As God has now done the impossible – restored the apostles to instruct in doctrine – believers are again brought into agreement with God, walking in one accord with Him, embracing one faith – one doctrine of Christ – having built the foundation of truth in their hearts with the stones of His knowledge. This is the common salvation.

Jude spoke of this “common salvation” embraced by all believers as in need of defending. He wrote, ^“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

As the spirit of Jezebel worked her way into the church, the common salvation was no longer known or desired. She taught the church how to feign unity. Jezebel forged her own faith by linking scriptures together in an attempt to bring God into conformity to her viewpoint, needs, issues of life, and desires.

The spirit of Jezebel was introduced into the church, discerned by Apostle John and Apostle Jude as they witnessed the turning away from the common salvation (covenant faith) in search of common ground. A recurring subterfuge of the devil is to say that God wants us to find common ground with other believers on the basis of common goals. For example, you might hear it said…

From this common ground formula for independent faith (severed from the headship of Christ) one can find “fellowship” (exchange of ideals) with those of equal minds. While this approach is often applauded by the world, it is a reproach to Christ. This is feigned unity. One is simply brought into conformity to those with whom they seek equal exchange, thus creating a false balance (equity).

When the deal is struck, aspiration finds agreement with aspiration, principle agrees with principle, the imagination of one has met with the supporting consent of another.  The spirit of Jezebel equates this to the peace of God, but it is the peace of this world.

Can you see the turn of salvation from God to self? Despite the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, some cling to the ways of Jezebel learned when the church was in darkness. They define “agreement” from the perspective of their experience with the flesh.

In the lack of covenant knowledge one searches for common ground. When quoting Amos 3:3 they typically say, “We’re not going to agree on everything all the time.”

Having heard that testimony many times yourself, you’re now equipped to discern it. Whose image is being confirmed in that testimony, God or man?

It’s clearly the testimony of man: This person is speaking about the paradox experienced in the false religious system where truth as a whole is not known. In the absence of truth that reflects Jesus Christ perfectly, false knowledge is used to seal the many gaps that remain, to try to bridge one’s understanding to the will of God.

Some agree with the application of the leprous plaster and some disagree. Why is that? It’s that way because everyone has built their own bridges and mixed up their own brand of blaster to conceal ignorance.

Know this: Those who use the name of Jesus Christ to build their own kingdoms will never be in agreement with one another and less so with God.

That is the mark (brand) upon the unconverted. Don’t let that happen to you!

What Does the Word “Covenant” Mean to God? As you know, sin separates man from God. After Adam sinned God separated Adam from Him; “So he [God] drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). Every person is born into this condition of separation from God, for the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).

A covenant is the terms God set for man to observe to be joined back to Him. When man meets the conditions of these terms God:

Deuteronomy 29: 1,9,12
^1. These are the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

⁹. Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

^12. That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day.

From Deuteronomy chapter 29 the Lord makes us to understand that the covenant has “words” that must be heard, learned, and obeyed. From these scriptures we also understand God’s will that we “enter” into covenant with Him and “keep” covenant with Him. God takes ownership of your soul when you are in covenant with Him. When we read Deuteronomy chapter 29 in its entirety we further understand the Lord to say that those who forsake the covenant forsake God.

The word covenant means: The agreed participation of faith with the KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS given, with the hope of the promises in return.

Do not misunderstand: God is not agreeing to our terms, nor expecting us to set the conditions whereby we may approach unto Him, nor is He waiting for us to act on His word so He can act on our behalf. We are agreeing to God’s terms and conditions and thereby coming into conformity to Him. On what grounds are you approaching God if you do not know what it means to be in covenant with Him?

We must know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). The First Covenant was sealed by the blood of an animal, signifying that the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, had not yet come to shed His blood for the sins of the world.

Moses sprinkled the blood of an animal upon the book of the law and all the tools and articles of the First Covenant to sanctify the faith of the people, that they would order their perspective by God’s law, that when they exercised their faith in the temple with these tools, God would accept their faith. This is Mosaic law and covenant.

Hebrews 9:18-21
^18. Whereupon neither the first testament [First Covenant] was dedicated without blood.

^19. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people.

²⁰. Saying, “This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.”

^21. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

At that time, the hope of the people to please God and know God would be realized only if they restricted their faith to the terms God established through Moses. Their sins would be forgiven and God would fulfill in them His promise. Moses helped the people to understand the terms of God’s covenant and the connection between the blood and the tools and the exercise of their faith.

We can now understand what the word “seal” means: To bear the mark of God’s approval. But if we do not know what God approves of, how shall we commit our faith to it?

The study of the covenant is important. The Bible says, “This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.” Let’s look at the word “enjoined” for a moment and see what God is telling us. The word enjoin means to direct or impose upon. The word enjoined meant three things to the children of Israel under the First Covenant:

1. Responsibility of faith: God was directing the faith of the children of Israel as a whole body by His covenant and tools, which they individually had to embrace and obey. God was laying upon them the responsibility of the knowledge and tools He imparted to Moses, that they might show their love for Him by these things, which He sanctified by the blood of an animal.

2. God’s commitment: God committed Himself to engage their faith on the grounds of this covenant. As long as the children of Israel kept these commandment, as the Lord charged, they remained joined or tethered to God, and His promises were sure to them.

3. Validation: God must validate faith as real and as meeting his approval. The people were not free to join themselves to God on the grounds of their own passions or their imagination. Neither could they choose to focus faith on things that pleased them. Their faith was represented by the tools and articles God commanded Moses to give to the people. They had to carry the yoke of God’s commandments through Moses in order for God to validate their faith as genuine.

If you find yourself saying that you’ll never come into doctrinal agreement with others it is because the key God gave the church to equip you for true unity has been cast aside. You’ve been trying to unlock the door of understanding on your own (while saying the Holy Spirit is your guide). One cannot pick the lock upon the mystery of Christ. God delivered His knowledge to apostolic stewardship (as He did by selecting Moses as the steward of the First Covenant) so that the church would receive one instruction in doctrine.

Matthew 26:28
“For this is My blood of the NEW TESTAMENT, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

The good news is that God came in the flesh to shed His own blood for the sins of the world. The simple truth is that Jesus shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins, to establish in Himself a new covenant, and to set the terms of the covenant in Himself. That means that the Second Covenant has new knowledge and new tools that are different from the First Covenant.

Just as in Hebrews 9:18-20 we learned that Moses sprinkled the blood of an animal upon the things of the First Covenant to sanctify the people and join their faith to God, so also God sprinkled the blood of Jesus upon the commandments and tools of the Second Covenant to sanctify and join our faith to God.

1 Peter 1:2
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

God engages us on the grounds of covenant. And this is why He commanded us to come into covenant with Him; in essence saying, This is the rhythm of My kingdom, this is the system I will rule by, this is the name you are sanctified by, these are the tools you will be saved by.

Jesus is now the blood of the testament God hath enjoined unto you. Again, the word enjoin means, to direct or impose upon. This means that Jesus shed His blood to provide new terms and conditions, which you are required to observe. He is now directing your faith in a new and living way whereby He IS the contact point for faith. The word enjoined means three things to those who are under the Second Covenant:

1. Responsibility of faith: God is directing your faith by His new covenant knowledge and tools. God is laying upon you the responsibility of this knowledge and these tools that you might show your love for Him by these things, which He sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ.

2. God’s commitment: God has committed Himself to engage your faith on the grounds of this new covenant. As long as you keep this new charge, you remain joined or tethered to God, and His promises are sure to you.

3. Validation: God has to validate faith as real and as meeting His approval. We are not free to join ourselves to God on the grounds of our own passions or our imagination. Our salvation must be represented by Jesus Christ. Christ represents us through the priesthood He has provided for us.

Without the covenant, your salvation is without representation—you have nothing to represent you. Without the covenant we do not walk in the endurance of His promise, but in expectation of the imagination where all one does with scripture is to play out the scenarios of the imagination, which is a false grace. We must carry the yoke of God’s commandments through Jesus Christ and His priesthood, and then God will validate our faith by His virtue.

Godly fellowship differs from the fellowship of man where common goals and ideals are exchanged in the hopes that people of “good faith” (as the aspiration views itself in the mirror) shall have their peace (as face answers to face, the aspiration is acknowledged by the witness of man to rejoice the heart in the same).

Do you want the reality of godly fellowship? Then you MUST learn the equal exchange with your Creator. Christ for Christ. Look into the mirror of faith. Who do you see looking back at you? To see the image of Christ one must have His 12 elements of the gospel, the stones of His knowledge as the altar of the soul.

If one does not walk in covenant agreement with God, he is truly walking alone even though he has the company of other like minded people. Never walk alone.