Covenant Theology Vs Jesus

[Matthew V]

I am seeking the wise counsel of my fellow PBers.

I have recently been in dialogue with a friend who disputes the legitimacy of covenant theology as a hermeneutical framework for understanding the Scriptures. He said his hermeneutic is "Jesus".
Since "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col 2:3) are found in him, and that the OT points forward to Christ (Lk 24:44), he reasons that Covenant theology is an artificial and impersonal system for understanding Biblical revelation. To his mind, Jesus is the hermeneutical key.

What might you say to him (hypothetically)?

 

[nicnap]

Covenants are the outworking and administration of a Kingdom...Jesus is King of that Kingdom. So covenant theology is the outworking of Christ's Kingdom. Also, simply saying "Jesus is my hermeneutic" is meaningless. Make him define what that means. How is Jesus the hermeneutical key? What does that look like or work out in? As we go, Jesus can be our hermeneutical key as well...so, make him define what he means.

 

[chbrooking]

I'd probably take him to Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 and demonstrate the 1st Adam/2nd Adam theology there that makes sense of Jesus' work on our behalf. That was a covenantal work. Jesus is the hermeneutical key. I wouldn't disagree with him there. But Jesus' work is a covenantal work. And as he points out, the OT pointed to Jesus. That promise-fulfillment paradigm is a covenantal paradigm.

In other words, I'd probably try to get him to appreciate the covenantal structure in his own thought, rather than arguing with his hermeneutical key. He's right and wrong. But he's probably wrong because he's heard somebody rail against CT, rather than coming to this position on his own. If you get him to explain who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, you may be able to gently open his eyes to his own covenantal understanding of the gospel.

 

[goodnews]

Covenants are the outworking and administration of a Kingdom...Jesus is King of that Kingdom. So covenant theology is the outworking of Christ's Kingdom. Also, simply saying "Jesus is my hermeneutic" is meaningless. Make him define what that means. How is Jesus the hermeneutical key? What does that look like or work out in? As we go, Jesus can be our hermeneutical key as well...so, make him define what he means.

That's well said. I've found many folks think it's "hip" to reject all sytematics as if the Church has been filled with idiots the last 2,000 years. It's true that Scripture is our ultimate authority and all our manmade systems should be judged through it's lenses. However, clearly the structure of Scripture is founded upon the covenants. And what could be more personal than a covenant between two parties that have made such deep commitments to one another? Jesus Himself tells us that He came to bring about a new covenant in His blood and that He came to fulfill the Old Testament.

 

[jwright82]

First I would ask him if he is really saying there is no covenants in the bible? If he says yes than show him the covenants, he will probally have to redefine covenant in such a way to make the biblical data not fall into a covenant understanding which is only a straw man argument.

 

[Andres]

Actually the fact that your friend sees Christ in all the scriptures and acknowledges that the OT saints were saved by looking forward to the promise, then I think he is already reading the scriptures through a CT hermeneutic. Basically he is acknowledging the covenant of grace throughout scripture.

 

[larryjf]

Ask him why he mistakenly thinks that Covenant theology does not put Christ at the center of our hermeneutic.