MEANING OF KEY WORDS

COVENANT: Agreement REDEMPTION: To buy back WORKS: merited favor GRACE: unmerited favor

COVENANT (meaning) : Basically, a “covenant” is an agreement between two parties to fulfill obligations made one to another.

WCF 7:1 The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

David Garner …God acted. He stepped down; he bent over toward us. Since we could in no way get to him, he came to us. He chose to lower himself to our level, and did so out of his own pleasure and wisdom (see Ephesians 1:3–14). His stooping instrument of choice was the covenant.

COVENANT (defintion) OT: The Hebrew word for covenant is always BERITH, a word of uncertain derivation. • The most general opinion is that it is derived from the Hebrew verb BARAH, to cut, and therefore contains a reminder of the ceremony mentioned in Genesiis 15:17. • Some, however, prefer to think that it is derived from the Assyrian word BERITU, meaning “to bind.” This would at once point to the covenant as a bond.

DIATHEKE: properly, a set-agreement having complete terms determined by the initiating party, which also are fully affirmed by the one entering the agreement.

COVENANT OF REDEMPTION

THE PARTIES OF THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION The covenant of redemption is the agreement made between the members of the Trinity in order to bring us salvation.

THE ROLES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE TRINITY

THE FATHER plans redemption and sends the Son in order to save His people. THE SON agrees to be sent and to do the work necessary to save the elect….Christ is our SURETY.

Louis Berkhof A surety is one who engages to become responsible for it that the legal obligations of another will be met. In the covenant of redemption Christ undertook to atone for the sins of His people by bearing the necessary punishment, and to meet the demands of the law for them. And by taking the place of delinquent man He became the last Adam, and is as such also the Head of the covenant, the Representative of all those whom the Father has given Him. In the covenant of redemption, then, Christ is both Surety and Head. He took upon Himself the responsibilities of His people. He is also their Surety in the covenant of grace, which develops out of the covenant of redemption.

John 10:17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Ligon Duncan: The covenant of redemption is that eternal covenant--that covenant which is prior to time, in which the Son undertakes to be our surety and our mediator and the Father undertakes to give to the Son all the elect because of the Son’s perfect obedience. In the Covenant of Redemption, the Son buys you by right. You hear that? Last week we said the whole function of Covenant Theology is to do what? Build the assurance of God’s people in His promises. Now the Covenant of Redemption tells you that when Christ dies for you, it makes your salvation absolutely certain. Why? Because the Father has promised the Son, “If you will take that man’s place, I will give him to You.” The whole point is that the Father cannot renege. He has promised the Son in the Covenant.

THE SPIRIT agrees to apply the work of Christ to us by sealing us unto salvation

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guaranteed of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

R.C. Sproul The covenant of redemption is one of the greatest examples of God’s grace that we have. The Father, Son, and Spirit did not have to pledge to each other that they would bring to us salvation. But when they did, they guaranteed that it would happen. Remember that the grace of God was working on our behalf long before we were born.

THE WORD REDEMPTION

APOLYTROSIS: LYO means freeing one from prison, ransom EXAGORAZO: to purchase of the AGORA…the slave market

Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

COVENANT OF WORKS

David Garner: Like a nanny whispering into the ear of a small child in words the young one could understand,(John Calvin’s terminology) God bends over, speaks to Adam and Eve understandably, warmly, and meaningfully. He gave their moral and personal obligations clearly defined parameters: they knew what he expected, were given what they needed to meet those expectations, and were offered promises according to those covenantal expectations. Covenant defined and bounded the divine-human relationship. It does so to this very day. This divine stooping to issue covenant promise breathed heavenly vitality into man’s purpose, hopes, dreams—his entire life and future. Covenant turned the impossible into the attainable, that is, the achievable sweetness of permanent fellowship with the Creator. In this covenant obligation, God gave explicit command—a command not to eat of a particular tree in the Garden of Eden. Covenant obligation was now explicitly defined; covenant blessing was now explicitly in view.

When Adam sinned we all sinned: OUR FEDERAL HEAD

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15“Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16in their paths are ruin and misery, 17and the way of peace they have not known.” 18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a redeemer.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

COVENANT OF GRACE

WCF 7:3 Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the Covenant of Grace, whereby He freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them 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.

ONE COVENANT OF GRACE TWO ADMINISTRATIONS OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE

THE DEMANDS AND SANCTIONS OF THE LAW ARE MET IN CHRIST THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT TELL THE SAME STORY

THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST

Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, Now he tells the parable of the Good Samaritan 36Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE OBEDIENCE

ACTIVE: He obeyed the law perfectly PASSIVE: He suffered in our behalf on the cross

John Murray “Redemption Accomplished and Applied” talking about the active and passive obedience of Christ: “The real use and purpose of the formula is to emphasize the two distinct aspects of our Lord’s vicarious obedience. The truth expressed rests upon the recognition that the law of God has both penal sanctions and positive demands. It demands not only the full discharge of its precepts but also the infliction of penalty for all infractions and shortcomings. It is this twofold demand of the law of God which is taken into account when we speak of the active and passive obedience of Christ. Christ as the vicar of his people came under the curse and condemnation due to sin and he also fulfilled the law of God in all its positive requirements. In other words, he took care of the guilt of sin and perfectly fulfilled the demands of righteousness. He perfectly met both the penal and the preceptive requirements of God’s law. The passive obedience refers to the former and the active obedience to the latter.”

OLD TESTAMENT we had Types of Christ, pictures, OVERTURES.

Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

NEW TESTAMENT…How was the New Testament better than the old?

MORE POWER

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

MORE CLARITY

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

BETTER MOTIVES

Jeremiah 31:31 “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, 32 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. 33 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. 34 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.”

WHAT IS MAN’S DUTY UNDER THIS COVENANT

John 6:28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Knox Cummings The one requirement that God in this covenant made of man was faith. Faith is simply receiving something as true and trusting in it. God did not require that we merit eternal life through our own works of obedience to the law. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us" (Tit. 3:5).