BOOK STUDY: The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom (Part Four)

Welcome, this is the fourth and final session. We'll be covering the last four chapters. Really, Justin and I decided we're going to cover mostly just two chapters. The other two are great. You can read those on your own, but there are kind of bookends, I would say, to the two chapters we really want to focus on, but it's been great.

If this is your first time listening, I've been sharing this with some other pastors, but if this is your first time listening, you can go back and listen to the other three sessions, last one, last session was pretty lively.

I enjoyed that one with Justin. We had a good time. Um, yeah. So how this works is, uh, as we're going along, feel free to ask your question. If you want to ask it live, then, um, just raise your hand and we'll, we'll, uh, we'll enable your, your mic.

Just know that, uh, this, this is being recorded and we are going to share it. So, um, don't ask us anything that's going to embarrass Justin because we're not able to answer it.

When I didn't crash, meaning like when my power went off.

Yeah, I forgot about that.

That was fun.

I forgot about it.

I, I, I have not. I, I remembered it this evening as I was setting up my stuff.

So there you go.

Yeah, that was fun.

Yep.

Agree.

All right.

It was a little, well, let's do this. The two, the two chapters we're going to really focus on tonight are the covenant of redemption and then the new covenant, which is the fulfillment of the covenant of grace, and that is chapters 11 and 12.

So, um, the other two chapters, like I said, super helpful. The mystery of Christ, really short chapter. And then, uh, the last really two chapters. Um, yeah, really, really great stuff. But I think these are, these two chapters are kind of what are unique to covenant theology, unique to reform theology, and then specifically unique to 1689 federal, uh, covenant theology.

So that's kind of why we really wanted to spend some time in there. So Justin, why don't we start with covenant of redemption? Give us a little bit of an overview, uh, to kind of let the guys know what we're going to discuss going forward, and then we'll jump in the new covenant as well.

And I'll, I'll give some thoughts as we go.

Yeah, I mean, jump in as you want to, bro. So yeah, we'll begin with the covenant of redemption, the pactum salutis, as it is sometimes referred to. And this is, uh, in terms of the covenant of redemption high level, there would be wide agreement amongst reformed people, uh, from various confessional traditions.

But, uh, just to begin to summarize the covenant of redemption, it is the covenant that is made amongst the Trinity, most pointedly between the father and the son before the world began. So this is an eternity past reality, an arrangement that has come to the father makes certain commitments to the son, the son makes commitments as to what he will do in order to accomplish and fulfill this covenant of redemption.

Uh, passages that are very clear about this. You have like second Timothy one, nine, you've, you've got Titus one, two, that speak to things that happened before the ages began in Christ Jesus. And maybe most profoundly and robustly, you get a lot of this language in Ephesians chapter one, um, in as far as new New Testament passages that would give us a glimpse behind the curtain as to what was going on and what was agreed to between the father and the son.

There's also a number of passages in the prophets, including in Isaiah, the passages about the servant of God and what he will do that shed light on this arrangement as well, and I think an important thing to state that I think Sam is very clear about in the book in a way that's helpful is that the covenant of redemption is a covenant of works that God, the son will fulfill and accomplish.

He will do it. There is a mission that he has. There's work to be done so that he can accomplish the salvation of God's elect. And then, I mean, what, what I would want to move to from there, John, is how the covenant of redemption relates to the covenant of grace.

But before I do that, um, I want you to be able to jump in to make any high level comment about the covenant redemption that you would like to make.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know there's a couple of guys in here, um, that are working through covenant theology, whether they're expanding what they already knew or really this is new to them and they're really trying to discover it for the first time.

And, uh, I know there's even those who are kind of trying to figure out where it'll land as far as, uh, Westminster or, um, the 1689, and I will tell you, and I will tell you that the covenant of redemption is super helpful.

And, and almost both, both camps are going to agree on what's here. But I've like, for instance, we're about to go into the advent, uh, season and for the next few weeks, I'm actually going to really just do a series on the covenant of redemption because the covenant of redemption is, is what gets you to the cradle and it's a, it's a beautiful ride from backing out, you know, really backing far out and understanding.

Now, my only thing, the only thing I would change about Sam's book, it's been great, but I think I would have put this more upfront, especially with, um, the kind of the overview he does with the biblical theology and redemptive historic understanding.

