Covenant theology (notes)

“They will be my people and I will be their God”

When God first entered into an everlasting covenant with Abraham, he promised to be God to him and to his seed after him (Gen. 17:7). This language is used of the covenant made at Sinai under Moses (Ex. 19:5; 20:1–2), of the covenant made on the Plains of Moab (Deut. 29:13), of the covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:14), and of the new covenant in Christ (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). In the description of the consummate state in Revelation 21:1-8, this language is also employed to describe the unbroken communion that God will enjoy with his people in the new heaven and new earth. All the blessings of life and fellowship with the triune God in the Old and New Testaments are summed up in the covenantal promise of union and communion with God.^[1]

Lots of Scripture passages on national v. spiritual Israel

• http://scripturetruths5.tripod.com/spiritualisrael.html
• http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/chosen.html

Good summary of Covenant of Redemption

From CARM: “What is the Eternal Covenant, also known as the Covenant of Redemption?” by Matt Slick:

In this covenant God the Father and the Son made an agreement with regard to the elect. This covenant was made before the universe was created and it consisted of the Father promising to bring to the Son all whom the Father had given Him (John 6:39;17:2,9,24), to send the Son to be the representative of the people (John 3:16; Rom. 5:18-19), to prepare a body for the Son (Col. 2:9; Heb. 10:5), and to give the Son all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18).

The Son would become man (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5), become for a while lower than the angels (Heb. 2:7), and be found under the Law (Gal. 4:4-5). The Son would die for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:24) and the Father would raise the Son from the Dead (Psalm 2).

The Holy Spirit would empower Jesus to do the will of the Father and Christ’s ministry on earth (Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:1,18; John 3:34), and to apply the redemptive work of Christ to Christians (John 14:16-17,26; Acts 1:8; 2:17-18).

Normally, covenants are made between those of different authority levels such as a king and a subject. But in the Eternal Covenant, all the parties involved (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) are equals.

Covenant renewed at Shechem

Where does Joshua 24 fit in this topic, if anywhere? Is this a renewal of the Mosaic covenant?

The Gospel and the Land Promise

This looks like a site I should invest the time to read: http://tcc.customer.sentex.ca/VH/GLP-index.php?page=intro_glp.html

OT prophecies that Israel will contain Gentiles at time of new covenant

Zec 2:11; Mal 1:11

Where does this belong?

Zec 9:11

“Promise”

Need to do a comprehensive word study on “promise”. So many passages I had never before connected with covenant should properly be connected with covenant.

Continuity

Isa 54:9–10 shows continuity between Noahic covenant and which other covenant? Is this chapter a prophecy of new covenant or an exposition of the then-current Mosaic covenant? (I’m thinking probably new covenant.)

Cool chart

Here’s a cool covenant theology chart: Covenant Chart.

Objections to Dispensationalism

Moving this from the topic to here because I honestly don’t remember why these are important. I lifted these straight out of a book and wouldn’t have written them this way myself.

Covenant with Abraham always referred to in singular

Ex 2:24; Lev 26:42; 2Ki 13:23; 1Ch 16:16; Ps 105:9

Spiritual nature of Abrahamic covenant proved by manner in which its promises are interpreted in NT

Ro 4:16–18; 2Co 6:16–18; Gal 3:8–9, 14, 16; Heb 8:10; 11:9–10, 13

Episode 128 of the Heidelcast

Episode 128 of the heidelcast has lots of great scripture proofs for the pactum salutis.

Implications of covenant theology

• Soteriology (TULIP)
• Expository preaching
• Eschatology
• Ecclesiology / Polity (OT organization is just as valid as NT organization, since covenant community is one people)
• Apologetics
• Sacraments as covenant signs and seals (esp. infant baptism)
• Canonics / Bibliology (OT and NT are our covenant documents)
• Marital covenant analogous to Covenant of Redemption (complementary roles of man and woman show image of God—economic Trinity) and included in Covenant of Creation
• Sabbath observance (and probably some other commandments others might consider outmoded because they are given only in the OT)
• The regulative principle of worship and the typical Reformed order of worship are covenantal in origin
• Providence (common grace, etc.)
• I’m not sure I fully grasp this one, but Lane Tipton argues in the 2018 Reformed Forum Conference that the genius of covenant theology is that it supports the deeper Protestant conception. Covenant presupposes that Adam is created in the image of God and is eschatologically oriented toward a relationship with God. This goes directly against the Catholic conception of nature-grace duality and the donum superadditum and also against neo-orthodoxy.

Ancient Near East covenant cutting

Jer 34:18 (retrieved from Meredith Kline) and of course Ge 15.