Reformed Theology: 10. Covenant of Grace

Welcome back to the Basics of the Reformed Faith Series. Today's topic is the Covenant of Grace. It has been said that covenant theology is at the center of Reformed theology.

No doubt this is correct. In Eden, all of humanity fell when Adam, the first of our race, rebelled against his creator and plunged the entire human race into sin and death.

It will take a second Adam, Jesus Christ, to perfectly obey the commandments of God so as to fulfill all righteousness.

Matthew chapter 3 verse 15. It will also take a second Adam to remove from us the guilt of our individual sins, as well as the guilt imputed to us from our first father

Adam. Romans 5 verses 12 through 19. But in order for a second

Adam to accomplish these things, there must be a different covenant other than the covenant of works and its demands for perfect obedience in which

God allows a second Adam to do what is necessary for us and in our place to be saved for us and to earn sufficient merit to save us.

This brings us to the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace is the historical outworking of an eternal covenant of redemption, the covenant before the covenant, in which the members of the

Holy Trinity decreed that Jesus was to be the Redeemer of those whom the Father had chosen in Him and that Jesus would do this on behalf of and in the place of all those sinners chosen from before the foundation of the world.

Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 14. This means that God's saving grace is not directed to the entire world in general, but to those specific individuals whom

He intends to save. In this covenant of redemption, the Holy Spirit will apply the work of Christ to all those whom the

Father had chosen and for whom the Son will die, ensuring that all of God's elect will come to faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel, which is the divinely appointed means by which

God's elect are called to faith. As is the case with the covenant of works, the specific terminology covenant of grace does not appear in Scripture, although the rich and manifold theme of covenant appears throughout the redemptive history and lies at the very heart of God's redemptive purposes and relations with humanity.

As with the covenant of works, God is the author of this gracious covenant, and He imposes specific conditions upon Adam and his fallen race.

This covenant also includes the promise of eternal life, but is made on behalf of sinners by a gracious God who intends to save His elect from the consequences of Adam's sin through the work of Jesus Christ, the second

Adam. In the covenant of grace, everything hinges upon the sacrificial death, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who is the only covenant mediator between God and humanity.

1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 5 Yet who can sympathize with us in our weaknesses, having been tempted in all ways as we have, yet without sin.

Hebrews chapter 3 verses 1 through 6 and Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 through 16.

This is why it was necessary for Jesus to become a man. While the condition of the original covenant of works was full and perfect personal obedience to the commandments of God, the condition of the covenant of grace is faith in Jesus Christ, who undoes the awful consequences of the fall.

Romans chapter 5 verses 12 through 21 and 2nd Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 28.

The essence of this gracious covenant can be seen in the oft -repeated refrain first found in Genesis 17 17

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations

For an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your offspring after you

If we fast forward redemptive history to the final chapter when new jerusalem descends out of heaven on the last day

Once again, we hear these wonderful words which serves as the motto of the covenant of grace

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying Behold the dwelling place of God is with man

He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their

God revelation 21 verse 3 Yes, he is our God and we are his people

Therefore redemptive history, which is the outworking in human history of God's eternal decree Is essentially the account of the unfolding successive covenants, which are historical manifestations of the one covenant of grace immediately after the fall of the human race into sin

God promised adam that a redeemer will come and rescue him and the human race from the consequences of his sin in genesis 3 15

We find the first historical manifestation of the covenant of grace in the first promise of the gospel the proto evangelium

No sooner had adam sinned the lord pronounced the following curse upon the devil I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her eve's offspring

He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel In this first gospel promise

God promises to crush the serpent and to save his people The coming of the mediator of the covenant was now ensured

Jesus will die on a cross to redeem us from our sins Although the covenant of grace unfolds in several historical steps

The promise God made to abraham in genesis 12 and 17 The promises God made to israel at mount sinai in exodus 24

As well on the plains of moab in deuteronomy 29 13 The promise of an eternal kingdom made to david in second samuel 7 14

Followed by the prophecy of a new covenant made to jeremiah in his prophecy chapter 31 verse 33

Which the author of hebrews specifically applies to jesus christ the covenant mediator in hebrews chapter 8 verses 1 through 13

The covenant is essentially the same throughout the entire course of redemptive history This can be seen in the simple fact that there is but one gospel in both testaments

Just as there is only one covenant mediator jesus christ God has promised to be our god and that we are his people

These covenant promises bookend redemptive history from the fall of our race into sin

Until the time of the end when our lord returns to raise the dead judge the world and make all things new

Let's review Where adam in a covenant of works plunges humanity into sin jesus the second adam removes our guilt through a covenant of grace

The covenant of grace was preceded by an eternal covenant in which the members of the trinity Covenanted together to save a people in christ

God's saving grace is directed not to the entire world in general, but to those specific individuals whom he intends to save The covenant of grace hinges upon the sacrificial death and the perfect obedience of jesus

Who is the only covenant mediator between god and humanity? Jesus is truly god and truly man

History is the outworking of human history of god's eternal decree and is essentially the count of the unfolding successive covenants

Essentially there is but one gospel in both testaments by which all are saved just as there is only one covenant mediator jesus christ