What is the difference between a covenant and a contract?

Answer

On one level, the terms covenant and contract are used interchangeably. However, there are some finer distinctions between the two.

A contract is a relatively modern legal concept. It is a legally binding agreement to perform or refrain from certain actions. It often includes consequences for breaching the agreement. If the contract is violated and penalties are paid, then the payment is considered adequate compensation for the breach. There is not necessarily any moral wrongdoing involved in the breach. If a person breaches the contract but willingly pays the penalties, this is not viewed as a moral failing, as the contract acknowledges the possibility of a breach. For instance, if a tenant signs a one-year lease for an apartment with a $1,000 penalty for early termination, and then decides to end the lease and pays the penalty, then all is resolved. The lease was broken, and the landlord was compensated as per the contract. The landlord may not be pleased, and the tenant may not be happy about paying the penalty, but both parties fulfilled their obligations.

A covenant is an ancient agreement in which two parties commit to certain actions or abstentions. Due to the flawed nature of humanity, the covenant may entail consequences for breaching it, but unlike a contract, breaking a covenant is considered immoral—it is a breach of trust. There is never a scenario where it is morally acceptable for a person to break a covenant, even if the covenant-breaker is willing to pay the penalties.

The distinction between a contract and a covenant can be exemplified in contemporary views on marriage. Some individuals perceive marriage as a contract between two parties. They willingly enter into the marital contract, and if at a later stage one or both desire to end the relationship, they simply negotiate the terms and consequences (such as alimony, property division, custodial arrangements).Today, an agreement for children, etc., and move on without any moral stigma. Some couples enter marriage with a prenuptial agreement that outlines, before the couple is even married, how the payments and property will be divided in a divorce.

From a biblical perspective, marriage is not merely a contract but a covenant between two individuals with God and the rest of the community as witnesses. One should not approach marriage with a focus on what will occur if or, in the case of some couples, when the marriage ends. Marriage is intended to be lifelong, and there is always a moral aspect and a moral failing, by one or both parties, when a marriage dissolves. The dissolution of the marriage covenant involves the violent separation of the “one flesh” that was formed by the marriage. While the Bible does permit divorce in certain circumstances (see Matthew 19:9 and 1 Corinthians 7:15), this is not what God originally intended. “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:6-9).

God is a covenant-keeping God, and Christians should be covenant-keeping individuals. We should uphold our word and fulfill our commitments, even when there is no official contract in place. Every promise that a Christian makes should be regarded as a covenant. The directive is to “simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” «But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. », (Matthew 5:37, BSB).