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Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 1: Introduction to Covenant Theology, Part 1
A. Gods Glorious Plan of Salvation
We are here this week to study the subject of Covenant Theology. Covenant Theology is just one part of the larger
subject of Soteriology. Soteriology is the study of salvation. And Covenant Theology belongs to the study of
salvation.
So in order to introduce the subject of Covenant Theology, I want to begin by reviewing with you a few important
truths with respect to Gods glorious plan of salvation. Turn with me in your Bibles to the key NT passage where
Gods eternal plan of salvation is revealed, Ephesians 1:3-14.
1. Ephesians 1:3-14 READ
There are many things that could be observed from this passage about Gods glorious plan of salvation. What I
want you to see at this point is that salvation was planned by God before time began.
Look again at:
-verse 4: speaking of Christians, Paul says we were chosen in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world!
-verse 5: we were predestinedaccording to the good pleasure of His will.
-verse 9: Paul speaks of this salvation being according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.
-verse 11: We have been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the
counsel of His will.
Gods great salvation was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ in history. Gods great salvation is applied to
individual believers in our own personal experience in time and space by the Holy Spirit. But Gods great salvation is
a salvation that originated in the mind or counsel of God before time began. It comes to pass according to His
sovereign good pleasure and according to the plan which He purposed in Himself before time began.
Salvation was planned in eternity. The plan of salvation was not something God devised as a response to Adams
fall into sin. God is not simply responding to mans free will choices and failures along the way and deciding what
He will do next. No, all of human history including mans fall into sin, is the outworking of Gods plan from before
time began to glorify Himself in the salvation of sinners. Everything that happens in history was planned in eternity.
If you want to know what was planned in eternity you look at what happens in history. Therefore, we must not view
history so much as mans failure as Gods victory out of mans failure.
God had the end in view from the beginning. But what was that end in view? What does His glorious plan of
salvation purpose to bring to pass? What is Gods eternal purpose in salvation?
2. Ephesians 3:10-11, 21 READ
According to verses 10-11, what is the eternal purpose which God accomplished in Christ Jesus? It has something
to do with the revelation of His glory and it has something to do with the church. Look at verse 21. We see the same
thing here: to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations.
So Gods eternal purpose involves His glory, it involves Christ, and it involves this thing called the church. The word
church means assembly or the gathering of called-out ones, those God has redeemed from sin and brought into
fellowship with His Son. Thats what the church is. So Gods eternal purpose has to do with an assembly or
gathering of people in Christ who will bring Him glory.
Look back again at Ephesians 1:9-10. What is Gods eternal purpose, or the mystery of His will, according to that
text [QUESTION]? Again, we have the concept of a gathering together of many into a single, corporate entity - a
unified community gathered around Christ. This theme is carried through the end of the chapter. Look at 1:22-23.
So, Gods eternal purpose is to establish His Son Jesus as the exalted head of a glorious body of redeemed

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saints a gathered community who together with Christ form a single entity, within which Christ is preeminent. And
this community is none other than the Church.
Look also at 1:5 again. According to this verse, what is that purpose that is according to the good pleasure of Gods
will, to which weve been predestined [QUESTION]? It is the good pleasure of His will that by Christ we be adopted
as sons to God. Gods purpose has to do with the gathering together of a family of sons around the Lord
Jesus. So this community weve been reading about is not just Gods people, the subjects of His kingdom, they are
also His sons and daughters. He is their Father.
4. Ephesians 2:19-22 READ
God is building for Himself a house. A temple. Not of wood and stone, but made up of people. At the foundation of
this temple you find the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, who are in turn set in place around the chief
cornerstone, Jesus Christ. And upon this foundation God is erecting the building composed of all His saints but
they are more than just saints or set-apart ones: they are also members of the household of God. Theyre
members of Gods family. They are His sons and daughters. God is forming for Himself a community of the
sons of God with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at the very center. And to what end? What is the purpose of
this community, this building, that God is erecting, according to this passage [QUESTION]? Its to be His dwelling
place thats what a temple is for! The glorious truth revealed here is that Gods eternal purpose is to place
Himself in the very midst of a gathered people, and there to communicate Himself in all His beauty and
glory to His people that they might enjoy Him and praise Him forever. Thats how He is going to get glory in
the Church by Jesus Christ. By creating, indwelling and enjoying this temple, the New Covenant Church of Jesus
Christ, for all eternity.
5. Romans 8:28-30 READ
In v. 28 we read of a calling according to Gods purpose, and in v.29 we are told what that purpose is what is it
[QUESTION]? His purpose is that His Son might be the firstborn among many brethren! God is forming a family. A
community of adopted sons, among whom Christ will be preeminent. He is the firstborn, the archetype, the model,
to which the entire community is conformed and from which it derives its character. So have we seen the thematic
thread running through all these texts? Is Gods eternal purpose beginning to come into focus?
Weve said a lot of things, so let me attempt some kind of summary statement that we can keep before us and lock
onto. Gods eternal purpose is to gather together in Christ a people for Himself, a family of sons in whose
midst He will dwell forever, and in whom He will be glorified. This people is none other than the Church. That
is what God is doing in history. That is what God is doing with Christian churches around the world. That is what
God is doing in here, and if you belong to Christ, that is what God is doing in each of your lives. Everything that
happens to you everything you experience, every joy and every sorrow, every triumph and every failure, God is
weaving together with wisdom and purpose, to the end that you might attain to this glorious future and be a part of
this community.
This is Gods glorious plan of salvation. Now where do the covenants fit in to that plan?
6. Eph. 1:9-10; 2:12; 3:3-6; Acts 13:26-39 (Paul preaching at Antioch in Pisidia) READ
Notice in verse 26 that Paul refers to this salvation. Paul is there to proclaim to them the word of this salvation.
Now look down at verse 38. What salvation is Paul talking about? In verse 38, Paul says, through this Man is
preached to you the forgiveness of sins. And then in verse 39, Paul says, by Him everyone who believes is
justified. So we see that this salvation has to do with forgiveness of sins and being justified in the sight of God.
But theres more. When Paul thinks about salvation, he has more in his mind than just the facts about the life and
death of Jesus and personal faith in Him. Consider the broader context in which Paul thinks of this salvation. In
verse 23, Paul speaks of a Savior who comes from Davids seed and a salvation that comes according to
promise. In verse 29, Paul says the Savior comes in fulfillment of all that was written concerning Him. And in
verse 32, he tells us that the Savior comes in fulfillment of the promise made to the fathers.
Gods glorious plan of salvation involves more than just the facts about the life and death of Jesus. In order to really
understand salvation, we must look into the whole Bible (OT and NT) and we must consider how this salvation has
been revealed throughout human history.

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These passages give us indication of the working of God in history leading up to the time of Christ. The gospel in all
its glory and clarity was not fully revealed until the time of Christ. But it was revealed in mystery, type, shadow prior
to Christ in the form of promise in Gods covenant dealings with Israel. God hangs His saving dealings with men
on the framework of the historical covenants. Salvation involves the restoration of relationship with God, and the
covenants express the terms of that relationship.
The Covenants are the framework upon which God works out His plan of salvation in human history. [Draw on
board the categories of Soteriology: Salvation Planned in Eternity, Salvation Accomplished, Salvation Applied, The
Framework of Salvation]
B. Redemptive-Historical Systems of Interpretation
1. History as redemptive history
Weve seen from our Bibles that salvation is the result of Gods plan in eternity. Now we want to learn about what
God has done to bring that plan to pass. God didnt just snap His fingers and execute the plan instantly out of
nothing. He could have done that, but He didnt. It pleased Him rather to bring about His kingdom gradually, by
stages, and to do so in such a way as involves a glorious redemption out of the ashes of a fallen and sinful creation.
The unfolding story- the process of establishing His kingdom over time is what we call redemptive history. If all of
human history is the outworking of what God planned in eternity, and if what God planned in eternity was the
redemption of a people for Himself for His glory, then all of human history may be rightly understood as redemptive
history. It is the story of what God has done in history to redeem a people for Himself.
2. The Bible as redemptive revelation
Now, how has God revealed Himself and His glorious plan of salvation? He has revealed Himself in creation. But
creation is not sufficient to lead us to salvation. It is only sufficient to condemn us for our rebellion against our
knowledge of His existence. He has revealed Himself through His works in history. But those works are not
sufficient to lead us to salvation. From the beginning of the world, God has done something else that is
indispensible in order for man to know God and how to be right with God: God has SPOKEN.
In the beginning, God spoke and the worlds were framed and man came into existence. God made man in His
image, a rational creature with the ability to communicate and relate to God. God spoke to Adam in the garden and
related the terms of their relationship. When Adam fell, God spoke judgment. In time, God called Abraham and
spoke to him words of relationship. God called Moses and spoke, then moved His servant to record His speech.
God spoke through His prophets and moved them to record His speech. God preserved the written record of that
speech by His sovereign care down through the ages. God judged His Old Covenant people and fell silent for
hundreds of years. But then out of that silence, the voice of one crying in the wilderness could be heard. And God
began to speak again. And as we are told by the writer of Hebrews:
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son
God gave the fullest and final revelation of Himself in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ committed His Word
to His apostles who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And their Word is preserved for us in the New
Testament Scriptures.
Now think of itwhen was special revelation given in history? Who wrote the first five books of the Bible? Moses.
When was that revelation given? At the exodus (redemption) of His people from slavery in Egypt. When was the
subsequent revelation of the Old Testament given? In connection with Gods dealings with His covenant people.
When was the NT written? In connection with the coming of the Christ and the redemption He would accomplish for
His people.
God gives special revelation in connection with His saving works. The Bible is revelation given for the specific
purpose of making known Gods salvation. It is a divinely inspired textbook that records for us Gods great works of
creation and redemption AND provides the divinely inspired commentary/interpretation of those works. The Bible is
redemptive revelation.
Redemptive history is the playing out of the drama of Gods purpose of redemption on the stage of human history. It
is theology at the 50,000 ft level where we take in the entire scope of biblical truth from Genesis to Revelation in

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order to see the big picture of what God has done. You have heard it said that its possible to miss the forest for the
trees. The same is true in the way we handle the Bible. You dont fully understand the individual parts of redemptive
history unless you first back up and see the big picture of the entire plan of salvation. Its very important to see the
big picture in order to understand all the individual parts. Redemptive history is that big picture. It puts all the detailsall the various historical events, people, places as well as all the various doctrinal categories of the Bible into
perspective.
3. Need for a system of interpretation
Now suppose one says, OK, the Bible reveals Gods salvation in Christ. Thats all I need to know. As long as Im
saved, as long as Im in Jesus by faith, thats all I need to know.
Is that enough? Is that sufficient for us, especially as teachers in Christs church?
Suppose I came in today and said that I brought an ox all the way from the United States and were going to begin
our time together by sacrificing that ox to make atonement for our sins. How would you respond to me? And why?
Suppose I came in and said, brethren I encourage you from now on no longer to read from the OC Scriptures in
your churches. In fact, I encourage you no longer to read the Psalms in your private devotions. How would you
answer me? And why?
Whether you realize it or not, you would answer me according to your own system of interpretation. What do I mean
by system of interpretation?
What I mean is this: Everyone realizes the Bible is made up of many details. Everyone acknowledges plan and
purpose to some degree or another. Everyone acknowledges ages, dispensations, eras, epochs in Gods dealings
with men throughout history. And everyone has some way in their own minds of seeing how all those things relate to
one another- a system of interpretation.
But what is the best way to relate the details of redemptive history to Gods overall plan? What is the best system of
interpretation?
The development of such a system involves a careful study of the whole counsel of God. It involves the painstaking
process of exegesis- meaning of the words, context, etc. Our system must be derived from the text of Scripture, not
the other way around. Dont want our system to be over the text, whereby we make texts fit somewhere in our
system. We want a system derived from the text. But having derived the system from the text, the system then
helps us to understand and relate all the texts rightly to one another.
Our system must recognize that the God of the Bible is the God of history. We also want a system which embraces
history as redemptive history- the story of redemption planned, accomplished and applied. We see all of history
through the lens of Ephesians 1,2, and 3- it is moving toward a predetermined end, the end of which is the glory of
God in the gathering of a vast multitude of redeemed sinners around the throne of the lamb in the new heavens and
earth.
Brethren, in our study of the Bible and Gods salvation, we want to discern and embrace the redemptive-historical
system of interpretation that most closely adheres to the clear testimony of all the Word of God. For among
conservative, evangelical believers, there is a vast array of subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the way we read
our Bibles, and the way we relate the trees of history to the overall picture of history and to ourselves as 21 st century
believers.
4. Redemptive-Historical Systems/Theological Continuum Chart
Note a couple of things about the Theological Continuum Chart:
a) The chart is not exhaustive.
b) The chart is not to scale in the relation of the systems to one another.
c) The chart is not to scale in the relation of the systems to continuity/discontinuity.
-NOTE: Reformed Baptist position on chart

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The purpose of chart is to show the existence of different systems of interpretation and generally speaking how
those different systems relate to the issue of continuity and discontinuity. When I refer to continuity and
discontinuity, I am referring to the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. These various systems of
interpretation differ primarily with respect to the amount of continuity and discontinuity each system embraces in the
relationship of the Old and New Testaments.
You will notice on your charts the presence of two major SYSTEMS: DISPENSATIONALISM. COVENANT
THEOLOGY. (Give very brief explanation of each)
C. Why Covenant Theology?
Reformed theology has historically embraced the redemptive-historical system of interpretation called Covenant
Theology. We are teaching this class because we believe Covenant Theology is the best way to rightly interpret the
big picture of the Bible (how all the parts relate) and of Gods plan of salvation.
Very briefly I want to set before you three arguments in favor of the Covenantal perspective. This is only to whet
your appetite for the remainder of the course. I do hope the rest of the course solidly convinces you that Covenant
Theology is the best way to understand the structure of redemptive history according to the Scriptures.
1. Structure of Redemptive Revelation
The first and most obvious factor in favor of covenants as the fundamental and overarching category in which God
has revealed His saving purpose for man is the structure of the Bible itself. The Bible is divided into two parts: the
Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. And these two parts correspond to what? They
correspond to two covenants: Gods Old Covenant with the nation of Israel and Gods New Covenant with the
people of God, the church of Jesus Christ. Covenant is the organizing principle of Scripture itself.
2. The Predominance of Covenant in Gods Record of Human History
Draw on board:
Now from the Bibles perspective, what are the major events of this history? What do we see when we survey
human history? COMPLETE DIAGRAM
-Adam (Gen.3:15), Noah (Righteous Servant and redeemed community), Abraham (Righteous Servant),
Moses (redeemed Community), David, New Covenant (Righteous Servant, and redeemed community),
Glory.
What are some of the key elements present in this picture of human, redemptive history?
a) Covenant relationship
Throughout history, we see God pursuing relationship with man. We see God taking the initiative when man was
dead in trespasses and sins. Throughout our Bibles we encounter a phrase which is really the heart of Covenant
Theology and the heart of the Bibles message, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (61 references in
OT and 40 in NT)
J.I. Packer says, The backbone of the Bibleis the unfolding in space and time of Gods unchanging intention to
have a people on earth to whom He could relate covenantally for His and their joyThe story that forms this
backbone of the Bible has to do with mans covenant relationship with God, first ruined and then restored.
b) Co-dwelling
We see God dwelling with man, first in the garden, then in His various relations with His people. And we see that all
of human history is headed for that glorious reality for all eternity.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
c) Plurality

