God of Promise

1. Covenant Theology: The Bible's Unifying Framework

The covenant is the framework, but it is far from a central dogma.

Beyond TULIP. While many associate Reformed theology with the "Five Points of Calvinism" (TULIP), its true essence lies in covenant theology. This framework isn't an external imposition but an architectonic structure that Scripture itself yields, providing a matrix of beams and pillars that hold together biblical faith and practice. It helps relate diverse biblical teachings to concrete covenants, offering a richer, deeper, and all-embracing faith.

Unifying Scripture. Covenant theology unifies what often appears divided or confused in modern thought, such as the relationship between God and creation, the individual and community, or body and soul. It demonstrates how Scripture is internally consistent, providing a framework to resolve complex questions and preventing us from imposing our own assumptions on the text. This approach reveals the unity of Scripture amidst its remarkable variety, from Genesis to Revelation.

Practical benefits. This covenantal lens clarifies the relationship between doctrine and life, justification and sanctification, and divine and human agency. It shows how God's sovereignty and human responsibility coexist within a covenantal context, where God condescends to bind himself to his creation. It also helps read the Old and New Testaments together, recognizing both continuities (one covenant of grace) and discontinuities (different covenant types), and integrates Word and sacrament as inseparable elements of covenant renewal.

2. God's "Foreign Relations": Covenants in Ancient Context

The names given to the two parts of the Bible in Christian tradition rest on the religious conception that the relationship between God and man is established by a covenant.

Ancient treaties as template. God chose the international treaty, specifically the suzerain-vassal treaty common in the ancient Near East, as a template for his relationship with creatures. This was notable because it established justice and security in a chaotic world and provided a suitable context for God's relationship with Israel. These treaties were not just legal contracts but involved deep affections, with the great king often seen as a father adopting liberated captives.

Key treaty elements. Ancient treaties, like those of the Hittites, included:

• Preamble: Identifying the great king.
• Historical Prologue: Justifying the treaty by recounting the suzerain's benevolent acts.
• Stipulations: Terms of the treaty, requiring loyalty and tribute from the vassal.
• Sanctions: Blessings for obedience, curses for transgression (e.g., eviction, exile).
• Witnesses: Deities, mountains, and rivers called to testify.
• Deposit & Public Reading: Tablets placed in temples, read periodically.
• Ceremonies: Rituals like passing between slaughtered animals, symbolizing the fate of covenant-breakers.

God as the acting Suzerain. What distinguishes biblical covenants is that Yahweh is the acting Suzerain, not merely a witness. This anchors Israel's religion in historical events, fostering trust in a personal God who binds himself to them. This bond provided security and a worldview that engendered history (promise and fulfillment) rather than a mythological cycle of nature, giving rise to confidence in God's faithfulness despite their sin.

3. Two Covenants, Two Mothers: Law vs. Promise

Paul speaks forcefully in Galatians 4 of two covenants, two mountains, and two mothers.

Paul's allegory. Paul, in Galatians 4, distinguishes between two covenantal arrangements: a covenant of law (Mount Sinai, Hagar the slave, earthly Jerusalem) and a covenant of promise (Abraham, Sarah the free woman, heavenly Jerusalem). He argues that confusing these two principles—personal performance (law) versus inheritance by grace (promise)—was at the heart of the Galatian heresy.

Sinai: A conditional covenant. The Sinai covenant, exemplified by Exodus 20 and Joshua 24, bears the marks of a suzerainty treaty. It was an oath sworn by the Israelites to keep God's law, with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, particularly concerning their tenure in the land. This covenant emphasized personal obligation and required absolute, perfect obedience, serving as a "schoolmaster" to reveal humanity's inability to keep the law.

Abraham: An unconditional covenant. In contrast, the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 15) is a royal grant, a unilateral promise from God. God alone walked between the severed animal halves, assuming all responsibility and curses for its breach. This covenant binds only God, promising a seed through whom all nations would be blessed, and circumcision served as a sign and seal of this already-granted inheritance, not a condition for earning it. This distinction is crucial for understanding salvation by grace alone.

