities for His glory.

I will be a witness for Jesus Christ.

I will not turn back because of difficulty.

I will follow Jesus whatever the cost.

And I will depend upon the Holy Spirit to produce in me the life God requires from me.

I am a New Covenant believer.

I belong to God.

My life belongs to Jesus Christ.

Covenant Is Relationship Before It Is Responsibility

There is one final truth we must never lose.

God did not bring us into covenant merely to give us another list of religious duties.

The heart of the covenant remains relationship.

Hebrews 8:10 KJV

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”

That is the heart of everything.

“I will be to them a God.”

“They shall be to me a people.”

Our responsibilities therefore flow from relationship.

We obey the God we love.

We serve the God who redeemed us.

We pursue the God who first pursued us.

We give ourselves to the One who first gave Himself for us.

And we live for the One whose blood purchased us.

The goal of covenant is not merely that we become better-behaved people.

The goal is that we belong completely to God and increasingly reflect His character in the world.

That is how a Christian in covenant with God should live.

Not trying to earn God’s love.

Not terrified that every failure will make God abandon us.

Not using grace as an excuse for sin.

But living every day with the settled consciousness:

I have been redeemed.

I have been bought with a price.

I belong to God.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

The Holy Spirit lives in me.

Grace is working in me.

And because He gave Himself for me, I now give myself to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 KJV

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

There may be no better summary of our responsibility under the New Covenant:

We no longer live unto ourselves.

We live unto Him who died for us and rose again.

The Message Bearer, Cornelius Bella