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God has made a number of different covenants with men throughout redemptive history. Covenant theology simply
seeks to acknowledge and give due attention to the reality of and significance of each of the historic covenants God
has made with men.
d) Unity
CT acknowledges not only a plurality of covenants, but especially the great unity that exists between them. And this
unity exists on a number of different levels. All of Gods redemptive-historical covenants are related organically.
What do we mean by this? Gods covenants are organically related in that each successive covenant is established
within the framework of those that preceded it. One covenant grows out of, is dependent upon and related to the
one or ones that preceded it. For example, Gods covenant with Abraham would not be possible without the order
and stability brought to the earth through Gods covenant with Noah.
These covenants are also related thematically. And this is probably the single most significant thing about
Covenant Theology. What we are going to see is that all of Gods covenants with men are proclaiming the same
theme: Gods one way, method of salvation from sin by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The unity of
Gods covenants is a plurality of covenants with this one great theme.
3. The Necessity for Covenant
Thirdly, let me make a brief observation about the necessity for God to relate to man in this way. Chapter 7
paragraph 1 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession articulates this necessity when it says,
The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience to
him as their Creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some voluntary condescension on
Gods part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.
What the writers of the Confession were seeking to express is the truth that it was necessary for God to relate to us
by way of covenant. And that necessity is not rooted in the reality of mans fall into sin, but rather it is rooted very
basically in the Creator/Creature distinction. That is, it is rooted in the distance between God as Creator and man
as creature. Therefore, any relationship that we would have with God, even if man had never sinned, would be on
the basis of a voluntary condescension of God toward man. God has always dealt with man in a gracious way, but
all the more in light of mans fall.
Summary of Why Covenant Theology?
In conclusion, we believe Covenant Theology is the best system of interpreting the BIG PICTURE of Gods entire
purpose for human history and His saving dealings with men. Covenant Theology is most consistent with Gods
redemptive revelation contained in the Scriptures- Gods commentary on redemptive history. Covenant Theology
acknowledges and embraces the predominant theme of Scripture- relationship ruined and restored with God. The
historical covenants provide the framework on which God hangs His saving dealings with men. Salvation involves
the restoration of relationship with God, and the covenants express the terms of that relationship. It is all about
Gods gracious intention summarized in the covenant formula, I will be their God and they shall be My people.
Covenant Theology is all about God dwelling with man and man enjoying and worshiping God. It is all about God
knowing each one of us personally and intimately from before the foundation of the world, desiring to share Himself
with us in a glorious world brought about by a glorious redemption and centered around a glorious Redeemer.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 2: Introduction to Covenant Theology, Part 2
D. A Brief History of Covenant Theology

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Covenant Theology is a development of the Reformed and Calvinistic tradition. Though it is acknowledged by other
traditions, Reformed and Calvinistic theologians made Covenant Theology the organizing principle of their
understanding of Gods relations with man throughout redemptive history.
The seeds of Covenant Theology may be traced back, even to the great church father, Augustine of Hippo. But it did
not become a fully developed system until the Reformation. In the sixteenth century, Covenant Theology began to
make an appearance in the writings of Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger. These men were pushed to take up the
subject as a response to Anabaptists in and around Zurich. So, it is very interesting to note that Covenant Theology
in the classic sense was formulated in some respects as a defense of paedobaptism. We must keep this in mind as
we seek to make biblical advances in our understanding of this subject in our day.
From Zwingli and Bullinger, Calvin and other Reformed theologians took up the subject. By the mid-seventeenth
century, Covenant Theology was playing a major role in reformed theology. I cant take the time to give a fully
developed history of covenant theology. But let me just name some of the key figures in the development of
covenant theology: Zwingli (1484-1531), Calvin (1509-64), Heinrich Bullinger (1504-75), Caspar Olevianus (153687), Johannes Cocceius (1609-69), Herman Witsius (1636-1708), Zacharias Ursinius (1534-83).
This early reformed thought came to systematic expression in both the Westminster Standards and our London
Baptist Confession of 1689, both of which are thoroughly covenantal documents. Upon these foundations, later
theologians like Charles Hodge, BB Warfield, Gerhardus Vos, and Herman Bavinck continued to refine and develop
this system of interpretation. In more recent times, no reformed thinkers have exerted more influence than John
Murray, Meredith Kline and O. Palmer Robertson.
We must acknowledge that among Reformed, Calvinistic and Covenantal theologians, there exists a wide range of
diversity on exactly how to give expression to this system.
You are not going to go back to the writings of these various men and find one, clear, coherent, united expression of
this system, though we might like to find one. Though this diversity does exist among covenant theologians, I do
want to try to summarize what we might call Classic Covenant Theology. From this reformation period, even
amidst the diversity of expression, a fairly discernable, consistent framework emerged.

E. A Brief Summary of Classic Covenant Theology

1. Definition
If we were to examine the classic reformed literature on this subject, we would find a fairly uniform definition
something like this:
A covenant is a compact or agreement involving contracting parties, stipulations (conditions), and
promises (rewards for obedience and curses for disobedience).
We cannot overstate the significance of this working definition of covenant on the development of classic (and may I
add paedobaptistic) covenant theology. John Murray writes, From the earliest Reformed treatise on the
subject.through the classic period of formulation, and continuing in recent times this concept has exercised a
great influence upon the exposition of Gods covenant relations with men.
2. A Two Covenant Structure
I mentioned earlier that CT developed as a response to the Anabaptists and a defense of paedobaptism. We must
also note that CT developed in the midst of the crucial fight over the doctrine of justification by faith. As the
reformation recovered and defended the doctrine of justification by faith, more and more focus was placed upon the
relationship between law and gospel, works and grace, Adam and Christ. With this focus on the relationship
between Adam and Christ, the doctrine of federal or representative headship emerged in close connection with
covenant theology- so much so that covenant theology is sometimes called federal theology.

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Reformed and covenantal theologians began to see as the fundamental structure of history this two man structure:
Adam and Christ. All men from Adam onward relate to God either in their first father Adam, or in the second man
Christ. Another way to state this would be that all men relate to God on the basis of works in Adam (Do this and
you will live) or grace in Christ (the imputed righteousness of another).
So recognize the theological factors swirling about the development of covenant theology. We have the prominence
of covenant in the Scriptures (as I outlined it earlier). We have the intense struggle over the doctrine of justification
by faith, therefore the focus on works and grace, Adam and Christ. By the end of the 16 th century, Reformed
theologians began to attach the discussion of federal headship to the framework of Gods covenantal dealings with
men. Adams headship became known as the Covenant of Works; Christs as the Covenant of Grace. Man stands
before God either in Adam or in Christ. Man may obtain eternal life either on the basis of the Covenant of Works or
the Covenant of Grace.
a. The Covenant of Works
They first construed Gods dealings with Adam in the Garden of Eden as a covenant. Thus Adams representative
headship came to be formulated as the Covenant of Works.
God creates Adam in His own image in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness. Having given Adam life and
placed him in the blessing of the garden, God enters into covenant relationship with Adam so that He might bestow
further blessing on him. This compact or agreement between God and Adam consists in the following:
1) God promises to give Adam eternal life and to confirm him in perpetual righteousness and inability to sin
upon the condition of perfect obedience (especially to the command regarding the tree of knowledge of
good and evil) throughout a probationary period.
2) God threatens death upon disobedience.
WCF, Chapter 7, Paragraph 2:
The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam; and in him
to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.
WCF, Chapter 19, Paragraph 1:
God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which He bound him and all his posterity to personal,
entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the
breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.
Now you may rightly observe that the term covenant does not appear in the Genesis account of Adam in the
garden. However, theologians came to believe that all the elements of covenant were present in Gods dealings with
Adam (remember the definition), therefore we may call it a covenant. You may also rightly observe that the promise
of eternal life and the confirmation in perfection, as well as the idea of a probationary period, are there only by
implication. That is true. Nevertheless, this is the classic formulation of the Covenant of Works.
b. The Covenant of Grace
Adam having broken this covenant and thereby plunged all of his posterity into sin and death as our representative
head, God graciously intervenes to enter into another covenant with mankind- the Covenant of Grace.
In the Covenant of Grace, God offers eternal life and salvation from sin and death through Christ to all those who
believe. God reveals this gracious plan of salvation first in the promise of Genesis 3:15, and subsequently through
the various administrations under the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic and New Covenants. While these various
covenants represent a measure of diversity in Gods dealings with men, yet they are seen as in essence various
administrations or expressions of the one Covenant of Grace. For this reason, most classic covenant theologians do
not speak of a plurality of covenants, but of one covenant, the covenant of grace. Thus, all post-fall covenants are
expressions of the covenant of grace, and thus offer eternal life to those who fulfill the conditions of repentance and
faith.
1689 LBC Chapter 7 Paragraphs 2 and 3:
2. Moreover Man having brought himself under the curse of the Law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to make
a Covenant of Grace wherein he freely offereth unto Sinners, Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring

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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.
3. This Covenant is revealed in the Gospel; first of all to Adam in the promise of Salvation by the seed of
the woman, and afterwards by farther steps, until the full discovery thereof was completed in the new
Testament; and it is alone by the Grace of this Covenant, that all of the posterity of fallen Adam, that ever
were saved, did obtain life and a blessed immortality; Man being now utterly uncapable of acceptance with
God upon those terms, on which Adam stood in his state of innocency.
Now, again, you may rightly observe that the Bible never explicitly speaks of something called the Covenant of
Grace. However, Classic Covenant Theology sees the gospel as a covenant relationship between God and men
(remember their definition). And since there has only been one gospel present since the fall of man, there must be a
covenant present wherein men can be saved and restored to right relationship with God. This, they teach is the
Covenant of Grace.
Summary of Classic Covenant Theology
Purpose here is to have a general structure in view. Do you see the general emphasis of classic covenant theology?
Classical covenant theology revolves around a two-covenant structure. The classical position believes that there
are really only two covenants that God has entered into with man: the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of
Grace. The Covenant of Works was made with the human race through Adam in the Garden of Eden, and
promised eternal life upon the condition of perfect works-righteousness throughout some probationary period.
Adam failed and mankind came under the covenant curses. But in what some call the Covenant of Redemption,
God commissioned His Son as a replacement for Adam, to accomplish what Adam failed to accomplish, namely, to
earn eternal life by works-righteousness. Through the mediation of Christ who obeys the Covenant of Works
perfectly, God enters into a second covenant with mankind called the Covenant of Grace, by which the eternal life
earned by Christ in the Covenant of Works is offered to men on the condition of faith in Christ.
Now, the historical covenants we actually read about in the Bible such as the Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic,
the Davidic and the New, are not properly to be thought of as distinct covenants, but as simply varying
administrations or outward forms of the one Covenant of Grace. The Abrahamic is especially given prominence as
the institutionalization of the covenant, bringing the covenant people or the visible Church into existence. While
these successive administrations may differ in their outward elements to fit their historical context, they are all of the
same essence. They promise the same blessings and require the same condition. While the outward
manifestations differ, the kernel at the center of them all is the unchanging Covenant of Grace, and as such, all the
covenant administrations offer eternal life to men on the condition of faith. Thus the controlling idea in classical
covenant theology and its key distinctive is that after the fall there has been but one covenant variously
administered.
So, consequently, classical covenant theology sees a great deal of continuity between the Old and New
Testaments, such that there has been development in the outward expression or administration of the Covenant of
Grace, but nothing essential has really changed. The way this comes out is their insistence that the New Covenant
is essentially the same as the Abrahamic covenant, from which conviction flows their doctrine of paedobaptism.
F. A Brief Response to Classic Covenant Theology and How This Class Will Differ
1. Definition of Covenant
Classic Definition:
A covenant is a compact or agreement involving contracting parties, stipulations (conditions), and
promises (rewards for obedience and curses for disobedience).
Perhaps this definition would fit certain occurrences of covenants between men, who are equals in a sense. But can
you see already why we might have a problem with such a definition when we speak of the Divine-human
covenants in Scripture?
When we examine our Bibles and study all the places where the word for covenant occurs (the Hebrew word berith,
the Greek diatheke), we would find that this definition is faulty because it seeks to encompass too much. Just
because there are some examples of covenants wherein there are agreements, stipulations, re-stipulations, and
conditions, does not mean that we must force those elements into every covenant.

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We must discipline ourselves to determine a more basic, working definition of covenant, then to define the specific
elements of each covenant by observing what the Bible says specifically about each one. When we examine the
Bibles use of the term, what do we find? Do we see two parties coming together and hammering out the terms of
agreement to their relationship? Do we see stipulations and re-stipulations? Do we see conditions? No, we see a
unilateral, sovereign movement of God, who takes the initiative to deal in mercy with man, making promises which
form the basis of His relationship with man.
Therefore, we will use as our basic, working definition of covenant the following: An oath-bound commitment of
friendship.
Note briefly several observations from our definition:
1) The essence of covenant is a commitment made to a relationship of friendship.
2) Our definition views covenants as unilateral commitments on the part of God toward man.
3) Our definition views God entering into relationship immediately upon establishment of the covenant, rather than
upon fulfillment of certain conditions. The relationship established by the covenant may be lost if certain conditions
are not fulfilled. However, the Divine-human covenants of Scripture clearly establish the terms of friendship between
God and the other party immediately. He makes a promise and draws the party into relationship with Himself on the
basis of His own promise and pledge. The covenant is not at its heart a contract offering blessing to men on certain
conditions, rather, the covenant relationship itself is the blessing, and it immediately establishes friendship.
When God makes a covenant with men, He is essentially swearing to give them His friendship, protection, goodwill,
favor and fatherly devotion. The divine covenants are like a marriage or an adoption. They draw men into a special
relationship with God. There may be some house rules in these relationships, there may be warnings against
infidelity or rebellion and consequently threats of losing the relationship, but the covenant once made immediate
brings man into the sphere of Gods friendship and covenant love.
2. The Two Covenant Structure
We wholeheartedly agree with the concept of federal headship which lies at the heart of the two covenant structure
of classic covenant theology. We do not agree, however, that God was offering to Adam everlasting life, but only the
maintenance of his standing with God in a continuation of life in the Garden of Eden as he knew it.
We also wholeheartedly agree that God has had only one way, one plan of salvation by grace through faith in Christ
from the fall of Adam to the end of the world. Anyone who ever has been saved or ever will be saved will be saved
through faith in the work of Christ. Thus, we agree in essence with the concept of the covenant of grace.
However, we will not be teaching in this class that all the historical covenants (including the New Covenant) are
merely the unfolding of the covenant of grace.
We are going to teach that God had the end in view from the beginning. We dont believe that God ever intended to
bring man into the experience of eternal life apart from Jesus Christ, for He was as a lamb slain before the
foundation of the world, and we were chosen in Him before the world began. So, we see the New Covenant as the
only saving covenant. And when God created the world he had the New Covenant consummated in view. (DRAW
ON SLIDE).
We believe and will teach that all the historic covenants serve an extremely vital purpose in Gods redemptive plan.
They all serve to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. They also serve to reveal by typology truths about Christ
and the spiritual blessings God would bestow upon His people in the New Covenant. The historical covenants are
organically related, not because they are all various administrations of the one Covenant of Grace, but because
they all reveal some truth about Gods one way of salvation which would be accomplished by Christ under the New
Covenant.
Rather than seeing the New Covenant as merely the final stage in the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace, we see
the New Covenant as the ultimate goal of God in creation and redemption having planned the great salvation
accomplished by Christ in the New Covenant before time began. We see history as the gradual unfolding and
revealing of what God in Christ would do under the New Covenant. All who are ever saved are saved by the
provisions of Christ under the New Covenant. Those prior to the NC in history are saved by faith in the promise of
what Christ would accomplish on their behalf.