4. The New Covenant: Fulfillment, Not Renewal

God’s words, “They broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” Jeremiah—who had experienced Josiah’s reforms and the hopes of a revival—“dismisses the old order laconically but finally.”

Jeremiah's prophecy. Jeremiah 31 famously announces a "new covenant" that "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." This new covenant promises inward circumcision, the law written on hearts, and forgiveness of sins, all initiated by Yahweh's grace. It's a fundamentally different covenant, not merely a renewal of the conditional Sinai pact.

Obsolete, not annulled. The New Testament, particularly Hebrews, affirms that the old covenant (largely identified with Sinai) is "obsolete" and "aging will soon disappear" (Heb. 8:13). It served a temporary function, providing types and shadows that pointed to Christ. The Abrahamic covenant, however, remains in force, as God's promise to Abraham was confirmed by an oath and cannot be annulled by the later Mosaic law.

Christ as the fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the unilateral promises of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, and the typological fulfillment of the bilateral conditions of Sinai. He is the true seed of Abraham and the faithful Israelite who perfectly obeyed the law in our place. The new covenant, inaugurated by his sacrifice, looks back through Jeremiah to David and Abraham, centering identity and inheritance around Christ, not Sinai.

5. Three Overarching Covenants: Redemption, Creation, Grace

A broad consensus emerged in this Reformed (federal) theology with respect to the existence in Scripture of three distinct covenants: the covenant of redemption (pactum salutis), the covenant of creation (foederus naturae), and the covenant of grace (foederus gratiae).

Federal theology's framework. Reformed theology organizes all biblical covenants under three overarching arrangements:

• Covenant of Redemption (Pactum Salutis): An eternal, inter-Trinitarian pact where the Father elects a people in the Son as mediator, to be brought to faith by the Spirit. It underscores God's sovereignty, Trinitarian love, and Christ-centered purpose, countering speculative approaches to predestination.
• Covenant of Creation (Foederus Naturae/Works): Made with Adam in his integrity, promising life upon perfect obedience and death upon transgression. It's foundational for understanding humanity's original state, the nature of sin, and Christ's active obedience.
• Covenant of Grace (Foederus Gratiae): Established after the Fall, offering life and salvation freely through Christ, requiring faith, and promising the Spirit to enable belief. It's grounded in the Covenant of Redemption and Christ's fulfillment of the Covenant of Works.

Interconnectedness. These covenants are not chronological stages but interconnected aspects of God's plan. The Covenant of Redemption is the eternal basis for the Covenant of Grace, which then addresses the breach of the Covenant of Creation. This framework highlights that salvation is entirely God's work, from eternity to its historical unfolding, and is always by grace through Christ's meritorious obedience.

Beyond speculation. While some debate the explicit biblical terminology for the "Covenant of Redemption" or "Covenant of Creation," the underlying realities—God's eternal decree, Adam's original probation, and salvation by grace—are clearly revealed in Scripture. These doctrines provide a robust theological system that safeguards sola gratia (grace alone) and solus Christus (Christ alone) by showing how God's justice and mercy are perfectly reconciled in Christ.

6. The Covenant of Creation (Works): Humanity's Original Mandate

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.

Adam's probation. This covenant, also called the covenant of works or nature, was made with Adam in his state of integrity before the Fall. He was created righteous and capable of perfect obedience, with eternal life (eating from the Tree of Life, entering God's Sabbath rest) promised as a reward for loyalty, and death threatened for transgression. This was not a covenant of grace, as Adam was not in a state of sin, but one of divine goodness and justice.

