Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Saturday, August 18, 2007 11:50:21 AM
This article is a reply to WorldlyWiseMan who questions the use of the terms ‘Covenant of Redemption’ and ‘Covenant of Grace’ as not being Biblical terms. Our reply is that the term ‘Trinity’ is not used in the Bible, but it is a descriptive term that encompasses what the Bible teaches about the nature of the living God revealed in 3 persons.
The NT gives many precious promises. Among these are some that give us a glimpse of the eternal plan of the Creator before time began. The modern Christian apologetics against naturalism is usually based on a reading of the first chapters of Genesis as if they meant what they say. We agree with this testimony. What we advocate here is that Biblical Theology is another approach to expose the nonsense of naturalism and to encourage the people of God.
These promises may be viewed as a covenant between the Godhead that is called the Covenant of Redemption, where the Persons of the Trinity agree on a plan to accomplish the salvation of a multitude of people from the fallen race of men. The Father elects a people according to the election of grace according to His good pleasure. The Son agrees to become the sacrificial Lamb to redeem the ones given to Him by His father.
The role of the Spirit is to apply the work of Christ to the elect through the preaching of the gospel. The application of redemption in space and time is called the Covenant of Grace, whereby the people of God are brought to faith and repentance.
Examples of Redemption and Grace Covenant passages:
"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." [John 17:24]
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 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, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.’ [Ephesians 1:3-6]
‘And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.’ [I Peter 1:17-21]
‘All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ [Revelation 13:8]
‘Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 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, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…’ [2 Timothy 1:8-10]
‘Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior…’ [Titus 1:1-3]