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This class will diverge, then, from the classical view by tying federalism to actual historical covenants instead of
made-up ones. We identify the in-Adam relationship with the Adamic Covenant, and the in-Christ
relationship with the New Covenant, and we leave the remaining historical covenants to stand as they are and
possess the content and character that they themselves claim to possess. Consequently, in our class we are laying
aside the classical Covenant of Works/Covenant of Grace paradigm and terminology.
G. Goals for the Course
1. To better understand the Bibles main theme and the relationship of its parts
2. To better understand and appreciate our great salvation
3. To better understand the covenants and their important role in revealing the gospel
4. To increase and strengthen our faith in the God of Promise
5. To fuel our worship and service to God and His great purpose in the earth
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 3: Introduction to Typology
A. Introduction
1. The Grammatical-Historical Method of Interpretation
Covenant Theology requires the use of two basic hermeneutical principles. The first principle is what we call the
grammatical-historical method [write on board]. This method says we begin our study by an examination of the
original meaning of a text. What did the writer of this text have in mind when he wrote it?; What would the original
recipients of this text have understood by it? not what do we understand, but what they would have understood?
The grammatical-historical method answers these questions by examining the original languages, the historical
background and setting of a book, the life experiences of the writer and recipients and the stage of progressive
revelation at the time. The grammatical-historical method is the foundation of Protestant interpretation, and must in
all cases be our first and primary method of study. For this reason, each covenant that we cover in this class will
begin with an exclusive focus on its original, historical, literal significance.
2. The Typological Method of Interpretation
But, the Scriptures do not permit us to stop there. Another, subordinate principle is necessary, which we call the
typological method [write on board]. The grammatical-historical method is only concerned with what a text meant
for the original recipients, and what the author himself understood by it. But we are going to see in a minute that the
Bible interprets and explains itself in ways that are not consistent with a strictly literal approach. That is to say, the
New Testament attaches truth to Old Testament passages that were not and could not have been fully understood
by the original recipients, or even by the human author himself. We find Jesus and the apostles applying Old
Testament texts to the Church, in ways that differ radically from their original application to Old Covenant Israel.
Grammatical-historical looks only at historical meaning as intended by the human author for its original
recipients. But the New Testament often looks at a spiritual or theological meaning as intended by the
divine author for its ultimate recipients. Because the New Testament itself uses this method, we are obliged to
follow its lead and adopt a secondary hermeneutic, the typological method.
Were going to divide up the subject under three headings:
1. The New Testaments general view of the Old Testament
2. Typology as a literary device

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3. Errors to be avoided
B. The New Testaments general view of the Old Testament
Lets begin with the New Testaments general view of the Old Testament. How should we understand the Old
Testament, broadly speaking?
1. John 5:37-40, 46
Here is Jesus at the beginning of our New Testament, and He is going to lay out for us the proper interpretation of
the Old Testament. READ TEXT. According to this text, whats the Old Testament about? Jesus says, the Old
Testament scriptures are they which testify, talk about, instruct concerning Me, Jesus Christ the Messiah. Again in
v. 46: Moses wrote about Me. Moses, the first and most prominent Old Testament author, wrote about Jesus.
Jesus is saying that underneath the title of Old Testament, you will find the subtitle, About Jesus Christ. Both Old
and New Testaments are all about this one man, the God-man, Jesus Christ. He is the theme of the Bible, and
this theme unites the two testaments into one Bible with a single message, and that message is Christ.
Now where do you remember Moses writing about Jesus?
2. Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-45 READ
Verse 27 says that beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded, or explained to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself. In verse 44 He says that all things must be fulfilled which were written in
the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning Me. These are the three parts of the traditional
Jewish Bible. Together the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms form the entire Old Testament. Jesus is saying that
all the Old Testament is about Him, not just a part of it. Were not to understand from this that Christ is in every
verse, but that He is to be found throughout, in every genre and stage of Old Testament revelation. But again, when
is the last time youve read about Jesus in the Old Testament? There are some prophecies that obviously refer to
Him, but they account for a very small fraction of the Old Testament, so how can He say that all of the Old
Testament testifies of Him? Apparently, He is to be found even in places where its not clearly or immediately
referring to Him.
Thats why Jesus is having to explain to these two disciples what the Old Testament was really about. They didnt
understand it. But here comes Jesus after His resurrection and He expounds, or explains, which means that it
needed explanation. Verse 32, their hearts burned within them while He opened the Scriptures to them, which
means that the Scriptures had been closed. Verse 45, He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend
the Scriptures, which means that before this, they couldnt understand it. Jesus comes along takes the blinders off
and throws light on the Old Testament so that now, for the first time in redemptive history, we can properly
comprehend it. Therefore we conclude that the theological message of the Old Testament is not clear. Its not
patent, it doesnt lie on the surface of the text. Its real meaning lies hidden in shadows and figures that only God
can explain to us. But Jesus came and explained the Old Testament. A few days later Jesus will send the Spirit to
indwell His Church and inspire the New Testament writings of the apostles, and in this way He continues to shed
light on the meaning of Scripture. We dont have to grope at shadows anymore as we read through the Old
Testament, because in the New Testament, Jesus through the apostles tells us what its meaning is. Now heres the
conclusion: this is what I want you to take away from this passage: the Old Testaments ultimate meaning is not
on the surface, but is opened up and revealed in its true significance in the New Testament. That is a
fundamental tenet of Reformed hermeneutics, and was captured succinctly by Augustine when he famously wrote
that The New Testament is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.
3. Romans 16:25-26
Notice in verse 25, the word revelation or revealing. Then in v. 26 the phrases made manifest, and made
known. What do these words have in common? Theyre synonyms, right? Theyre all saying the same thing, that
something has been opened up and made known that was previously not known. What was that? Verse 25 says, it
was a mystery that was kept secret. How long has this mystery been around? Since the world began. This is
truth that is at least as old as creation itself, that has been in the mind and purpose of God since the very beginning.
But it was kept secret, says the text. Is it still a secret? No, v.26 says but NOW made manifest. And how was it
made manifest? Verse 25 tells us according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, which is according
to or concerning the revelation of the mystery. The mystery was revealed with the 1 st coming of Christ and the work
of His apostles in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ we find this preaching and revelation of the mystery in the
New Testament. But not just the New Testament look at v. 26: by the prophetic scriptures made known. The

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prophetic scriptures of the Old Testament also play a role in revealing this mystery. That means that they contain
this mystery truth in them. Now the Old Testament did not always have this effect it is only now, v. 26, but now
made manifest that the mystery contained in the Old Testament is made evident. So since the beginning of the
world, theres been a great mystery, present in the Old Testament but obscured and kept a secret. But now, now
in the New Testament age, the mysteries are made manifest and the real meaning of the Old Testament is
made known to all nations.
4. Matthew 13:10-13, 16-17
What, according to this passage, is the content of Jesus parables? The content of parables is the kingdom of God,
and the truths of the kingdom are spoken of in mystery form. A mystery, from the Greek word musterion, is a truth
that is hidden to be revealed at a later time. Truths about the kingdom of God were the content of the parables of
Jesus, but they were obscured and hidden, to be revealed through His disciples at a later time. But not only His
parables, the Old Testament also contained these mysteries. Verse 17, many prophets and righteous men desired
to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Truths about the kingdom of
God are present throughout the Old Testament, but they are in mystery form they are obscured, hidden, unclear.
Even the prophets and saints who wrote the Old Testament could not properly comprehend them. But that they
desired to comprehend them tells us that they were at least aware that these mysteries existed. They knew that
there was deep meaning in the books they were writing, they knew that they spoke of the kingdom, but they
themselves, as instruments used by the Holy Spirit to pen the Old Testament, did not see clearly. Only Jesus could
reveal the mysteries and make them known, and He did this to His disciples, who in turn reveal them to us in their
New Testament writings. So we learn from this passage that the Old Testament as well as the parables of
Jesus contain kingdom truth in mystery, or hidden, form. What is the Old Testament about? Its about the
kingdom of God.
5. Ephesians 3:3-6, 9
We see this idea of mystery again. Were told in this passage that a mystery is truth that is hidden and not made
known, but later is revealed by the Spirit. How long has this mystery been around? Since the beginning of the
ages, verse 9. From the beginning of human history, when God created all things through Jesus Christ, there has
been hidden truth waiting to be revealed. Creation had a purpose, a goal, an ultimate aim: verse 11 tells us it was
the eternal purpose which God would accomplish in Christ. But God kept this mystery hidden for ages, until finally
revealing it by the Spirits inspiration of apostles and prophets of the New Covenant. The content of their writings,
the New Testament, is the revelation of the mystery of Gods eternal purpose that in earlier ages was kept
hidden in the Old Testament. What is the mystery, according to Ephesians 3? What is His eternal purpose in
Christ, using the language of this text? [class question]. This mystery is that, verse 6, Gentiles would be fellow heirs
with Jews, members of the same body and heirs of the promises. Now what is that? Gentile and Jew together in
Christ, heirs of the promises together? Thats the Church, isnt it? The Church is the mystery, the truth hidden from
the beginning of the ages. The Church is the eternal purpose of God, the mystery of His mind at creation, and the
Old Testament contains that mystery. What is the Old Testament about? Its about the Church! I thought it was
about Israel? How could it be about both? Well see how next week.
6. 1 Peter 1:10-12
The prophets inquired and searched carefully, v. 10, into the gospel of our salvation, and the grace which we, in the
New Testament era, have received. They were ministering truths not to themselves, v. 12, not to physical Israel, but
to us, the Church. And what was the content of their message to us? Verse 11: He, that is the Spirit of Christ,
testified beforehand through the inspiration of the human authors of the Old Testament, the sufferings of Christ and
the glories that would follow. What is the Old Testament about? Its about the sufferings of Christ, and the glories
that would follow. When did Christ suffer? In His first advent, which inaugurated the New Covenant and began the
church age, right? When are the glories that follow? In His second advent, which will consummate the New
Covenant and begin the eternal state. So what is the Old Testament about? Its about the New Covenant
inauguration in the sufferings of Christ and the New Covenant consummation in the glories that follow
upon His return. Its about the Church age and the eternal state yet to come. Thats what the Old Testament is all
about. Thats what the Spirit has testified beforehand. But where do you remember reading about the glories of the
eternal state in the Old Testament? Its there, but it is clothed in figurative language and historical imagery. It is a
mystery, which is why the prophets had to inquire and search carefully into these things.
In conclusion, how are we to understand the Old Testament, generally speaking? Thats what we set out to answer.
Well, if were understanding it biblically, the way the New Testament understands it, well see that its about the

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person of Jesus Christ. Its about the kingdom of God. Its about the Church. Its about the New Covenant,
inaugurated in Christ sufferings and consummated in His glorious return. Its about the church age and the eternal
state to follow. In other words, the Old Testament is all about New Testament realities, but they are hidden. It
speaks of these things in a mystery. So we cannot interpret our Old Testament solely by the grammatical-historical
method. The New Testament does not allow us to do that. The New Testament demands that we ultimately
interpret the Old Testament in a figurative or typological sense, and to see in it New Testament realities about Jesus,
the kingdom of God, the New Covenant and the Church, as they relate to the present Church age and especially
the eternal age to come. Thats whats there, and thats what were going to find as we delve into the typology of
each covenant. The typological method grows out of the New Testaments general view of the Old Testament,
which is that of figure and shadow.
C. Typology as a Literary Device
So the Old Testament contains these New Testament truths in mystery form. But exactly how? By what means
specifically, by what literary device are these truths woven into the fabric of the Old Testament? Well, there are a
variety of means, as Hebrews 1 says: God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past But the
primary means, and that with which we are concerned now, is the literary device of type and antitype. The study of
types and antitypes is called typology. We are now going to get an overview of what typology is and how it works.
1. Romans 5:14-15, 18-19
Did you see our word? Verse 14, Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come, Jesus Christ. Adam is a type of
Christ. What does that mean? What is a type? The Greek word here is tupos, which is derived from a verb that
means to strike. A tupos is the mark or impression left by striking or pressing against something. In John
20:25, we read of the print or mark of the nails on Jesus hand: the word for print or mark there is tupos. The nails
struck His hands and left a tupos, an impression. The word later became used for an image or form, and in Acts
7:43 we read of the idols or images that the children of Israel worshiped. The word images is tupos. The idea is
that the gods came down and left their imprint or image upon this block of wood, and therefore the idol is the tupos
or image of a god. Now, theologically, the word type is used to signify a lower, historical reality that
receives its shape or image from a higher, future reality which is called the antitype. God has taken that future
reality and reached back into time and struck or pressed it against something preceding it historically, such that the
future leaves its tupos, its mark or impression upon the past, casting the past in the same mold and weaving it into
the same pattern as the future to which it points. Now how can the future shape the past? That sounds kind of
backwards, doesnt it? Well it is for us, but not for God.
Think of the architect who designs a new building. The architect pictured the building in his mind, and then following
that picture in his head he creates an image, or tupos of the building out of clay, or whatever he used, to show
people what the building would look like before it is actually built. The model precedes the building in historical
reality, but the building preceded the model in the mind of the architect. The future reality, which only existed in the
mind of its creator, gave a preceding reality its form. Thats how the future can shape the past there is a designer
and architect behind history who is able to weave the future into the past. God has seeded history with hints of
the future, weaving into the Old Testament narrative themes and allusions to His future New Covenant
purposes.
Consequently, what we see in our Bibles are patterns or themes that appear and reappear throughout the sacred
narrative, each time embodied in different historical circumstances and particulars, but carrying readers mind along
certain lines of truth and familiarizing him with ideas that will eventually emerge at the end of the ages in their final,
consummate form. We see historical events occurring prior to the main event itself, events which prepare us and
build anticipation for what is coming. Thats what a type is. Its an historical event or thing that anticipates a
similar but far greater and loftier event or thing yet future.
Now the essential nature of a type requires these elements:
a) A type must embody the same essential principles or nature or function as the antitype to which it points.
It is more than a superficial resemblance, it is the pre-appearance of future realities in history and therefore is
something of a preview of the very same ideas and truths present in the antitype, only on a lower plane. The
correlation or likeness between the type and antitype is therefore substantial, not superficial.

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b) A type must point to a future reality. That is, future with respect to the historical era of the type, not to us.
Types have a future orientation. They always point to things yet to come, not to things already present at the time of
the type.
c) A type must point to a loftier, more sublime reality. Types are teaching tools that operate on a low, temporal,
concrete, earthly plane in order to convey higher and more eternal truths. The future antitype is therefore always a
higher order of reality than the type. The building is greater than the model. The volcanic eruption greater than the
preceding puffs of ash, the earthquake greater than our make-believe beforeshocks. Types must always fall short
of their antitypes.
d) A type must be an actual historical reality that has its own significance understood literally; a symbol is
different than a type. Symbols are things that do not possess intrinsic significance, and that can only be understood
from the very beginning to be nothing more than representations of something else, such as the ark being a symbol
of the throne of God. Types are different they make use of real historical realities that have their own meaning,
like the life history of certain persons, or significant events in the history of a nation. And unlike symbols, types are
not usually understood to be types right away their typical nature becomes evident only in the future as the
antitype approaches.
e) With the arrival of the antitype, the type is set aside and all attention is turned away from it . When the
World Trade Center building is completed, you wont go visit New York City to go and stare at the model. The model
will be forgotten your attention will be on the building itself. When a volcano starts puffing it fills the headlines of
the evening news, but once the big eruption happens, everybody forgets about the puffs. So types lose their typical
value as pointers to the future once the future arrives. They are temporary, whereas antitypes are permanent.
Well those are the essential elements of a type.
passages, beginning with the one before us now.

Lets now see typology at work in several New Testament

Here in Rom. 5 we find the purest use of the word type in this theological sense. Adam is a tupos of Christ the
person, office and work of Christ as God purposed from before the foundation of the world appears in anticipatory
and preview form in the person of Adam. In what way, according to the text, does Adam typify Christ what is the
correlation between the two? But types always fall short of their antitypes. How, according to the text, does Adam
fall short of Christ how are they different? So Adam is a type of Christ, and it is because of this typical relationship
that Christ is called the second Man and the last Adam. Lord willing, in the next lesson well get to see some
more typology between Adam and Christ.
2. 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 11
Lets look at the next important usage of the word in 1 Cor. 10:1-6, 11. Our word tupos is in verse 6: now these
things became our examples, our tupos, that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And again in
verse 11, now all these things happened to them as examples or tupos, and they were written for our admonition.
The these things of verse 6 are referring backwards to verses 1-4. What, in verses 1-4, are the these things?
(WRITE ON BOARD) These are objects, physical objects with historical significance: the manna, the water out of
the rock, the rock itself, the cloud and the sea all very real, concrete, physical realities. And yet, they were types
of future, New Covenant realities important to and applicable to us today. Now let me ask you a question: did you
think of Christ the first time you read of manna? Did you think of baptism when you first heard of the Red Sea
crossing, or the cloud that hovered over Israel by day? Probably not. These things arent on the surface of the text.
Theyre mysteries theyre hidden. Now what does verse 11 say? they were written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the ages have come. God brought these historical realities to pass ultimately for our benefit, we
who live in the ends of the ages, the gospel age of the New Testament, verse 11. Isnt that what it says? The Old
Testament was therefore written, in its ultimate sense, to the Church. And the primary vehicle for carrying truth
about the Church and for the Church is that of types. Things like rocks and water and manna and crossing the
sea, things like the plagues and judgments that God sent on Israel in the desert. These are all full of spiritual, future
significance that only we, living in New Testament times, can properly understand. Now, the manna and the rock,
the cloud and the sea, these all had their own intrinsic value and part to play in Israels history. They make sense
understood literally, and thats the first way we should understand them. We must never deny the historicity of
these very real, objective historical realities. But they are still types. So people can be types, we saw that with
Adam in Romans 5, historical events can be types and physical objects can be types.

