The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Covenants

I attend a women's Community Bible Study. This week the teacher (to my suprise, since the CBS material seems to lean heavily dispensational) brought up the Covenants (Covenant of redemption, covenant of works, and covenant of grace).

She then brought up the new covenant that Jesus instituted during the Lord's Supper.

Here's my understanding of the Covenants: The Covenant of Redemption was made by the Godhead before the foundation of the world. The Covenant of Works was made with Adam and Eve, which they broke. The Covenant of Grace has been in effect ever since.

In the OT, God made several covenants with His people. He made a covenant with Noah, Abraham, and David. There are also covenant renewal ceremonies with all of Israel from time to time.

So here's my question: What did Jesus mean when he said "new covenant"?

I am thinking he meant that he was putting an end to the whole temple blood offering system, since that system no longer needed to foreshadow His substitutionary atonement.

I guess I would be content to live with the concept that the Covenant of Grace began after Adam AND that Jesus instituted a New Covenant.

Any thoughts or directions as to where I can further explore this topic?

I believe Jesus' mention of the new covenant corresponds to the one described by the writer of Hebrews - the end of the Mosaic covenant/Levitical priesthood (an old administration of the covenant of grace), and the commencement of "a better covenant (8:6)" that actually predates Moses, the "order of Melchizakek (6:20)." A new administration of the covenant of grace. Substance replaces the obsolete types and shadows.

-Robin

Cal Gal,

Well, you certainly have asked a VERY controversial question and most likely it will open the old proverbial "can of worms"!

In its most simplistic form, one could perhaps reduce all the views down to four:

1. Dispensationalism
2. New Covenant Theology
3. Credo-baptist
4. Paedobaptist (Reformed)

Yes, there are Reformed Baptists who differ with their evangelical Arminian baptist brethren here and rightly so on many points, but their ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church) is governed by it. So, in case you hadn't known or guessed, this subject of "covenant" entails far more than one's view of how God saves sinners. It also has a very definite influence upon how one defines and regulates the Church.

What I will say on my own behalf is that the "new" of the "new covenant" doesn't mean in contradistinction to the old but rather improved and expanded on the old.

Here are three articles which you may find beneficial in sorting all this out.

1. The Covenant of Grace, by John Murray

2. Jonathan Edwards on the Covenant of Grace, by Carl Bogue

3. The Covenant of Grace, by G.H. Kersten



In His grace,

All good articles! I'd also recommend O. Palmer Robertsons' Christ of the Covenants.

Pilgrim mentioned the issues that Reformed Baptists disagree with Arminian Baptists on.

In case someone is interested in what Reformed Baptists believe about the covenants, I suggest the followings links.

http://www.reformedbaptist.co.uk/Covdiag.htm

http://www.reformedbaptist.co.uk/JOHEBREW86My%20Version.htm

Tom