"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
With these words the Apostle Paul gives his benediction, the Holy Spirit’s benediction to all who are in Christ, to every sinner in this world saved by the grace of God. This is God’s benediction of grace to us.
He who is our God is here called “The God of peace.” He is the “the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” Our Lord Jesus Christ was raised up from the dead as “that (one and only) great Shepherd of the sheep” who came here to save his sheep, and in order to do so laid down his life for the sheep. The Lord Jesus has been raised up from the grave and is now seated in heaven as our the great Shepherd of the sheep “, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”
Now, look at the first three words of verse 21, and see the object and purpose of the triune God in this everlasting covenant of grace and the blood by which that covenant was ratified at Calvary—“make you perfect.”
In this everlasting covenant, the covenant of grace and peace, the covenant of salvation made between the three Persons of the triune God before the world began, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, the salvation of God’s elect was fixed and settled from eternity. This everlasting covenant of grace is a compact of love, an agreement of mercy, a contract of goodness, a sovereign disposition of grace made between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in eternity. And in that covenant our salvation was immutably secured.
Every saved sinner traces the origin of his salvation back to eternity, for the origin of all saving grace is the firm and everlasting covenant spoken of in our text.
God always deals with men and women upon the basis of a covenant. Though he brings the blessings or the curses of the covenant upon individuals, God always deals with people collectively, in covenant terms, through a representative. According to his own sovereign purpose, he has arranged that he will not deal with man except in covenant terms. And he will not allow us to deal with him in any other way.
Don Fortner