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3. 1 Corinthians 9:9-10
Is it oxen that God is concerned about? He wrote about oxen, but is that what He was really talking about? The
prohibition against muzzling an ox embodied New Testament truth in figurative form. This is the typological
principle. God gave a law that was real and was meant to be kept literally by the Israelites. For them, they were to
interpret what God said literally and obey it literally. But is that what God is really all about? Is the God of the
universe that could have created any possible reality that He desired, so interested in legislating the affairs of oxen?
Is this what its all about? No, Paul says, it wasnt oxen that God was primarily concerned about it was for our
sakes. The Old Testament, including the civil laws dealing with how they treated their oxen, was written for
our sakes.
4. Galatians 4:22-31
Perhaps one of the most revealing and most exciting treatments of Old Testament typology can be found in Gal.
4:22-31 [READ]. Abraham had two sons: the first, Ishmael, was born by Hagar the servant or bondwoman
according to the fleshly efforts of Abraham to conceive a child naturally. The second, Isaac, was born by Sarah the
wife or freewoman, not according to the natural strength of the flesh, but according to divine promise. The first son
persecuted the second, but was eventually rejected and cast out with his mother and the second son became the
sole heir of Gods covenant. These are facts of history; these are events that really happened. Abraham and Sarah
and Hagar and Ishmael and Isaac were real people who really lived in a period of history and that history has
significance in and of itself. But the surprising revelation in this passage is that the literal and historical does not
exhaust all of the meaning and truth and significance of their lives. V. 24 says which things are symbolic. Which
things are figurative. Which things are typical. That is not to deny the reality of the history, but it is to invest history
with more meaning that initially meets the eye. What then is the typology here, in what way does this family history
correspond with New Testament realities?
So we see here that sometimes there is typological truth stretching across a lengthy narrative, spanning lifetimes
and even successive generations. We call these extended types. Its like an extended analogy that you keep
building on as the story unfolds. We see historical events like the mode of conception, the sibling rivalry and the
casting out of Ishmael as all having typical meaning. We also get a hint of places, geographical locations, having
typical significance, like Mount Sinai and Jerusalem. All of these things are invested by the architect and designer
of history with New Covenant truth. Were not making this up! This isnt the fruit of fanciful imaginations. We get
this from explicit New Testament passages like this one. We are obliged by our commitment to the New
Testament to understand these Old Testament people, events and places not just literally, but also typically.
This is solid, sound, biblical exegesis.
5. Colossians 2:16-17
The Levitical regulations, Paul says, are a just a shadow of things to come. The substance is Christ. The Greek
word for substance is literally, body. Isnt it the body that casts the shadow? Just so, Christ is the ultimate reality,
the body if you will, that casts His shadow back on earlier, historical, Old Covenant realities and gave them their
shape. Christ is the antitype of which all these Levitical elements were merely types, and Paul is hammering home
the principle that now that the antitype has arrived, now that Christ is come, there is no more need for those old
shadows, because thats all they were just shadows. They were merely preparatory and temporary. Christ and
the New Covenant He instituted is the ultimate, final, eternal reality that forever takes their place.
Let me just mention to you some other texts you could look up on your own to see these same things: Heb. 8:5-6,
Heb. 9:1,9-11, Heb. 9:23-24, Heb. 10:1; 1 Pet. 3:20-21
My hope is that by now you are convinced that typology is real, that it is a biblical concept, and that it arises out of
the New Testaments own treatment of the Old Testament. All were doing is following the New Testaments lead.
D. Errors to be Avoided
Lets finish this lesson by considering what errors need to be avoided in the study of typology. There are errors.
There are dangers. And we must be on guard against them.
1. The first error to be avoided is that of denying or ignoring the role of typology in biblical interpretation.
Because of the indiscretions of some fertile imaginations that have abused typology to find anything they desire
in any detail of the Old Testament, many scholarly minds have been totally turned off to the entire subject. We

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have seen enough texts to cement in our minds from the Bible itself that typological interpretation is
not only valid, its essential if we are to understand our Old Testaments. Its the way that Jesus and the
apostles themselves interpreted the Old Testament how could we be embarrassed for following their lead?
We must simply avoid the abuses of typology, without depriving the Church of the blessings it has to offer. In
fact, the author to the Hebrews rebuked the church for its lack of understanding in the typical realities of the Old
Testament, calling them babes who needed to drink milk. We want to mature doctrinally, and part of that
maturity involves an appreciation for the typical meaning of the Old Testament.
2. The second error is the opposite error, that of so overemphasizing figurative or spiritual content that one
practically denies the place and importance of the original, historical or literal meaning of the text. This
is what is called allegorical interpretation and is a serious error. Typological interpretation is not allegorical
interpretation, as some mistakenly think. Allegory is rooted in the imagination of the interpreter, and conveys its
message by use of a made-up fable or imaginary history artificially put together. If allegory makes use of real
history, it regards the story as having no intrinsic value except as it conveys the figurative truth desired. In other
words, it may happen to be real history, but it might as well be made up for all the allegorist cares. The story is
just a tool of convenience. By contrast, biblical typology arises out of actual, real history just the way it
happened. Gods redemptive purposes have been worked out with real people in real history that must be
appreciated for what it is. God really did bring the physical descendents of Jacob out of a literal Egypt, part a
literal sea, give them a law from a literal mountain, lead them around for 40 years in a literal desert, and bring
them into a literal Canaan. These things all have significance in and of themselves. They were important, apart
from any typical meaning they may or may not carry. Furthermore, any typical meaning that these events
have is rooted in and arises out of the historical. This is a crucial point if you ignore the history, you will
surely misread the typology. Allegory imposes foreign ideas unto history that it was never intended to convey;
in contrast, typology simply draws out the principles and truths it finds already present in history and projects
them into the future. Therefore, it is essential to biblical typology that we root and ground our
interpretation in the historical and literal before we begin looking for figurative meaning. That is why we
will always begin the study of each covenant in this class with an exclusive focus on its historical significance,
before we move on later, and only later, to consider its typical significance.
3. A third error, and one we must be careful to avoid, is pressing the details of types too far. Numbers, colors,
names, arrangements, materials, order of events and the like have been used to create very detailed types. But
let us remember, types are merely shadowy suggestions of a future reality. They are only suggestions, hints or
glimpses. Their correspondence is in the essential form or function, not in the details or historical dressing. We
need to keep it simple what is the main, essential thing thats where were going to find the type. The details
are simply part of the history itself and are not intended to carry any further meaning. We know that Moses
striking the rock is a type of the judgment that fell on Christ. But he struck it with a staff. What does the staff
represent? Nothing! He had to strike the rock with something, and thats what he had. The staff was made of
wood, does that mean anything? Or does the fact that a rock is typically gray, or rough, or sinks in water mean
anything? No! The only correspondence to the antitype here is that of one being smitten and as a result giving
forth living water that would give life to and sustain Gods people. Do not press the details of types too far
the correspondence is limited to a few major points, and we are not to find meaning in every detail.
4. A fourth error is finding types everywhere or in very superficial similarities. Some people think that every
verse of the Old Testament has a figurative meaning. Thats simply not true. God uses a variety of means to
express truth, and He does at times speak plain and straightforward in the Old Testament, and we cannot
interpret that figuratively. Furthermore, there is real history being told and much of the history is told because
its history, not because it contains typological meaning. Many of the details are given because they fill in the
telling of historical events, and were part of what really happened. They often have no further meaning at all.
Others dont see types in every verse, but they still see far more than they should. Just because there is a
superficial likeness between an Old Testament and New Testament thing doesnt meant you have a type the
similarities must be more than superficial; they must possess essentially the same form and embody
the same principles. The similarity must be substantial.
5. Finally, a fifth error is interpreting a type such that a new doctrine is discovered, unknown to the New Testament.
All previously hidden truth is revealed in the New Testament, and no doctrine was left hidden in the shadows of

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the Old Testament. Not all types were revealed, but all meaning to be found in types was revealed. If the Bible
does not teach it in plain language, you cant find it in a type.
With so many errors abounding around the subject, why even bother? Isnt it safer to just ignore typology
altogether? Well thats like our miner telling his boss that he wont go underground because its safer to stay up top.
Of course there are dangers out there, but we are called to search the Scriptures and to appropriate the truth that
God has revealed to us and intends for us to receive. There is a gold-mine of heart-thrilling truth latent in the Old
Testament thats just waiting to be found for the benefit and encouragement of Christs Church. But we must
proceed with care. The only safe way to approach typology is to know our Bibles backwards and forwards. To be in
tune with the spirit, flow and feel of biblical revelation. If we are to approach typology aright, it is imperative that we
know our Bibles first the whole of our Bibles. Some people not well grounded in the Scriptures have jumped into
typology head-first and have drowned in all manner of weirdness and wild-eye interpretation that inevitable ends up
being allegory. To avoid this, we have to know what the big picture is. Weve got to know what the major pillars of
truth are. Weve got to know what God is doing in redemptive history where its headed, and the major milestones
along the way. And we dont get that by dipping into a few books of the Bible here and there. We need to read the
entire Bible again and again, looking for the big picture as we go, and striving to be especially familiar with our New
Testaments.
Conclusion
Okay, that brings us to the end of our study of typology. This has been important because as we study each
covenant in this class, we are going to find New Covenant, or Church truth in every one of them. I want to prove that
this is legitimate biblical exegesis and not wild, imaginative thinking. We want you to be absolutely assured and
confident that we are treating the Scripture rightly.
Let me sum up in a word all that weve seen: We understand our Old Testaments only if we understand them in the
way that Jesus explained it on the road to Emmaus every part is about Christ in mystery form. We must follow
Jesus lead with the typological method in order to discover the New Testament truth that is hidden or concealed in
the Old Testament. It is typology that makes the Old Testament a Christian book. Without typology, the Old
Testament loses much of its meaning for us today. Without typology, there is no Covenant Theology. If the
covenants dont point toward the New Covenant as the fulfillment and antitype of all that went before, they would be
mere historical curiosities, and we wouldnt be spending our time studying the subject. We study the covenants
because they all have something to say to us today. And they say it through types and shadows.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 4: Adamic Covenant, Part 1
Introduction
Until now, we have been thinking about Gods eternal purpose to bring about a glorious world under the rule and
centered on Jesus Christ through redemption in Christ. Now we are leaving eternity past and focusing on history.
We come today to the first step in the process of moving toward that future world. God creates this present world,
and places Adam in charge of it.
In the context of this relationship between God and Adam, we find what we believe to be a covenant. Were going
to call it the Adamic Covenant. God is going to redeem a people for His own possession out of sin and corruption.
The Adamic covenant introduces that sin and corruption, and therefore forms the necessary context for redemption.
Adam sets the stage upon which Christ will work out Gods eternal purpose.
A. Historical Analysis
1. Historical Background

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a) Creation
We begin then, with the historical background. What is the historical background to the Adamic covenant?
Creation, right? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In six literal days, God spoke by decree,
and created out of nothing the earth and the heavens and all that is in them. Now on the sixth day, God creates the
crowning jewel of creation, His masterpiece: man. Lets read Gen. 1:27; 2:7. Out of the dust of the earth, God
forms Adam. Now, what was different about how God created man as opposed to everything else He created?
Everything else He spoke into existence out of nothing by let there be and there was. But Adam He formed with
His own hands out of the pre-existing dust of the earth. Furthermore He breathed into the mans nostrils, and Adam
became a living soul. God didnt breath into any other creatures nostrils. Adam is unique. God made him with His
own hands. Gods breath is in him. Genesis 1 further tells us that God created man in His own image. Unlike any
other creature, man is the image-bearer of God. Being Gods image-bearer means that 1) man was given God-like
capacities, emotions and abilities. The ability to will, the ability to choose, the ability to think and reason and create
and to feel. It means 2) that man was created holy, God-like in his moral uprightness and the perfection of his
character. And it means 3), that man was given God-like duties, to do Gods work in a sense, in governing, ruling
and preserving. Man was not God, but he was created God-like in many ways. Why is that? Why do you think
God make man in His own image? So that He could have relationship with man. What kind of relationship could
God have with monkeys or giraffes? God doesnt want pets, He wants a people to relate to Him intelligently and
rationally and emotionally.
b) The Garden
Okay, so theres creation. What did God do next? God plants a garden. Lets read together Gen. 2:8-15. Please
note with me several features of this garden. In verse 8, we are told that God planted planted, planted a
garden. God created all the other trees and vegetation on the earth by let there be, but the garden He plants.
God is hands-on here, closely involved Hes got His hands in the soil. God touches the garden, He plants it, He
waters it, He cares for it, He causes trees to grow. This is a far more intimate than creation by decree. The point is
that this place is special to God, and like with Adam, He shows it by the way in which He makes it.
Verse 9 tells us that God planted every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. It is significant that God
regarded aesthetic beauty in planting trees pleasant to the sight as much as He did utility in planting those good
for food. The garden not only provided for nourishment and sustenance, but also gave the eyes beauty and glory
to behold. We see this in the gardens very name. The word Eden in Hebrew means delight or pleasure. The
garden of Eden could be literally translated, a garden of delights, a garden of pleasures, which is at the heart
of what a garden is meant to be. A garden is the fullest, most graphic physical expression of life and vitality, of
prosperity and fruitfulness, of delight and pleasure. The garden of Eden was full of life and beauty.
Now why is this? Why is this garden so beautiful? Why do you think there was so much life here? This garden is
Gods garden, and He dwells here. This is the house that God built for Himself. How do I know that? Well first of
all, in other parts of the Bible it is referred to as the garden of God, never the garden of Adam. Secondly, the
Apostle Paul calls the third heaven where God dwells Paradise, a word that Revelation uses to refer to a place
with a tree of life in its midst so we can connect the throne-room of God with the garden. Thirdly, we see the
LORD walking through the garden in the cool of the day as was apparently His custom He could be found there
day after day. Fourthly, when Adam and Eve are expelled from the presence of the LORD, what did that mean? It
meant getting kicked out of the garden, didnt it? Which means that thats where the LORD was. The garden is
where God dwelt. And thats why it is so lush and prosperous. All life originates in God and extends to the creature,
imparting life and vitality, blessing and fruitfulness. Life, in its fullest sense, is derived from our connectedness to
God, just as a branch is alive only because it is connected to the tree, and receives the sap of life continually
flowing to it. Now, if God is life and Gods glories overflow Himself, then where God dwells, we expect to see the
effects of this divine life and vitality in the environment around Him wherever God goes, there is life in manifold
expression, by virtue of His presence and thats what Gods garden-temple is. It is a visible expression of the life
and glory and beauty that is in the God who dwells there. So the garden of Eden was Gods dwelling place. Think
about that. Out of billions of other worlds that were created, God made the planet Earth His home. And He
planted this special garden on the earth to be a kind of inner sanctuary, where His special presence would reside.
c) God Places Adam in the Garden
The last point of historical background is that after creating man and planting this garden, God takes Adam and puts
him in the garden. Adam was made outside the garden and then subsequently placed there. Whats the
significance of this? The significance is that man is graciously taken by God to dwell with God in Gods own

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house. God wants man to experience the delight and pleasure of God as expressed in the garden, to enjoy Him
and dwell with Him in intimate communion. God has created man with an appetite for God and the capacity to know
Him and delight in Him, and now He spreads a table of His perfections before Adam in the garden, so that Adam
might feast upon the glory of God, as he looks around him and beholds the world that God had made for him. This
was the original state of the human race. This is what our humanity was designed for to have satisfying
relationship with our covenant God. So, thats the historical background. Creation, the garden of Eden, and the
placing of Adam in the garden.
2. Features of the Covenant
a) Essential Nature of the Covenant
With that as our background, we come to the covenant itself. Now nowhere in the narrative do we find explicit
mention of a covenant, and yet, the majority of theologians since the late Reformation period have understood the
relationship between Adam and God as covenantal.
What then is the Adamic covenant? What it its essential nature? Well, remember what a covenant is: it is a solemn
commitment of friendship a special, intimate relationship between God and man that gives man a position or
standing before God that he did not previously have. Doesnt that describe the relationship between God and Adam
there in the garden? There was a special, intimate communion and bond between God and mankind in those
days, a relationship which elevated man to a friendship with God not enjoyed by any other creature, and
which was higher and better than what man possessed simply by right of creation. Simply stated, God and
man were friends. And that friendship was founded upon Gods pleasure and delight in His own glory and
perfections as they were reflected in the man and woman whom He had made in His image. God formed for Himself
a son, and he looks upon him and said, In you I am well pleased, and He gathers him up in the arms of covenant
friendship. That was the essential nature of the covenant.
b) Mans Responsibilities
Now, covenant relationships usually involve responsibilities or commitments by both parties. When you adopt a
child, there are some house rules, there are expectations you have for that child. God took man into His house to
be to Him as a son so what are the house rules? What are mans responsibilities in this relationship? Lets start
with mans general duties, what theologians call the CREATION MANDATE:
(1) Toward creation
(a) Be fruitful and multiply
READ Gen. 1:28. Here we see that Adam is given two tasks that God wants him to carry out. The first task is that
Adam is to be fruitful and multiply, and to fill the earth (write on board: PROCREATION). Adam and Eve were
told to bring forth children and populate the earth. It was not Gods intention that the human race would forever
consist of two people. God seeks a world full of people, a multitude that no man can number, to enjoy Him and
experience His goodness forever. Note that the word procreation is built on the word creation. Bringing forth
children is a creative act not out of nothing, but nevertheless a kind of mini-creation, and as such man is to
imitate God in bringing forth life.
(b) Subdue the earth and exercise dominion
The second task in this verse is that Adam was given the command to subdue the earth, to have dominion over
every living thing on the earth (write on board: DOMINION). Adam was not created as an equal to the animals.
Adam was their king. And God tells Adam to act like a king, and exercise his rightful rule over the lower creation.
Put it to use. Explore it. Understand it. Conquer it. Enjoy it. Take care of it. Rule over the earth. Now, God was
the king, and He had authority over everything. But God is delegating to man something of His own authority over
the earth. The earth was Gods kingdom and Adam was Gods vice-regent, to represent God in ruling His kingdom.
In a far subordinate sense, man in the context of his little world is to act the part of God: to exercise rule like God
exercises rule. This is part of the image of God that man bears, that of being a king.
(c) Work
Thirdly, in 2:15 we see that Adam was also given the task of labor, or work (write on board: LABOR). God placed
Adam in the garden not to eat and sleep and do nothing, but to cultivate and tend it. Even in his state of innocence,
man was not meant to be idle, but to apply himself in making use of and caring for the world that God created. God
planted the garden, and now Adam must tend it. In this way, man shares in Gods work, imitating his Creator in

