User:Thane/Covenant Theology

Covenant Theology (also known as covenantalism or federal theology or federalism) is a conceptual overview and interpretive understanding of the general structure of the Bible, particularly the history of the redemption of mankind. Theological federalism (latin: foedus, covenant) uses the biblical concept of covenant as an organizing principle for biblical theology, or biblically-oriented and biblically-bound Christian theology. Historically, covenant theology grew out the branch of Reformation thought known as Reformed theology, or Calvinism. Most of its adherents today remain in that school of evangelical Christianity.

The core concept of federalism is the idea of a group or body of members that are bound together with a governing representative head. In theology that representative head can be a divinely-ordained covenant mediator or God himself, the ultimate mediator. Unlike political federalism, in theology the two parties (i.e. the representative head and the represented members) do not share sovereignty.

The super-structure of biblical federalism is found in two super-relationships described in scripture: (1) the covenantal relationship between the first representative man ^[1], Adam, and those born of the flesh (i.e. ALL naturally-born ^[2] mankind), often called the covenant of works ^[3], and likewise (2) the covenantal relationship between the second and last representative man ^[4], Christ, and those who are in addition born of the Spirit (i.e. ALL spiritually-born ^[5] mankind), often called the covenant of grace. This doctrine is most clearly described in Romans 5:12-21 and First Corinthians 15:20-28, 42-49.

Romans 5:12-21 (ESV) Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. § But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. § Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Corinthians 15:20-26, 42-49 (ESV) But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ... [skipping verses 27-41] ... So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust [1] , and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven [2]. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

According to covenant theology, the relationships of Adam and Christ with those they represent meet the definition of a covenant, which is a group or body of members that are bound together with a governing representative head. Adam is the federal head and representative of all who are born naturally. Christ is the federal head or representative of all who are born spiritually. What these two covenants lack in formality (though in the case of Christ there was formality in the initiation of the New Covenant), they gain in massive, indeed universal, theological significance. Moreover, even though these catholic covenants lack formal declaration, nevertheless they are biblically-based (founded on and found in holy scripture) and are biblical covenants (though, as we will see, most dispensationalists disagree). Some call them "theological covenants". While that is true, given not being proclaimed in time, at the same time they are timeless ^[6] biblical covenants, because their theology is apostolic theology found in apostolic scripture, i.e. the Bible.

As defined, the covenants do not require the consent of their members, nor can they be denied. According to orthodox Christian theology (via Apostle Paul, Saint Augustine, Catholicism and Protestantism), all humans are born in sin, and will go to Hell because of that original sin, unless divine grace is given to them, according to the work of Christ on the cross. According to covenant theology, all humans are credited with that original sin of Adam because of their covenantal relationship with Adam. In essence, when Adam sinned, all men in Adam sinned. Likewise, all spiritually-born humans are credited with the death and resurrection of Christ (which paid the penalty for their sins) because of their covenantal relationship with Christ. In essence, when Christ died and resurrected, all men in Christ died and resurrected. ^[7]

Nature of the believer's covenantal union with Christ

See main article: Union with Christ

Covenant Theology and the formal biblical covenants

Covenant theology first sees a Covenant of Works administered with Adam in the Garden of Eden. Though it is not explicitly called a covenant in the Bible, Hosea 6:7 has been interpreted to support the idea. The specific covenants after the fall of Adam are seen as administered under the overarching theological Covenant of Grace and include:

The Abrahamic Covenant, found in Genesis chapter 15.
The Mosaic Covenant, found in Exodus chapters 19 through 24.
The Palestinian Covenant -- an unconditional covenant enlarging upon the Abrahamic Covenant promising the seed of Abraham eternal possession in the land (Deuteronomy 30:1-10), and
The Davidic Covenant, found in 2 Samuel chapter 7 establishing David and his lineage as the rightful kings of Israel and Judah and extending the covenant of Abraham to David's lineage.
The New Covenant, predicted by the prophet Jeremiah in the eponymous book, chapter 31, and connected with Jesus at the Last Supper where he says that the cup is "the New Covenant in [his] blood" and further in the Epistle to the Hebrews (chapters 8-10). The term "New Testament," most often used for the collection of books in the Bible, can also refer to the New Covenant as a theological concept ^{[citation needed]}.