Biblical and theological grounding. The concept is rooted in:

• Genesis 1-3: Implicit elements of a covenant (historical prologue, stipulations, sanctions).
• Hosea 6:7: "Like 'adam, they have broken the covenant."
• Romans 5: Paul's analogy of Adam and Christ as federal heads, imputing sin and righteousness.
• Christ's active obedience: Jesus fulfilled the covenant of works representatively, "earning eternal life" for his people.

Law as natural. The law in this covenant was not an external, arbitrary code but a reflection of God's own moral character, inscribed on Adam's nature. To obey was to love God. Adam's failure brought a common curse upon all creation, necessitating a new basis for human destiny. This covenant explains the origin of sin, the need for Christ's perfect obedience, and the universal awareness of God's moral demands (conscience).

7. Common Grace: God's Sustaining Hand on All Creation

This is a unilateral oath that does not depend on what humans do, but it is not redemptive.

Noahic Covenant: A non-redemptive promise. After the Fall, God established the Noahic covenant, a unilateral oath to uphold the natural processes of creation (seedtime, harvest, seasons) despite human depravity. This covenant, symbolized by the rainbow, is a "peace treaty" with all creation, ensuring its preservation but not promising redemption from sin and death. It's a clear example of God's common grace.

Mark of Cain & two cities. Even after Cain's murder of Abel, God "marked" him, granting safe conduct and allowing him to build a city. This illustrates God's restraint of wrath and preservation of human society (the City of Man) even among those hostile to Him. Simultaneously, Adam and Eve's family also began to "call on the name of the Lord" (the City of God), showing the emergence of two distinct communities.

Avoiding extremes. A biblical doctrine of common grace helps avoid:

• Religious fundamentalism: Which sees the world as simply divided into blessed believers and cursed unbelievers, ignoring God's common blessings on all.
• Religious liberalism: Which sees all humanity as one blessed community, ignoring sin and divine judgment.

Common grace acknowledges that believers and unbelievers share in both the common curse (pain, death) and common blessings (life, pleasure, cultural endeavors) in this present age. It distinguishes God's general care from his saving grace, affirming that cultural activity, while not redemptive, is still a gift from God to be cultivated.

8. One People, One Plan: Israel and the Church

The church does not replace Israel.

Fruition, not replacement. Covenant theology challenges both "replacement theology" (supercessionism) and the "two peoples" theology. Instead of the church replacing Israel, it views the church as the fruition of Israel. Paul in Romans 9-11 explains that God has not failed in his promises to Israel, but has temporarily blinded some so that Gentiles may be incorporated into the covenant of grace.

Continuity within discontinuity. The distinction is not between Old and New Testaments as two different ways of salvation, but between two types of covenants within both testaments:

• National Covenant (Sinai): Conditional, for Israel's tenure in the earthly land.
• Gracious Covenant (Abrahamic/Davidic): Unconditional, for eternal inheritance in Christ.

No Israelite was ever justified by works; salvation was always by faith in the promise. The nation's status in the land, however, depended on obedience to the law.

Grafted into the vine. Gentile believers are not a separate people but are "grafted onto the holy vine of Israel." God's plan includes a future large-scale conversion of the Jewish people. The old covenant (Sinai) is obsolete, having fulfilled its typological function, but the Abrahamic promise continues, widening to include both Jews and Gentiles as true children of Abraham through Christ.

9. Signs and Seals: Sacraments as Covenant Ratification

Every time we witness a baptism or receive Communion, God is shaking hands on the deal he has made with us.

Covenant ceremonies. Just as ancient treaties were "cut" and ratified with solemn ceremonies (e.g., passing between animal halves), biblical covenants are confirmed by "signs and seals." These rituals are inextricable from the covenant itself, serving as visible confirmations of God's verbal promises. They are not mere symbols but active means by which God ratifies his pledge to us.

Circumcision and Baptism.

