Covenant of grace

[Carbon]

The covenant of grace is absolute, and not conditional to us.
For being made with Christ, as representative of His seed, all the conditions of it were laid upon Him, and fulfilled by Him.

Wherefore, all that remains of it to be accomplished, is, the fulfilling of the promises unto Him and His spiritual seed; even as it would have been in the case of the first covenant, if once Adam had fulfilled the condition thereof.

Believers are justified immediately, by the righteousness of Christ, without any righteousness of their own intervening; even as all men are condemned, upon Adam's sin, before they have done any good or evil in their own persons: 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. Romans 5.
And thus believers are righteous before God with the self same righteousness which was wrought by Jesus Christ, in His fulfilling the covenant. The which righteousness is not imputed to them in it's effects only; so as their faith, repentance, and sincere obedience, are therefore accepted as their evangelical righteousness, on which they are justified; but it is imputed to them in itself, even as Adam's sin was.

Boston.

 

[Carbon]

According to scripture, the elect’s believing, repenting and obedience, do belong to the promissory part of the covenant.
They are benefits promised in the covenant by God unto Christ the Surety as a reward for fulfilling the covenant. According to God’s justice they are beyond all possibility of failure.
Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power;.....Psalm 110:3.

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. John 6.

 

[Carbon]

Our part in this is only to take hold of God’s covenant made already, which is offered and exhibited to us in the gospel.

We fulfill no part of the condition of the covenant. So your free will will do you no good unless you can use it to live a perfect life but that wouldn’t work either because of original sin.

Faith and obedience are benefits promised in the covenant, upon the condition of it as has already been explained. And in virtue of the promise of the covenant, they are produced in the elect.

 

[Carbon]

How can you be sure you are one of the elect?
“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose heart is My law; Isaiah 51:7.

the elect acknowledge Christ’ righteousness as their only righteousness in the sight of God.

The elect have the Law of God written in their hearts, and this law rules from within them.

those of you who believe their free will got them there or is going to get them there are greatly mistaken.

The Law required holiness of nature as a condition for life. So do you believe you can will yourself holy and fulfill the requirement of the Law?

Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am pure from my sin”?Pro 20:9.

what keeps the unconverted elect from dying in their sins or stops them from running away from God? And what preserves them in grace? The promises of the covenant.


“Truly is not my house so with God?
For He has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Ordered in all things, and secured;
For all my salvation and all my desire,
Will He not indeed make it grow?
2 Sam 23.

 

[Carbon]

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances Eze 36:27.
Even though the elect in the natural state are not capable of believing, nor do they have a real interest, yet, Jesus knows them that are His.
Jesus having the administration the covenant in His hand, does not fail in accomplishing them. Though they are dead in their sins and can do nothing for themselves, He does not neglect His own cause but will see them accomplished.

Thomas Boston

 

[Eleanor]

The covenant of grace is absolute, and not conditional to us.
For being made with Christ, as representative of His seed, all the conditions of it were laid upon Him, and fulfilled by Him.

Wherefore, all that remains of it to be accomplished, is, the fulfilling of the promises unto Him and His spiritual seed; even as it would have been in the case of the first covenant, if once Adam had fulfilled the condition thereof.

I'm not getting this Adamic covenant thing.

The proto-evangel was not a covenant with Adam, it was a promise to Satan.
The covenant with the head of the human race was the Noahic covenant (Ge 6:18, 9:8-17).

Believers are justified immediately, by the righteousness of Christ, without any righteousness of their own intervening; even as all men are condemned, upon Adam's sin, before they have done any good or evil in their own persons: 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. Romans 5.
And thus believers are righteous before God with the self same righteousness which was wrought by Jesus Christ, in His fulfilling the covenant. The which righteousness is not imputed to them in it's effects only; so as their faith, repentance, and sincere obedience, are therefore accepted as their evangelical righteousness, on which they are justified; but it is imputed to them in itself, even as Adam's sin was.

Boston.

 

[Carbon]

I'm not getting this Adamic covenant thing.

The proto-evangel was not a covenant with Adam, it was a promise to Satan.
The covenant with the head of the human race was the Noahic covenant (Ge 6:18, 9:8-17).

