Covenant Theology Overview by Pastor Patrick Hines [Salvation and Eschatology, Part 8, Conclusion]

The video in this post is from the YouTube site, Christian Sermons and Audio Books; all Christians should subscribe to this site, it has sermons and audio books from major figures in the church such as Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon…and biblical preachers of today.

The current church is in chaos and finding sound biblical instruction is difficult….

The 22-minute video in this post addresses the following:

• The unity of the covenants of the Bible, Old and New Testaments
• Why faith is the only way of salvation
• Why works, obedience to the law, cannot save anyone
• Why the doctrines of old-school Dispensationalism, which ascribe to God, two different ways of salvation in the Bible, are erroneous

Sermon highlight points [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:

• The Bible is divided by the covenant of works and the covenants of grace
• These run side-by-side throughout the Bible
• Herein is emphasized the UNITY of the one covenant of grace from the fall till the end of time
• God condescended to give Adam a covenant of works (He did not do it by grace as sin had not yet entered into His creation and there was no need at that time for grace)
• Adam was required to work; his work was obeying God’s covenant stipulation such that he might earn eternal life
• Adam failed to keep that covenant and it ended in Genesis 3
• Gen 3:15, Pastor Hines explains how that was the first appearance of the gospel and the beginning of God’s grace for salvation from sin
• People often ask Pastor Hines why he says there is one covenant of grace when the Bible talks of numerous covenants: Noah; Abraham; Moses; David and the New covenant
• In Gen 3:15, the ANTICIPATED basis of grace was the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; as after Christ’s atoning work, New Testament believers look back to His work for the grace needed for salvation
• The one covenant of grace was administered differently through time, as God revealed more and more about it
• In Gen 3:15, can be seen God’s intention to cull out a people for Himself via the SEED of the woman, Christ [Paul explains that in Galatians 3 very clearly]
• [Pastor uses several verses from the Westminster Confession of Faith to succinctly explain numerous points: The WCF is a document of the Protestant church, formulated by a panel of theologians after the Protestant Reformation, see link below video for a post that introduces that document. The intention of the divines who wrote the document was to explain all the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures; to identify these, clarify and explain them….]
• WCF chapter 7:2. 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.
• [Williamson, G.I.. The Westminster Confession of Faith: for Study Classes (p. 83). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition. All subsequent verses from the WCF are from this work]
• That covenant is still in effect NOW
• That is why we need a Savior
• That is why SIN is such a big deal
• Violating any commandment, even one, ended the possibility of obtaining eternal life through works
• Adam broke this covenant of works that God condescended to give him (again, God did not give Adam the covenant out of grace, as at the time God gave the covenant, sin had not yet entered into His creation)
• 7:3. Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.
• 7:4. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in the Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.
• 7:5. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel; under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.
• The gospel was therefore, revealed in the Old Testament
• Therefore, there was not a time in human history wherein people were saved by keeping the 10 commandments
• Again, when Adam sinned, the way of works salvation was closed forever
• That is to say, that the WAY by which the Old Testament promises were administered through promises… [see underscored above] was by grace, the same covenant of grace that is now in effect
• 7:6. Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles, and is called the New Testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.
• The ONE WAY by which sinners have been justified / made righteous has been the same from the fall till now
• The apostle Paul makes the above very clear in Romans 4 and Galatians 3
• Pastor Hines read some verses from Romans 4 that explained that Abraham was justified / made righteous by believing God’s promises / word. [See Genesis 15:6]
• Then he explained how David was made righteous the same way, via Psalm 32; and that occurred after the covenant with Moses when the law was given to Israel
• That same way: imputation of Christ’s perfect righteousness via FAITH
• WHY DISPENSATIONALISM IS UNBIBLICAL
• The old-school dispensationalists believed there were 7 economies / dispensations wherein God interacted differently with man in order to save him from God’s wrath against sin
• They believed that God saved people via the law in the Old Testament and by grace afterwards
• [I remember believing the same thing before I became a Christian, that stuff is part of our cultural heritage, in the air we breathe in this society. It is because of the dispensationalists Bible schools… Pastor Hines said in another message]
• Romans 4 and Galatians 3, again, explode their erroneous doctrines
• They believed that God had a different plan of salvation for the Jews and for the church
• Again, God began culling out a people for Himself after the Fall
• He spoke several moments on dispensationalists ideas about the end times
• He closed with 5 points he wants to cover in his series about covenant theology:
• One: the salvific promises given to Abraham are definitive for all ages to come
• That is why Paul explained the doctrine of justification in terms of the Abrahamic covenant in Romans 4
• Two: the Exodus from Egypt is the Old Testament TYPE, par excellence, of biblical redemption by divine arrangement, exhibited the same great salvific principles …of Christ’s work of atonement …thereby teaching the elect in Israel about salvation by grace through FAITH in the atoning work of the Messiah’s mediation
• The gospel is everywhere in the book of Exodus
• Three: Moses and the prophets prophesied of the events of the NT age, including the death and resurrection of Christ
• Four: The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the present day expression of the ONE people of God whose roots go back to Abraham [again, see Romans 4 and Gal. 3]
• Five: The requisite condition for salvation is identical in both the Old and New Testaments: the elect were, are and will be saved ONLY by grace through Faith in the anticipated or accomplished work of the Messiah, from the fall until the end of time

The following link is to a post in this blog that introduces the Westminster Confession of Faith:

https://sheeplywolves.com/what-is-the-westminster-confession-of-faith/

The following link is to a recent post on Faith by Pastor Ramsey; it enables more complete understanding of the concepts in this post:

https://sheeplywolves.com/by-faith-galatians-215-21-pastor-patrick-ramsey/

The following link is to Part One of the 7 part series, of which this is part 7, on Salvation and Eschatology. Part two is linked at the very bottom of part one; each subsequent part should be similarly linked:

https://sheeplywolves.com/dispensationalism-history-and-theology-by-pastor-patrick-hines/