Each month the "Cross-Examination" column presents a summary statement of a Reformed and Reconstructionist conviction in theology or ethics, and then offers brief answers to common questions, objections or confusions which people have about that belief. Send issues or questions you would like addressed by Dr. Bahnsen to the editor.
Let us begin by recapitulating what we mean by covenant theology. God reveals Himself in the pages of Scripture specifically as the covenant-keeping God. To understand His person and works properly, we must see Him in light of the covenant He has made and fulfills with His people.
Each month the "Cross-Examination" column presents a summary statement of a Reformed and Reconstructionist conviction in theology or ethics, and then offers brief answers to common questions, objections or confusions which people have about that belief. Send issues or questions you would like addressed by Dr. Bahnsen to the editor.
Let us begin by recapitulating what we mean by covenant theology. God reveals Himself in the pages of Scripture specifically as the covenant-keeping God. To understand His person and works properly, we must see Him in light of the covenant He has made and fulfills with His people.
Each month the "Cross-Examination" column presents a summary statement of a Reformed and Reconstructionist conviction in theology or ethics, and then offers brief answers to common questions, objections or confusions which people have about that belief. Send issues or questions you would like addressed by Dr. Bahnsen to the editor.
Let us begin by recapitulating what we mean by covenant theology. God reveals Himself in the pages of Scripture specifically as the covenant-keeping God. To understand His person and works properly, we must see Him in light of the covenant He has made and fulfills with His people.
of a Reformed and Reconstructionist conviction in theology or ethics, and then offers brief answers to common questions,objectionsorconfusionswhich people have about that belief. Send is- sues or questions you would like ad- dressed by Dr. Bahnsen to the editor. We BeIieve Let us begin by recapitulating what we mean by covenant theology. God reveals Himself in the pages of Scripture specificallyasthecovenant-keepingGod. To understand His person and works properly, we must see Him in light of the covenant He has made and fulfills with His people. WehavealreadyseenthatGod'sreIa- tionship with man from the very begin- ning was covenantal in nature. His cov- enant with Adam was gradous in char- acter, sovereignly imposed, mutually binding, called for trust and submission on Adam's pan, and carried sanctions (blessings or curse). When Adam feU into sin, God mercifully re-established a covenantal relationship with him, one in which the gracious and promissory character of the covenant was accentu- ated even further - in the promise of a coming Savior, a promise which is pro- gressivelyunfoldedandelaborated upon throughout the Old Testament. Thus aU of the post-fall covenants (even the Mosaic adminJstration) were gracious in character, complementing andexpandingupon previous ones, and centered on Christ and His redemptive work-ratherihanupontheJewsorthe land of Palestine. The Old Covenant looked ahead to Christ and Hiswork (by foreshadow and prophecy), while the New Covenant looks back to Christ and His work, proclainting the gospel that God's saving ltingdom has now arrived. These are, then, butoneunderlyingcov- enant under diffeting administrations. Question: BoIhdispensationalistsand covenant theologians see c6D.tinuity as well as discontinuity between the Old TestamentandtheNewTestamenr.Both recognize the need for the grace of God for anybody to be saved after the full. Both believe that the Mosaic cultus (temple, sacrifioes, etc.) has been laid aside in the New Covenant. So is the theological difference between these two .. '" THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon '" December, 1992 schools of thought really so significant when aU is said and done? AJlSWtr. The significance of the dif- ferenceisaweighryoneindeed.ltreftects upon the natUre and character of God. It iinpactsthewayin which weseesalvation and scripture. It carries fur-reachingim- plications for the wayin which we wor- ship God and live before Him in the world. Dispensatianalists may arrive at certainconcIusionswhichagreewiththe conclusions of covenant theology, but the way in which they reach those con- clusions leads to a host of other errors. For instance, dispensationalists maintain that . everything in the Old Covenant passes away with the coming of the New Covenant - everything ex- cept that which is reiterated in the New Covenant. Covenant theologians take a diamerrically different approach to Bib- lical interpretation. They hold that no- body has the prerogative to alter or ab- rogate the word of the Lord except the Lord Himself: Therefore, with the com- ing of the New Covenant aU the prin- ciples of the Old Covenant continue to be valid except where the Lord of the Covenant declares things to be new. To put it simply: God alone can define the newness of the new. Thus the operating presumption of dispensationalists and covenant theologians is exactly the op- posite of each other. Dispensatianalistswillsaythat,inthe end, salvation in the Old Covenant was by the grace of God through faith. How- ever, they also say that, hypothetically, salvation was offered to men on the basis of their keeping the law perfectly - that God extended an invitation to legalism -in the Old Covenant. Bycontrasi:, they say, the NeW Covenant knows no legal- ism, even hypothetically; salvation is purely by gI?Ce without any consider- ation of works whatsoever. 