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being productive and fruitful, in bringing order out of disorder through the God-glorifying and God-imitating task of
labor.
(d) Marriage
Next, God creates Eve and gives her to Adam to be his wife. How would Adam be fruitful and multiply? How would
he subdue the earth and exercise dominion over it? Through marriage. Eve would bear to him the children that
would fill the earth; and she would be his helper in his task of kingly rule. So mans fourth responsibility toward
creation is to structure society around the sacred institution of marriage (write on board: MARRIAGE). We
also understand from this that man was made to be like God in that he is to be a relational being, and a covenantal
being. He is to have intimate relationship with another human being in the bond of covenant commitment, just as
God has intimate relationship with us in covenant, and as such we are to imitate God in being oriented toward
relationship and covenant.
(2) Toward God
(a) Worship
Well, so much for Adams duties toward the creation. What about his duties toward God? Well, remember that the
garden is Gods self-expression, and in the garden Adam dwelt in Gods immediate presence and enjoyed that selfexpression. This arrangement teaches us that man was made to worship and delight himself in God (write on
board: WORSHIP). Man was made a religious creature. This is further seen in the implied duty of observing the
Sabbath when God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. He set the day apart for man to rest at the end of
every week, in imitation of God who rested at the end of the creation week. We work six days and then we worship,
thus teaching us that mans great end is a religious one, not a secular one. It also teaches us that man was not
made to work ceaselessly, as if that were his highest aim. No, man was ultimately intended to enjoy the fruits, not
primarily of our labor, but of Gods labor in creation, and in so doing, to enjoy God Himself. Man was meant to enjoy
God, to rest in the delight and satisfaction of all that God is. This rest is the goal of the human race. So mans first
duty toward God is to worship Him, especially within the context of a Sabbath day of rest.
(b) Submission/Obedience to God
Secondly, man was to remember who he was and who God was. Although Adam was king over the earth, he
himself had a King over him, and he must submit under Gods rule and be content to be governed by his
Creator (write on board: SUBMISSION). This submission was concentrated in the form of a specific test: the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Unlike Adams general duties which continue to be in force for us today, this
test was a special duty given to Adam alone. Lets read Gen. 2:16-17. The prohibition against eating of the tree
was a test of Adams loyalty and submission, whether he would obey Gods command simply because God said so,
or whether he would assert his own personal judgment of good and evil, of right and wrong thus seeking
autonomy from God to rule the world by himself instead of mediating Gods rule. Where is mans ultimate
confidence and allegiance, the Creator, or the creature? Who is his king, himself, or the God who made him? This
test would answer that question. To refrain from eating the forbidden fruit was to embrace the entire relationship
that God entered into with him. To eat was to betray Him and declare that we did not want His friendship.
c) Gods Divine, Oath-Bound Promises
(1) Promise of death upon disobedience
So those are mans responsibilities in the Adamic Covenant, and with the exception of the test involving the
forbidden tree, they are duties which are still binding on the human race today. Now a covenant is a two-way
relationship. Certain things are expected of man, but God commits Himself to man in certain ways as well, and He
usually does so by the swearing of an oath. What then are Gods oath-bound promises to man in the Adamic
covenant? I believe they can be found right here in v. 17. God gave an explicit promise of death if Adam should
break the covenant. Was this promise bound by the swearing of an oath? Yes it was. The phrase translated you
shall surely die is literally, dying, you shall die. The word for death appears twice, which has the effect of raising
this threat to the level of an oath, imparting to this covenantal relationship the most solemn character.
(2) Promise of life upon obedience
But what if Adam never sinned? What if he remained faithful to Gods covenant? If death is promised upon
disobedience, doesnt that imply that if Adam did not disobey, he would not die? I think it does. So the promise of
death contains within it the implication of a promise of life. As long as Adam is faithful, he would not die. And

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this promise was further impressed on Adam by the sacramental partaking of the Tree of Life, a symbol of God,
reminding Adam that his life was derived from and therefore dependent on his covenant relationship with God. God
promised continued enjoyment of life and friendship with Him in the garden in the state in which man was
created, for as long as Adam remained obedient. So those are Gods promises to Adam: an explicit threat of
death if he sinned, and an implicit promise of continued life for as long as he remained upright.
d) Conditionality
Now with each covenant it needs to be asked, Is this covenant conditional or unconditional? In other words, is
there anything man can do or fail to do that would end the covenant friendship and forfeit the divine promises? In
the case of Adam, the answer is clearly yes. This was a conditional covenant. Not all covenants are conditional
but this one is. Man would enjoy the life that is in God only as long as he was perfectly obedient.
e) Parties to the Covenant
Ive already made this clear, but who are the parties to the Adamic Covenant? God and all of Adams race not
just Adam, but all descended from him and represented by him. Any question about that is settled by Rom. 5
when it says that in Adams sin we all sinned. We were in him and one with him, as it were, when he committed that
act. So the entire human race was party to the Adamic Covenant. However, it is incorrect to say that the
Adamic Covenant is still properly in force as a covenant. When Adam broke it, the relationship was severed. The
friendship was gone. Covenant with God was lost. It is not true as some suggest that we are all born as little
Adams in a state of innocence and each of us individually has to keep or break the covenant with our own sins. The
covenant is already broken theres no more opportunity for it to be kept even if we could live perfect lives, which of
course we cant. So the covenant itself is gone, but it left some things behind. First, it left behind the curse that
God had threatened. The covenant is over, but the curses left in its wake are eternal. Secondly, we are still
required to fulfill our responsibilities toward creation and toward God. The creation mandate and the obligation to
worship and serve God did not go away when Adam sinned. We know that because God would later renew and
repeat the creation mandate with Noah and through him the entire human race.
So in conclusion, what is the nature of the Adamic covenant? The Adamic covenant was that special friendship
between God and Adams race in which we were given God-imitating tasks to perform on earth under Gods
authority, and God promised continued friendship and life in the garden for as long as Adam, our representative,
should be obedient. Thats the Adamic Covenant.
3. Historical Outworking of the Covenant
a) Mans Rebellion
Now we come to the historical outworking of the covenant. We all know what happened Adam disobeyed God.
Now God had sworn with an oath that if Adam should disobey, he would surely die, so die he must. Death is more
than cessation of biological activity, though that is part of it. It is defined more broadly, as the loss of all that is good
and lovely. And thats what happened that very same day.
b) The Curse
(1) Of the serpent
READ Gen. 3:14-15. God causes Satan and the serpent in whom he worked to be stripped of his former glory and
publicly humiliated as a loathsome creature. But more importantly, He places enmity between the devil and the
woman and between their respective offspring. The woman would be a threat to the devils kingdom, not because of
who she is, but because of One who will come from her. The womans seed, which could be translated in the plural,
is referred to using the singular pronoun He at the end of verse 15. Not they, but He will bruise your head. There
would come a specific descendent of the woman who would decisively destroy Satan, and reverse the
destructive consequences of his tempting man into sin. Here we have the first hint of Gods purpose of
redemption in Christ, for which reason theologians call this verse the Protoevangel, or first gospel. This promise
is the prophetic kernel that will be expanded on by future covenants; this is the start of a thread of hope
that will be drawn through the Old Testament right up to the cross, where the promise will be fulfilled at last
in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
(2) Of Eve

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Now lets read verse 16. Here God turns His attention to the woman. She is cursed with pain and sorrow in
childbirth. She is also cursed with an inclination of heart to be insubmissive; a tendency to seek to overrule her
husband, which desire the text says will prove ultimately unsuccessful he will in fact dominate her anyway. So
youve got conflict and turmoil now in the home.
(3) Of Adam
Finally, God turns to Adam. Lets read Gen. 3:17-19. God curses the soil and drains it of its fertility. Consequently,
thorns and thistles will grow in the place of fruit trees and rich vegetation. Adam must still work the soil as before,
but now it will be difficult labor. The rest and enjoyment of the garden was gone now he must toil hard just to
survive. Finally, and most importantly, God pronounces physical death upon Adam. The very ground he
struggles with to survive will eventually conquer him and his body will return to the dust.
(4) Of the physical creation
So a curse explicitly falls upon the devil and upon mankind. But another party suffers that is cursed implicitly. What
other party is that? The physical creation itself is cursed. Implicit in the curse against the serpent is the advent
of enmity between creatures. The seed of the woman against the seed of the serpent, war between men, animals
devouring animals, the elements warring against themselves things like earthquakes and tsunamis and
hurricanes. All of this upheaval and strife has come upon the creation that did not know any of these things before.
In the curse against the woman we have the onset of pain, suffering and frustration as an inescapable part of
natural processes like childbearing. Her curse of insubordination also hints at the upheaval of social order. In
Adams sentencing, the ground is cursed. The soil is made comparatively infertile vast regions of the earth
became desert, or tundra, or just poor soil, resulting inevitably in famine and disease. Then, finally and most
climatically, Adams curse includes in it the curse of death for all living creatures on the face of the earth. Death
came to everything, both plants and animals. The principle of decay becomes part of the natural realm. The
beautiful earth that God made has been defaced of its original glory, and is now groaning and laboring with birth
pangs, awaiting its liberation.
c) Expulsion from the Garden
But the climax of death is reached by mankinds expulsion from the garden. Lets read Gen. 3:22-24. Adam has
forfeited the divine life and presence he enjoyed in the garden. The Tree of Life symbolized God and the divine life
that is in God, and therefore Adam has no right to eat of the tree anymore. He is consequently banished from the
garden, sent out from Gods presence, to dwell where God was not. Cherubim are stationed with flaming
swords at the entrance to the garden, which were told is to the east (remember that!). These angelic warriors guard
Gods holiness, preventing sinful man from approaching a holy and offended God if Adam tried, he would be
killed. So man now dwells apart from the enjoyment of Gods glory and beauty, and the way back is utterly blocked
off. Life can no longer be obtained through the Adamic covenant that covenant can now only bring death. If man
is going to eat of the Tree of Life again, and he will, it must be by some other way, by means of a better covenant.
This concludes our historical analysis. Gods creation is now full of sin, and the image of God is effaced from it.
The world now serves His enemy. But in the midst of judgment, God gives an unexpected promise: a seed is
coming that will defeat the serpent. God has not thrown the human race away, but intends to redeem a select
remnant, thus restoring to Himself in love the world that had rebelled against Him. God was not surprised at Adams
failure. The garden of Eden was never Gods ultimate plan. Adams sin did not throw a wrench in the works or
force God to go to plan B. His failure was part of Gods plan. By Adams sin and the fall of the mankind, the stage
is now set for Christ to work redemption and accomplish Gods eternal purpose. The process of moving toward that
eternal purpose in the everlasting New Covenant has begun.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 5: Adamic Covenant, Part 2
B. Typology

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In the last lesson, we came to the first step in the process of moving toward the world to come. And that first step
was that God creates this present world, places Adam and his race in charge of it, and enters into covenant
friendship with them. And as such we find in Eden what it is that we are to be and to do what our purpose is, how
we relate to our fellow creatures and how we are to relate to God. God was the Great King over that initial kingdom,
and He gave to His subjects His law. But that happy kingdom did not last, and by breaking Gods covenant, man
brought upon himself and all of creation sin, condemnation and death. Paradise lost. The rest of the Bible is the
story of Paradise regained. And so was set in motion the great story of salvation and redemption in Christ. Now,
we are exploring the typology of the Adamic Covenant. Were going to present two main threads of typology. The
first is that Adam is a type of Christ, and the second is that the garden of Eden is a type of the new earth.
1. Adam as a Type of Christ
a) Types of Christs Person and Office
(1) Federal headship
Lets begin by turning to Romans chapter 5. READ verses 12-14, 18-19? The end of verse 14 explicitly tells us,
that Adam is a type of Him who was to come, or Jesus Christ. So in what way does Adam typify Christ in this
passage? The controlling thought in this passage is conveyed by the repeated use of the words one, all and many,
and the message is that the obedience or disobedience of one man results in the life or death of all or many men.
ONE FOR MANY that is the doctrine. We call this representative or federal headship. Adam stood as federal
head, or representative, of the entire human race that would descend from him. His covenantal standing before
God would determine the standing of all his physical seed. That is a prefiguring of Christ: Jesus also stands as
federal head, or representative, of a vast number of people, all those who have by faith been joined to Him, who
being born from above are spiritually His offspring or seed. Like Adam, Christs covenantal standing before His
Father would determine the standing of all His spiritual seed. In Adams sin, death came upon us all, being by birth
one with him in the flesh. In Christs one act of obedience on the cross, life came to many, being by faith one with
Him in the Spirit. So Adam typifies Christ by federally representing before God the humanity he fathered.
(2) Son of God
But federal headship alone does not exhaust the typology of Adam. Please turn to Luke 3:38. Did you know that
Adam is the son of God? This is obviously another prefiguring of Christ, who is the Son of God in a higher and
closer sense than Adam could have ever been. Now, I do not believe that Adams sonship should be understood as
typifying Christs Trinitarian Sonship, insofar as He is the 2 nd Person of the Godhead, the eternally begotten Son. I
dont think types intrude upon the mysteries of the divine essence their focus is more on the works of God
manifested in history, and upon the Person of Christ viewed primarily with respect to His humanity. So the sonship
being typified should not be confused with Christs divine Personhood. Rather, the sonship being prefigured is
sonship as a Man with respect to both origination and office.
By origination, I mean how they entered into the world. Adam had no earthly father, and neither did Jesus. They
were both original men, begotten by the direct, supernatural operation of the Spirit of God. The Spirit was breathed
into Adams nostrils, by which He became a living soul and a son of God. Likewise, we read the words spoken to
Mary in Luke 1: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore,
also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Christ was born of Mary and took His human
nature from her, yet because He was begotten or conceived by the Holy Spirit, His humanity is such that is new and
fresh and without corruption, like Adam was on the day he was made. So Adam typified Christ as an original man
not a copy, not a replica, not an heir of the corruption and sin of his fathers before Him, but the direct, supernatural
handiwork of God, and in that way those two men are unique in human history.
Secondly, by office, Im referring to their exercising the function or role of an adult son. In the Bible, sonship means
bearing ones fathers name, being vested with the fathers authority and position and status in society, and being an
heir of all that belongs to the father. Divine sonship in the Bible elevates this even further, and includes the idea of
kingship the son of God is His vice-regent or mediatorial king over Gods people. Adam functioned in this way
he bore Gods name, was Gods heir, and was vested with authority as Gods vice-regent or mediatorial king over
creation. The parallels with Christ are obvious. While Jesus enjoyed sonship throughout His life, the full adult
status and privileges of divine sonship, in the sense of office, was bestowed on Jesus upon His resurrection and
ascension to Gods right hand. In His glorified humanity at Gods right hand, He bears the name of God, He is
vested with Gods authority and position and status, He is Gods vice-regent or mediatorial king over His people,

