covenant theology covenant theology

103 Pages·2014·4 MB·English

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Session 1: Covenant Theology’s grand storyline of the Bible..............................3
Session 2: Understanding the three main Covenants of Scripture....................6

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Session 1: The Covenant of Works...............................................................................13
Session 2: Overview of the five covenants of grace.............................................18

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Session 1: The Fall...............................................................................................................21
Session 2: The Noahic Covenant..................................................................................25

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Session 1: God’s relationship with Abraham............................................................28
Session 2: God’s covenant with Abraham................................................................33

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Session 1: The nature of the Mosaic Covenant.......................................................40
Session 2: How the Mosaic Covenant advanced redemptive history............46

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Session 1: Build-up to the Davidic Covenant...........................................................52
Session 2: Promises and Conditions of the Davidic Covenant.........................56

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Session 1: Introduction to Dispensationalism..........................................................61
Session 2: Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology.........................................65

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Session 1: Prophecies of the New Covenant in the Old Testament................69
Session 2: Types and shadows of Christ in the Old Testament.......................76

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Session 1: How the New Covenant fulfilled the previous covenants..............79
Session 2: The Inauguration of the New Covenant...............................................91

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Session 1: Reviewing God’s big picture....................................................................92
Session 2: Q&A................................................................................................................100

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SSSSeeeessssssssiiiioooonnnn 1111:::: CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy’’’’ssss ggggrrrraaaannnndddd ssssttttoooorrrryyyylllliiiinnnneeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee BBBBiiiibbbblllleeee

When we read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we can hardly avoid
noticing that it proceeds according to a ppppllllaaaannnn.

“Beginning with the creation of the world, the Bible then relates and
interprets a series of historical events that lead to the grand climax and
goal of the world’s history.”
-------- DDDDaaaannnniiiieeeellll FFFFuuuulllllllleeeerrrr
The Unity of the Bible, 22.

“From Genesis to Revelation we feel that this book is in a real sense a
unity. It is not a collection of fragments, but has, as we say, an organic
character. It has one connected story to tell from beginning to end; we
see something growing before our eyes; there is plan, purpose, progress;
the end folds back on the beginning, and, when the whole is finished, we
feel that here again, as in the primal creation, God has finished all His
works, and behold, they are very good.”
-------- JJJJaaaammmmeeeessss OOOOrrrrrrrr
The Problem of the Old Testament, 32.

TTTThhhheeee eeeennnndddd ggggooooaaaallll ooooffff ccccrrrreeeeaaaattttiiiioooonnnn

For His own glory, God’s end goal is to dwell with an elect people whom He
loves, who are made in His own image, and whom He is presenting to His
Son as a bride. Out of an experiential knowledge of His justice and
sovereign mercy they will freely love God and eternally glorify Him for all
that He is (Rom 9:22-23). As God’s adopted children they will be a family
forever with God as their Father. They will be a ‘holy nation’, always walking
obediently in His laws. And they will be a Kingdom of priests, serving God
under God’s holy servant Jesus Christ, their Shepherd King and great High
Priest, to whose image they are conformed.

TTTThhhheeee mmmmeeeeaaaannnnssss ttttoooo tttthhhhaaaatttt eeeennnndddd

For God’s end goal to be realized it required three great events in history:
1. A ccccrrrreeeeaaaattttiiiioooonnnn
2. A ffffaaaallllllll
3. A rrrreeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiioooonnnn based on sovereign grace and election.

This grand ‘story’ is often called rrrreeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiivvvveeee hhhhiiiissssttttoooorrrryyyy.

God has revealed His plan of redemption pppprrrrooooggggrrrreeeessssssssiiiivvvveeeellllyyyy through actual
human history. The theological discipline of understanding this gradually
unfolding plan of redemption, as recorded in the Bible, is called “BBBBiiiibbbblllliiiiccccaaaallll
TTTThhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy”.

The predominant way God has unfolded redemptive history is by making
successive ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnnttttssss with man.

