# Conditional Covenant



## Christopher88 (Aug 13, 2013)

I am in the process of reading A Critical Evaluation of Paedobaptism
by Mark Horne in which he is stating the New Covenant is Conditional. My question is, is this correct? If so what makes the imputed righteousness of Christ different then the Old Covenant? 

The Sacraments of the New Testament (Link to article)


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## MW (Aug 13, 2013)

The substance of the covenant of grace (Christ with all His gracious benefits) is unconditional in a vitally important sense because grace is promised to and conferred on the elect to fulfil whatever is of a conditional nature in the administration of the covenant (see Larger Catechism answer 32). This is true under all its administrations in both Old and New Testaments (Larger Catechism answer 33). It is not unique to the new covenant (Larger Catechism answers 34-35). The outward administration of the covenant includes conditions, as well as warnings against apostasy, and extends to elect and reprobate. The new covenant is not different in this respect, as is clear from 1 Corinthians 10, Hebrews 10, 2 Peter 2, among other passages.

Mark Horne fails to distinguish between the substance and administration of the covenant. He says, "It is worth pointing out, here, that God's promises, as covenantal promises, are conditional." He leads his readers to believer the error that the covenant and its promises depend on the works and perseverance of men. A covenant that depends on the works and perseverance of men is a covenant of works, not a covenant of grace. This is not Reformed. The fact that it is posted at "the Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics" only proves the old adage that all is not gold that glitters.


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## Tbordow (Aug 13, 2013)

Chris,

These may help:

Turretin: if the covenant be viewed in relation to the first sanction in Christ, it has no previous condition, but rests upon the grace of God and the merit of Christ alone. But if it is considered in relation to its acceptance and application to the believer, it has faith as a condition (uniting man to Christ and so bringing him into the fellowship of the covenant)

Charles Hodge: The condition of the covenant of grace, so far as adults are concerned, is faith in Christ. That is, in order to partake of the benefits of this covenant we must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God in whom and for whose sake its blessings are vouchsafed to the children of men. Until we thus believe we are aliens and strangers from the covenant of promise, without God and without Christ. We must acquiesce in this covenant, renouncing all other methods of salvation, and consenting to be saved on the terms which it proposes, before we are made partakers of its benefits. The word `` condition," however, is used in two senses. Sometimes it means the meritorious consideration on the ground of which certain benefits are bestowed. In this sense perfect obedience was the condition of the covenant originally made with Adam. Had he retained his integrity he would have merited the promised blessing. For to him that worketh the reward is not of grace but of debt. In the same sense the work of Christ is the condition of the covenant of redemption. It was the meritorious ground, laying a foundation in justice for the fulfilment of the promises made to Him by the Father. But in other cases, by condition we merely mean a sine qua non. A blessing may be promised on condition that it is asked for; or that there is a willingness to receive it. There is no merit in the asking or in the willingness, which is the ground of the gift. It remains a gratuitous favour; but it is, nevertheless, suspended upon the act of asking. It is in this last sense only that faith is the condition of the covenant of grace. There is no merit in believing. It is only the act of receiving a proffered favour. In either case the necessity is equally absolute. Without the work of Christ there would be no salvation; and without faith there is no salvation. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (Systematic Theology).

Reformed Theologians distinguished between antecedent and a priori conditions of the covenant of grace, antecedent referring to a meritorious cause for a covenant to be fulfilled. In that sense the covenant of grace is unconditional, it is all the work of Christ. But when we speak of the necessary of faith to receive the benefits of the covenant, then we are referring to the a priori condition, which refers to the means or instrument the covenant must be received, but even then God grants faith as a gift which is the blessing we receive because of the covenant Christ fulfilled for us. 

Horne, in flattening out the distinction between the covenant of works with Adam and the covenant of grace with the elect, as well as the distinction between the Law and the Gospel, ends up adding perseverance (as Adam, and Israel needed to persevere in faith to fulfill the covenant) as a condition in fulfilling the covenant of grace, opposed to faith alone as the a priori condition and the righteousness of Christ as the ground of our justification. So in the FV scheme Horne defends, one can receive the benefits of the covenant of grace and lose those benefits by lack of perseverance. Nothing reformed about that.


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## Christopher88 (Aug 13, 2013)

Tbordow said:


> So in the FV scheme Horne defends, one can receive the benefits of the covenant of grace and lose those benefits by lack of perseverance. Nothing reformed about that.


Horne is a FV guy? 

So let me see if I grasp as well as in light of baptism. 

The only condition of the COG is faith in Christ, but that condition is somewhat a prior condition to being in-grafted into the COG; correct? Once in-grafted and confess belief in Christ, it is the spirit of God who perseveres the elects soul; correct? 

If the above is correct, how does a covenant child who never expresses faith remain in the covenant until death? Or does a covenant child who later in life denies the faith of the parents become reprobate , does this child loose covenant membership on earth? 