• Circumcision: The literal "cutting" of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17), signifying a passing through divine judgment to belong to God's people. It was a "partial and symbolic cutting off" anticipating Christ's "circumcision in crucifixion" (Col. 2:11).
• Baptism: The new covenant sacrament, a "new exodus" (1 Cor. 10:2), an "eschatological ordeal" (John's baptism) that unites believers to Christ's death and resurrection. It's a sign and seal of justification and new life, cleansing the conscience and signifying union with Christ.

Passover and Lord's Supper.

• Passover: A covenant meal where Israelites invoked God's name for salvation, remembering their redemption from Egypt and anticipating future deliverance.
• Lord's Supper: A "participation (koinonia) in the body and blood of Christ" (1 Cor. 10:16), uniting believers into one body. It's a covenant meal that ratifies God's pledge and our pledge to Him and each other, transcending social divisions and proclaiming Christ's death until He comes.

Avoiding errors. A covenantal view avoids both:

• Sacerdotalism: Where the sign is collapsed into the signified (e.g., baptism is regeneration, elements become Christ's body/blood).
• Memorialism: Where the sign is separated from the signified (sacraments are only symbolic, mere badges of profession).

Instead, sacraments are God's powerful acts, by the Spirit, to communicate and confirm the reality of Christ and the new creation to believers, strengthening their faith.

10. New Covenant Obedience: The Spirit's Fruit, Not Our Merit

His response is not like that of a law covenant. In other words, he does not say, “If you do continue in sin, you will suffer the consequences (loss of rewards or even loss of salvation).” Rather, his reply is that it is impossible for those who have been baptized into Christ’s death to remain in the tomb; they have been brought forth by the Spirit into new life.

Gospel's liberating power. Paul's resounding "No!" to continuing in sin (Romans 6:1) is not a threat of legal consequences but an affirmation of the gospel's transformative power. Those united to Christ in his death are raised to new life by the Spirit, making it impossible for them to remain enslaved to sin. This new obedience is a fruit of the Spirit, not a condition for earning salvation.

Conditions in a promise covenant. While the covenant of grace is unconditional in its basis (God's unilateral oath), its administration involves conditions like repentance, faith, and perseverance. However, these are not conditions we earn but gifts God gives and works within us (Jeremiah 31). God pledges to replace stony hearts with hearts of flesh and write His law on them, ensuring that all who are justified will also be sanctified and glorified.

Holiness as a mark. Holiness, defined by love for God and neighbor, is an indispensable condition for glorification (Heb. 12:14). It's not to be confused with justification (imputed righteousness) but is inseparable from it. Those who are justified will enter heaven with new hearts that delight in God's law, demonstrating that true faith always produces good works, even if imperfectly.

11. The Law's Enduring Role: Guide, Not Giver of Life

The law commands, but only God can save.

Distinguishing "law" and "covenant of law." The "law" (God's commands) is distinct from a "covenant of law" (a conditional arrangement for salvation). While the Sinai covenant is obsolete, the moral law (summarized in the Ten Commandments) remains in force for New Testament believers. It's inscribed on our consciences and intensified by Jesus's teaching, emphasizing internal motives and dispositions.

Three uses of the moral law:

• Civil use (curb): Restrains criminal behavior in society (Rom. 13:1-7).
• Pedagogical use (mirror): Reveals our sin and drives us to Christ (Rom. 7:7-13).
• Normative use (guide): Guides believers in grateful obedience, charting a course for Christian living (Rom. 12:1-2).

Law's limitations. Even in its normative use, the law cannot give life or power for sanctification. Its office is to command, not to animate or motivate. The power for new obedience comes solely from the gospel—the good news of what God has done in Christ and continues to do by His Spirit. We are saved by Christ's works, and our obedience is a response to His mercies, not a means to earn them.

Gospel as the power. The Christian life is a continuous process of being filled with gratitude by God's precious promises, which alone empower us to follow the law's course. We are not justified by grace only to be sanctified by law. The law provides guidance, but apart from Christ and the gospel, it leads only to despair or self-righteousness. The gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16), from beginning to end.

Last updated: December 1, 2025