The Adamic covenant is basically, after the fall man was still responsible to God. He was not left to himself as the ultimate authority. Although some parts of the first covenant which was broke carried over, like marriage and man's obligation to labor and have dominion over the earth and to worship God and to observe the Sabbath of course.
But the basis of man's relationship to God changed. In the first covenant, man was before God on the basis of his obedience. Once man destroyed that at the fall, it was obvious that he could never relate to God on that basis again in light of the fall upon the whole man. The fall did not render man partially impotent, but totally powerless in the spiritual realm.

At this point, God who was not obligated by any means to give man His promise of grace. But He did, He give the promise of the coming Redeemer:
To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to[a] your husband,
but he shall rule over you.” Gen 3:15.

God would have been fully justified in banishing man from His presence for eternity. But the outworking of God's grace (the COG) begins with the gracious promise of the coming Saviour.

Also, this covenant of grace was sovereignly administered, man was in no position to want, to argue or even seek to set terms with God. Man was in no position to negotiate. Man was already dead spiritually and dying physically. Only by the grace of God could he be rescued.

Genesis 3.

 

[Carbon]

The Covenant of grace is being worked out on earth in history through subordinate covenants - in the new covenant.
Which fulfills God's work of grace to man.

Which include the following.

Covenant of works
Adamic Covenant
Noahic Covenant
The Abrahamic covenant
The Mosaic covenant
the Davidic covenant The Covenant of grace.

 

[Eleanor]

The Adamic covenant is basically, after the fall man was still responsible to God. He was not left to himself as the ultimate authority. Although some parts of the first covenant which was broke carried over, like marriage and man's obligation to labor and have dominion over the earth and to worship God and to observe the Sabbath of course.

Got any ideas on how Adam knew to observe the Sabbath, when it wasn't instituted for man until Ex 16:23, and was not a covenant obligation until Sinai (Ne 9:13-14)?

But the basis of man's relationship to God changed. In the first covenant, man was before God on the basis of his obedience.

Yes, on the basis of the righteousness in which he was created and which was lost by disobedience.

Once man destroyed that at the fall, it was obvious that he could never relate to God on that basis again in light of the fall upon the whole man. The fall did not render man partially impotent, but totally powerless in the spiritual realm.

Indeed, the fall caused spiritual death--"Dying (spiritually), you shall die (physically)." Ge 2:17--the loss of God's divine eternal life within the immortal human spirit, which was spiritual death, rendering him totally spiritually powerless, as physical death renders totally physically powerless.

At this point, God who was not obligated by any means to give man His promise of grace. But He did, He give the promise of the coming Redeemer:
To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to[a] your husband,
but he shall rule over you.” Gen 3:15.

Every translation of that that I've read states: "Your desire shall be to your husband."

,God would have been fully justified in banishing man from His presence for eternity. But the outworking of God's grace (the COG) begins with the gracious promise of the coming Saviour.

Okay, it seems "covenant "is being loosely used for "law" (command) and "dispensation" (method of administering a program/stewardship), "outworking of God's grace".
This use of "covenant" does not track Biblically, but at least I know what the confusion is.

That helps a lot.

Also, this covenant of grace was sovereignly administered, man was in no position to want, to argue or even seek to set terms with God. Man was in no position to negotiate. Man was already dead spiritually and dying physically. Only by the grace of God could he be rescued.

Genesis 3.

 

[Carbon]

Got any ideas on how Adam knew to observe the Sabbath, when it wasn't instituted for man until Ex 16:23, and was not a covenant obligation until Sinai (Ne 9:13-14)?

I was saying man was still obligated to observe the Sabbath. I suppose I could have mentioned when it was instituted.

 

[Eleanor]

The Covenant of grace is being worked out on earth in history through subordinate covenants - in the new covenant.
Which fulfills God's work of grace to man.

Which include the following.

Covenant of works
Adamic Covenant
Noahic Covenant
The Abrahamic covenant
The Mosaic covenant
the Davidic covenant The Covenant of grace.

"Subordinent covenants" would be covenants of a dispensation.

 

[Ladodgers6]

I'm not getting this Adamic covenant thing.

