The following text is the beginning of a short volume, in Portuguese, about 42 principles and words that, originating from the Scriptures, guide our work and describe our service to Christ. Brevity is a chief characteristic of this little book.
The Bible is organized into two main parts: the Old Testament (sometimes called the Old Covenant), and the New Testament. This division is important for our faith, as religions often mix everything together. It is important to separate things well, distinguishing between what has passed and what continues to hold value.
Our practices must be based on the New Testament, for it contains the new covenant of Christ established by His blood, Matthew 26.28. The old covenant of Moses has been set aside, Hebrews 8.13.
The teaching of covenants reminds us of several things:
- God deals with humanity through a defined and clear structure, not with ideas that come to mind at the moment;
- the covenant determines the existence of a people, Hebrews 8:8-10, and marks who is included and who is excluded;
- covenants contain conditions, such as obedience and faithfulness, two parties (God and Jesus’ part and our part), and promises.
The Lord’s Supper is to remind us of Christ’s covenant, 1Corinthians 11.25. Immersion in water introduces a person into Christ’s covenant, with all its blessings and responsibilities, Galatians 3.26-27.
Image by Grok.
- This day - 2026-09-14
- Explaining ourselves: Love - 2026-09-07
- Covenants: 42 words - 2026-08-18