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I'm gonna do this at the end Mike. All right, so our last 20 minutes or so is Going to be dedicated to talking about the covenants and I have Specifically chosen what I want to address. Because it's there's so much to address I have to limit myself.
Very quickly let us define what we mean. Hopefully you read the chapter on the covenants. Man is separated from God because of sin. God chooses to enter into a relationship with man because of his desire to save.
Not because man is inherently good but because God is inherently good by nature and chooses to save and he chooses to enter into relationships with men. Based on the covenant or what is referred to as the an agreement or a Essentially a promise a covenant that he makes.
Covenant is based on the idea of two men coming together and promising one another that they're going to do something. Those are mutual covenants. Sometimes today we call them contracts. You know when two men come together and they make a promise they're both going to do something they both sign on the dotted line as it were that is a contract.
Well, the first time the word covenant is used in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 6. The Bible says he is going to create a covenant with Noah. That he's going to save Noah from his judgment. So the first time the word covenant is used in Scripture it's in relationship to God saving Someone that's an important tie.
It's Noah is a picture of salvation the judgment of God rained down but Noah was safe in the ark and It says in Genesis 6 that this was based on the covenant. God had chosen to make with Noah but the Bible also speaks of a covenant that God made with Adam in Hosea chapter 6 and verse 7 it says this.
It says like Adam they transgressed the covenant. Now that's just a passing statement made by the prophet Hosea. It says like Adam They transgressed the covenant speaking of the people of Israel. So what does that tell us what can we infer from that.
Adam had a covenant from God, too. But the Bible never uses the language of covenant when God is in relationship to Adam however based on Hosea we can infer that the covenant was made and we can Define the covenant based upon the stipulations God gave to Adam.
Do not eat. That was the parameters of the covenant in the garden now. There could be more but they're certainly not less than the covenant that God made with Adam which included the the Prohibition to not eat of the tree so Aside from Adam and Noah, there are four others mentioned to have received direct covenants from God.
Abraham is Said to be in covenant with God. Well that that's the sign of the covenant, but but just what the we have very I'll give them to you in order. We have the Adamic Covenant or the Edenic Covenant depending on you can either name it after the person or the place It was in Eden was given to Adam.
So we call it the Adamic or the Edenic Covenant. The second would be the Noahic Covenant and that is the covenant God made with Noah. The third is the Abrahamic Covenant God made with Abraham. The that was the third the fourth is the Mosaic or the Sinaitic Covenant we call it that because it was given at Sinai.
That was the covenant Where God gave his law and established the nation. The fifth is the Davidic Covenant given to David and The sixth is the New Covenant Given through Christ. Each covenant. Outside of perhaps the Adamic or the Edenic Covenant is also accompanied by a sign.
One might argue that the Adamic Covenant had a sign as well. Perhaps the fruit of the tree. But ultimately we know what the Noahic Covenant sign is what? The rainbow what is the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant?
Circumcision that's what you just said. Very good. What is the sign of the Mosaic Covenant the Sabbath? Specifically the Sabbath is the sign of the Mosaic Covenant. I can show you several passages which says the Sabbath is given to you as a sign of the Covenant.
The reason why Israel kept the Sabbath was to remember the covenant that God had made with them. And that's why it's in the Ten Commandments. The Davidic Covenant is not expressly given a sign, but it is given a promise that includes the throne.
So I believe the throne is the sign because who see who sits upon the throne of David Christ in that throne will last forever ever forever and ever, right? So David's throne is the sign of the promise.
This throne will last forever. And what's the final? The New Covenant what's the sign of the New Covenant? This is my body. Given for you. As often as you eat it. Remember me. This is my blood poured out for the sins.
As often as you drink the sign of the New Covenant is the Lord's Table. Communion absolutely. So one could argue that baptism also serves as a sign of the New Covenant. And we could argue it in this perspective we could say baptism is our sign of membership in the New Covenant.
That is what signifies our entrance being baptized. But the Lord's Table. Is the sign of our continuation in the Covenant we continue? Because as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you show forth the Lord's death until he comes.
Yes, but I think that it's. While that is certainly true, I think it's more than that. I don't. I don't think it's salvific but I think we have. I think we have somewhat lost some of the sense of the the purpose of it and the whole when we say well, it's just an Outward sign of an inward change is what people usually say.
I say take off the word just. Don't use the word just because you diminish when people this people often pray this way Lord I just come to you today because I just want to say I just. I say stop saying just.
You're talking to the God of the universe. Leave the word just out. When you say it's just bread and just wine. No, it is the it is the symbol of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Don't use the word just.
Because that that in a way. Linguistically because if I say you're just a man or you're just a woman or this is just wood. You're diminishing the quality of the thing with the language. Leave the word just out of it.
And next time you pray it's gonna get you because you're gonna say just because they hope. Because I promise that really does get me sometimes. No, you didn't know but people do people do yeah people do it all the time.