The proto-evangel was not a covenant with Adam, it was a promise to Satan.
The covenant with the head of the human race was the Noahic covenant (Ge 6:18, 9:8-17).

The Covenant of Works in Eden was breached by One Man's Act of Disobedience and rendered sanctions upon himself and his progeny. But God made a Covenant of Grace with the Second Adam (Christ), to redeem God's people from their sins.

Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This is known as the protoevangelium—the first gospel. The verse introduces two elements previously unknown in the Garden of Eden, elements that are the basis of Christianity—the curse on mankind because of Adam’s sin and God’s provision for a Savior from sin who would take the curse upon Himself.

Reformed Christians speak of Scripture as the unfolding drama of God's covenant of grace. We do this because the apostle Paul speaks of the Israelites, saying, "To them belong … the covenants" (Rom. 9:5). The Bible is a covenantal story, and one that Paul, again, describes as "the covenants of promise" (Eph. 2:12).

The essence of the covenant of grace is the same throughout the Old and New Testaments—God saves sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But its historical administration has varied by time and place. For example, the covenant of grace widened from the Old Testament to the New Testament, as it was administered first with small families (e.g., the families of Noah and Abram), then with the nation of Israel, but now with the church, which is made up of people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). Also, it was administered in the Old Testament through what the New Testament authors describe as "types" and "shadows" (Heb. 8:5; 10:1), such as sacrifices, the priesthood, and the temple, all of which pointed to their reality, Jesus Christ (e.g., Col. 2:17).

The Reformed creeds and confessions express the continuity of God's covenant of grace despite its many historical variations. For instance, the Heidelberg Catechism says: "… God himself first revealed [it] in Paradise, [and] afterwards [it was] proclaimed by the holy Patriarchs and Prophets, and foreshadowed by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law, and finally fulfilled in his well-beloved Son" (Q&A 19). This means the Bible is one story of the gospel, which God has spoken "in many times and in many ways" (Heb. 1:1), whether in Paradise to Adam; during the days of the patriarchs, such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses; through the ministry of the prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Joel; or through the ceremonies of the Levitical sacrifices. All of this came to fruition in Jesus Christ.

Likewise, while recognizing the variations in the administration of the covenant of grace between the Old and New Testaments, the Westminster Confession of Faith affirms the continuity of the covenant in the promise of Christ and His fulfillment of it:
​

This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.​

Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations. (7.5-6)​

When our Lord Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and was raised from the grave, the covenant of grace reached its zenith in what the Bible calls "the new covenant" (Jer. 31:31; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24). Under the covenant of grace, Christ accomplished what Adam failed to do in the covenant of works, so we receive grace:
​

Man's work faileth, Christ's availeth;
He is all our righteousness;
He, our Savior, has forever
Set us free from dire distress.
Through His merit we inherit
Light and peace and happiness.​

Get the book, Sacred Bond. I highly recommend it. One of my favorite books.

 

[Eleanor]

The Covenant of Works in Eden

The diffuculty here arises from the use of the word covenant in a manner that is not used in Scripture.
Covenants have specific characteristics, they are either stated to be covenants, or they are cut in blood, or both.

God's command to Adam was not a covenant. It was law, carrying the death penalty.

The first covenant in the Bible was made to Noah and mankind, specifically stated to b a covenant (Ge 9:9).
The second covenant in the Bible was with Abraham, both cut in blood (Ge 15:8-21) and stated to be a covenant (Ge 15:18).
The third covenant in the Bible was with Abraham, the covenant of circumcision (G 17:1-27), cut in the blood of Abraham (Ge 17:23).
The fourth covenant in the Bible was with Israel at Mt Sinai, both cut in blood and stated to be a covenant (Ge 24:3-11).
The fifth covenant in the Bible was with Phinehas, specifically stated to be a covenant (Nu 25:12).
The sixth covenant in the Bible was with David (2 Sa 7:8-16), specifically stated to be a covenant (Ps 89:3, 34).
The seventh covenant in the Bible is the New Covenant (Lk 22:20) of peace (Heb 7:8-10) and grace, both stated to be a covenant (1 Co 11:25) and cut in the blood of Christ.

was breached by One Man's Act of Disobedience and rendered sanctions upon himself and his progeny. But God made a Covenant of Grace with the Second Adam (Christ), to redeem God's people from their sins.

Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This is known as the protoevangelium—the first gospel. The verse introduces two elements previously unknown in the Garden of Eden, elements that are the basis of Christianity—the curse on mankind because of Adam’s sin and God’s provision for a Savior from sin who would take the curse upon Himself.
Reformed Christians speak of Scripture as the unfolding drama of God's covenant of grace. We do this because the apostle Paul speaks of the Israelites, saying, "To them belong … the covenants" (Rom. 9:5). The Bible is a covenantal story, and one that Paul, again, describes as "the covenants of promise" (Eph. 2:12).
The essence of the covenant of grace is the same throughout the Old and New Testaments​

Difficulty arises again here in this use of "covenant of grace" in a manner--"throughout the OT"-- not used in Scripture.
I understand what it is trying to represent, but it is not representing it in Scripture's view/use of covenant, and it causes confusion.

—God saves sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But its historical administration has varied by time and place. For example, the covenant of grace widened from the Old Testament to the New Testament, as it was administered first with small families (e.g., the families of Noah and Abram), then with the nation of Israel, but now with the church, which is made up of people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). Also, it was administered in the Old Testament through what the New Testament authors describe as "types" and "shadows" (Heb. 8:5; 10:1), such as sacrifices, the priesthood, and the temple, all of which pointed to their reality, Jesus Christ (e.g., Col. 2:17).
The Reformed creeds and confessions express the continuity of God's covenant of grace despite its many historical variations. For instance, the Heidelberg Catechism says: "… God himself first revealed [it] in Paradise, [and] afterwards [it was] proclaimed by the holy Patriarchs and Prophets, and foreshadowed by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law, and finally fulfilled in his well-beloved Son" (Q&A 19). This means the Bible is one story of the gospel, which God has spoken "in many times and in many ways" (Heb. 1:1), whether in Paradise to Adam; during the days of the patriarchs, such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses; through the ministry of the prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Joel; or through the ceremonies of the Levitical sacrifices. All of this came to fruition in Jesus Christ.
Likewise, while recognizing the variations in the administration of the covenant of grace between the Old and New Testaments, the Westminster Confession of Faith affirms the continuity of the covenant in the promise of Christ and His fulfillment of it:​

When our Lord Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and was raised from the grave, the covenant of grace reached its zenith in what the Bible calls "the new covenant" (Jer. 31:31; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24). Under the covenant of grace, Christ accomplished what Adam failed to do in the covenant of works, so we receive grace:

Actually, from the Bible's point of view, the covenant of works is the Mosaic covenant, and the covenant of grace is the new covenant.

I'm thinking I do not subscribe to "Covenant Theology" in the way that it is explained.

Get the book, Sacred Bond. I highly recommend it. One of my favorite books.

 

[Ladodgers6]

The diffuculty here arises from the use of the word covenant in a manner that is not used in Scripture.
Covenants have specific characteristics, they are either stated to be covenants, or they are cut in blood, or both.

Please, do me a favor and get the book Sacred Bond.

God's command to Adam was not a covenant. It was law, carrying the death penalty.

I have done a lot of reading and studying on this topic, years, decades. Listen, please have an open mind. Here's Scripture for you that proves that Adam was in a Covenant with God.

Hosea 6:7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

 

[Eleanor]

Please, do me a favor and get the book Sacred Bond.

I have done a lot of reading and studying on this topic, years, decades. Listen, please have an open mind. Here's Scripture for you that proves that Adam was in a Covenant with God.

Hosea 6:7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

Thanks!

"Like Adam (Or As at Adam). . .they were unfaithful to me there." (Hos 6:7)

In Josh 3:16, Adam (Tell ed-Damiyeh) is a town at the Jordan.

Israel refused to cross the Jordan to go into Canaan in Nu 14.

 

[CrazyCalvinistUncle]

Thanks!

"Like Adam (Or As at Adam). . .they were unfaithful to me there." (Hos 6:7)

In Josh 3:16, Adam (Tell ed-Damiyeh) is a town at the Jordan.

