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The Subtle Errors of Covenant/Calvinist Theology

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The Subtle Errors of Covenant/Calvinist Theology "Covenant theology at the utmost, is forgiveness of sins and divine favor enjoyed; and all that concerns their new position in the Lord Jesus Christ is ignored, or alas! guarded against as dangerous. "Men are placed under the New Covenant which does not go beyond remission of sins and the law written on the heart. But being new creations in the Lord Jesus, and knowing it by the Holy Spirit, and what it involves now, has all but dropped out of their creeds." -- J.N.D. "We are to come 'to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant' (Heb. 12:24). We are not come to the New Covenant, but to Jesus the Mediator of it. We are associated with Him who is the Mediator; that is a much higher thing than if merely come to the Covenant. The Lord Jesus will make this New Covenant with Israel and Judah on earth." -- H.H.S. The Subtle Errors of Covenant/Calvinist Theology Dan R Smedra Many regularly write us asking for a brief explanation of Covenant Theology. A brief explanation is no easy task. The following is provided as an introduction for those desiring to be a serious student of the Word. Keep in mind that a great deal of diversity, including disagreement and confusion, surrounds what constitutes the covenant system of theology—even amongst those who consider themselves Covenant in orientation. No few civil wars have occurred over the meaning of sola fide. As one well-known, modern- day Covenantist writes: ...covenant theologians are wandering in a fog—that is to say, for four hundred years; they have wandered in a fog. Although covenant theology as a separate field is as old [young] as the Reformation, and specifically the Calvinist wing, it has never been definitively outlined before. [1] [bracket inclusion mine] In the Beginning As with all efforts to systemize biblical revelation, Covenant theology is a method for organizing and understanding the Bible based on certain presuppositions. A presupposition is a conscious or unconscious assumption about reality, and these assumptions are antecedent to our normal reasoning processes, as well as emotional responses. Without exception, for good or ill, we all have our presuppositions. For example, the most popular and false presupposition is the autonomous nature of man. The public is repetitively told they have "free will" and this assumption autonomous freedom results in a gross misinterpretation of Scripture. However take heart, based on Christ's promise recorded in John 14:26, the Holy Spirit sovereignly sees that the growing, new-creation Christian progressively receives a changed perspective. False presuppositions are displaced with God's perspective. The Apostle Paul encourages us to "...not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing” of our mind. (Romans 12:2). With all varieties of Covenant theology, there is an obsession for an overriding continuity or unified purpose for the sixty-six books (Canon) which comprise Holy Scriptures. Rather than having wisdom to discern the real difference among things which resemble one another, the Covenantist is driven to find an "integrating" principle to produce theological uniformity, all in the hope of discovering "what the Bible is really all about." Their "key" is the concept that absolutely every relationship between God and man must take the form of a covenant or legal agreement, without exception. From this notion, however logical, has arisen their apocryphal and overarching Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote: The theological terms, Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace, do not occur in Scripture. If they are to be sustained it must be wholly apart from Biblical authority. What is known as Covenant Theology builds its structure on these two covenants and is, at least, a recognition—though inadequate—of the truth that the creature has responsibility toward his Creator. Covenant Theology has Cocceius (1603-1669) as its chief exponent. "He taught that before the Fall, as much as after it, the relation between God and man was a covenant. The first was a Covenant of Works. For this was substituted, after the Fall, the Covenant of Grace..." Upon this human invention of two covenants, Reformed Theology has largely been constructed. [2] It must be said that covenant plays a very important role in the Old Testament (OT), as well as the Synoptic Gospels. However, biblical covenants pertain to the earth, and God’s dealing with his earthly people, Israel. Where covenant theology goes seriously wrong, is their effort, even obsession, to stuff the remainder of the Canon into the straight-jacket of the covenant framework. Read that sentence again slowly. The Gospel of John, Acts, the Epistles, as well as the Book of Revelation, are seen as unfolding OT prophecies of Israel’s promised kingdom and nothing more. Thus, the mystery of the