Eternal Covenant Promises and Blessings

1. The Covenant

2. This one promise really includes all other promises, such as • the promise of various temporal blessings, which often serve to symbolize those of a spiritual kind; • the promise of justification, including adoption of children, and a claim to life eternal; • the promise of the Spirit of God for the application, full and free, of the work of redemption and of all the blessings of salvation; and • the promise of final glorification in a life that never ends. Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology, p. 277)

3. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you (Genesis 17:7). • I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians (Exodus 6:7,8). • And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people(Leviticus 26:12).

4. You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and he swore your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 29:12,13). • “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” (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). • You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and IwillbeyourGod (Ezekiel 36:28).

5. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

6. 23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew (Exodus 2:23-25).

7. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise (Galatians 2:23,24).

8. 2 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel ’(1 Kings 2;2-4).

9. Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant (of works), the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe (WCF, chapter VII, 3).

10. Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Genesis 2:15 to 3:14 Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21 Covenant with Adam Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses Covenant with David New Covenant

11. The Covenant of Grace • The Promise: I will be your God, and you will be my people, and I will live among you. • The Condition: Repentance andfaith in Christ

12. The promises of this covenant are all included in the comprehensive formula so often occurring in the Scriptures, “I will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” Charles Hodge (Systematic Theology, Volume II, p. 365).

13. The Covenant of Grace • The Promise: I will be your God, and you will be my people, and I will live among you. • The Condition: Repentance andfaith in Christ

14. The sinner is exhorted to repent and believe, but his faith and repentance do not in any way merit the blessings of the covenant… This entrance is contingent on faith, a faith, however, which is itself a gift of God. Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology, p. 280)

15. Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Genesis 2:15 to 3:14 Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21 Covenant with Adam Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses Covenant with David New Covenant

16. It is true that at Sinai a conditional element was added to the covenant, but it was not the salvation of the Israelite but his theocratic standing in the nation, and the enjoyment of external blessings that was made dependent on the keeping of the law (Deut. 28:1-14). Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology, p. 298)

17. Q. 34 How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament? • A. The covenant of grace was administered under the Old Testament, by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the Passover, and other types and ordinances, which did all fore-signify Christ then to come, and were for that time sufficient to build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they then had full remission of sin, and eternal salvation (Westminster Standards-Larger Catechism).

18. Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Genesis 2:15 to 3:14 Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21 Covenant with Adam Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses Covenant with David New Covenant

19. Q. 35. How is the covenant of grace administered under the New Testament? • A. Under the New Testament, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the same covenant of grace was and still is to be administered in the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; in which grace and salvation are held forth in more fullness, evidence, and efficacy, to all nations (Westminster Standards-Larger Catechism).

20. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant (Hebrews 9:15).

21. Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Genesis 2:15 to 3:14 Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21 Covenant with Adam Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses Covenant with David New Covenant

22. Through Christ God inaugurated a better version of His one eternal covenant with sinners (Heb. 13:20)- a better covenant with better promises (Heb. 8:6), based on a better sacrifice (Heb. 9:23) offered by a better high priest in a better sanctuary (Heb. 7:26-8:6, 11, 13, 14). This better covenant guarantees a better hope than had ever been made explicit by the former version of the covenant- glory with God in a better, that is, heavenly country (Heb. 11:16; cf. v. 40) (New Geneva Study Bible, p. 30).

23. The LORD held to this orderly plan in administering the covenant of his mercy: as the day of full revelation approached with the passing of time, the more he increased each day the brightness of its manifestation. Accordingly, at the beginning when the first promise of salvation was given to Adam (Gen. 3:15) it glowed like a feeble spark. Then, as it was added to, the light grew in fullness, breaking forth increasingly and shedding its radiance more widely. At last- when all the clouds were dispersed- Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, fully illumined the whole earth (Calvin, p. 446). John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book II, Chapter IX, 19.

24. Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Genesis 2:15 to 3:14 Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21 Covenant with Adam Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses Covenant with David New Covenant

25. To say that we are covenantal means we believe that the unifying principal of the Scriptures is the one covenant of grace that God made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and finally, and most importantly, in Jesus Christ (The Theological Identity of Park Cities Presbyterian Church, p. 1).

29. Dispensationalism • Literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecy • Sharp distinction between Israel and church

30. Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:3-8).

31. …These temporal blessings did not constitute an end in themselves, but served to symbolize and typify spiritual and heavenly things. Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology, p. 296)

32. The New Testament dispensation brings richer blessings than the Old Testament dispensation. The revelation of God’s grace reached its climax, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Church and… enriches believers with spiritual and eternal blessings. Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology, p. 300)

33. The promises of land were fulfilled several times but never consummated. God fulfilled the promise through Joshua (Josh. 21:43-45), but not completely (Josh. 13:1-7); even more so through David and Solomon (1 Kings 4:20-25; Neh. 9:8), but still not completely (Ps. 95:11; Heb. 4:6-8; 11:39,40). As Israel’s Exodus from Egypt through the Passover (Ex. 12:1) is a type of the church’s exodus from the condemned world through Christ (1 Cor. 5:7; 10:1-4), so also old Israel’s life in the land is a type of New Israel’s life in Christ. Both are a gift (15:7,18; Deut. 1:8; Rom. 6:20) and are received by faith (Num. 14:26-44; Josh 7, & John 3:16). Both uniquely possess the blessed presence, life, and rest of God (Ex. 23:20-31; Deut. 11:12; 12:9,10; 28:1-14; John 1:51; 14:9; Matt. 11:28), and demand persevering faith (Deut. 28:15-19; Heb. 6). The land promises are consummated forever in the new heaven and new earth (Heb. 11:39,40; Rev. 21:1-22:6) (New Geneva Study Bible, p. 32).

34. In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”5And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area… (Ezekiel 40:2-5).

36. Interpretations of these chapters vary widely. Many have seen in these passages a blueprint and building specifications for a normal city that was to be built (43:10,11). However, elements of the prophetic vision seem to go beyond a literal understanding (e.g., 47:1-12). Other interpreters understand Ezekiel’s temple vision as a largely symbolic description of the way God would bless His people, with the temple preeminently standing for the presence of God in the midst of His people. Through the use of vision and symbol (40;2; Num. 12:6), the prophet describes a point in the future when the presence of God among His people would transcend anything Israel had experienced in history (New Geneva Study Bible, p. 1314).

37. 18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it. 27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 43:18-27).

38. Dispensational Premillennialism Eternal Order Second Coming Rapture Tribulation Millennium Amillennialism Tribulation Second Coming Eternal Order Millennium Postmillennialism Second Coming Eternal Order Millennium

39. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

40. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9,10).

41. Peter’s language in these verses, applying the Old Testament terms for Israel to the church, asserts the continuity between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church, representing them as one people of God (New Geneva Study Bible, p. 1972).

42. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

43. Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;     shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;     he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;     you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion;     let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst,     a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness;     he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:15-17).