Each successive covenant in scripture marks a major pppprrrrooooggggrrrreeeessssssssiiiioooonnnn in the
story of God’s achieving His final goal.

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Covenant Theology is therefore a type of Biblical Theology which ttttrrrraaaacccceeeessss
God’s unfolding accomplishment of His end goal in time and space using
the covenants of Scripture.

TTTThhhheeee nnnneeeeeeeedddd ffffoooorrrr rrrreeeevvvveeeellllaaaattttiiiioooonnnn
It is crucial to note that God’s way of redeeming His elect is to iiiinnnnvvvvoooollllvvvveeee
them in the process.

“Sometimes, indeed, the measure of truth apprehended by the believing
person is very small, and we have to appreciate the fact that the faith of
some in its initial stages is very elementary. But faith cannot begin in a
vacuum of knowledge. Paul reminds us of this very simply when he says,
"Faith is of hearing, and hearing of the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).”
---- JJJJoooohhhhnnnn MMMMuuuurrrrrrrraaaayyyy (Redemption Accomplished and Applied)

A certain level of revelation is required to participate in this redemption
because God has decreed that the means by which redemption comes to
His elect is through their ffffaaaaiiiitttthhhh in this very plan of redemption.

No one can be saved unless they have a certain level of understanding of
this plan of redemption, and no one can be sanctified without increasing in
the knowledge of God and the hope of His calling (2 Peter 1:5; 3:18). This is
why rrrreeeevvvveeeellllaaaattttiiiioooonnnn is so crucial. God wants you to understand His plan of
redemption and eeeemmmmbbbbrrrraaaacccceeee it for yourself.

AAAANNNN AAAABBBBSSSSOOOOLLLLUUUUTTTTEEEELLLLYYYY EEEESSSSSSSSEEEENNNNTTTTIIIIAAAALLLL PPPPRRRRIIIINNNNCCCCIIIIPPPPLLLLEEEE

The way of salvation has never changed. From the moment of the Fall,
and throughout every succeeding covenant, people have always been
saved by grace through faith.

AAAAsssskkkkiiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee rrrriiiigggghhhhtttt qqqquuuueeeessssttttiiiioooonnnnssss
Understanding the grand storyline of the Bible (“Biblical Theology”) is
much easier if we are equipped with a basic set of questions that we should
continually be asking as we read through the Scriptures from beginning to
end.

Our ‘Biblical Theology toolbox’ contains two types of question we should
be asking:
1. Questions concerning the aaaaddddvvvvaaaannnncccceeee of God’s unfolding plan of
redemption through history.
2. Questions regarding the rrrreeeevvvveeeellllaaaattttiiiioooonnnn to us of God’s unfolding plan of
redemption.

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tttthhhhrrrroooouuuugggghhhh hhhhiiiissssttttoooorrrryyyy

Reformed theology teaches that God has aaaaddddvvvvaaaannnncccceeeedddd His plan of
redemption through a series of organically inter-connected ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnnttttssss.

Exercise: Rephrase this principle into a question for our Biblical Theology
toolbox which we can ask as we approach each covenant of Scripture.

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rrrreeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiioooonnnn

1. In each successive era of history, God has demonstrated something
new to us about the state of mmmmaaaannnnkkkkiiiinnnndddd and our rrrreeeellllaaaattttiiiioooonnnnsssshhhhiiiipppp with God.
2. God prepares people for the future by giving them glimpses of it in
the present. He does this through two predominant means, both of
which are recorded and interpreted in the Bible:
a. God uses actual historical eeeevvvveeeennnnttttssss and ppppeeeeoooopppplllleeeessss as prophetic types
and shadows of the future.
b. God anointed prophets, Apostles and Jesus Christ Himself with
His Spirit to pppprrrreeeeddddiiiicccctttt the future verbally.

Exercise: Rephrase these two principles of God’s revelation into two
questions we can apply to each of the covenants of Scripture.

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I. 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.

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.

