The Basics of Covenant Theology?

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Kim G

Kim G

Puritan Board Junior
I guess this is the thread where my lack of "Reformed-ness" comes out. I was directed to this site by someone who knew of my recent embrace of the doctrines of grace and my concerns with dispensational theology, among other things. (This forum has been such a blessing! So many wonderful people and God-honoring discussions.)

Recently I've been wrestling in my mind some of the arguments regarding baptism and eschatology, when it finally dawned on me that I need to understand the foundation of Biblical theology before I wrestle with specific issues.

Where should I start in my "quest" to understand covenant theology? After reading Galatians, Ephesians, and Romans, I began to understand the cohesion between Israel in the OT and the church today. I'm still not sure how to read the OT in light of the NT (regarding commandments, etc.) :confused: I'm just confused.

Any verses, books, links, quick synopses, that could guide me?
 
I am sure you will not have any difficulties obtaining more suggestions from this board than you have time to read! :)

I highly commend starting with the confessional statements (such as Westminster Confession 7). These generally lay out in condensed form the conclusions with Scripture proofs. From there, move into reading some of the literature.

Of God's Covenant with Man
The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

Isa. xl. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; Job ix. 32, 33; 1 Sam. ii. 25; Ps. cxiii. 5, 6; Ps. c. 2, 3; Job xxii. 2, 3; Job xxxv. 7, 8; Luke xvii. 10; Acts xvii. 24, 25.

II. The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.

Gal. iii. 12; Rom. x. 5; Rom. v. 12 to 20; Gen. ii. 17; Gal. iii. 10.

III. Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein He freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in Him that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life His Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.

Gal. iii. 21; Rom. viii. 3; Rom. iii. 20, 21; Gen. iii. 15; Isa. xlii. 6; Mark xvi. 15, 16; John iii. 16; Rom. x. 6, 9; Gal. iii. 11; Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27; John vi. 44, 45.

IV. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a Testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.

Heb ix 15,16,17; Heb. vii. 22; Luke xxii. 20; 1 Cor. xi. 25.

V. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law, it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come: which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called, the Old Testament.

2 Cor. iii. 6, 7, 8, 9; Heb. viii., ix., x. chapters; Rom. iv. 11; Col. ii. 11, 12; 1 Cor. v. 7; 1 Cor. x. 1, 2, 3, 4; Heb. xi. 13; John viii. 56; Gal. iii. 7, 8, 9, 14.

VI. Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper: which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity, and less outward glory; yet, in them, it is held forth in more fulness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace, differing in substance, but one and the same, under various dispensations.

Col. ii. 17; Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25; Heb. xii. 22 to 28; Jer. xxxi. 33, 34; Matt. xxviii. 19; Eph. ii. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; Luke xxii. 20; Gal. iii. 14, 16; Rom. iii. 21, 22, 23, 30; Ps. xxxii. 1 with Rom. iv. 3, 6, 16, 17, 23, 24; Heb. xiii. 8; Acts xv. 11.
 
ADKing said:
I highly commend starting with the confessional statements (such as Westminster Confession 7). These generally lay out in condensed form the conclusions with Scripture proofs. From there, move into reading some of the literature.
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Hmmm . . . Thanks for the quotes from the WC. I believe all of that. I thought I always did. What am I missing that would cause people in my circles to disagree with these statements? They seem pretty straightforward to me.
 
While it is kind of dry, O Palmer Robertson's Christ of the Covenants.

As to why people disagree:

1) Some would disagree that the covenants expand on each other, but would rather replace each other.

2) Others (Reformed Baptists) would see continuity between the covenants, but would deny the inference that the children of covenant parents receive the sign of the covenant.

From a covenantal argument (granting covenantal continuity), given the overall framework, baptism is an easy follow. But on the other hand, it is often hard to find explicit commands for infant baptism.

That's probably the disagreement.

Others (non-Reformed baptists) would say that if you allow the paedo view of the covenants, and the continuity, then how is the new covenant new?
 
Hi Kim.

If you didn't know already - Monergism.com is another great free online reformed resource along with the Puritan Board.

Here's a link to the CT articles page: Monergism :: Covenant Theology

I hope this is helpful. :)
 
I highly recommend this series of lectures, they are sermon like and very accessible:

INDEX of covenant theology lectures

You should study covenant theology from the Old testament first, or you will turn the whole concept of covenant upside down. No one watch a movie from the end to the beginning, and no one build a house from the 2nd floor first. :2cents:
 
Kim G said:
Where should I start in my "quest" to understand covenant theology? :confused: I'm just confused.
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Kim, I started my quest almost two years ago and I am still confused :lol:.

I started my quest here and I have been dog paddling in the ocean ever since.

Matthew McMahon one of the owners of the board has put together some helpful articles here on A Puritan's mind. I am still working through them myself.

My advice is take it slow, you will not figure it out over night, and do not get discouraged and settle on a position before you have exhausted it. Yet, that does not mean I am advocating for uncertainty, what I am saying is stand strong and humbly on those things you hold to be true, but allow yourself room to challenged and even persuaded differently on some things if the evidence points in a different direction than your current position.

I live by this motto: if I find something I never knew before, I give it a month before I act in any life altering fashion upon my new found conviction, usually I find at the end of a month's time that I am glad I did not run off and act upon my first impulses; if this were only my motto when I first came to the ocean that is Covenant Theology I would have spared myself and others much grief at the onset.
 