It's just bread. It's just wine. I say stop saying just it has Symbolism and meaning beyond. What many of us can imagine think about what the bread in the cup? The Bible says people have eaten and drank damnation upon themselves.
How can you say that's just something all right, so Eucharist means Thanksgiving. Yeah, Kairos is gift you you good gifts or Thanksgiving is where the term Eucharist comes from. All right. I want to now very quickly Switch because we're talking about covenants.
We named the biblical covenants. The Adamic the Noahic the Abrahamic Davidic Sinaitic and the New Covenant. But there is also something called covenant theology. Covenant theology is actually not really about those six covenants.
I just mentioned No. Covenant theology is based on three covenants that the Bible never explicitly mentions. They are the covenant of redemption the covenant of works in the covenant of grace. Neither one of those covenants is Explicitly mentioned in the Bible.
The Bible never uses the term covenant of redemption. It never uses the word covenant of works. It never uses the word covenant of grace unless of course you define the new covenant as covenant of grace.
I think we could we could get there but those three terms Are part of a theological system called covenant theology. And It is a doctrinal framework usually used by reformed theologians To help understand the Connection between all of God's works in scripture.
This is how the narrative usually is explained in eternity past. God decided in himself. The covenant was made between the father and the son and the spirit to create and redeem the world. That would be the covenant of redemption That is made in eternity past now the Bible never says that but what we have to assume is that because The world was created And redeemed and God was not surprised That that in fact did in some way take place that God made a covenant within himself.
But it's not a necessity it's more of a it's more of a framework that gives it gives outworking to everything else. People say well the covenant of redemption. It's it's. It's a biblical inference. It's not a biblical um Necessity to say there was a covenant of redemption.
We just assumed there was God had to choose to do this. Right, and so the covenant of redemption is not spoken of in scripture, but it's inferred right. The covenant of works and the covenant of grace, however are hotly debated and I would say that I don't think it's altogether helpful the language.
Because even though I love rc and I do I did of course go through what he said in the book about the covenant of Works in the covenant of grace. I do think that there are some major areas where This has been misunderstood and particularly the idea that noah or excuse me that adam could have established his own righteousness.
Because the idea of the covenant of works is what we would say a prelapsarian Perspective that adam had the ability to establish his own righteousness. And I do have a little issue with that. Now That's what the covenant of works is.
That adam could have by obedience to god Established his own righteousness. He didn't so we don't have to worry about whether it was because in the mind of god, there is no such thing as a Potentiality god knows what is not what will be because what will be is what he says is.
Now that's getting a little out there. But the point is the covenant of works. Is that adam in the garden could have earned his own righteousness, but because he fell. The covenant of works has been violated and now god operates in a covenant of grace.
And the covenant of grace is what we call post-lapsarian. After the fall before the fall it was works. But after the fall it was grace. You see this is where it begins to get a little sticky because presbyterians will argue that the covenant of grace is Everything that happens after the fall.
Because god should have just destroyed adam and eve should have just destroyed the world. Sin was in the world God so everything god does after the fall is grace. Right now baptists have historically disagreed.
Baptists believe the covenant of grace essentially comes in christ and that which comes before christ are extensions of grace, but not the covenant of grace. They make the argument from passages such as The law came through moses, but what?
Grace. And truth came through jesus christ. So there are there is a distinction between baptist covenant theology and Presbyterian covenant theology. And this is where I don't remember who it was. I was talking to earlier talked about being reformed.
Big r little r. Are you really reformed? Are you not really reformed? Classic reformed theology big r reformed presbyterian true calvinism argues That the covenant of works was with adam. And everything else since the fall has been a covenant of grace.
And this is why the presbyterian would say, of course My children are part of the covenant of grace because the children of israel were in the covenant of grace. And all we are seeing is different administrations of the same covenant of grace from noah.
To today we have been the same covenant. It's just been administrated differently. And we are currently in and see that's where i'm way different because I would say no the new covenant is different than the old covenant.
Hebrews chapter 8 Clearly delineates a distinction between the new covenant. And the old covenant and says the old covenant has been made obsolete. And it has been replaced by a new and better covenant the covenant that we have in christ.
Now if you want to call something the covenant of grace, I would say that's it the new covenant so Here's what I want you to do. I want you all To add to your homework this week. Oh, don't cry. It's not going to be that bad.
But I want you to go on to the website sgfcjacks .org Academy. And I want you to download this. I would print it for you, but it's five pages and Honestly, I would prefer you just print it yourselves because it'd be a lot of paper for the church to invest.
This is called progressive covenantalism a key point and definition. I believe this helps to understand a What I would consider to be a better understanding of the covenants and how the covenants essentially function As extensions of god's grace, but all pointing to the final true new covenant, which is the is the covenant of grace.
I'll read to you steven. Well, he's the guy who wrote this. Each biblical covenant contributes to the unfolding and revealing of god's unified plan to grasp god's plan. We must take seriously how all of the covenants reveal god's plan.