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CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt vvvvssss.... CCCCoooonnnnttttrrrraaaacccctttt

“Agreements in human society which enable close relationship and the
discharge of mutual obligations may be called covenants. Perhaps we
may divide these agreements into two kinds, some more suitably called
contracts and the others covenants. Contracts may imply a certain
degree of mistrust and may not imply friendship between the parties.
Covenants can be thought of as agreements between friends who love
each other. Thus, marriage is best described as a covenant rather than a
contract. Doing so does not deny the obligation in the pledges made,
but suggests a more adequate context for understanding the
relationship as one of personal loving commitment.

Covenant is a term that also may be used to describe the relationship
between God and his creation. It is used of God’s unconditional promise
to Noah, and to the birds, livestock and wild animals with him in the ark,
in the covenant of the rainbow (Genesis 9:12ff). It is also used of God’s
commitment to the fixed order of day and night established at creation
(Jeremiah 33:20ff. cf. 31:35). It is more commonly used of God’s
commitments to people, and calls for appropriate response on their
part. The term becomes one of the most significant words in the
language of the Old Testament. The climax of a ‘new covenant’ is
reached in Jesus. Indeed, the very terms Old Testament and New
Testament are more accurately translated Old Covenant and New
Covenant. The Bible is unique in this since other religious traditions do
not speak of God making covenant with his creatures.”
- Rowland S. Ward
GGGGoooodddd aaaannnndddd AAAAddddaaaammmm,,,, 11116666----11117777

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiissss aaaa BBBBiiiibbbblllliiiiccccaaaallll ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt????

“A covenant is a bond in blood, or a bond of life and death, sovereignly
administered.”
-------- OOOO.... PPPPaaaallllmmmmeeeerrrr RRRRoooobbbbeeeerrrrttttssssoooonnnn
The Christ of the Covenants

A covenant is an ooooaaaatttthhhh bound commitment:
a. Joshua 9
b. Genesis 22 (cid:1) Hebrews 6: 13-19: God delights in making oaths
because God’s very nature is to be faithful, and He delights in giving
His people an aaaassssssssuuuurrrraaaannnncccceeee of His promises.
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A covenant is a bond in bbbblllloooooooodddd
a. Genesis 15
b. Symbolism of the slaughtered animal in covenant rituals in the
Ancient Near East with lords (suzerains) and vassals
c. Covenant is a life and death commitment
d. Jeremiah 34

A covenant is ssssoooovvvveeeerrrreeeeiiiiggggnnnnllllyyyy administered
a. God sets the terms of the relationship and the covenant.
b. There us no room for bargaining.

In Biblical covenants God takes an oath to do certain things if the other
party fulfills certain conditions. I.e. covenants are always ccccoooonnnnddddiiiittttiiiioooonnnnaaaallll:

• Some covenants were inaugurated after all the conditions had
already been fulfilled (e.g. Abraham)
• Some were inaugurated after only some of the conditions had been
fulfilled (e.g. Noah, David)
• Some were inaugurated before any of the conditions had been
fulfilled (e.g. Moses).

A covenant sssseeeeccccuuuurrrreeeessss and ssssttttrrrruuuuccccttttuuuurrrreeeessss a special relationship (e.g. Gen 12, 15, 17,
22):
a. God’s election and calling (not the covenant) create the relationship.
b. Covenants confirm the relationship:
1. 1 Samuel 18 – David and Jonathan’s love for each other was
first, then the covenant.
2. Genesis 21 – Abraham and Abimelech
c. Covenants provide assurance of the relationship (e.g. Gen 15).

A covenant is often spoken of in terms of its ssssiiiiggggnnnn of confirmation. E.g.
Genesis 17:
a. “I will be your God and you will be my people.” (v8)
b. Abraham has to keep the covenant (v9).
c. Circumcision is the sign of the covenant (v10-11).

A covenant is sometimes spoken of in terms of the written revelation
associated with it (e.g. Exodus 34:28 and 2 Corinthians 3:14.