Israel refused to cross the Jordan to go into Canaan in Nu 14.

Scholars Gateway : Definition כְּאָדָם

Scholars Gateway is a free to use website offering a variety of tools to scholars to engage with original source materials.

scholarsgateway.com

 

[ReverendRV]

I was saying man was still obligated to observe the Sabbath. I suppose I could have mentioned when it was instituted.

The Mosaic Law was written on Adam's heart when he took a bite of the Forbidden Fruit. By breaking the One and only Adamic Law, Adam was guilty of Breaking All the Mosaic Law; though the Masaic Law hadn't been given yet. How? Because the Adamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant are the same Covenant of Works; the Adamic Covenant just had less Special Revelation, thus All Commandments hadn't been revealed yet...

Those who Keep the Law, show the Law written on their hearts. This is why Able Kept the Law, by Offering a Blood Sacrifice to God; without knowing his Sacrifice was better than Cain's Vegetable Offering. He showed the Law of Moses was written on his heart. Thus we can conclude that Keeping the Sabbath was written on his heart too; even if he hadn't Kept the Sabbath yet...

Cain killed Abel, and was Guilty of breaking the Mosaic Covenant not to Murder; it was written on his heart because of Adam's Sin...

 

[brightfame52]

The Mosaic Law was written on Adam's heart when he took a bite of the Forbidden Fruit. By breaking the One and only Adamic Law, Adam was guilty of Breaking All the Mosaic Law; though the Masaic Law hadn't been given yet. How? Because the Adamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant are the same Covenant of Works; the Adamic Covenant just had less Special Revelation, thus All Commandments hadn't been revealed yet...

Those who Keep the Law, show the Law written on their hearts. This is why Able Kept the Law, by Offering a Blood Sacrifice to God; without knowing his Sacrifice was better than Cain's Vegetable Offering. He showed the Law of Moses was written on his heart. Thus we can conclude that Keeping the Sabbath was written on his heart too; even if he hadn't Kept the Sabbath yet...

Cain killed Abel, and was Guilty of breaking the Mosaic Covenant not to Murder; it was written on his heart because of Adam's Sin...

Mosaic Law as in the Moral Law of the ten commandments given in Ex 20

 

[ReverendRV]

The Edenic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant are the one Covenant of Works; perhaps there were Ten Apples on that Tree to break. Jesus Kept the Edenic Covenant by keeping the Mosaic Covenant...

There are two Heads of the Covenant of Works; the Edenic and Mosaic Covenants, as seen in Romans 5. Adam is the Head of the Covenant of Works, and Jesus is the other Head of the Covenant of Works; only one Covenant of Works, with two Heads. A good example for this are the famous three rivers. There's the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the two rivers meet to form the one Ohio River. Something similar happens with the Covenant of Works. Without the Allegheny meeting the Monongahela, there would be no Ohio; the Monongahela would be flowing where the Ohio River basin is. Therefore, without Christ Keeping the Mosaic Covenant of Works, the Edenic Covenant of Works would flow through the Sea of All Mankind. But since Jesus Kept the 'Limited to Israel' Covenant of Moses, and there's only one Covenant of Works; he Kept the Edenic Covenant too, and thus is the Second Adam of the Edenic Covenant. The Edenic Covenant had no Atonement in it; the first Commandment with a positive Promise, came in the Middle of the Mosaic Covenant. The Edenic Covenant only had a negative Promise; that Adam/Man SHALL die. As the Second Adam, he is the Propitiation for the World. As a Prophet like Moses, he is the Savior of Israel. As a Gentile can enter into the Covenant of Moses, anyone in the Edenic Covenant can enter into the New Covenant that Jesus ratified in the Heavenly Holy of Hollies with his Blood...

 

[brightfame52]

rev

As a Prophet like Moses, he is the Savior of Israel. As a Gentile can enter into the Covenant of Moses, anyone in the Edenic Covenant can enter into the New Covenant that Jesus ratified in the Heavenly Holy of Hollies with his Blood...

How does one enter into the new covenant that Jesus ratified ?