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and He is the heir of all that belongs to God. But as is always the case with antitypes, Christs sonship His status,
His authority, His rule and His inheritance is far superior and on a much higher level than that of Adam. So Adam
typified Christ as Son of God.
(2) The Beginning and Firstborn
Col 1:17-18 READ. Now what do you suppose it means to be the firstborn from the dead? Now in what way did
Christs resurrection constitute Him the beginning wasnt Adam the beginning? By being raised from the dead in
glory, Christ became the first man among those that will be born into Gods new world by resurrection, just like
Adam was the first man born into the old world. So Adam typifies Christ as the beginning, the firstborn of a race of
men. Now if Christ is firstborn, who are the rest? Who are those that will follow Christ and also be born into Gods
new world by resurrection? The text tells us: He is the head of the body, the church. The Church is that race of
men, that new humanity, of which Christ is the first piece, the beginning and firstborn.
Turn also to 1 Cor. 15:20, 23. Firstfruits are the early fruits that arrive ahead of time before harvest, and theyre an
indication of a harvest yet to come. They are in effect a promise of much more. Now, in what way is Christ the
firstfruits according to this text? So there is a harvest awaiting us, the resurrection of the saints at the 2 nd coming,
in which we will be raised from the dust with incorruptible, heavenly bodies fit to inhabit the new earth. But what is
our confidence? How do we know for sure that this is going to happen? Because there is a firstfruits! There is a
forerunner, an early resurrection harvest! Others had been resuscitated back in their old, mortal bodies, but Christ
was the first man ever to be raised from the dead with an incorruptible, new-creation body, and as such, He is the
firstborn from the dead, the firstfruits of the full resurrection harvest yet to come. His resurrection is the ground of
our confidence in our resurrection, because theyre really two parts to the same resurrection harvest and if it has
already begun, we can be assured that it will be completed. So while Adam was the beginning or firstborn of the
first creation, the second Adam is by resurrection the beginning or firstborn of the new creation. He is the firstfruits
of a new human race.
(3) Pattern of Humanity
1 Cor. 15:42-49 READ. There are two Adams in world history: the first Adam, who is of earth and made of dust,
and the last Adam who is the Lord from heaven. Now, v. 48 says that as was the man of dust, so also are those
who are made of dust all those descended from Adam that would be us are born in the likeness of Adam we
have Adamic bodies that decay and die, and we have unholy Adamic natures defiled by sin. Adam is therefore the
archetype or pattern of the humanity that he began. But it goes on to say that as is the heavenly Man, so also are
those who are heavenly. All those in Christ now bear His likeness His Spirit abides within us, we have His holy
nature maturing in our souls, and one day, we will be raised from the dead with incorruptible bodies like His body.
So like Adam, Christ is the pattern of the humanity that He began. The entire new earth will be populated by those
reborn in the likeness of Christ, those who are conformed to His likeness in both body and soul, just as the present
earth is populated by those born in the likeness of Adam. So Adam typified Christ as pattern of humanity.
But as Christ is far superior to Adam, so also is the humanity in His likeness superior to the humanity in Adams
likeness. Using only the adjectives from this text, we see that old humanity is natural, earthly, dishonorable, weak
and corrupted. The new humanity, by contrast, again using only adjectives in this text, is spiritual, heavenly,
glorious, powerful and incorruptible. Adam is a type of Christ, but he is only a type Christ is the real thing, He is
Gods real Son, and the humanity that is begun in Christ is the real human race that had been in the center of Gods
eternal purpose from before the beginning of time. And who is that real human race? According to Col. 1 that we
read, who is the new humanity that will populate the new earth by resurrection? The CHURCH!!!! The first man
and the entire human race we know today is merely the pre-figurement of the Church which will burst forth in full
splendor and glory when Christ returns.
b) Types of Christs Work
So those are ways in which Adam typifies Christs Person and office. But he also typifies Christs work. The various
elements of the creation mandate correspond to activities that Christ and His people would perform in a much loftier
way.
(1) Procreation
First of all, if Adam and Christ are the firstborn and heads of two humanities, then they both have to multiply their
descendents in order for there to be two humanities. And indeed, God told Adam that through Eve he was to be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Adam was told to populate Gods world with sons and daughters like himself.

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How does this prefigure Christ? Christ is told to be fruitful and populate Gods new world, the new heavens and new
earth with sons and daughters like Himself. He is multiplying His descendents right now as I speak through the
instrumentality of His Church, as the seed of His Word conceives in the hearts of men by His Spirit and brings forth
new, regenerate, resurrection life. Every conversion is another member born into of the new humanity, one fathered
spiritually by Christ. When the new earth arrives, it will be populated by this new humanity. Then God will at last
have an entire world populated with people who will eternally worship and enjoy Him, and they are all the posterity
of Christ, just as the present world is populated with the posterity of Adam. So the commission in the garden of
Eden to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth should be understood typologically to point forward to Christs
redemptive fruitfulness in bringing forth a new humanity to fill the new earth.
(2) Dominion
Now, Adam was not only to fill the earth, but to subdue it and to have dominion over it. That was his second duty in
the creation mandate, to fulfill his role as king over the earth, to take possession of his kingdom and exercise Gods
rule over Gods earth. What does this typify? Christ likewise was given kingdom rule and authority by His Father
when He ascended to His right hand, but He did not at that point come into the actual possession or enjoyment of
that kingdom in its fullness. He has to subdue it. He has to take actual possession of it and exercise dominion over
it. For the past 2,000 years, Christ has been sending out His royal armies, the Church, taking dominion and
expanding His realized kingdom soul by soul, almost imperceptibly through the centuries, and will finally and
climactically take possession of the entire cosmos when He returns in glory. So the commission in the garden of
Eden to subdue the earth and have dominion points forward to Christs subduing of His enemies, plundering of the
devils kingdom and His eternal rule over the new creation.
(3) Marriage
As for the ordinance of marriage, the typology is obvious to all because it is explicitly brought out in Eph. 5 what
does the covenantal union and marital love between Adam and Eve prefigure with regard to Christ? The Church is
Christs Eve, His bride. As Eve was taken out of man, so the Church is taken out of Christ, formed by Him and from
Him she is flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. It is through her that Christ is multiplying and filling the earth,
and it is she that will share in His rule over the new earth and be His eternal companion. His affections, His love,
His covenant loyalty belongs entirely and jealously to her to us the Church.
(4) Sabbath rest
Finally, there is the institution of the Sabbath. The rest promised in the Sabbath is not, I believe, to be understood
as referring to our ceasing from trying to be justified by works and our resting in Christ. If that were the case, then
we would have already entered into all that the Sabbath promises. But Heb. 4 says the there yet remains a
Sabbath for the people of God its something still awaiting us. The blessing of the 7 th day and Gods resting in it
points to the mutual enjoyment between God and men that will find its consummation in the new earth. In that day,
Christs labor will be completed and will issue into a never-ending Sabbath, an eternal resting in the fruits and
enjoyments of His redemptive labor. When God finished the first creation, He rested, and Adam enjoyed that rest
with Him. When God finishes the new creation in redemption, He will again rest and all His people, who have been
toiling and suffering and battling against sin will enjoy that rest with Him. So the Sabbath is a type of the eternal
state in the new earth.
So with respect not only to Person and office, but also to works, Adam is a prefiguring, a shadow, a forward-pointer,
to Christ the last Adam.

2. The Garden as a Type of the New Earth

a) In Revelation
The second main head of typology is that the garden of Eden typifies the new earth. Lets turn to Rev. 21:1-3
READ. Do you see that? God will once again tabernacle among His people like He did in Eden. He will dwell in
our midst, and be our God, and we will be His people. Thats the theme of the Bible. Thats where history is
headed. Engrave that covenant formula deeply in your minds: I will be your God, and you shall be My people. At
the center of what this means is that God will dwell with men. God with man, dwelling together, enjoying each other,

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rejoicing in what God has done forever and ever. What will it be like? Well lets read Rev. 22:1-3 READ. Look at
all this garden imagery: a river of life-giving water and a tree of life from which man finally gets to eat again, details
like fruits and leaves with healing properties, etc. The Bible began in a garden and ends in a garden. As such, the
beginning of time anticipates the end of time we get a glimpse of Rev. 22 before we ever get out of Gen. 3! The
Bible has come full circle: in the new earth were back to the garden as it were, and God is again dwelling with man,
only in a far more glorious condition than ever Adam knew in Eden. In the new Eden, there will be no more
cherubim guarding the way, the access is no longer cut off in fact, the gates of this city are always open. So the
garden of Eden typifies the new earth as the context of the co-dwelling of God and His people.
b) In the Tabernacle & Temple
Now, when we think of God dwelling in the midst of His people, what from the Old Testament comes to mind? You
had all these tents where the Israelites lived, and right in the middle of them was another tent: Gods tent. The
tabernacle, and then later the temple, is where God dwelt in the midst of Israel. When they were in tents, God was
in a tent. When they were settled in Canaan with fixed houses, eventually God got a fixed house. The point is that
God is not way up in the sky as a distant god. He is down here dwelling among His people. Now, if you read the
detailed description of the tabernacle and temple, you find something very interesting: both are suggestive of the
garden of Eden. In the tabernacle, the lampstand had almond clusters and branches and flowers. The curtain that
kept people out of Gods presence was woven with images of cherubim, reminding us of the cherubim guarding the
way to the tree of life. To get to God you had to go through these cherubim on the curtains, which of course was
forbidden. Now does anyone know or suspect they could guess on which side of the tabernacle the gateway or
entrance was located? The entrance of the garden of Eden was also to the east, remember? Thats no accident.
Then we get to the temple and we see even more: the capitals on the pillars had pomegranates, the cedar walls
inside the temple were carved with ornamental buds, palm trees and open flowers. And the temple also had
cherubim carved on the walls, in the curtain, and most interestingly, two huge cherubim statues were erected in the
most holy place standing over the ark. And the temples entrance was to the east as well. Both tabernacle and
temple were very reminiscent of the garden of Eden. As you walk westward through the eastern entrance into the
temple, you are as it were passing by the guarding cherubim and reentering the garden where God dwells. Thats
what the tabernacle and temple were promising to restore the co-dwelling of God and man.
c) In Christ and the Church
Now Ive got one more thing to suggest that is perhaps the most thrilling of all. The Garden of Eden also typifies
Christ. He is the ultimate garden-temple of God, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, and in whom God
and man are joined together and enjoy eternal friendship. But not just Christ. If the Church is the body of Christ
and in mystic union with Him, then God indwelling Christ means God indwelling the Church, and as such the
Church is corporately the garden-temple of God. And because God dwells in His Church, the evidence of the
special presence of the God of life is evident in her the Church is Gods self-expression of goodness and holiness
and glory, just like the garden of Eden was. I want to leave you with this image in your mind: picture a gardener
strolling through his private garden that he planted and cultivated with his own hands, and as hes strolling along
hes taking in the sights and sounds, hes smelling the flowers and smiling. God will walk in our midst, breathe
deeply and be satisfied with the beauty of His people.
Conclusion
There are many other texts, especially in the Psalms and Prophets, but I want you to discover these gems for
yourselves. As you are reading through your Bible, be on the lookout for garden imagery. Connect the dots and
see this beautiful thread running through the Bible as we move from the garden of Eden, through the tabernacle and
temple, to Christ and the Church and finally to the new earth: these things are all about God dwelling with man,
which is the goal and end of redemptive history. The Adamic covenant is the beginning of this process. It gives us
a foretaste, a little glimpse of what God is going to do in history. It teaches us that God is making for Himself a
people with whom He will eternally dwell. He will be our God, and we will be His people.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 6: The Promise of Redemption

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A. Historical Setting of the Promise of Redemption
By way of introduction, we must ask ourselves the question, Where are we in redemptive history?
Thus far in our study together, we have seen that God planned the salvation of fallen man before time began. As
part of that plan, God the Father and God the Son purposed together to accomplish the redemption of a people for
Christ and to bring about a glorious world under the rule and centered around Christ. The first step in that process in
redemptive history was the creation of man, setting man in the garden and God entering in to covenant with the first
man, Adam. As we saw, Adam broke the covenant God made with him, thereby plunging himself and all of his
posterity after him into sin, and under the curse of sin. The way to God was literally (though also symbolically)
sealed off by the cherubim set at the entrance of the garden (place of fellowship with God) with a flaming sword
turning every way to block the way to the tree of life. Man is now dead, both physically and spiritually. Physically, the
hope of an endless life is gone and corruption has set in leading to decay and death. Spiritually, man is separated
from God by his sin.
Now, imagine for a moment that we are watching history unfold before our eyes as outside observers. We are
watching it almost as if it is a play or a movie running right before our eyes. And imagine as well that we have not
seen this movie before, nor have we heard how it will turn out. We are just watching it as it unfolds for the first time.
At this point, sin and death have entered the world. Adam is banished from the garden and the presence of the
Lord. The holy Maker has been offended and snubbed by the creature. How will God respond to this scene? What
might we expect God to do? Isnt that the all important question at this point in the story? What is God going to do,
now that man has sinned against Him, and brought himself under the curse? This section of covenant theology
seeks to answer that question. What has God done in response to mans sin and rebellion?
B. Features of the Promise of Redemption (The Covenant of Grace)
1. Its Substance
At this point, I want to try to give you a very basic definition of what we are referring to as the Promise of
Redemption. What is the Promise of Redemption? What basic biblical truth is this theological concept seeking to
convey or capture?
Back in the Introduction to Covenant Theology, I said that there exists a plurality of covenants in history. Yet we
must also acknowledge the great unity that exists between them. One of the ways in which unity exists between
them is their thematic unity. What we see is that all of Gods covenants with men are proclaiming the same theme:
Gods one way, method of salvation from sin by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It could be said that
each of these covenants plays a role in establishing the framework in which God reveals His redemptive purposes
in Christ and the glories that ultimately await those who are His blood-bought possession.
Therefore, brothers, it is this one great theme which is Gods Promise of Redemption (Covenant of Grace). It is the
revelation of Gods one way or method of salvation for fallen man, which is gradually unfolded and revealed within
the framework of Gods historic redemptive covenants until it comes to its clearest and best expression in the New
Covenant. The unity of Gods covenants is a plurality of covenants with one great theme: Gods one way or method
of salvation from the fall of Adam to the end of time for all men everywhere through the Mediator of the New
Covenant the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Promise of Redemption.
Now, I really want you to get this point here. This is very important. What I have been asserting from the beginning
of this class and will continue to assert to its conclusion is that the Scriptures have one underlying and unifying
theme- the Scriptures are the revelation of Gods plan of salvation. This is why we may refer to the Bible as Gods
redemptive revelation. All the various pieces and parts of Scripture are brought together and rightly understood only
insofar as we connect them together by this one unifying theme. And it is this Promise of Redemption, or what
others have called The Covenant of Grace, which describes this one plan of redemption which runs through
Scripture from the fall of man into sin to its conclusion.
2. Its Name

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I want to acknowledge up front that this is one of those places in covenant theology where we do not actually
encounter in Scripture an explicit reference to a covenant being established with man after the fall. For this reason
I have used the title, Promise of Redemption for this section.
However, it is important that we not lose touch with the phrase and the concept of The Covenant of Grace,
especially as it relates to our reformed heritage. The concept of the Covenant of Grace is so widely accepted and
embraced among both reformed Presbyterians and Baptists that we do well to seek to understand their
perspectives, and as much as they are biblical perspectives to align ourselves as closely as we can with them.
Also, we acknowledge that there is some biblical warrant to use the term covenant here. In particular, we can see
some of the elements of covenant as we have defined it. How did we define covenant as it is used in a biblical
sense? We defined covenant in its most basic and biblical sense as the terms of friendship rooted in an oath bound
pledge or solemn promise. And now what we are concerned about is the restoration of relationship with God
which was broken and ruined by the fall. How is it that God will restore that relationship? Man in sin is now totally
incapable of repairing or even seeking the repair of that breech. So God must take the initiative, and completely on
the basis of undeserved favor or grace, do what is necessary if any man would be right with Him. So we have the
terms of a restored relationship. But we also have a promise. There is a promise involved here as well. And this
promise of redemption is at the very heart of the method or means of restoration and reconciliation which God will
accomplish for fallen man. So there is relationship and there is promise. Therefore, we may use the term covenant
to describe this concept if we so wish.
As Ive already told you, Im personally uncomfortable with the terminology, The Covenant of Grace. However I am
committed to the fundamental concept behind it and will hopefully do justice to it as we study it together.
3. Essential Details of the Promise of Redemption
It is my purpose now simply to highlight for you what I believe to be the essential features of the Promise of
Redemption. I will not present this subject to you in great detail. Nor will I present it with the same degree of
emphasis that it sometimes receives in reformed theology. My purpose is simply to highlight what I believe to be the
essential details of this theological concept. There simply is not very much biblical material to deal with on this
subject; therefore we must discipline ourselves not to create something which the Bible does not affirm. So then,
what are the essentials of the Promise of Redemption?
a) One Promise: Life
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her
Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.
2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus,
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us -- eternal life.
In response to Adams sin, God did not immediately respond by giving Adam and Eve exactly what their sins
deserved. Death surely came just as He said it would. But God did not immediately send Adam and Eve into an
eternity in hell. This in itself is grace and mercy. Gods patience holds out the possibility of reconciliation and gives
space for repentance (Rom. 2:4). Then in the curse pronounced upon the serpent in Genesis 3:15 there is the
indication of extended life- it would be from her seed, her offspring that a Savior would come. And in every gospel
declaration and promise since that time, there is the holding forth of the promise of eternal life, the reversal of the
curse in its ultimate sense. And what is the substance of that eternal life that is offered?