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TTTTHHHHEEEE CCCCEEEENNNNTTTTRRRRAAAALLLLIIIITTTTYYYY OOOOFFFF CCCCOOOOVVVVEEEENNNNAAAANNNNTTTT TTTTHHHHEEEEOOOOLLLLOOOOGGGGYYYY TTTTOOOO TTTTHHHHEEEE BBBBIIIIBBBBLLLLEEEE

“The gospel of God is not properly understood until it is viewed within a
covenantal framework.”
---- JJJJ....IIII.... PPPPaaaacccckkkkeeeerrrr

“God's very existence is covenantal: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in
unceasing devotion to each other, reaching outward beyond the
Godhead to create a community of creatures serving as a giant analogy
of the Godhead's relationship. Created in the image of the Triune God,
we are by nature outgoing, interdependent relationship establishers,
finding ourselves in the other and not just in ourselves.”
---- MMMMiiiicccchhhhaaaaeeeellll HHHHoooorrrrttttoooonnnn

5555 rrrreeeeaaaassssoooonnnnssss wwwwhhhhyyyy CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt TTTThhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy iiiissss cccceeeennnnttttrrrraaaallll ttttoooo tttthhhheeee bbbbiiiibbbblllliiiiccccaaaallll ssssttttoooorrrryyyy::::

1. CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy eeeexxxxppppllllaaaaiiiinnnnssss tttthhhheeee aaaattttoooonnnneeeemmmmeeeennnntttt::::
E.g. Jesus and the disciples in the upper room.

JJJJeeeessssuuuussss eeeexxxxppppllllaaaaiiiinnnnssss HHHHiiiissss wwwwoooorrrrkkkk oooonnnn tttthhhheeee ccccrrrroooossssssss iiiinnnn tttteeeerrrrmmmmssss ooooffff ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt

“And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said,
‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with
you according to all these words.’” ((((EEEExxxx 22224444::::8888 iiiinnnn wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh MMMMoooosssseeeessss
rrrraaaattttiiiiffffiiiieeeessss tttthhhheeee iiiinnnnaaaauuuugggguuuurrrraaaattttiiiioooonnnn ooooffff tttthhhheeee OOOOlllldddd CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt))))

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah—“ ((((JJJJeeeerrrr 33331111::::33331111 iiiinnnn wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh JJJJeeeerrrreeeemmmmiiiiaaaahhhh pppprrrroooopppphhhheeeecccciiiieeeessss aaaa ccccoooommmmiiiinnnngggg
““““nnnneeeewwww ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt””””))))

“This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for
the remission of sins.” ((((MMMMaaaatttttttt 22226666::::22228888 iiiinnnn wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh JJJJeeeessssuuuussss rrrraaaattttiiiiffffiiiieeeessss tttthhhheeee
iiiinnnnaaaauuuugggguuuurrrraaaattttiiiioooonnnn ooooffff tttthhhheeee NNNNeeeewwww CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt))))

2. CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy pppprrrroooovvvviiiiddddeeeessss aaaassssssssuuuurrrraaaannnncccceeee ooooffff ffffaaaaiiiitttthhhh....
3. CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy ddddeeeeeeeeppppeeeennnnssss oooouuuurrrr uuuunnnnddddeeeerrrrssssttttaaaannnnddddiiiinnnngggg ooooffff tttthhhheeee
ssssaaaaccccrrrraaaammmmeeeennnnttttssss::::
Sacraments are signs and seals of covenant promises (Rom 4:11).
Examples of covenantal signs:
a. The rainbow given to Noah
b. Circumcision given to Abram
c. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper given to believers
4. CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy uuuunnnnvvvveeeeiiiillllssss tttthhhheeee ccccoooonnnnttttiiiinnnnuuuuiiiittttyyyy ooooffff rrrreeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiivvvveeee hhhhiiiissssttttoooorrrryyyy....
Covenant theology ties the whole story of the Bible together, and
gives us an appreciation for the single unfolding story of redemption.