Kim and Husband,

You mentioned a limited Reformed background (lack of "Reformedness"). We're firmly committed Reformed now but came from different backgrounds. It takes years of faithful study to learn and submit to these truths, so give yourself time.

I have found very helpful Dr RC Sproul's book, What is Reformed Theology?. This book, originally published under the title Grace Unknown is subtitled "Understanding the Basics." It has a DVD lecture series also for a Sunday School format, along with a study guide. The study guide has a good, basic bibliography for many of the major parts of Reformation Theology, including covenant and at least one book on eschatology. It might be worth it to spend the $6 or so for the study guide for the bibliography by topic.

I have found the book very deep yet, somehow a good introductory overview as well.

The book is not primarily about covenant theology but covers that as part of several major aspects of Reformed Theology, all of which tend to fit together. Remember, every major doctrine of Reformed Theology relates in some way to the Doctrine of God, so an integrated whole is how you'll eventually, by God's grace, understand it and follow it as rule for life.

For me, accepting the doctrines of grace (e.g. five points of Calvinism) came earlier than covenant theology v dispensationalism but they really are somewhat related, so a systematic study like in this book might be helpful.
 
Though I respect MIke Horton, I think his book has been influenced to an unhelpful degree by his Lutheran associations.

He departs traditional Covenant Theology by putting the Mosaic Covenant in a different category than the covenant of Grace.

It is a sad thing that I can't think of a single accessible modern work to recommend. Even Palmer Robertson's Christ of the Covenants is lacking.

Hodge has an excellent section on it in his Systematic Theology, and Herman Witsius' two volumes are slightly less inspired than holy writ!!!
 
If you have access to Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology he is widely considered a reliable guide to the Reformed view, without much in the way of idiosyncrasy.

At this link you can read John Brown's treatment of it which I think is excellent as a supplement and small corrective to Berkhof's discussion.

Also of great value is Calvin in the Institutes Book 2 chapters 10 and 11.

Obviously on the theme of the covenants you could start reading now and not stop before the arrival of the eschaton and not have gotten through everything, but Berkhof and Brown will give you an excellent foundation on which to build. The nice thing about Brown is that it comes in small bites as it's question and answer format.
 
I thought the fuller discussion in Systematic Theology made for quite an improvement over the Manual.
 
Calvin's commentary on Romans chapters 9-11 might be helpful as it mentions the covenant often in relation to election.

.
 
AV1611 said:
KenPierce said:
He departs traditional Covenant Theology by putting the Mosaic Covenant in a different category than the covenant of Grace.
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Then I respectfully point out that you may not really have grasped traditional Covenant Theology and have misunderstood Horton on this.

The Sinaitic/Mosaic Covenant: Works or Grace? Turretin Explains… « The Reformed Reader
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I really don't think I have misunderstood traditional Reformed theology, which puts the Mosaic Covenant within the Covenant of Grace...

Quoting WCF VII.V This Covenant (antecedent of grace) was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel; under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the pashcal lamb and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious through the operation of the spirit...etc etc.

Whatever Turretin may or may not have said is secondary, and believe me, I have read a LOT of Turretin on the covenant.

It really is okay to differ from Mike Horton and Meredith Kline on some aspects of covenant theology, is it not?:flamingscot:
 
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If you can find Rowland Ward's book on CT rather cheap, consider picking that up (the title escapes me at the moment).
 
Kim and Husband,

As you attend a Baptist church, may I suggest the book, The Reformed Baptist Manifesto. It is very simple in its layout and shows what a Reformed Baptist believes in relation to Dispensationalism, New Covenant Theology, Arminianism and Paedobaptism (Presbyterian/Reformed Covenant Theology).
 
fredtgreco said:
Ivanhoe said:
If you can find Rowland Ward's book on CT rather cheap, consider picking that up (the title escapes me at the moment).
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God & Adam.
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It is useful for demonstrating that the covenant of works is not merely an intellectual nicety in the reformed system, but not a very helpful explanation of the covenant of works per se. As divines like Samuel Rutherford were careful to point out, the fall was part of God's purpose not a frustration of it. The covenant of works was not a concelaed covenant of grace, nor is the covenant of grace a second attempt to bring men to blessedness.

For the basics of covenant theology one is best to consult the Westminster Confession, chapter 7, and Robert Shaw's clear and concise exposition of it.
 
Response

AV1611 said:
I recently picked up God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology which is great.

In addition to that I would suggest Witsius' The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man: Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity.

You can read Packer's intro here.

I would also suggest An Introduction To the Doctrine of the Covenant by Rev Dr Iain D. Campbell
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Frankly speaking, I have a problem with the works of Meridith G. Kline. And since Dr. Horton--though a great spokesman for the reformed faith in Reformation Magazine and his radio show, The White Horse Inn--I find that he too relies heavily on the theology of M.G. Kline. I have read both Robertson and Horton on Covenant Theology, and even Robertson delineated some problems with Kline's work (see Robertson, Christ of the Covenants, Ch.1-3). I am about to work on Horton's Covenant Theology series (4-parts), so I hope to better understand his position; I might even be swayed to his position, but it seems likely since I'm influenced by Vos, Van Til, Bavinck, Berkhof, et al.
 
I have some lectures from Michael Horton's church on this topic if you'd like them. I'm also reading through God of Promise and it is pretty good thus far.
 
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