I know he alludes to it, but I think I would have developed it more because I think it helps really push covenant theology from the beginning.

I, I agree with that. And I think I understand why he put it where he did, because he's going to, he's trying to do what I'm about to do, which is connect the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace to one another in a uniquely, you know, 1689 covenantal Baptist way.

Um, yeah, which, which will, I hope spend some time on packing. So in summary, the covenant of redemption is the covenant made between the father and the son. Though, as Sam says, I think this language is good.

The Holy spirit is present everywhere as this covenant is being fulfilled and accomplished by the son. Uh, and it is a covenant that the father and the son make for the salvation of the elect. So for the salvation of all of the children of God.

And so we are going to have the benefits of this covenant mediated to us. And in particular, we're going to have the benefits of this covenant mediated to us through the covenant of grace. Uh, which is, I think why Sam puts these two things together.

So from a 1689 federalist perspective, we understand the covenant of redemption to be essentially the pattern for the covenant of grace. We understand the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace to be congruent, meaning that we understand the same people as far as God's children, God's, um, elect people to be in view in both covenants.

Uh, so we would understand that the elect who benefit from, you know, with the Christ's work and the covenant of redemption are the ones who are under the covenant of grace. And so the covenant of grace from a 1689 federalist perspective is the establishment and the accomplishment.

Excuse me, I've, I've, I've misspoke there. The new Testament, the new covenant, right. Is the establishment and the accomplishment of the covenant of grace from our perspective, just to review what we've said before.

We understand that the promise of the covenant of grace is revealed beginning in Genesis three 15, and then it unfolds throughout the rest of old covenant revelation, old Testament revelation. And so there are ways that we see the promise of the covenant of grace become increasingly clear throughout the old Testament and through the other covenants of promise and, and subservient covenants, we would call them.

So we see, and we learn a lot more about the promise of the covenant of grace through the Abrahamic covenant and even through the covenant of Moses and the covenant made with David. And that was really last time session.

So I'm not going to say anything more about that right now, but then we understand that the accomplishment and the fulfillment, the establishment of. The covenant of grace occurs through Christ in the new covenant.

And so for us, it's a big deal that we want to try to explain this tonight. I don't feel like I've done a good job of it right now, but hopefully we can make it more clear as we move forward as to how these two covenants, the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace relate.

And how, what Jesus accomplished in the covenant of redemption, the benefits that he secured for the elect are mediated to the elect through the covenant of grace, which we understand to be proper, the new covenant.

So, right there.

That's good. No, I love it. I, and I think, you know, Sam does a really good job in the book of arguing from scripture that it's hard not to see the covenant of redemption about even, even the opening chapters, 2 Timothy 1 .9, Titus 1 .2, before the ages began, even going to Ephesians.

So, I think it's helpful. And in the connection, which we're going to make here going forward, the concluding paragraph, he says, the covenant of redemption is a wonderful doctrine. What the father planned, the son accomplished, and the spirit applies.

The result of the father's commitments, the son's commitments, and the spirit's participation is nothing other than the eternal salvation of the people of Christ. And that salvation is mediated to the elect through the new covenant of grace, right, which leads us into the next chapter.

So, all of this is a structure, and I would say this is what drives my preaching, drives Justin's preaching, that we see scripture from a covenant of redemption perspective or a redemptive historic understanding of scripture.

And we see this congruity between the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace to be wonderful news that God will, and I mean, every reformed person agrees with this, God will save his elect, and he is going to do it through what Jesus accomplished, the benefits that he secured for the elect, and he's going to mediate them through the covenant of grace.

And in our perspective, he is doing that particularly through Christ in the new covenant as Christ accomplished and established the covenant of grace itself. So, yeah, really, really sorting stuff. It's assurance and rest producing stuff.

It is, I mean, this is part and parcel of the good news, right? I mean, this is a framework with which we understand scripture that does justice to the entire witness of the text, and it comes up out of the text, but then we can also take that framework with us as we understand all of scripture, and I think it's a very edifying and useful and helpful thing.

Yeah.

I mean, I think a couple of comments on the covenant of grace, just very, very quickly, the covenant of grace from our perspective is going to be the only one of the covenants revealed in time and space.