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we
may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God
and eternal life.

Sounds like a covenant promise, doesnt it? Sounds like the offer of restored relationship with the living God, which
is life indeed! Sounds like the restoration of what has always been mans highest and best privilege; for the living
God to say, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

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b) One Way of Salvation: Faith
Romans 3:30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised
through faith.
Galatians 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham
beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are
blessed with believing Abraham.
By emphasizing the Promise of Redemption, theologians have sought to capture the idea that from the fall of man,
there has been only one method or way of salvation. The Scriptures from beginning to end declare only one way of
salvation for men, women and children from every age, and that way is according to the terms that are ultimately
and clearly revealed under the New Covenant.
But the New Covenant is an historic covenant, right? It was not formally instituted until the Lord Himself ratified it
with the shedding of His blood on the cross. So how can it be that saints from the Old Testament were saved by
virtue of their attachment to what Christ would do under the administration of the New Covenant?
The answer is the Promise of Redemption. Immediately after the fall, God began to reveal the salvation that He
would accomplish for sinners through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a sense we could say more
specifically, He began to reveal the One who would come into the world to accomplish that salvation, the One apart
from whom there is no salvation. But it was also clear that the method or the way of salvation would be through
faith.
So how was Abel justified?
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her
Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.
Here it is; the first revelation of the promise of redemption. Yes, it is in seed form. But God, in pronouncing the curse
upon the serpent, preaches the gospel if you will of a coming One who would fight against the devil and his
children. In Him we must trust. Abel was saved by faith because he looked forward to what God would do through
this coming One (c.f. Heb. 11:4).
And how was Abraham saved?
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if
Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does
the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
Hebrews 11:9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with
Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And what about those who lived under the Mosaic law? Werent they justified by keeping the law? Wasnt that the
basis of their relationship with God? Wasnt that a different salvation plan? EMPHATICALLY NO! For what do the
Scriptures say?
Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works
of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.
Then how was Moses Himself justified if not by the law?

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Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he
looked to the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as
seeing Him who is invisible.

He believed the promise! He looked forward to what Christ would do. And brethren, when we stand in glory with
Moses, He will be there on the same basis that we are there. He will be there through the same means or method
or way of salvation that we will be brought there: faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
c) One Savior: Christ the Lord
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
The Scriptures reveal that there is only one Savior of sinners. Heaven will be populated only with those who were
saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross for sinners. Only those who are savingly
joined to Jesus Christ, the Son of God will be saved. Only those who have trusted completely and fully in His perfect
life and substitutionary death will be justified in Gods sight and saved. Only those will be saved who can say with
the apostle Paul,
Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may
gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
The Promise of Redemption or the Covenant of Grace asserts that all those who ever will be saved, from the time of
righteous Abel to the last sinner converted before the return of Christ in glory, will be saved in the same way- by
grace through faith in Christ.
John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
This is the concept of the Promise of Redemption or the Covenant of Grace: God dealing with fallen man on the
basis of grace through Christ. It is God taking the initiative toward fallen, corrupted, spiritually dead man, and
initiating the reconciling of our relationship with Him. And this way of salvation began to be revealed from the very
beginning and was progressively made known until Christ came in the fullness of its revelation.
This is what Paul was speaking of when in Ephesians chapter 3 he says:
Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles -- 2 if indeed you
have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by
revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you
read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made
known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ
through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me
by the effective working of His power.
C. Progressive Unfolding of the New Covenant
This brings us to the last major point regarding the Promise of Redemption. I have already hinted at it quite a bit. A
significant feature of this theological concept is that this Promise of Redemption is progressively revealed from its
first mention in Scripture to its full revelation in the Person of Christ and the preaching of the gospel to the nations.
Remember what I said earlier. The message of the Scriptures is salvation. That is the glory of the Bible; thats what
makes it such a wonderful book. It contains the good news that God actually does save sinners. How is this
message progressively revealed?
God first comes to man immediately after Fall and announces His plan to save (Gen. 3:15). God in these words
promises to send a deliverer through the seed of the woman (HE would be a man) who would crush Satans head
and rescue a remnant of humanity from sin. God does not immediately fulfill this promise, but causes men to hope

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in the mercy it holds forth. Instead of immediately fulfilling this promise, God sets up a framework in which it would
be progressively revealed and fulfilled. From that first mention of the promise, over the span of about 4000 years,
God will repeat and expand upon this promise, each time revealing a little bit more about this great Savior and the
great salvation He would provide. At the heart of this progressive revelation is the repeated refrain, I will be their
God and they will be My people. This covenant promise is the promise of salvation from sin, for man cannot enjoy
such intimacy with a holy God apart from such deliverance.
And so, from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Christ and the New Covenant, layer by layer the
glories of life in Christ are revealed throughout history.
[DRAW DIAGRAM with the line of the Promise of Redemption running through it.]

And that which was revealed in very veiled terms in Genesis 3:15 is made known in the coming of Christ into the
world. That which Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David and all the OT saints looked forward to and trusted in, we
now know in full and look back upon. They believed in salvation promised in Christ, we believe in salvation
accomplished in Christ. But we both are justified in Gods sight by faith in the same promise: eternal life for all those
who put their faith in Him.
D. Its Confessional Acknowledgement (For reference only)
Here I want to briefly show you what I stated earlier, that this concept is embraced and expounded by our Reformed
forefathers. Let me refer you to the 1689 LBC, chapter 7, paragraphs 2 and 3: [READ]
2. Moreover Man having brought himself (b) under the curse of the Law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to
make a Covenant of Grace wherein he freely offers unto Sinners, (c) Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ,
requiring of them Faith in him, that they may be saved; and (d) promising to give unto all those that are
ordained unto eternal Life, his holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe.
3. This Covenant is revealed in the Gospel; first of all to Adam in the promise of Salvation by the (e) seed of
the woman, and afterwards by farther steps, until the full (f) discovery of it was completed in the new
Testament; and it is founded in that (*) Eternal Covenant transaction, that was between the Father and the
Son, about the Redemption of the Elect; and it is alone by the Grace of this Covenant, that all of the
posterity of fallen Adam, that ever were (g) saved, did obtain life and a blessed immortality; Man being now
utterly incapable of acceptance with God upon those terms, on which Adam stood in his state of innocence.
Summary
So what is the Promise of Redemption or the Covenant of Grace?
It is the reality that God in mercy and grace did not respond to mans rebellion against Him by totally obliterating
man as he deserved. But just as He had planned from before the foundation of the world, God immediately made
known to man His intention to save by grace through faith, and not of works. This promise of life was first declared
in Genesis 3:15 and progressively made known until it was fully revealed in the New Covenant.
What the Promise of Redemption asserts is that nobody has ever been saved or ever will be saved in any other way
than through the provisions promised and fulfilled in Christ. There are not two, three or multiple ways of salvation.
There has only ever been one way. That one way is what is revealed or made known in the Promise of Redemption.
There is only one method, involving one promise, and one mediator.

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And so, brothers, in conclusion, I want to ask you this: What have we really been describing here? In one word, how
could you summarize everything I have been saying about the Promise of Redemption? What is the Promise of
Redemption?
-It is the promise of salvation and a Savior.
-It is the promise of that which would actually be established and accomplished by Christ under the New
Covenant.
-It is THE GOSPEL!
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 7: Noahic Covenant
Introduction
Thus far in our study, we have seen from our Bibles that salvation is the outworking in history of Gods eternal
purpose to bring about a glorious and everlasting world populated by redeemed sinners, centered around the Lion
and the Lamb, the LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ. WE have seen the first step in the unfolding process of the
history of redemption, Gods covenant dealings with the first man Adam. We considered briefly the Promise of
Redemption. Now we move to the next significant step in redemptive history, the Noahic Covenant.
In our study of Noah, we will follow the same pattern we hope to utilize with each covenant. First, we will examine
the historical material related to the Noahic Covenant, and then we will examine the typology present in the Noahic
Covenant.
A. Historical Analysis
1. Historical Background
a) The fall and the increasing wickedness of men
OK, so first, lets consider together the historical background of the Noahic Covenant. What is the historical
background? Clearly, brethren, the stage upon which Noah enters history is dominated by the dark and ominous
cloud cast by the fall of man into sin. Though this is familiar ground, and review from last week, lets look once
more at the epitomizing text associated with the curse of sin found in Genesis 3:24 (turn and read).
Man is driven from the garden, signifying the loss of relationship with God and covenant life enjoyed in Gods
presence and dwelling place in the garden. What happens to mankind in this condition? Let me mention just a few
of the lowlights:
In Gen. 4:3-8, already we find self-righteousness, jealousy, hatred and murderous bloodshed in the heart and on
the hands of the second man, Cain. Gen. 4:19ff records the sins of Lamech, fifth from Adam. Lamech practices
polygamy, commits murder, and exalts himself to the place of God in declaring his intention to avenge himself on
those who would harm him. Now look with me at Gen. 6:5, 11-12 (read). How quickly and how far man has fallen
from his primitive state. The whole earth is now full of corruption. This is the dreadful scene of what fallen man
becomes apart from common grace, and especially from special grace.
b) The end of Gods Patience
Now, note with me in the second place, Gods response to this dreadful scene. In Gen. 6:3, God announces the end
of His patience. He will bring mans days to an end after 120 years. Gen. 6:6 expands in most mysterious language
upon the response of God the Mighty Maker of heaven and earth to the rebellion of His chief handiwork. And Gen.
6:7 explicitly states His purpose to bring this rebellion to swift conclusion.

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So far what have we seen? Man is utterly corrupt in his sin and fallen state so that God announces His purpose to
destroy both man and beast from the face of the earth. But thank the Lord this is not the whole story. Lets observe
one more feature of historical background to the Noahic Covenant.
c) Noah, Gods righteous servant
From the first mention of Noah in the Genesis record, we are given a number of indications that he will be a part of
the gracious purpose of God to spare a remnant of humanity from the utter destruction which He has purposed to
bring to pass.
(1) Noahs Genealogy
First, note with me the significance of Noahs genealogy. In Genesis 5:28-29, we are first introduced to a man
named Noah. His lineage is traced directly back to Adam in the genealogy recorded in chapter 5. And I want you to
notice one thing in particular about Noahs heritage. Look back at verse 3 (read). Noah is descended from Seth, not
Cain. What is the significance of this?
You recall brethren that in Genesis 3:15, God gives the first indication of His purpose of grace towards fallen
mankind. He will not deal with man entirely on the principle of justice, but also of grace. There would be one from
the seed of the woman who would be Gods deliverer in this purpose of grace. This, again, is called the protoevangel, or first-gospel. But the curses pronounced in Genesis also reveal another thread which will run through
history. Gods curse upon the serpent indicates the development of two diverging branches of the human race, two
categories of humanity, if you will: the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. We will see this theme grow
and develop as we proceed through our study of the covenants in history. It is rooted in historical reality, in real flesh
and blood family lines, but it is typical of the ultimate division of men on the basis of their standing before God. As
we observed in the study of the typology found in the Adamic covenant, this thread will run throughout the course of
history and reaches its zenith in the present and future division of mankind as those in Adam and those in Christ.
*We note here, that the womans seed runs through Seth, not Cain. Noah is descended from Seth. Here, total and
absolute destruction shall be heaped on the seed of Satan, while free and unmerited grace shall be lavished on the
seed of the woman. (Robertson, Christ of the Covenants, p. 109)
(2) Noahs Name
A second significant feature of Gods gracious design for Noah is found in his name. Lets look again at Gen. 5:29.
This is not the most patent reference in Scripture, but surely this pronouncement of Noahs father means something.
What do you think is the significance of this naming of Noah? Most commentators believe this is an early
expression of faith in the gospel, of the promise contained in the proto-evangel of Gen. 3:15.
(3) Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord
Third, note with me the words of Gen. 6:8. Just after God pronounces His intention to destroy the earth and all life
upon it, we read these words. There is a purpose of grace in Gods intentions and Noah is the object of that grace.
Now, let me ask you an important question in connection with this statement about Noah. Did Noah earn Gods
saving grace by his own righteousness? Can anyone tell me where we learn the basis of Noahs favor with God?
Turn to Heb. 11:7 (read). Noah is justified by faith, not by works. He is already justified by faith when this
assessment is made by God. Gods dealings with Noah were on the basis of grace and mercy, not merit. The
covenant with Noah is historical- it is not to save his soul. That being said, we do not want to ignore the biblical
testimony about the character of this man. 2 Pet. 2:5 says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness in his
generation. He was clearly a man of faith and holy boldness. Gen. 6:9 tells us that Noah was a just man, perfect in
his generations. Noah walked with God. (Application: This is a powerful testimony to Gods grace. His grace
could sustain Noah, though he was the ONLY man standing for God in his entire generation.)
So, thats the background. The fall leaves man in a desperate state of wickedness and rebellion against God. Gods
patience comes to an end and He announces His intention to destroy man. But, God also indicates His purpose of
grace, and that gracious purpose will be worked out through the man of faith, Noah.
2. Features of the Covenant
Lets move on now to the covenant itself which God makes with Noah. As we examine the features of the covenant,
we will consider the divine promises, mans responsibilities, and the token of the covenant.

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a) Divine promises
Lets examine the promise of Gods covenant with Noah in two parts. First we will look at the pre-flood revelation,
then the post-flood revelation.
(1) Pre-flood (Gen. 6:18; 7:1)
Look with me at Gen. 6:18-7:1 (read). Several important observations need to be made at this point:
(a) The promise: deliverance
We notice first of all that God expresses His grace, His favor towards Noah in covenantal terms. This is the first
actual occurrence of the Hebrew word, berith, for covenant in the Scriptures. There is no doubt about the presence
of a divinely initiated and instituted covenant here. But, what is the essence of the promise made in this portion of
Gods covenant with Noah? Deliverance from wrath. Here, it is deliverance from what is actually poured out on the
rest of humanity. Note that Noah is the direct party to the covenant here.
(b) The dynamic: relationship
Now let me ask you a question here. Remember our definition of the word covenant? If this is covenant, what basic
dynamic should we expect to observe? RELATIONSHIP- and especially a relationship of friendship. See how God
deals with Noah here. He reveals to Noah what He intends to do. He relates with Noah in an intimate way, almost
treating as a confidante. We will see this again in redemptive history.

(c) The effect: strengthened faith

Note also the EFFECT of the covenant promise in the context. This is something I want us to begin to observe as
we proceed through our study, because we live in covenant relationship with God as well. What should the promises
mean to us? What did it mean to Noah? Think about what he faced, think of all the unknowns, think of the basis of
His relationship with God (faith)?
(d) The fulfillment
Note finally how God makes good on this portion of His promise. Read Gen. 7:1, 16. God Himself, personally and
supernaturally fulfills this pledge to Noah by shutting him into the ark.
(2) Post-flood (Gen. 8:1, 18-22; 9:1-17)
Now lets look at the post-flood revelation. Turn over to Gen. 8:1, 18-22; 9:1-17 (read).
(a) The initiator: God
Who initiates the covenant? God, entirely unilateral.
(b) The parties to the covenant
Who are the parties of this covenant? Gen. 9:8-10, Noah, his sons, his seed after him, and every living creature.
This is ALL the ark-dwellers and their seed after them, all those God saved from wrath and their posterity.
(c) The promise: preservation
What is the essence of the promise made here? Gen. 9:11, it is a promise of preservation. That is the focus here.
It is a promise to never again destroy the earth and its inhabitants by a world-wide flood. In essence, it is the same
as the pre-flood promise, but now it is the withholding of the wrath that is due from all men and creatures.
Note Isa. 54:9-10. We do have a covenant here, dont we? We see from this passage that oath-bound pledge was
present in Gods promise to Noah.
(d) The effect: hope
Note again the EFFECT of these promises of preservation. How would you have felt stepping off that ark? What
could Noah hold on to that would enable him to persevere through all the challenges of life post-flood? The promise
of God would give him hope!

