All God's promises come with conditions that must be met, and this is true also of the thing known as election. As a matter of fact, Israel failed in regard to the condition and as a result lost its election. The same may be said of Judas, whose election as a disciple was canceled because of mal-performance. In any event, the theological concept of election, or of predestination, must not be allowed to cancel out man's peculiar endowment as a creature geared to option. The same principle holds true in the matter of the biblical doctrine of covenant.
Man is a creature.
The covenant, therefore, must be unilaterally issued. This is why the covenant can be called a command, a promise or even a will and testament. Whether made with Adam or Israel, the covenant relationship with God is pure gift. The human party, however, has a say in whether the covenant will be gratefully accepted or rejected. Since man is a person, the covenant is bilateral in operation.