So, the covenant of redemption is amongst the Godhead and eternity past, but of all the covenants revealed in time and space, it is the only one that is completely unconditional for God's people. There are no conditions to be met.

They have all been met by Christ, his merit, his righteousness, his atoning work, his satisfaction for sins, eternal life, eternal blessedness with God forever. All of those things have been secured for us by Jesus, and all we do is then receive it by faith.

And I think the language, Sam has a footnote where he cites John Owen. I think that's really helpful. I may even try to find the page reference for us, because I think that Owen's language about whether or not the covenant of grace has conditions in it is really good.

So, John, why don't you while I look for this quote, why don't you say some stuff?

Yeah, no problem.

I did.

I remember reading that quote tonight. It is good.

Now I've found it. So you did it already, John. Wonderful.

There you go. So read it away.

This is footnote number four in the chapter on the covenant of grace. It begins over on page 167, but then what I want to read from Owen is actually on 168. So Owen says, unto a full and complete interest in all the promises of the covenant, faith on our part from which evangelical repentance is inseparable is required, but whereas these also are wrought in us by virtue of that promise and grace of the covenant, which are absolute, it is a mere strife about words to contend whether they may be called conditions or no.

Let it be granted on the one hand that we cannot have an actual participation of the relative grace of this covenant in adoration and justification without faith or believing, and on the other, that this faith is wrought in us, given unto us, bestowed upon us by that grace of the covenant, which depends on no condition in us as unto its discriminating administration, and I shall not concern myself what men will call it.".

I think that's a good word that we can say that our salvation, our redemption, it is conditioned upon faith. I mean, that's an entirely fine thing to say, and at the same time, we understand that as a part of the covenant of grace, God will work that faith in us.

He causes regeneration, and so in that regard, it is unconditional because God will do all of that. We are monergistic in our understanding of salvation, and so I think Owen's words are helpful, they're apt for us.

So yeah, we understand that the new covenant is the unconditional covenant of grace established and accomplished by Christ, and the covenants that came before it were subservient to it, and we're pointing to it, but we're not the covenant of grace itself.

Right.

Right.

So going through some of the high points in here, some of the points that he makes, like for instance, underneath justification, those who are a part of the new covenant are justified. He quotes here Romans 5, 17 through 19.

So this is a pretty big point, understanding the differences between the old and the new. In the old covenant, you could be a part of the covenant and not be justified, and those who are a part of the new covenant, if you're a part of the new covenant, you are justified, which is a pretty big distinction between the old and the new.

This is why even in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where it talks about the new covenant being a new heart, a new flesh, a new heart of flesh, regeneration, basically what he's describing, spirit and dwelt, putting the law in our hearts through the power of the Spirit so that we actually walk in them, which in the Old Testament, and Justin, you brought this up beforehand before we got on, John 14, that they had the presence of the Spirit, but they didn't have the indwelling of the Spirit.

So there's a lot of differences between the old and the new.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit in John 14, 17, that you know him and he dwells among you and will dwell in you. So there is, even in the mind of Christ, some distinction. We talked about this. I mean, I trust this may come up at some point.

John and I talked about this before we hit record, just very briefly. Obviously, we understand that Old Testament saints are all saved under the covenant of grace. They are all saved by Jesus, even though they're living before Christ comes, they are saved by the merits of Christ and the work of Christ in their place, and all the benefits of Christ are applied to them.

And they are saved by faith. They're trusting the promises of God and Messiah. And this faith, like our confession would say, you know, in 11 .1 on justification, is not of ourselves. It's a gift of God, and that would be true for Old Testament saints, as well as New Testament saints.

It's just whatever their faith was and however the Spirit worked on and with them, the regenerating, even the work of God that would produce faith. We understand that their faith would have been God wrought.

There is a distinction still in the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the elect under the old covenant versus under the new. And the scripture is not entirely clear as to all the particular details of that, but it's clear enough that we understand that there is still a distinction that exists.

Right.

Even, let's see, chapter 12, point C, adoption and preservation. I'm just giving you guys some more things to think about. If you want to discuss these things, ask questions. So underneath there, he's talking about adoption and preservation.

And so under the old covenant, did you have something, Justin?

No, I'm going to let you go, John, and then I may just kind of come in on the back end.