Covenant Theology beyond the basic structure

As was mentioned, most dispensationalists disagree with what has been defined thus far as covenant theology. While this is true, there are a few in the camp of progressive dispensationalism that hold to the federalism described thus far (seeing no fundamental conflict between the systems as they understand them). Though it is merely a semantical distinction for convenience, some call the basic covenant theology described already "federalism" and agree to it, but call the covenant theology already described already added to those aspects described in the following paragraphs by the term "covenant theology", and do not agree with it. Again, this is merely convenient lingo on their part, because the terms federal theology and federalism are just as old as the term covenant theology, if not older; and have been synonyms since being commonly used in the 17th century.

The Covenant of Redemption

The Covenant of Redemption, is the agreement beyond time and within the Godhead that the Father would appoint the Son Jesus Christ to live a perfectly acceptable substitutionary life and die an undeserved death on behalf of, and as a covenantal representative for, those who would sin but would trust in Christ as their covenantal substitutionary representative.

Supersessionism

OC Israel = NC church

State power

Baptism

Since Covenant Theology today is mainly Protestant and Reformed in its outlook, proponents view Baptism and The Lord's Supper as the only two sacraments, and both subjects are related to the idea of supersessionism.

The Lord's supper instituted by Jesus was a replacement for the Jewish Passover festival. As such, it should be celebrated in much the same way - as a symbolic participation in God's act of salvation. In the Old Testament the Jews celebrated God's rescue from slavery in Egypt, with lamb's blood painted on their doors to protect them from God's wrath. In the New Testament, this directly refers to a celebration of God's rescue of the church from their lives of sin, with the blood of Jesus acting as the means by which God's New Covenant people are able to be rescued from God's wrath.

Paedobaptist Covenant Theologians see the administration of all the biblical covenants, including the New Covenant, as including a principle of familial, corporate inclusion or "generational succession." The biblical covenants between God and man include signs and seals that visibly represent the realities behind the covenants. These visible signs and symbols of God's covenant redemption are administered in a corporate manner (for instance, to households), not in an exclusively individualistic manner.

Baptism is considered by Covenant Theologians as the visible sign of entrance into the New Covenant and therefore may be administered individually to new believers making a public profession of faith. Paedobaptists further believe this extends corporately to the households of believers which typically would include children, or individually to children or infants of believing parents (see Infant baptism). In this view, baptism is thus seen as the functional replacement and sacramental equivalent of the Abrahamic rite of circumcision and symbolizes the internal cleansing from sin, among other things.

Baptist Covenant Theologians (such as John Gill) hold that baptism is only for those who can understand and profess their faith, and they argue that the regulative principle of worship, which many paedobaptists also advocate and which states that elements of worship (including baptism) must be based on explicit commands of Scripture, is violated by infant baptism. Furthermore, because the New Covenant is described in Jeremiah 31:31-34 as a time when all who were members of it would have the law written on their hearts and would know God, Baptist Covenant Theologians believe only those who are born again are members of the New Covenant.

The Sabbath

New Covenant Theology

Use of the Law of God

History of Covenant Theology

Covenant theology has roots in the writings of Augustine and John Calvin (Institutes 2:9-11). Johannes Cocceius (c. 1603-1669) developed the classical statement on covenant theology in his The Doctrine of the Covenant and Testament of God (Summa doctrinae de foedere et testamento dei, 1648). Covenant theology was clearly expressed in the British Westminster Confession of Faith (chap. 7) and further developed by Hermann Witsius (1636-1708) in the Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man. It may also be seen in the writings of Jonathan Edwards (Collected Writings of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 2, Banner of Truth edition, p.950).

In the United States, the Princeton theologians (Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, Geerhardus Vos, and J. Gresham Machen) and, in the Netherlands, Herman Bavinck followed the main lines of the classic view, teaching the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works (Law), and the Covenant of Grace (Gospel).

Current well-known Covenant theologians include R. C. Sproul, J. I. Packer, and John Frame. This system is taught at schools such as Covenant Theological Seminary, Erskine Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary.

Dispensationalism

New Covenant Theology

NEEDS REFERENCES

and it views the history of mankind's redemption from sin under the framework of three over-arching theological covenants:

the Covenant of Redemption
the Covenant of Works
the Covenant of Grace

These three covenants are called "theological covenants" because they are not explicitly presented as such in the Bible, although covenantalists see them as theologically implicit.

