COVENANT THEOLOGY
STRUCTURE: Just One Thing INTRODUCTION: Just one thing- Jack Palance, Billy Krystal in City Slickers The meaning of life, summarized in just one thing? What about the Christian faith? Is there just one thing that pulls it all together? Is there anything that makes the Bible fit from Genesis to Revelation? 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Bookends A Garden, Gen. 2:15 A Tree of Life for our parents, Gen. 2:9 Greater and Lesser Lights, Gen. 1:16 Presence of God in cool of evening, Gen. 3:8 Perfect Creation, Gen. 1:31 A City, Rev. 21:2 A Tree of Life for the healing of all nations, Rev. 22:2 The Lord is the Light, Rev. 22:5 Dwelling of God is with men, Rev. 21:3 Perfect re-creation, Rev. 21:1 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Centrality of Christ Gen. 3:15- the seed of the woman to bring about the destruction of Satan Isa. 7:14, the virgin-born “Immanuel” Matt. 1:22,23, the fulfillment, the “Immanuel” born to Mary John 1:14, the Word became flesh, “tabernacled” among us Matt. 26:28, Luke 22:20, the new covenant in my (Jesus’) blood 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: The Covenant Formula Lev. 26:9-13a, “I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians” 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Ancient Near Eastern Treaty Pattern Preamble Historical Prologue Stipulations Blessings, Curses, Ratification Succession This is the pattern found in the Book of Deuteronomy, as noted in the work of Mendenhall and Kline (2d millennium B.C. treaty patterns) 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Adam Gen. 2:15, “the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” Gen. 3:8, “the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” Elements of this covenant Gracious- creation not required; was free act of God Relationship- meet in garden in evening, condescension Responsibilities- covenant fulfillment, tend garden (no great burden) Promises- life (tree of life) Warning- covenant breaking leads to death 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Adam According to Hosea 6:7, this was a covenant Yet, when Adam broke covenant God still sought after him God provided means to make covenant breaker once again become covenant keeper, Gen 3:21 BUT- the principle is established that it is only when the innocent takes the place of the guilty that the covenant can be restored 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Abraham GOD MADE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM: Gen. 17:7 From the individualism of Adam’s children to a family and tribe With Abraham and his seed- everlasting covenant/covenant sign Promise of Seed who would be a blessing to all nations basis of Great Commission Gal. 3:7, all who believe- are children of Abraham Promise of land, an inheritance for his people (Rom. 4:13) heir of world 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Abraham Covenant is established by God: Gen 15:12-21 Covenant is bilateral: involves mutua obligatio Promise (“I will be your God”) Obligation (“you will be my people”) Gen. 17:7, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants” Gen. 17:9, “you must keep my covenant” Gen. 17:14, “any uncircumcised male . . . will be cut off” Gen. 18:19, “I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Moses Deut. 5:2ff, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb” From a tribe to a nation, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” Ex. 19:6 (Cf. I Peter 2:5,9) Moses the mediator of the old covenant He establishes the covenant code (Ex. 20, Deut. 5) He leads redemptive journey from Egypt through baptismal waters of Red Sea to promised land Redemption REMEMBERED IN PASSOVER Israel becomes God's “treasured possession”- his own dear children, Deut. 7:6 Tent of Meeting- dwelling presence of God (God with us) but only through Mediator, Ex. 33:7ff; 40:34-38 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with Moses This covenant was not in opposition to the Abrahamic covenant The law did not set aside the Abrahamic covenant, Gal. 3:17 The Mosaic covenant was one of the “covenants (plural) of promise,” Eph. 2:12 The law is not opposed to the promises of God- and was never intended to be the means by which righteousness comes, Gal. 3:21 The obligation to keep the commandments comes only after the redemptive prologue, Ex. 20:2, Deut. 5:6 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Covenant with David II Sam. 7:11, “the Lord himself will establish a house for you”; 7:14, “I will be his father and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him . . .” Psalm 89:20-29, “I will maintain my love to him forever and my covenant with him will never fail” (vs. 28) From a nation to a Kingdom God promises a kingdom without end God promised to establish a throne in righteousness God promises to bring about this rule by his power God promised to establish a temple through Solomon- a place to meet with his people, II Sam 7:13 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant Jer. 31:31-3, “‘The time is coming’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant Eze. 34:23ff, “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them . . .” Eze. 36:24-28, “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh . . .you will be my people and I will be your God.” 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant From an earthly kingdom to a kingdom of priests, Jer. 33:21,22 God would write his law on the heart All would come to know the Lord None would need to be taught Their sins will be forgiven 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant established by Christ John 1:14, “tabernacled among us” Matthew 1:23, “Immanuel, God with us” Luke 22:20, “the new covenant in my blood” From a Nation to the church catholic Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant He establishes covenant code New commandment, John 13:34 After Transfiguration, Luke 9:30, “his exodus” He leads redemptive journey from sin to promised land REMEMBERED IN LORD'S SUPPER 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant established by Christ Jesus guarantees a better covenant, Heb. 7:22 Jesus has a permanent priesthood, Heb. 7:24 Jesus mediates a better covenant, Heb. 8:6, 9:15 Jesus makes the first covenant obsolete, Heb. 8:13 Jesus enters the perfect tabernacle, Heb. 9:11,24 Jesus offers one perfect sacrifice, Heb. 10:10,14 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Old vs. New Covenant Fulfillment Reality Once-for-all offering of Christ Melchizedekan Priesthood Eternal Christ, the son, as Mediator Anticipation Types and Shadows Blood of bulls and goats Aaronic/Levitical Priesthood Temporary Moses, the servant, as Mediator 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: Continuity? Epochal shifts (from one covenant to next) are organic There are similarities There are differences There is an underlying unity Dispensationalism tends to overemphasize differences Theonomy tends to overemphasize similarities Old Testament teachings and requirements still applicable unless clearly stated otherwise Cf. Col. 2:16,17; Rom. 14:5-8; Heb. 9:10 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
STRUCTURE: New Covenant established by Christ Jesus guarantees a better covenant, Heb. 7:22 Jesus has a permanent priesthood, Heb. 7:24 Jesus mediates a better covenant, Heb. 8:6, 9:15 Jesus makes the first covenant obsolete, Heb. 8:13 Jesus enters the perfect tabernacle, Heb. 9:11,24 Jesus offers one perfect sacrifice, Heb. 10:10,14 8/22/2019 Covenant Theology
COVENANT THEOLOGY