Yeah, so underneath the old covenant, they maintained the relationship, this relationship they had with God through, so the blessings of the covenant, this relationship as father, as far as God being their God, and them being the people of God.

The old covenant was the mediation by which that took place. And their obedience and disobedience determined that. Well, Christ's obedience is what earns our position as adopted children. So we inherit the obedience of Christ in the new covenant because he accomplished the old covenant, the covenant of works.

And so those who are part of this new covenant, they're being described as adopted. So we have a secure position. And then also preservation, right? So even Christ talks about those whom the father has given me, this adoptive language, I will lose none.

So God's the one, you know, he who began a good work in you will complete it. So God's with the power of the spirit is preserving us. Those who are part of the new covenant are being preserved. And so these are two really important distinctions compared to the old covenant.

The old covenant was to prove that no one could earn their adoption. No one could preserve themselves. In the new covenant, Christ says, I will earn your adoption. And it can't be earned, so you will gain adoption.

You will be adopted, and I will preserve you in that position. So just initial thoughts there.

Yeah, so a few comments on that, and I think this is where, again, we're going to be presenting tonight from Sam's book and then even from my mind and heart and John's mind and heart as well, a 1689 Federalist perspective on covenant theology, which is why you guys are here.

And so it's important that with our understanding of covenant theology high level, and in particular, as we talk about the covenant of grace, which we understand to be, again, the new covenant, members of the new covenant, which means members of the covenant of grace, all of them would have experienced several of the things, and maybe even a couple of other things, the several things that John listed, and then maybe even one or two other things that I might say now.

So without exception, every member of the covenant of grace would have experienced justification, as John said, would have experienced regeneration, and is experiencing sanctification. If you're alive now, if you've lived before, you would have experienced sanctification in this life, adoption into the family of God and preservation, as John articulated.

And then finally, every member of the new covenant has been vitally united to Jesus by faith. They've been vitally united to Christ as their covenant head, as their federal head, and so that is a difference in how we would understand and articulate some things over and against the way that some of our other Reformed brethren might articulate things with respect to who comprises the people of the covenant of grace.

We would all agree on the covenant of redemption that the people of the covenant of redemption are the elect, but then there might be some distinction because for us, the people of the covenant of grace are also the elect.

And some would maybe articulate or argue for a different subset of people, in particular, in more paedo-baptistic traditions, where there would be not only believers who have professed faith, but then also their children.

And in saying this, guys, I mean, of course, we are not claiming to be God and knowing that everyone we baptize into Christ Jesus is elect, but we baptize based upon a profession of faith, given that regeneration produces faith.

And we can maybe get into some of that more. So for us, in saying that Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, Christ is the mediator of the covenant of grace, we mean that he is mediator in truth for all those who are under that covenant and that none who are under that covenant will be lost, which is different.

So in the old covenant, the priest was mediating on behalf of the people, but his mediation was limited. Now Christ is the once for all sacrifice of all time, and now he is the mediator between God and man.

And the question is, what is he mediating? What's this mediation? And does Christ fail ever in his mediation? And so what we see from the New Testament is that Christ is mediating for everyone who is in the new covenant, the covenant of grace, and his mediation is perfect.

It's without fail, and he accomplishes that which he starts. And so this is the type of language that's being used from Sam in the argumentation here in a lot of the passages, but the people of the New Testament, I'm sorry, the people of the New Covenant, along with even the kingdom of the New Covenant, is given this language that you have adoption, you have justification, you have union, you have this mediation.

All of this language is this, really, I would say a finality when it comes to the relationship between God and those who are a part of this new covenant relationship, and all you have to do is compare this to the old covenant.

So the old covenant, there was a relationship between the two of them, but there was nothing that was final about it because of the temporal nature of it. It was always going to go away where the new covenant would come, and the old covenant would give us a picture of the need and the necessity of this new covenant and the fulfillment of this new covenant of grace, which is Christ.

And we would have to, I mean, if it comes up in the Q &A, we'll answer these questions, but we would absolutely refer people to the last session. Like if you weren't here for session three, and you haven't listened to it yet, go listen to that if you want a more full-word presentation of how we understand the covenant of grace to be in the Old Testament and to be revealed in increasing ways and in various ways through the subservient covenants made with Abraham and Moses and David.

We don't need to rehash all of that material tonight. We leave that to you. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know that I've got any other comments to make, John, like as far as the front end or anything like that, I think we can open it up to questions.

Yeah.

So we have 20 -25 minutes.

Yeah.

Did you want to hop on? Here he is.

Yeah, he's waving, baby.

Hey, brother.

Welcome.

Hey, man.

Hello. It's Matt.

Oh, Matt. Yes, I know Matt. I recognize your voice right away.

No problem. I've actually been waiting to answer for you guys to delve in, to dive into this the whole time. It's something I've bumped into covenant theology in the beginning, and there's no discussion out there on this, I find.

So I really would love if you guys can get into this.

All right.

So my question is, I'll read it out here. There have been some in the Reformed world who have held to a particular view of covenant theology that folds the covenant of redemption into the covenant of grace.

And for instance, Thomas Boston in the 1700s, I think it was. And I've come across with an RTS professor, Dr. Stephen Myers holds that position as well. And there was probably a couple others as well.

Could you seriously interact with this minority view? Because I see it's a minority view, but what are its pros and cons? And are there any pitfalls or dangers for holding this view?

All right.

So somebody will need, I've read Thomas Boston to some extent, but I'm not as familiar with exactly what you're pointing out in his writing. And then I don't know Stephen Myers and others. So Matt, it might even help me if you articulate more specifically what, how exactly you say the covenant of redemption is folded into the covenant of grace.

Unpack that for a minute and let's just have that conversation.

Okay.

So the way that I've heard it, is that instead of a tri-covenantal idea of covenant of redemption, covenant of works, covenant of grace, they fold the redemption, covenant of redemption, covenant of grace into one.

And so you only have two covenants. So it becomes bi-covenantal. Like, as I said, I'm not an expert or, but I've, I've come across this and I'm like, what is the problem if, like the way they think of it, typically I find is that the covenant of redemption is the outside of time part of the covenant of grace, and then the temporal part of covenant of grace is what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

I mean, I'm happy to, go ahead, John.

Yeah, I guess.

If there are other brothers on the call that have some insight on this too, please feel free to wave at us.

Yeah, feel free.

Raise your hand and join the convo. I mean, I initially, it doesn't bother me, like for instance, there's like the new covenant theology guys, they mess with the covenant of works, which is, I think is not good.

It has a lot of ramifications. Folding these two in together, I can see what they're doing and what they mean by it, but the problem is, is that you have, you have different parties and so it really is two unique, different covenants because what's being, what's being covenanted and the participants of the covenant in the covenant of redemption is the Trinity and the, and what's being, what's going on as far as the participants of the new covenant, we're the recipients of it, and so, I mean, I understand what they're trying to do.

It, look, the two are closely connected, I think, like we already said. One is, one flows out of the other, right? So for instance, covenant of redemption, what naturally has to come from that? Go ahead.

Yeah, so I agree. The parties of the covenant is really important because they are different. So in the covenant of redemption, the Pacrem Salutis, the covenant is really, it's between the father and the son.

Now the son is going to save the elect, right? He's going to accomplish and secure eternal life for the elect, but the covenant is between the father and the son, most pointedly, whereas in the new covenant, it's actually a covenant between God and us, right?

Like I said, the parties are different. I mean, and so the new covenant, the covenant of grace is a covenant between God and us, but the conditions of the covenant have been met by Christ, right? So, but it, so they're not one and the same in that regard.

The arrangement is different. And so I'm sympathetic to the language on the one hand of how one is an outside of time reality and the other is kind of, I think it is fair to say that the entire revelation of scripture from Genesis 1, 1 through, you know, Revelation 22, I think it's fair to say that that is the unfolding of the Pacrem Salutis and the unfolding of the covenant of redemption, because that's been God's plan all along, you know, is to save the elect through Christ, but to then kind of make the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace literally one and the same thing is I'd think inaccurate and doesn't do justice to the biblical witness.

That would be my initial answer.

Right.

I don't think it's dangerous. I think it can be confusing and it would, it, clarifying that is difficult. You know, I kind of have categories of like heretical, unbiblical, not helpful. And I'm just kind of like, I don't know if that's a helpful explanation.

I wouldn't say it's heretical.

