Michael Horton’s Covenant Theology as a Defense of Reformation Theology in the Context of Current Discussions By Mark Kim A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Wycliffe College and the Department of Theology at the Toronto School of Theology. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology Awarded by Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto. © Copyright by Mark Kim, 2013 Michael Horton’s Covenant Theology as a Defense of Reformation Theology in the Context of Current Discussions Mark Kim Doctor of Theology Wycliffe College of University of Toronto 2013 Abstract In contemporary theological scholarship the federal theology of post-Reformation Reformed orthodoxy has come under trenchant criticism from two fronts: those who argue that the schema elevates the role of the human will in individual redemption to offset the problematic aspects of Augustinian predestinarianism (thereby degenerating into a form of evangelical legalism) or those who see the schema as a radical contradiction of the relation between law and gospel, which contradiction departed from the views of John Calvin, Martin Bucer, and other sixteenth century Reformers (thereby supporting a type of antinomianism). The purpose of this dissertation is to argue, through our examination of Michael S. Horton’s covenant theology (and the views of Reformed theologians of earlier times), that classic federalism avoids both the twin dangers of legalism and antinomianism through upholding the dual covenant of works/covenant of grace structure (especially as it pertains to the doctrine of justification) and through maintaining the mutually binding aspect of the covenant of grace between God and the elect. ii The study argues that post-Reformation federal theology upholds the Reformers’ cherished soteriological tenets of justification sola gratia and sola fide while at the same time preserving practical holiness in the redeemed (grounded in the bilateral character of the covenant of grace). Ensuring the relation between God’s sovereign grace and human responsibility in salvation classic federal theology, we conclude, provides a needed antidote in contemporary, evangelical church practice and preaching, which practice and preaching appear either unbiblically to elevate the human will in salvation or unbiblically to undermine the necessity of human response to God’s prior grace. iii Acknowledgments I wish to express my gratitude to many of the faculty members over the years at Wycliffe College and the Toronto School of Theology for enabling me to continue my theological studies during both encouraging and trying times. I especially wish to thank Professor Victor Shepherd for allocating his time to supervise my dissertation and for offering constructive feedback during the course of this project. The completion of this study would not have become a reality without the continuous encouragement and support of my parents, friends, and fellow students at TST. Most of all I am indebted to the Triune God who empowers me daily to run the race of faith with perseverance. iv Table of Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Historical Background and Development of Covenant Theology .................................. 1 1.2 Contemporary Interpretations and Criticisms of the Twofold Covenant Model .................. 7 1.2.1 Covenant Theology as a Reaction to Unconditional Predestinarianism and a Degeneration into Works-Righteousness Legalism ........................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2 Covenant Theology as a radical dichotomizing of Law and Gospel ........................................... 18 1.2.3 Assessing the Various Interpretations of Federal Theology in Contemporary Scholarship ........ 26 1.3 Thesis ................................................................................................................................... 28 1.3.1 Overall Thesis ............................................................................................................................. 28 1.3.2 Michael Horton’s Covenant Theology as the Context for the Thesis ......................................... 29 1.4 Significance and Implications .............................................................................................. 31 1.5 Method and Structure of the Study .................................................................................... 32 1.5.1 Method ....................................................................................................................................... 32 1.5.2 Structure ..................................................................................................................................... 34 2. Covenant Theology in Historical Perspective: A Survey of the Covenantal Views of Significant Voices Within the Reformed Tradition ........................................... 39 2.1 John Calvin (1509-1564) ...................................................................................................... 42 2.1.1 Excurses: Was Calvin at Odds with later Reformed Orthodoxy on the Relationship Between Law and Gospel? ................................................................................................................................. 56 2.2 Thomas Watson (1620-1686) .............................................................................................. 59 2.3 Francis Turretin (1623-1687) ............................................................................................... 68 2.4 Herman Witsius (1636-1708) .............................................................................................. 76 2.5 John Gill (1697-1771) .......................................................................................................... 85 2.6 Charles Hodge (1797-1878) ................................................................................................. 95 2.7 Louis Berkhof (1873-1957) ................................................................................................ 103 2.8 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 113 3. The Structural Features of Michael Horton’s Covenant Theology .................. 116 3.1 Defining the Meaning of Covenant ................................................................................... 117 v 3.1.1 The Old Testament Meaning of the Word “Covenant” ............................................................ 117 3.1.2 The New Testament Meaning of the Word “Covenant” .......................................................... 119 3.2 The Covenant of Creation (or Works) ............................................................................... 121 3.2.1 The Original Condition of Adam Under Probation ................................................................... 122 3.2.2 Law Preceding Grace during the Prelapsarian Period .............................................................. 127 3.2.3 The Reward of the Covenant of Creation: The Eschatological Sabbath ................................... 132 3.2.4 The Effects of Adam’s Original Disobedience to his Posterity: Adam as Federal Head ........... 136 3.2.5 The Perpetual Nature of the Covenant of Creation .................................................................. 140 3.2.6 Excurses: The Relationship Between the Covenant of Creation/Works and the Mosaic Covenant in Horton’s Covenant Theology ......................................................................................................... 142 3.3 The Covenant of Grace ...................................................................................................... 145 3.3.1 The Covenant of Redemption as the Foundation of the Covenant of Grace ............................ 147 3.3.2 Christ’s Role as Mediator of the Covenant of Grace ................................................................ 149 3.3.3 The Constancy of the Covenant of Grace ................................................................................. 156 3.3.4 The Unity of the Covenant of Grace ......................................................................................... 163 3.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 166 4. Horton’s Covenantal Law-Gospel Hermeneutic in Redemptive History and its Impact on the Doctrine of Justification .............................................................. 169 4.1 The Execution of the Covenant of Grace in the Successive Covenants of Redemptive History ..................................................................................................................................... 170 4.1.1 The Abrahamic Covenant ......................................................................................................... 171 4.1.2 The Mosaic Covenant ............................................................................................................... 176 4.1.3 The New Covenant ................................................................................................................... 182 4.2 The Implications for the Doctrine of Justification ............................................................. 187 5. The Application and Operation of the Covenant of Grace in the Life of the Elect ..........................................................................................................................