Another Look At The Covenant

[Paleouss]

Greetings to all my brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Under the traditional Reformed teaching of covenants, there is one covenant, that being the Covenant of Grace, under which there are various administrations. This one covenant in which all others are under would seem to assume that each covenant builds toward the full revelation of the Covenant of Grace.

That is, the terms of the earlier administrations would not conflict with the overarching administration AND foreshadow what is to be the revelation of the overarching Covenant of Grace. Further under this understanding, there can be no one administration that works against what it is ultimately under, i.e., the overarching Covenant of Grace.

Now, I do not intend to hold to all the presuppositions of Calvinististic thought in this topic of the covenants. However, I thought the Reformed understanding is a good start for what I want to explore. What I want to explore is the possibility that the covenants within the Bible all are foreshadowing and revealing what is to be ultimately revealed in the New Covenant.

Adamic Covenant: Foreshadowing the promise of eternal life (Gen 2:9:9, 16) offered to Adam and
His descendants if you believe and have faith (believe Gen 2:17, or not believe Gen 3:4-5).

Garden Promise: Foreshadowing that God will reconcile mankind and fulfill His promise of
an offer of Eternal life if one believes and has faith by conquering the devil and his powers of sin and death through a chosen Seed (Gen 3:15).

Noahic Covenant: Foreshadowing that God will bring judgement upon the earth but will spare
My people from this judgement and subsequent wrath. [symbolism of judgment day]

Abrahamic Covenant: Foreshadowing that the future sons of Abraham, those that will “walk before Me
and be blameless” (Gen 17:1), are actually those of Faith (Gal 3:7) and will be recognizable by the seal of a spiritual circumcision of the Heart (Deu, 10:16, Jer 4:4, Rom 2:29).

Mosaic Covenant: Foreshadowing that “My people” will be transformed into the reflection of My
law by the coming Seed in which the law is a reflection.

Davidic Covenant: Foreshadowing that all this will be achieved by the Seed from the line of David.
Who will be the perpetual King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all.

The New Covenant: This is the culmination of all things that God foreshadowed. A new
birth, a new covenant, a mediator between you and God. A promise fulfilled to Adam and his descendants to have eternal life with God if you only believe and have faith.

What do you think?

Peace to you brothers

 

[Reformed]

Greetings to all my brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Under the traditional Reformed teaching of covenants, there is one covenant, that being the Covenant of Grace, under which there are various administrations. This one covenant in which all others are under would seem to assume that each covenant builds toward the full revelation of the Covenant of Grace.

That is, the terms of the earlier administrations would not conflict with the overarching administration AND foreshadow what is to be the revelation of the overarching Covenant of Grace. Further under this understanding, there can be no one administration that works against what it is ultimately under, i.e., the overarching Covenant of Grace.

Now, I do not intend to hold to all the presuppositions of Calvinististic thought in this topic of the covenants. However, I thought the Reformed understanding is a good start for what I want to explore. What I want to explore is the possibility that the covenants within the Bible all are foreshadowing and revealing what is to be ultimately revealed in the New Covenant.

Adamic Covenant: Foreshadowing the promise of eternal life (Gen 2:9:9, 16) offered to Adam and
His descendants if you believe and have faith (believe Gen 2:17, or not believe Gen 3:4-5).

Garden Promise: Foreshadowing that God will reconcile mankind and fulfill His promise of
an offer of Eternal life if one believes and has faith by conquering the devil and his powers of sin and death through a chosen Seed (Gen 3:15).

Noahic Covenant: Foreshadowing that God will bring judgement upon the earth but will spare
My people from this judgement and subsequent wrath. [symbolism of judgment day]

Abrahamic Covenant: Foreshadowing that the future sons of Abraham, those that will “walk before Me
and be blameless” (Gen 17:1), are actually those of Faith (Gal 3:7) and will be recognizable by the seal of a spiritual circumcision of the Heart (Deu, 10:16, Jer 4:4, Rom 2:29).

Mosaic Covenant: Foreshadowing that “My people” will be transformed into the reflection of My
law by the coming Seed in which the law is a reflection.

Davidic Covenant: Foreshadowing that all this will be achieved by the Seed from the line of David.
Who will be the perpetual King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all.

The New Covenant: This is the culmination of all things that God foreshadowed. A new
birth, a new covenant, a mediator between you and God. A promise fulfilled to Adam and his descendants to have eternal life with God if you only believe and have faith.

What do you think?

Peace to you brothers

While the covenants you mentioned do indeed culminate in the New Covenant, there are disagreements within the Reformed community about the administrations of these covenants. For instance, it is a popular view among Reformed Presbyterians that the New Covenant is not really new. It is viewed as a refreshed Abrahamic Covenant. Presbyterians use this view to defend baptizing infants. They consider infants born into a believing household to be members of the New Covenant community, not on the basis of saving faith, but on receiving baptism. The refreshed part is that baptism replaces circumcision as the sign and seal of the Abrahamic Covenant. As Baptists we obviously disagree with that view very strongly.