Church, the Body of Christ, and other mysteries spoken of by the Apostle Paul, revelations given directly from the Risen Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11-12) to the Apostle Paul, cannot for them, be either new or previously unknown—on account of their erroneous presupposition! All Scripture must conform to the Jewish vision found in the OT. Listen to a description of this vision by scholar John W. Cooper of Calvin Theological Seminary: The Old Testament is resoundingly this-worldly. The fullest possible existence for a human being is to live an earthly life as God created it to be lived. Health, sufficient material goods, enjoyment of marriage and family, meaningful work, standing in the community, freedom from one’s enemies, and above all walking in integrity with the God of the covenant—the Israelite who enjoyed these blessings could exclaim, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” When the prophets look forward to the eschatological future, they do not envision heaven for the individual. Their hope is for a New Jerusalem and a new earth, a place where the existence of the Lord’s people will again be what it was created to be in the beginning. Human life is tied to the earth. [3] [Underline emphasis mine.] Both the Covenant theologian and Covenant system adherent truly believe they are being fair in limiting the NT to the OT. They even have a mantra, “Interpret the New in light of the Old” which they repeat frequently. For many, the New Testament seems to introduce a foreign Greek Platonism—a false dichotomy of earthly versus heavenly, flesh versus spirit, etc. Some even go so far as to see this portion of the Canon as corrupted by such Platonism. Further, a corollary to Covenant theology is Calvinism. While Calvinism holds to several biblical tenets, such as unconditional election and sovereign grace, it misinterprets the following Genesis 2:17 passage: "...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Historically Christendom, to its ruin, has largely minimized the sin consequences of the Fall. However in reaction, the Reformed/Calvinists have also developed and teach an inaccurate theory for the biblical truth of mankind's spiritual death--the death inherited from the first man, Adam. The Calvinistic emphasis often portrays our post-Fall, pre-New Birth condition (Total Depravity) as a state of total unconsciousness and passivity (similar to physical death: Lazarus is frequently cited as an example.) rather than a conscious rebellion and alienation from God. Later, we'll examine this area of confusion in more detail. Page 2 of 14 Historical Roots As most scholars agree, Covenant theology is a product of the 16th-17th century Reformation. Early leaders such as Johann Heinrich (Henry) Bullinger (1504-1575), Kasper Olevianus (1536-1587), Johannes Wollebius (1586-1629), William Ames (1576-1633), Johannes Cocceius (1603-1669), and Hermann Witsius (1636-1708) were instrumental in developing the Covenant view and incorporating it into various creedal confessions. These include the First (1636) and Second (1566) Helvetic Confessions, the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Thirty-nine Articles (1571), and the landmark, Westminster Confession of Faith (1647). Dr. Kenneth H. Good remarks: The Westminster Confession represents a culmination or perfection of the "Reformed Faith" after it had been tested by and reacted to Romanism, Lutheranism, Arminianism, Anglicanism, and Anabaptism. It speaks with the precision and depth of Puritanism, and it incorporates the full-grown flower of a developed Covenant theology. [3] While Covenant theology is typically deemed synonymous with Calvinism, Reformed, or Puritanism; similar covenant constructs can also be found in Catholicism, Anglican/Episcopal, Methodism and other Anglo- Catholic denominations. Amongst the Reformed/Calvinists there are numerous variations and sub-groups: e.g, Princeton, Dutch Reformed, Southern Reformed, Reformed Baptist, New Covenant, Reconstructionist, to name just a few. At present, major civil wars rage amongst these Calvinists. See this insider's explanation: TOWARD A CATHOLIC CALVINISM. The Two Overarching Covenants Covenant theology views God's revealed Word through the presuppositional lens of two overarching covenants. Covenant theology is a system of interpreting the Scriptures on the basis of two covenants: the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. Some covenant theologians specify three covenants: works, redemption, and grace. Covenant theology teaches that God initially made a covenant of works with Adam, promising eternal life for obedience and death for disobedience. Adam failed, and death entered the human race. God, however, moved to resolve man's dilemma by entering into a covenant of grace through which the problem of sin and death would be overcome. Christ is the ultimate mediator of God's covenant of grace. [4] However, there is a very serious downside to this approach.
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