Covenant Theology teaches that God has established two covenants with mankind and one within the Godhead to deal with how the other two relate.

The Covenant of Redemption, is the agreement beyond time and within the Godhead that the Father would appoint the Son Jesus Christ to live a perfectly acceptable substitutionary life and die an undeserved death on behalf of, and as a covenantal representative for, those who would sin but would trust in Christ as their covenantal substitutionary representative.

The Covenant of Works, was made in the Garden of Eden between God and Adam who ultimately represented all mankind in a covenantal sense. (Romans 5:12-21) It promised life for obedience and death for disobedience. Adam and ultimately all mankind failed to live as God intended and stood condemned. Adam disobeyed God and broke the covenant, and so the Covenant of Grace was made between God and all of mankind.

The Covenant of Grace, promised eternal blessing for all people for trusting in the successive promises of God and ultimately for accepting Christ as a substitutionary covenantal representative. It is the historical expression of the eternal covenant of redemption and covenant theologians see Gen 3:15 as the historical beachhead for the covenant of grace.

The Covenant of Grace became the basis for all future covenants that God made with mankind such as with Noah (Gen 6, 9), with Abraham (Gen 12, 15, 17), with Moses (Ex 19-24), with David (2 Sam 7), and finally in the New Covenant fulfilled and founded in Christ. These individual covenants are called the "biblical covenants" because they are explicitly described in the Bible. Under the Covenantal overview of the Bible, submission to God's rule and living in accordance with his moral law (expressed concisely in the Ten Commandments) is a response to grace - never something which can earn God's acceptance (legalism). Even in his giving of the Ten Commandments, God introduces his law by reminding the Israelites that he is the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt (grace!).

Regarding frameworks for viewing the Bible, Covenantalism stands in direct contrast to Dispensationalism. Regarding the theological status of modern day Jewish people Covenantalism is often referred to by its detractors as Supersessionism or Replacement theology as it promotes the idea that God has abandoned the promises made to the Jews and has replaced the Jews with Christians as His Chosen People in the earth. This viewpoint is the basis for much anti-Semitism which was an opinion of Jews even held by Martin Luther.

Covenant theology is a prominent feature in Protestant theology, especially in churches holding a reformed view of theology such as the Reformed churches and some Presbyterian churches and, in different forms, some Methodist churches and in some Baptist churches.

Notes

^ The relationship between Adam and Christ also being a typological relationship where Adam is the type and Christ is the antitype.
^ This language of birth is not meant to imply that either (1) the unborn human is without original sin and not morally liable (see Psalm 51:5 which makes the point that humans are conceived in sin), or that (2) the unborn human is not human (which mentioned Psalm 51 reference also disproves, given that moral liability by definition requires moral existence, and therefore existence beyond one's biology, which in humans is personhood). Covenant theologians do agree that the language of birth points to the involuntary nature of the newborn's citizenship in either the world of the flesh or world of the Spirit. A spiritually-born child is just as responsible for his existence and his relationship to his parents as the naturally-born child is; which means, of course, that he is ultimately not responsible for said existence or relationship, even though he is (as all people are) responsible for obeying the laws of God and trusting in Christ for salvation.
^ Some dislike the term covenant of works and prefer the term covenant of life. Some, in response to claims that the covenant made with Adam had grace as well, have begun calling it the covenant of didactic grace unto death in Adam, and calling its counterpart the covenant of salvific grace unto life in Christ (which descriptive phrases can equally apply to the Old Covenant and New Covenant, respectively, as well).
^ In one passage Christ is called the "second Adam", or second representative man, and in another passage he is called the "last Adam", or last representative man, which points to the fact that in scripture Christ is the prophesied antitype to Adam's type.
^ See John 3:1-8 for the teaching of Jesus regarding being born of the Spirit, and Romans 8:1-17 for the teaching of the Apostle Paul regarding the two races of mankind: the flesh-centered and the Spirit-centered.
^ They are timeless in that many are in the covenant of works, even though the fall of man happened many thousands of years ago, and many people who existed before Christ and his work on the cross are in the covenant of grace along with those in the New Covenant today, perhaps even post-fall Adam himself.
^ This is where Arminians often have difficulty with this basic "exchanged life" aspect of covenant theology. Because they believe in universal atonement, they have difficulty believing that only those "in Christ" receive the salvific benefits of the death and resurrection of Christ; prefering that all humans receive the salvific benefits, but only those that receive the gift of Christ are saved. While Calvinists believe that only those that receive Christ in faith are saved, yet no one is able to receive Christ unless he is born again (and so necessarily "in Christ").

