The 25-minute Mp4 of this post (it was divided in half for uploading) is Part 1 of a mini-series by Pastor Hines wherein he explains the basics of covenant theology.
Links to parts 2 and 3 of his series are provided for those who want more than this short explanation provides.
At the end of this post, there is a link to Pastor Hines’ Sermon Audio page wherein there are two pages of sermons related to covenant theology: a 19 part series; teaching on infant baptism and covenant theology and more.
THE FOLLOWING ARE HIGHLIGHT POINTS [emboldening, underscoring and bracketed statements are mine]:
- There is no way of making sense of scripture except via organizing it via covenants
- The covenant of works and the covenant of grace
- Not Old Testament and New Testament
- Covenant of works and covenant of grace go side by side throughout the Bible
- Today, the emphasis is on unity of the ONE covenant of grace which is clearly laid out in scripture
- The first covenant, of works, required obedience by which Adam could earn life
- Why do I say there is only one covenant of grace when the Bible records covenants God made with Abraham, Noah, David and the New Covenant in Christ’s blood?
- There has been only one way of salvation since the fall of man into sin
- No one has ever been saved by anything other than the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ
- Old Testament saints looked forward to His atoning work and New Testaments saints look to Christ’s accomplished work
- This one covenant of grace has been administered differently throughout time
- Genesis 3:15 is a promise of Christ crushing the head of the serpent and bruising His heel
- Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
- Gen 3:15 is a reference to a future descendant of the woman that would destroy the works of the devil and bring salvation to God’s people
- It is called the PROTO-EVANGELIUM by theologians, the first promise of the gospel
- The covenant God made with Adam in the Garden of Eden was a covenant of works; life was promised to Adam and his posterity on the condition of perfect and personal obedience
- That covenant is still in effect now, that is why we need Christ
- That is why the idea of sin is such a big matter; the covenant of works was violated by sin; it was broken by Adam; he could thereafter NOT earn the righteousness necessary for life
- Adam did not need God’s grace before he fell by sinning [as some preachers say]
- God would give man His Spirit to enable him to believe in the covenant of grace [which was the only way Adam and his posterity could thereafter be saved]
- The covenant of grace is frequently set forth in scripture by name of ‘testament’ in reference to the death of Jesus Christ, the Testator, with all things belonging to it then bequeathed
- The covenant of grace was administered differently in the Old Testament: by promises to Abraham; prophecies; sacrifices; the Passover lamb; circumcision and other ordinances that SIGNIFIED Christ to come
- Such things were sufficient and efficacious through the operation of the Holy Spirit, to instruct and to build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah
- There was NOT a time in history when people were saved by keeping the 10 commandments, the law, because that was impossible [so says Paul in Romans and Galatians, for example: Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.]
- That is why we have to rely upon Christ’s keeping of the law and His righteous life
- Since the time that Adam sinned, no one could thereafter earn life by keeping the law of God
- The New Covenant in Christ’s blood is dispensed by preaching of the word and administering of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper
- The ordinances of the New Testament have less external glory, are simpler, but have more fullness, as they are spiritually effective for all nations, both Jews and Gentiles
- Again, there are not two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and same covenant under various dispensations
- So, the OT scripture and the promises of God to Abraham, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the New Covenant are all part of the covenant of grace
- The way that sinners were / are justified before God never changes in any of these covenants
- There was an unfolding of more information about the gospel, but it was not a different gospel
- One very common error Christians make is to say, Old Testament was under law and the New Testament is of grace
- In Paul’s argument in Romans 4, he begins to talk of New Testament justification by talking of how Abraham was justified, by believing God’s words – faith
- Paul also mentions David:
- Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
- Romans 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works [Paul quoted from Psalm 32]
- Abraham was justified by faith before God gave the law through Moses; David was justified by faith after God gave the law through Moses
PART A:
PART B Points and MP4:
- For us also: Romans 4:23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
- Paul is herein teaching covenant theology, because the New covenant is identical: same mediator, same requirements – faith alone in Christ.
- The covenants have same benefits: justification, sanctification and eternal life
- Pastor Hines made some comments about old school dispensationalism for several moments
- Two errors noted: old school dispensationalism taught that God could save men via their law keeping and works in one dispensation and by grace alone without works in another dispensation
- That is unbiblical
- Another error: God has one distinct plan of salvation for the Jews and another for the church
- The Bible teaches that God’s people are unified in having one way of salvation in all ages
- No human being is going to heaven except by repenting and believing the gospel by faith
- God is going to call a future generation of Jewish people enmasse, to Christ, when that happens, it will signal the end: Romans 11:15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
- Romans 11:24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
- 5 POINTS COVERED IN THE BALANCE OF THIS SERIES [2 more parts linked below]:
- Once the covenant of grace had come to expression in the spiritual promises of the Abrahamic covenant, it became salvifically distinctive for all ages to come; that is why Paul explicated the doctrine of Justification in terms of the Abrahamic covenant:
- Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” [faith]
- Paul only refers to the New Covenant in 2 Cor 3; and 1 Cor 10 and 11
- The Exodus from Egypt is the Old Testament TYPE, par excellence, of biblical redemption, by divine arrangement. It exhibited the same great salvific principles which govern Christ’s work of atonement, both in its accomplished and applied aspects in the New Testament; thereby teaching the elect in Israel about salvation by grace through faith in the atoning work of the Messiah’s mediation
- Moses and prophets prophesied about the events of the New Testament age including the death and resurrection of Christ
- The church of Jesus Christ is the present day expression of the one people of God whose roots go back to Abraham
- The requisite condition for salvation is identical in both the Old and New Testaments: the elect were saved, are saved and will be saved only by grace through faith in the anticipated (OT) or the accomplished (NT) work of the Messiah
The following two links are to part 2 and part 3 of Pastor Hines mini-series on covenant theology:
Part 2:
Herman Witsius on Works and Covenant Theology – Gen 2:16, 17; Gen 15
Part 2 link: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=51421194410638
Part 3:
The Genesis 2 Covenant Explained Gen 2:16, 17; Romans 5: 17-19
Link: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=113211924374730
The following link is to Patrick Hines Sermon Audio sermons, all the sermons on two pages are about covenant theology and related topics: