George Mendenhall (1973: 200) lists six differences between covenant and law. We are interested here in how he states the difference between the two at the point of purpose. The purpose of covenant is to create a new relationship. The purpose of law is to regulate or perpetuate an existing relationship by orderly means. Similarly, Brevard Childs (1974: 383) comments, “The law defines the holiness demanded of the covenant people.… The measurement of holiness in terms of God’s
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