Resources

Murray, John (1982). Covenant Theology. In Collected Writings of John Murray, vol. 4. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth. ISBN 851513409
Horton, Michael (2006). God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. ISBN 0801012899
Kline, Meredith (2000). Kingdom Prologue: Genesis Foundations for a Covenantal Worldview. Overland Park: Two Age. ISBN 097064180X
Reymond, Robert L. (1998). A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith. Nashville: Nelson. ISBN 0849913179
Robertson, O. Palmer (1981). Christ of the Covenants. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian & Reformed. ISBN 0875524184
Van Til, Cornelius (1955). Covenant Theology. In L. A. Loetscher (Ed.), The New Schaff-Herzog Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Grand Rapids: Baker. ISBN 9991429808.
Vos, Geerhardus (2001). The Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology. In R. B. Gaffin, Jr. (Ed.), Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos. Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing. ISBN 087552513X
Malone, Fred (2003). "The baptism of disciples alone: A covenantal argument for credobaptism versus paedobaptism". Founders Press. ISBN 097133613X

[[Category:Calvinism]] [[Category:Christian theology]]

[1] The relationship between Adam and Christ also being a typological relationship where Adam is the type and Christ is the antitype.

[2] This language of birth is not meant to imply that either (1) the unborn human is without original sin and not morally liable (see Psalm 51:5 which makes the point that humans are conceived in sin), or that (2) the unborn human is not human (which mentioned Psalm 51 reference also disproves, given that moral liability by definition requires moral existence, and therefore existence beyond one's biology, which in humans is personhood). Covenant theologians do agree that the language of birth points to the involuntary nature of the newborn's citizenship in either the world of the flesh or world of the Spirit. A spiritually-born child is just as responsible for his existence and his relationship to his parents as the naturally-born child is; which means, of course, that he is ultimately not responsible for said existence or relationship, even though he is (as all people are) responsible for obeying the laws of God and trusting in Christ for salvation.

[3] Some dislike the term covenant of works and prefer the term covenant of life. Some, in response to claims that the covenant made with Adam had grace as well, have begun calling it the covenant of didactic grace unto death in Adam, and calling its counterpart the covenant of salvific grace unto life in Christ (which descriptive phrases can equally apply to the Old Covenant and New Covenant, respectively, as well).

[4] In one passage Christ is called the "second Adam", or second representative man, and in another passage he is called the "last Adam", or last representative man, which points to the fact that in scripture Christ is the prophesied antitype to Adam's type.

[5] See John 3:1-8 for the teaching of Jesus regarding being born of the Spirit, and Romans 8:1-17 for the teaching of the Apostle Paul regarding the two races of mankind: the flesh-centered and the Spirit-centered.

[6] They are timeless in that many are in the covenant of works, even though the fall of man happened many thousands of years ago, and many people who existed before Christ and his work on the cross are in the covenant of grace along with those in the New Covenant today, perhaps even post-fall Adam himself.

[7] This is where Arminians often have difficulty with this basic "exchanged life" aspect of covenant theology. Because they believe in universal atonement, they have difficulty believing that only those "in Christ" receive the salvific benefits of the death and resurrection of Christ; prefering that all humans receive the salvific benefits, but only those that receive the gift of Christ are saved. While Calvinists believe that only those that receive Christ in faith are saved, yet no one is able to receive Christ unless he is born again (and so necessarily "in Christ").

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User:Thane/Covenant Theology

Nature of the believer's covenantal union with Christ

Covenant Theology and the formal biblical covenants

Covenant Theology beyond the basic structure

The Covenant of Redemption

Supersessionism

State power

Baptism

The Sabbath

Use of the Law of God

History of Covenant Theology

Dispensationalism

New Covenant Theology

Notes

Resources

See also

Related historical documents

Critics of Covenant Theology

External links