1his view- point displaYs a very disturbing and unbiblical understanding of God's char- acter and sovereignty. According to Cov- salvation has never been by works, even hypothetically; it has always been proclaimed on the basis of God's grace. And this grace has always called forthe response of faithful obedi- ence on the part of God's people - in both the Old and New Testaments. Thus dispensationalists have misconstrued God's work of salvation and (again) the newness of the New Covenant. Even further, because dispensa- tionalistsdonothonortheunityofGod's covenant, they also misconstrue the people of God today, seeing the church as something of a supplement to God's first decla- rations on thesubject, andcling- ing to the idea of a continuing privilege for the ethnic Jews as God's ancient people. Accord- inglydispen-sationalistsinsiston distinguishing the expectations and futures for the heavenly people (the church) and the earthly people (theJews). N oth- ing could be further from Paul's own outlook, however. He not only saw the mixed Gentile church as "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16) which is now made up of "fellow-dtizens" of the "commonwealth of Israel" through ChrIst's blood (Eph.2:11-13, 19), but he insisted that Israel's future blessing would be pre- cisely to share in the gospel blessings of the church (Rom. 1 1:11-26)-bybeing grafted backirUo thesingle olive tree into which the Gentiles have been grafted. So then, we are forced to recognize that the differences between dispen- sationalists and covenant theologians are tremendous ones, forthey affectwhat we think of the character of God, the nature of salvation, the identity of God's people, and how we use the Bible. Question: Covenant theology has a distinctive way of looking upon the Christian message and the Christian life. Eventhoughdispensationalistsmayreach some of the same conclusions (through a faulty theological method), what would you say are some of the practical implica- tions of covenant theology? AlISWer: First of all, Christianity as understood by covenant theology stands for the central and unchanging message of salvation by grace alone. God saves us byway of covenant -by His free prom- ise and merciful relationship initiated by Him without cousideration of any merit within us. The Christian life is therefore above all a matter of living by faith, trusting the promise of God when the outcome or fulfillment is as yet unseen. And because God Himself initiated the covenant and set its tenns by His own authority, cov- enant theology means bowing to the sovereignty of GoeL Since He issovereign, we acknowledge that He owns the whole world and He own us as well as everything about us ---includ- ing our children. They are graciously marked out as His own. Thus covenant theology shuns religious individualism in favor of an emphasis upon the family and upon the corporate people of God (the church). It sees the church, God's people by faith, as the focusofHissaving purposes throughout redemptive history. Because of this unity between God's people in beth the Old and New Covenants, there is no special place for ethnic Israel (apan from the same blessings wWch come to all men through the church). Covenant theology fosters thinking which is Christ-centered because He is the Mediator of God's promises, and covenant theology puts emphasis upon all tbree of the Messiah's offices: prophet, priest, and king. All three are currently exercised by the Savior. Our only hope for salvation is His priestly intercession to God based upon His finished work of redemption. As our prophet He must be the Lord overourreasoningaswellas our educational efforts, in all areas of lite. Honoring Him as the reigning King, we seek to ap- ply His word to every area of lite (vocations, recreations,arts, sciences, society, politics, eco- nomics, etc.). Covenant theol.- ogy declares the need for sanc- tified and persevering living under God ("keeping cov- enant" with Him). Finally, because our rela- tionship with God is covenan- tal in nature, there is a desper- ate need for God's word as the covenant's defining document. We must be people who study and cherish what God has there revealed - from cover to cover, since covenant theology maintains the unity and conti- nuity of that word. In all these ways we see just how important and how practi- cal covenant theology really is. Further Investigation For further studies regarding God or covenant theology on tape - especially "The Distinctives of the Reformed Faith" - write for a catalog from Covenant TapeMinistty,24198AshCourt, Auburn, CA95603. ToreceiveDr.Bahnsen'sD:eemonthly newsletter, Penpoint, write to Southern California Center for Christian Studies, P. O. Box 18021, Irvine, CA92713. The study center also features a new catalog of its ministry and tapes which you can request. December, 1992 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t 5