What he's talking about there is the abrahamic the noaic and all those. He's not talking about the three that aren't spoken of. He's talking about the six that are. See, that's the thing about covenant theology.
That's always bothered me a little is they don't really address the biblical covenants. They create these three As the framework. When I say they create them i'm not. I hope that didn't sound. I know somebody might hear this online.
Oh, he's a nut. No, they didn't just make them up out of the whole cloth. What i'm saying is rather than addressing What the scripture says about the covenants they they have the covenant redemption the covenant of grace covenant of works.
That are not language the bible uses. And what this does is this this tries to show The biblical covenants and how they function. So this this is very helpful. Please download it and read it. But let me continue to grasp god's plan we must seriously.
We must take seriously how all the covenants reveal god's. Oh, excuse me. To grasp god's plan. We must take seriously how all the covenants reveal god's plan. It is crucial to interpret each covenant in its own redemptive historical context.
And think through how it is related to the covenants that precede it and to the covenants that follow it. It is only by reading scripture this way that we can discern how each of the covenants unveil god's plan over time.
And how all of the covenants reach their fulfillment in christ. We do not view the covenants as isolated units. Instead we view them as organically related to each other as god's plan unfolds from creation to christ.
Thus by the progression or unfolding of the covenants god's plan is revealed to apply rightly god's promise to us today. And to know how we ought to live as god's new covenant people. All of scripture must be applied in light of its fulfillment in christ.
I know that was a lot to hear a lot to take in. How many of you have ever heard of dispensationalism? The two the two reigning theological systems and in christendom today are covenant theology and Dispensationalism.
Covenant theology says there are three covenants covenant redemption. Covenant of works. Covenant of grace. Dispensationalism says it's not about that. It's about the seven Dispensations that god has been working through throughout history and he's ultimately working for the redemption of his people israel.
Because that's his main focus. That's dispensationalism says israel is the focus. Well what i've given you or what i'm asking you to read is a third perspective. And I think it does a good It you some people might refer to it as new covenant theology.
I know richard. We've talked about new covenant theology that that language is Kind of going by the wayside and it's now uh the The guys who are studying it and helping to better understand it are using the term progressive covenantalism.
It's not exactly the same but it's it's it's it's the next evolution of the thought. Saying ultimately that it's all pointing to the new covenant and the new covenant is itself the Fulfillment of all the old testament and and what we're going toward so um.
This is a lot. This is more really than we have time for in this class, but I just I have to tell you the understanding just this. Maybe it'd be a good way to end. We are saved. Because god chooses to enter into a relationship with us through a covenant.
And if we don't have at least some inkling Of the covenantal relationship that we have with god. We won't really understand how he saves us. Because god saves us by virtue of making a promise. And he promises by himself.
What does he say when there's nothing greater by which to promise he promises by himself. Right. What how did he make the promise to abraham? He cuts the animals in half the smoking fire pot goes between.
Why didn't abraham walk between? Because it was god making the covenant. It was god making the promise. He wasn't making it in tandem with abraham. He was making it as a promise to abraham. And that the apostle paul says Is ultimately fulfilled in christ who is the fulfillment of the promise seed?
Given to abraham so it all has its fulfillment in christ. One thing you didn't mention earlier was both sides of the covenant. If you once I failed the covenant, yes, that's why I didn't bring abraham into it.
That's right. That's right. It's not. That's right god cannot fail and he will not fail and that's how we can have assurance of our salvation. Like I said the little bit of time we had to go into this was not enough, but I hope that it was at least somewhat uh understandable.
Uh, I have been given two copies of a book. And these copies were given to me to give away and so. As we end tonight, we are going to pray and then i'm going to do it. The only way I know how. Uh to make it fair, huh?
What? We're going to wrestle. No. No. No, i'm gonna, uh, i'm gonna ask a question from something I taught tonight. You have to raise your hand and get the answer right and get the book. Let's pray father.
I thank you for tonight. I pray that it has been useful for This group and I pray that ultimately it'll lead to our better understanding of you. And your word I pray it in jesus name and for his sake amen.
All right. All right, so we'll do it fair and. Does it mean? And please don't yell out the answer. Raise your hand and i'll be watching. What does it mean? When we say that god created by divine fiat ross.
It doesn't mean let it be. But what is it? No. You said let it be. I want to give it to you for that. It means he spoke it into existence. I'll give it to you. You said let it be. That's what fiat means.
And I didn't write it on the board. Oh, thank you, this is the holiness of god. Remember last week I mentioned in class that's what was donated. Thank you michael. Here is this for you. All right. I have one more this book.
Is again, this is a precious. And i'll tell you the one part ross one of my favorite parts of this book. It's it's the chapter on holy space and holy time. Rc talks about having time in our life that's dedicated to god and space that we.
That we worship in. He talks about the church and what the church functions as it's a holy space. It's very interesting section of the book. All right, so, um. You got to get all three. What in covenant theology?
What are the three covenants? All right, you win all right.