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“How often have we heard important debates about biblical
teaching dismissed with a shrug and the words, "You have your
verses and we have our verses," as if the Bible itself were
internally inconsistent or contradictory? For Christians all of the
verses are `our verses'. Our interpretation of a given point must
be demonstrated not only as taught in this or that passage, but as
consistent with the whole teaching of Scripture. Scripture is
internally consistent, not contradictory, but we do not always
know how to resolve complicated questions that arise from its
diverse teaching. We need to have a framework that Scripture
itself provides us; otherwise we will serve the whim of our own
assumptions about what should or should not be true, given our
starting point.”
---- MMMMiiiicccchhhhaaaaeeeellll HHHHoooorrrrttttoooonnnn

5555.... CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt tttthhhheeeeoooollllooooggggyyyy hhhheeeellllppppssss uuuussss kkkkeeeeeeeepppp aaaa bbbbaaaallllaaaannnncccceeee bbbbeeeettttwwwweeeeeeeennnn GGGGoooodddd’’’’ssss
ssssoooovvvveeeerrrreeeeiiiiggggnnnnttttyyyy aaaannnndddd oooouuuurrrr hhhhuuuummmmaaaannnn rrrreeeessssppppoooonnnnssssiiiibbbbiiiilllliiiittttyyyy iiiinnnn lllliiiivvvviiiinnnngggg oooouuuutttt tttthhhheeee
CCCChhhhrrrriiiissssttttiiiiaaaannnn lllliiiiffffeeee::::
Covenant theology heralds God’s grace AND calls us to obedience.

TTTTHHHHEEEE TTTTHHHHRRRREEEEEEEE MMMMAAAAJJJJOOOORRRR CCCCOOOOVVVVEEEENNNNAAAANNNNTTTTSSSS OOOOFFFF SSSSCCCCRRRRIIIIPPPPTTTTUUUURRRREEEE

There are three major overarching covenants in Scripture:
1. The Covenant of RRRReeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiioooonnnn
2. The Covenant of WWWWoooorrrrkkkkssss
3. The Covenant of GGGGrrrraaaacccceeee

1111.... TTTThhhheeee CCCCoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt ooooffff RRRReeeeddddeeeemmmmppppttttiiiioooonnnn
All three of the great events of history (creation, fall and redemption) were
ordained before anything existed through an eeeetttteeeerrrrnnnnaaaallll ddddeeeeccccrrrreeeeeeee of God. This
decree included a gracious election of a people whom God would redeem
from out of the fallen mass of humanity and give to His Son (See John 6:37-
40, 65; John 10:29; John 17:2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 24; Romans 8:28-30; Romans 9:9-
24; Eph 2:4-9; 2 Thess 2:13-14; 2 Tim 2:19; Titus 3:3-7).

Many Reformed theologians hold the view that this eternal decree took the
form of a pre-creation ccccoooovvvveeeennnnaaaannnntttt between the parties of the Trinity.

Berkhof notes the following Biblical evidence for this covenant:

• Eph 1:4 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”
• Eph 3:11 “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in
Christ Jesus our Lord,”
• 2 Thes 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you,
brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning
chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief
in the truth,”
• 2 Tim 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”
• Christ speaks of promises made to Him before His incarnation, and
He constantly spoke about a commission He had received from the
Father (John 5:30, 43; 6:38-40; 17) all of which reflects a covenant
relationship with the Father.
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• Luke 22:29 (“And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father
bestowed one upon Me,”): “bestow” is the same word as “appoint by
covenant”.
• In John 17 Jesus claims a reward from the Father which is distinctly
covenantal language.

