Covenant Theology

A Comprehensive Exploration of the Biblical Covenants This book forms an overview of the biblical teaching on covenant as well as the practical significance of covenant for the Christian life. A host of 26 scholars shows how covenant is not only clearly taught from Scripture, but also that it lays the foundation for other key doctrines of salvation. The contributors, who engage variously in biblical, systematic, and historical theology, present covenant theology not as a theological abstract imposed on the Bible but as a doctrine that is organically presented throughout the biblical narrative. As students, pastors, and church leaders come to see the centrality of covenant to the Christian faith, the more the church will be strengthened with faith in the covenant-keeping God and encouraged in their understanding of the joy of covenant life.

New Covenant Theology is a developing system of theol-ogy that seeks to let the Bible inform our theology. This sounds basic, and almost all systems of theology claim that their system is based upon the Bible. As I hope to show you, New Covenant Theology is the system of theology that al-lows the Bible to have the "final say" most consistently. Whereas Dispensationalism stands on presuppositions pro-vided by its beloved Scofield Bible and Covenant Theology stands on presuppositions provided by its cherished West-minster Confession, New Covenant Theology does not have any outside document that must be imposed on the text of Scripture. It strives to let the Sacred Text speak on its own terms.

"In the biblical drama of the living God's works in creation and redemption," writes Cornelis Venema, "no theme is more lustrous than that of God's gracious intention to enjoy communion with humans who bear his image and whose lives have been broken through sin." This collection of Venema's essays summarizes and defends a broad consensus view of the doctrine of the covenants in the history of Reformed theology and clarifies several areas of dispute. Venema argues that (1) the distinction between a pre-fall covenant of works and a post-fall covenant of grace is an integral feature of a biblical and confessionally Reformed understanding of the history of redemption; (2) the distinction between a pre-fall covenant of works and a post-fall covenant of grace is necessary to preserve the sheer graciousness of God's redemption in Jesus Christ; and (3) the doctrines of covenant and election are corollary doctrines, not opposed to each other, but mutually defining.

Unwinds the intricacies of covenant theology, making the complex surprisingly simple and accessible to every reader.

God has always dealt with his people through the covenant, yet covenant theology from a Baptist perspective is a teaching that is all too often neglected. Many Baptists don't know why they are Baptist. If questioned they are most likely to respond by alluding to the mode of baptism rather than its underlying theology. This book is easily accessible, providing the reader with a clear understanding of the historical Baptist position. The work points out the errors inherent in the Reformed paedobaptist paradigm, and seeks to show that the only covenant of grace is the new covenant in Christ.

As a theologian in the Reformed tradition, covenant theology was for Jonathan Edwards the internal scaffolding that gave shape to the biblical story of redemption. The establishment of the eternal rule of righteousness as the basis of the believer’s communion with God and eternal happiness is a central theme beginning with the Covenant of Works, grounded in the eternal Covenant of Redemption, and culminating in the Covenant of Grace. It is the basis for the law-gospel distinction in Edwards and the early architects of federal theology. For the “God intoxicated” New England Puritan preacher, this was no dry academic exercise. Rather, it was a joyous and affectionate discovery and embrace of what God had ordained in eternity, what Christ accomplished in history on the cross, and what the Holy Spirit is doing and will complete in the church. This study grew out of current discussions in Reformed scholarship questioning aspects of traditional covenant theology. As a key transitional figure in the history of Reformed theology, Edwards’s thinking is still relevant. The richness and depth of Edwards’s vision of redemptive history provides a clear and comprehensive understanding of his Reformed soteriology and the role of evangelical obedience in justification.