The idea that still has me in question is one Covenant people yet only a few will be saved in that covenant, much like Israel.


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## Tbordow (Aug 13, 2013)

"So let me see if I grasp as well as in light of baptism."

What do you mean, in light of baptism? 

"The only condition of the COG is faith in Christ, but that condition is somewhat a prior condition to being in-grafted into the COG; correct? Once in-grafted and confess belief in Christ, it is the spirit of God who perseveres the elects soul; correct?"

correct 

"If the above is correct, how does a covenant child who never expresses faith remain in the covenant until death?"

You have to distinguish between the outward administration of the covenant, which the non-elect covenant child is part of, and the substance of the covenant, which only belongs to the elect. If he never truly believes, but remains in the church his whole life, he can be considered a covenant member outwardly but not inwardly. 

"Or does a covenant child who later in life denies the faith of the parents become reprobate , does this child loose covenant membership on earth?"

Covenant membership as in the outward administration, yes, but he could never lose the substance of the covenant (salvation) or is it not all of grace 

"The idea that still has me in question is one Covenant people yet only a few will be saved in that covenant, much like Israel." 

I'm not sure where you get the idea that only a few will be saved, but there are certainly similarities to Israel in that even in the new covenant there is an outward covenant people and those who are truly Israel of the Spirit; those who are saved and possess eternal life.


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## Christopher88 (Aug 14, 2013)

Tbordow said:


> I'm not sure where you get the idea that only a few will be saved, but there are certainly similarities to Israel in that even in the new covenant there is an outward covenant people and those who are truly Israel of the Spirit; those who are saved and possess eternal life.



I'm not sure where I get a lot of things in this process of learning.  

So there are two kinds of workings in the covenant of grace, (COG), The outward membership of the body of Christ started as infant of believing parents much like Israel and inward membership of election. So it would proper to baptize infants of believing parents on the grounds of the outward membership of the Covenant. 

I ask about baptism because that issue is what drove me to seek more of a covenant understanding. 

Side thought;
If we as Christians understand the Kingdom is at hand, and is coming why have the practice of baptizing infants into a Covenant if God's bride is only the only elect?


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## Tbordow (Aug 14, 2013)

"So there are two kinds of workings in the covenant of grace, (COG), The outward membership of the body of Christ started as infant of believing parents much like Israel and inward membership of election. So it would proper to baptize infants of believing parents on the grounds of the outward membership of the Covenant."

Yes, that is correct. 

"If we as Christians understand the Kingdom is at hand, and is coming why have the practice of baptizing infants into a Covenant if God's bride is only the only elect?" 

God's true, eternal bride has always only been the elect, yet God instructed Abraham to circumcise his infant son (elect or otherwise) with the sign of the covenant. Yes, in the coming of Christ the eternal kingdom of God has been inaugurated on the earth, the principle still remains that the children of believers are considered holy (I Cor 7:14), set apart to receive the blessings of the outward administration of the covenant. That principle remains true until Christ returns. Jesus laying his hands upon and blessing the babies of Israel demonstrates this. Those babies were not all blessed with election, yet by virtue of being born in the covenant community they were blessed.


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## Christopher88 (Aug 14, 2013)

Todd,
What are these covenant blessings of those in the Covenant who may or may not be elect?


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## Tbordow (Aug 14, 2013)

Sonny said:


> Todd,
> What are these covenant blessings of those in the Covenant who may or may not be elect?



You grow up hearing the gospel regularly, a blessing most children throughout the world never experience. You get to see the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of others in the covenant community, thus you "taste of the Holy Spirit and the power of the age to come" (Heb 6:4); you have the privilege of being set apart by God in His providence to be raised in a Christian home and church so these blessings are yours throughout your upbringing. Obviously if you refuse to believe the gospel you are held even more accountable for rejecting these special blessings most children in the world are never given, but they are genuine blessings from God nonetheless.


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## Peairtach (Aug 14, 2013)

There's a duality to the covenant, as there is with the covenant of marriage, an inner relationship of love aspect with the Head and Surety(Guarantor) of the covenant, and an outward legal, visible, aspect, called the bond of the covenant.

The inner relational aspect is by grace through faith in Christ and is only enjoyed by the regenerate elect.

The outward aspect is by baptism, the Lord's Supper, exposure to God's Word, church discipline and sanctions, common operations of the Spirit in a covenamtal way, and membership of the visible Church.

There are blessings to the elect and the reprobate through being in the covenant administration, but only the elect have the true life of the covenant.

See Louis Berkhof on the duality of the covenant in "Systematic Theology".

Those who are baptised as children or adults, if they do not appear to embrace Christ or go away from the Church and eventually come back won't be baptised again. To that extent they are in the covenant for life. But if they fail to exercise faith, they will.be utterly cut-off at death.

The Lord's Supper is the sign and seal of the covenant that can be opened or closed to covenant members, depending on their profession and manner of life.

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