In terms of this “Covenant of Redemption”:
• TTTThhhheeee FFFFaaaatttthhhheeeerrrr committed to ccccrrrreeeeaaaatttteeee (Gen 1:1) the human race and then
eeeelllleeeecccctttt (Eph 1:4) from it a people and give them to His Son.
• TTTThhhheeee SSSSoooonnnn committed to enter a hhhhuuuummmmaaaannnn bbbbooooddddyyyy (John 1:14; Heb 10:5) and
rrrreeeeddddeeeeeeeemmmm (Gal 4:4-5) the elect with His own blood.
• TTTThhhheeee HHHHoooollllyyyy SSSSppppiiiirrrriiiitttt committed to rrrreeeeggggeeeennnneeeerrrraaaatttteeee (Titus 3:5), ssssaaaannnnccccttttiiiiffffyyyy (2
Thes 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) and eeeemmmmppppoooowwwweeeerrrr (Acts 1:8; Rom 9:23; Eph 2:10 and
Eph 4:7-16) the elect through working a gift of faith within them.
• We see all three role players wonderfully contained in 1 Peter 1:2.

““““7777 ““““IIII wwwwiiiillllllll ddddeeeeccccllllaaaarrrreeee tttthhhheeee ddddeeeeccccrrrreeeeeeee:::: TTTThhhheeee LLLLOOOORRRRDDDD hhhhaaaassss ssssaaaaiiiidddd ttttoooo MMMMeeee,,,, ‘‘‘‘YYYYoooouuuu aaaarrrreeee MMMMyyyy
SSSSoooonnnn,,,, TTTTooooddddaaaayyyy IIII hhhhaaaavvvveeee bbbbeeeeggggooootttttttteeeennnn YYYYoooouuuu.... 8888 AAAAsssskkkk ooooffff MMMMeeee,,,, aaaannnndddd IIII wwwwiiiillllllll ggggiiiivvvveeee YYYYoooouuuu TTTThhhheeee
nnnnaaaattttiiiioooonnnnssss ffffoooorrrr YYYYoooouuuurrrr iiiinnnnhhhheeeerrrriiiittttaaaannnncccceeee,,,, AAAAnnnndddd tttthhhheeee eeeennnnddddssss ooooffff tttthhhheeee eeeeaaaarrrrtttthhhh ffffoooorrrr YYYYoooouuuurrrr
ppppoooosssssssseeeessssssssiiiioooonnnn.... 9999 YYYYoooouuuu sssshhhhaaaallllllll bbbbrrrreeeeaaaakkkk tttthhhheeeemmmm wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa rrrroooodddd ooooffff iiiirrrroooonnnn;;;; YYYYoooouuuu sssshhhhaaaallllllll ddddaaaasssshhhh
tttthhhheeeemmmm ttttoooo ppppiiiieeeecccceeeessss lllliiiikkkkeeee aaaa ppppooootttttttteeeerrrr’’’’ssss vvvveeeesssssssseeeellll....’’’’””””
- Psalm 2:7-9

“The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon a decree, an eternal
decree, of God the Father. It was not a sudden resolve, it was not the
trial of an experiment, but the result of the counsels of the divine wisdom
and the determinations of the divine will, before all worlds, neither of
which can be altered, that is, the precept or statute (so some read it), the
covenant or compact (so others), the federal transactions between the
Father and the Son concerning man's redemption, represented by the
covenant of royalty made with David and his seed, Ps 89:3. This our Lord
Jesus often referred to as that which, all along in his undertaking, he
governed himself by: “This is the will of him that sent me,” (John 6:40),
“This commandment have I received of my Father,” (John 10:18; 14:31).”
---- MMMMaaaatttttttthhhheeeewwww HHHHeeeennnnrrrryyyy (Commentary on Psalm 2:7-9)

“Most biblical covenants are historical pacts God has made with
creatures. The covenant of redemption, however, is an eternal pact
between the persons of the Trinity. The Father elects a people in the Son
as their mediator to be brought to saving faith through the Spirit. Thus,
this covenant made by the Trinity in eternity already takes the fall of the
human race into account. Chosen out of the condemned mass of
humanity, the elect are no better or no more qualified than the rest. God
has simply chosen according to his own freedom to display both his
justice and his mercy, and the covenant of redemption is the opening act
in this drama of redemption.”
---- MMMMiiiicccchhhhaaaaeeeellll HHHHoooorrrrttttoooonnnn (Introduction to Covenant Theology)

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