I might, it's not, I might put it in the unbiblical category though, because again, I think that it would, it would not only confuse some things, but I don't think it does justice to the witness of the scripture in particular.

It would confuse, at best, it would confuse who the covenant of redemption is between, right, and who the covenant of grace is between. And I appreciate what they're trying to do, I think. And some of the things that I've even said tonight and John has said tonight, we see so much congruity between the two in that, you know, the elect in one sense benefit from each of them, but we're not saying that they're one in the same covenant.

And, and I do think those distinctions matter, you know, Aaron, Aaron, please brother.

Yeah.

Hi, really, really like that question from Howard family. I've been reading, I've been reading Thomas Watson and also listening to Dr. Myers and I was struggling with that same question for the last couple of weeks.

So Thomas Watson's view is he looks at Christ as the mediator. So the covenant of redemption is made between the father and the son and the elect in the son. And, and so he sees that one covenant. And so I was struggling with that too.

I mean, why, why has, have these covenants been kept so separate in, in historical theology? And then this might complicate it a little more, but I also was going through some stuff by, yeah, some stuff by Meredith Klein.

And he has three reasons why he wants to keep them separate. And we love our Pedo Baptist brothers. But the one reason has a lot to do with pedo baptism, but the first one he says is the parties to the covenant Christ in the first, in the covenant of redemption is the second party.

And in the covenant of grace is the first party. He makes that as an, he's coming in the kingdom to the, to the elect in, in the covenant of grace and the second distinction. And here's where the pedo Baptist theology comes in.

And we would kindly disagree. He says that in the covenant of redemption and Justin touched on this. And so I was really happy. He says that in the covenant of redemption is the, the elect are only in view.

It's only the elect that end view in Christ. Well, it's made with Christ, but the elect and in the covenant of grace, you have the visible church and the invisible church. And that's why they want to keep that distinction between the two.

And the third distinction that Klein wants to make is that the covenant of redemption for the son, for Christ was a covenant of works and for the church is a covenant of grace.

And I agree with that. I agree with one in three, certainly.

Yeah.

Same here.

Same here.

That's good. That's a good insight. Matthew, did you have any other thoughts or follow up to that?

Matthew, is this like helpful at all? This conversation?

Yeah. Yeah.

I just want to open it up. I just want to hear people's thoughts. Cause as I said, there's no one out there really talking about it. And I just wanted to hear.

I'm glad you raised it.

Well, there's two reasons. There's two reasons no one's talking about it. First of all, it's covenant theology. And there are a very small group of people who talk about covenant theology. And secondly, it's a very nuanced part of covenant theology.

So Google isn't going to be your friend on that one.

No, I mean, that's, I'm glad you raised it though, man. I was not, I mean, I was not as familiar with that. And, but just in processing with you guys on the fly, I mean, I'm, I've been, I always like questions like that because it forces me to think and, and wrestle with the distinctions that, that exist in my own mind as I seek to, you know, refine and reform my theology according to scripture.

So that's great.

Right.

Yeah.

I think there is like in your preaching and in your teaching, there's going to be some category confusion. Cause the way, I guess the way you would have to describe it as this is the covenant of redemption or the covenant of grace in time past, in present time, I'm not really.

Sure. Yeah. There's one thing that I think the only thing that I really come up against it that can be dangerous is that I think if you confuse the two, that then Christ has paid, purchased our salvation before time.

And then you get the eternal justification stuff in there, I think is the only problem or pitfall I could find in that view.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, he, I mean, the thing is this, like Jesus, Jesus accomplishes, I mean, and even, and this is where we have to be precise in how we use language, right? The covenant of redemption is made between the father and son before the world began, before the ages began.

But then Jesus actually comes and accomplishes that mission, fulfills and accomplishes that covenant of works that does secure the covenant of redemption. I mean, he does that in time and space. And then, you know, I mean, it's not done in eternity past.

I mean, it was certain, right? It was planned. It was ordained. Amen. But Christ actually came and did that and accomplished those things and secured those benefits. And then, you know, in the covenant of grace, unconditionally to us, you know, God in one sense makes that covenant with us and Jesus is the mediator of the covenant of grace where his benefits and all of those things are the fact that he has fulfilled everything that God has required of us is then mediated to us.