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b) Mans responsibilities
Gods promise of preservation in this case is not contingent upon mans obedience, yet there are some
responsibilities given to man:
(1)Towards Creation
Note with me several responsibilities given to Noah and his offspring in relation to creation:
(a) Renewal of creation ordinances
We see, first of all, the renewal of the creation ordinances. Look with me at Gen. 8:17; 9:1-3,7 (read). God
commands Noah to be fruitful and multiply and to exercise dominion over the earth, just as he had commanded the
first man Adam.
(b) Establishment of human government
Next we observe the institution of human government in Gen. 9:4-7 (read). Now where do we see the institution of
human government in this text? Well, clearly God is expressing His perspective on the sanctity of human life. In
order to preserve and promote that sanctity, God puts it into the hands of men to make use of the death penalty.
This is the function of government (Rom. 13). Observe also the mercy of God in this institution. This provision
speaks directly to the extreme violence that filled the earth before the flood. It is almost as if God is saying, Not
only will I not destroy man in this way again, but I do not want man to destroy himself either.
*Note: These ordinances are not rooted in the Mosaic covenant. So, whatever is done away with in the transition
between Old and New covenants, it is clearly not these things. Creation ordinances still stand, and the institution of
human government still stands. Though we are not in a theocracy, we still must submit as far as we are able in
Gods sight, as Paul instructs us (Rom.13).
(2)Towards God
Though this is not explicit in the text, we also see Noah taking up his duty towards God in this covenant relationship.
Read Gen. 8:20-22. The essence of covenant is friendship or relationship. And though the covenant may be
unilaterally initiated and unconditional in its perpetuity, yet relationship necessarily implies a two-way interaction.
Noah responds rightly to Gods wondrous deliverance wrought for him and his family AND to the reality of his own
sinfulness before this holy God by offering up a sacrifice to God. The clear basis of relationship between God and
man after the fall is unmerited favor, and if man may approach unto and rightly relate to this God, he must come by
faith through propitiatory sacrifice. Notice the evident pleasure God experienced in the sacrifice of Noah. It was a
sweet-smelling aroma in His nostrils. And what do you think was sweet about it? (Christ!)
c) The token of the covenant
The final feature of the Noahic Covenant we will observe is the token of the covenant. A token is not required for us
to find a covenant here, and not every covenant has such a token. But we will certainly find one here. And the token
as it functions in the Noahic Covenant will set the standard for the place and function of covenantal tokens
throughout redemptive history. Lets look at Gen. 9:12-17 (read).
What is the token? RAINBOW. And what was its function? It served as a reminder TO GOD, that He might
remember His covenant. The token is a visible reminder of the promise made.
3. Historical Outworking of the Covenant
Here we want to answer the question, what is the place and function of the Noahic Covenant within the rest of
redemptive history? How does the Noahic Covenant relate to the rest of redemptive history?
a) Establishment of stability and order
While there are many observations we might make here, I want to focus on what I believe is the chief function of the
Noahic Covenant in connection with the subsequent unfolding of Gods plan of redemption. The Noahic Covenant
provides and ensures the stability and order in which Gods redemptive purposes may be worked out for future
generations. It is, as it is sometimes called, a covenant of preservation.
b) Gives sinners space to repent

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Gods promise to Noah establishes the framework for the continuation of redemptive history. In particular, this
promise of perpetuity gives sinners space to repent (Rom.2:4; 2 Peter 3:5-9).
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
2 Peter 3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was
formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment
and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like
a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as
some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.
Theologian Gustav Oehler says, the order of nature is the ground on which the order of salvation arises.
(Theology of the OT, p. 56) Of particular significance, again, to us and to our faith is the reality noted by Oehler, that,
Gods faithfulness in the former is the pledge of His faithfulness in the latter. (c.f. Jer. 33:20, 25)
Jeremiah 33:20 "Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night,
so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 'then My covenant may also be broken with David My
servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers25 "
Thus says the LORD: 'If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of
heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of
his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have
compassion on them.'"
B. Typology
Before we begin, I want to remind you of two important notes in covenant theology that we will be sounding again
and again in this course. You recall from our introductory material on the covenants that we should expect to find
both an organic and a thematic unity running through all of the redemptive-historical covenants. You should be
looking for such connections in each subsequent covenant that we study. Because there is an organic unity in the
covenants, we expect the framework for all of Gods subsequent dealings with men to be related to and growing out
of His dealings with Adam. Therefore we should expect to find some themes of redemption repeated in subsequent
covenants. But, because there is a thematic unity in the covenants, as we proceed in history we expect to find a
further unfolding of Gods plan, we expect to observe details added to the picture being drawn in redemptive history.
We expect to see progress in the revelation of Gods saving purposes. Therefore, we should expect to find new
brush strokes added to the picture being painted on the canvas of redemptive history. Thus, we will consider both
repeated and new themes displayed in the typology of Noah.
1. Representative headship (the one and the many)
We observed earlier that Noah as an individual before God was saved from his sins by faith; he was justified by
faith. But on the typical level, it is clear in the text that God enters into this covenant of preservation from the flood
with Noah in connection with Gods assessment of him as a righteous man. Nowhere does the text say anything
about the character of Noahs family. Noahs seed is delivered from this temporal judgment on the basis of Noahs
righteousness, not their own. Noah is their representative, and they are saved from the flood by virtue of their
connection to him. Does this sound familiar? Noah is a type of Christ in that Noah serves as a representative head
of a new humanity, saved from destruction by virtue of their connection to him.
Also, within the concept of representative headship, we also have the two-man structure of redemptive history.
There are only two men in redemptive history- Adam and Christ. All of mankind is subsumed under one or the other.
We have a picture of that in Noah. Who are the people saved from the flood? Noah and those related to him. Who
are those destroyed? All of Adams seed. In a sense, the people just before the flood could have asked each other
Are you in Adam or in Noah?
As a brief aside here, I cant help but take you to a very interesting text which helps to seal the point that while Noah
functions as a kind of representative head, he is merely a type of the effectual representation that can only be found
in Christ. Turn to Ezekiel 14:12-14 (read):

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Ezekiel 14:12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying: 13 "Son of man, when a land sins against
Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send
famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 "Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in
it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD.
Do you remember the account of the naming of Noah? What did Noahs father, Lamech, say concerning him? Look
again at Genesis 5:29. He is looking for a comforter. Now, it is right that Lamech was looking for this based upon the
promise of God. But there is only One who can fulfill this purpose and promise, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He
alone is the comforter of His people, the Prince of Peace. In this, again, Noah is a type of Christ, but only a type.
2. Noah as first man
Closely connected to the concept of federal headship is the idea that, like Christ and Adam, Noah serves as an
original man, or first man of a multitude. Just as Adam was the first man born into the world and the earth is
populated by his offspring, Noah emerges from the ark as something of a first man, charged with being fruitful and
multiplying and filling the earth. Both Adam and Noah typify Christ as the first man among all those who will
populate the new heavens and earth. All who are there will be His spiritual offspring.
3. The flood as judgment
Noahs flood clearly typifies the judgment that is coming at Christs return, Matt. 24:36-39 (read). On a smaller
scale and in a lesser way, the flood purged the earth of wickedness and from it emerged a kind of new beginning
for mankind and the earth. This typology is clear from the repetition of the creation ordinances in the post-flood
revelation from God. Yet, this new beginning leaves us longing for more, doesnt it? Even in the pronouncement of
the promises, God states that man is still bent on evil. A better day is coming for which we, along with the faithful in
every age, have been looking. At the coming of Christ, the old creation will finally be purged of sin and wickedness
and rebellion, all Gods enemies will ultimately be defeated, and a new creation will be ushered in.
There will be no more curse in that new day, no more evil, no more wicked men. There will be a new beginning, a
return to Eden if you will, only then it will be eternal. So the new truth added in Gods dealings with Noah is that a
universal judgment is coming upon all men, through which the earth will be cleansed of iniquity and brought into a
new state of perfection and glory.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away
with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it
will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you
to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of
which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells.
4. The flood a type of baptism (1 Peter 3:21)
By way of introduction to this point, let me remind you that Gods plan of redemption aims at certain goals on a
grand, cosmic scale- the redemption of a great body, a multitude of people, who inhabit a redeemed creation in the
new heavens and earth. But we may also view Gods redemption on an individual level as well. The Noahic
Covenant pictures redemption on the cosmic scale, as weve already seen: A worldwide judgment resulting in a new
humanity. But 1 Peter 3:21 indicates that the flood pictures the experience of the individual believer as well.
Peter teaches us that baptism in some way is an antitype to the water of Noahs flood. Evidently, the phrase at the
end of verse 20 (being saved through water) triggered in Peters mind a connection to the waters of Christian
baptism. As the waters of the great flood lifted up the ark in which those eight souls were sheltered, and in that
sense they were saved through water, even so the waters of baptism represent for the believer the inward realities
which accompany new life in Christ (regeneration).
Noah entered the ark (picture of death, burial) and emerged on the other side of the pouring out of Gods wrath
(resurrection) to father a new world and a new humanity. Even so, the believing individual experiences the inward
reality of regeneration, whereby the old is gone, behold all things become new. He is a new creature in Christ.
Therefore, the flood typifies the New Covenant (inaugurated) reality of the inward, spiritual renewal that takes place
in regeneration of the new man in Christ.

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*Now, I want to camp here for just a minute, because I want us to get the full brunt of this picture of our personal
salvation in Gods dealings with the world through Noah and the flood. This historical picture is meant to vividly
teach us about the nature of our salvation, and we do well to get the point here.
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which
you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
5. Election and an elect remnant
For the first time in redemptive history, we are introduced to the concept of the elect remnant. Throughout the
course of human history we will see this mode of operation on Gods part. There is continuity with the human race
from the beginning. From the fall of Adam into sin, God never completely casts off humanity. He has a saving
purpose that will be glorious. But there is discontinuity as well. God selects from the mass of humanity a few, a
remnant to be the recipients of His gracious purposes. Noah is elected out from all humanity to be the special
object of Gods mercy, sparing Noah and his sons from wrath. Only an elect remnant survives Gods judgment
against sin. From that elect remnant, a new people comes. We will see this again in Gods dealings with Abraham,
with the nation of Israel, with the inauguration of the New Covenant, and with the consummation of all things at
Christs second coming.
6. The covenant complex (DRAW ON BOARD)
We will see this again. Note the parallels with Abrahamic/Mosaic and Messianic/New Covenants.
Concluding Application:
We should receive great encouragement from the Noahic Covenant. It is a marvelous display of Gods gracious
commitment to save, even in the face of mans extreme sinfulness. Right here at the very beginning, God loudly
proclaims for all time that He would make good on His promise to redeem the human race. And that declaration still
stands.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 8: Abrahamic Covenant, Part 1
Introduction
As we come to a study of the Abrahamic covenant, we take a giant leap forward in the progressive unfolding of
Gods redemptive purpose. It would be difficult to overstate Abrahams significance in redemptive history. Lets
briefly look together at two texts which make evident the vital role of Abraham in Gods redemptive plan:
Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
The very identity of the Lord Jesus Christ, Israels Messiah, is bound up with Abraham. The Christ would come from
the very loins of the father of the nation of Israel.
Romans 4:11 that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that
righteousness might be imputed to them also
Not only is Abraham the father of the nation of Israel and the forefather of the Christ, he is the father of all those
who believe. Such is the stature of this man in Gods redemptive plan, that every believer, all those saved by the
grace of God may be called sons of Abraham.

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Because Abraham plays such a vital role in the progress of redemption in history, we will spend a bit more time
studying Gods covenantal dealings with him. As is our custom, we will begin with an historical analysis of the
Abrahamic Covenant before considering the typology in Abraham.
A. Historical Analysis
1. Historical Background of the Abrahamic Covenant
a) The Noahic Covenant (Genesis chapters 9:18-11)
The flood has ended. God has entered in to covenant relationship with Noah and his offspring and has established
the rainbow as the sign of the covenant. Now, from Noahs three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, the whole earth will
be populated (Gen. 9:19). Before this takes place, however, another distinction or division is going to be made
among the inhabitants of the earth. As a result of Noahs drunkenness and Hams sinful response (recorded in Gen.
9:20-29), Noah pronounces a curse upon Ham and his descendents whom he names the Canaanites. At the same
time, Noah announces blessing for Shem and notice the language Noah uses in pronouncing this blessing upon
Shem, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem (Gen. 9:26). We have seen this before: The seed of the woman
and the seed of the serpent, the seed of Seth and the seed of Cain. Now we have the seed of Shem and the seed
of Ham. Shems descendents are clearly marked off as those whose God is Jehovah.
b) The Tower of Babel
Now from these three sons of Noah, the whole earth is populated and is also divided into nations. Indication of this
is given in the genealogy of Noah recorded in Gen. 10. Notice verse 5, From these the coastland peoples of the
Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their
nations.
But what causes such a division? The Tower of Babel incident recorded in chapter 11, right? As you know, as a
result of mans rebellion against God in the building of the tower, God confuses their languages and scatters
mankind across the face of the whole earth (Gen. 11:8-9). Observe here this first great witness to Gods covenant
faithfulness in the promise made to Noah in His response to the rebellion of Babel. He does not destroy man, as
before- just as He said.
Now some 300 years after Noah, it is out of this rebellious humanity that God once more selects one (from the
descendents of Shem!), through whom many would be blessed, by virtue of their association with him. That one is
Abram, and we meet him at the end of Genesis 11.
c) The Call of Abram out of Ur (Genesis 11:27-32)
It is most likely that Abram and all his family are pagan idolaters in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans.
Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah,
the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served
other gods.
Based upon verse 12:1, it does seem that God called Abram out of Ur with the words of 1-3. It appears that verses
11:31-32 are just giving the journey from Terahs perspective. So Abram journeys as far as Haran with his father.
But after Abrams father dies (32), he continues on the journey which God had called him to (12:4). And what was
that journey like for Abraham? The writer to the Hebrews gives us an indication:
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an
inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
2. Features of the Abrahamic Covenant
a) Survey of the biblical material
(1) Genesis 12:1-5 (Implicit reference)

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God comes and deals with Abram by way of direct revelation. These promises are made to Abram directly. In calling
Abram out from humanity unto Himself, God makes a promise to Abram to give him a land, to make him a great
nation, to protect him and bless him. There is also a reference to the worldwide blessing that would come through
Abram. *Note: Abram is a justified man at this point. (Gen. 12:4 w/ Heb. 11:8) He begins to walk with God.
*Note several important events along the way to the next key passage:
-Gen. 12:7,8 God reiterates the promise and Abram worships God.
-Gen. 12:10-20 God protects Abram, as He said He would.
-Gen. 13:1-3 Abram gets land and is greatly blessed materially.
-Gen. 13:4 Abram worships God.
-Gen. 13:14-18 God speaks to Abram as a friend, revealing His purpose.
-Gen. 14 God protects Abram and those associated with him.
-Gen. 14:18-24 God blesses Abram through Melchizedek.
(2) Genesis 15:1-17
There are several significant observations to make from this extended passage:
(a) Covenant Relationship
Note first of all just the dynamic of relationship present in this passage. We have defined covenant as the terms of
a relationship rooted in an oath-bound pledge or promise. The covenant formula language is that of, I will be their
God and they shall be My people. It is truly precious to see the tender way in which the Lord deals with His servant
Abraham in this passage. God responds to Abrahams inquiry with tenderness and assurance, and the Lord
communicates with him as with a friend.
(b) Abrahams earnest question
It is a heart-rending question here from Abraham to God which gives rise to what we might call the formal
establishment or ratification of the covenant with Abraham. You can sense the anguish in Abraham as he honestly
asks the Lord, How shall I know that I shall inherit it? (in reference to the land). Abraham was getting older and his
wife remained childless. How could he be sure that God would make good on all the marvelous promises He had
made to Abraham?
(c) The Ratification Ceremony
God grants assurance to Abraham by means of a formal, covenant-ratification ceremony. God orders Abraham to
bring several animals (verse 9). Notice in verse 10 that Abraham seems to know what to do with these animals
when he takes the strange (to us) step of dividing the heifer, the goat and the ram in two and setting the pieces
opposite each other.
There is good evidence for us to think that Abraham was aware of the practice or custom among men of his day of
engaging in a similar ceremony for the establishment of oaths and bonds, or covenants. Notice, then, what God
does with the animals (verse 17). Abraham witnesses a smoking oven and a burning torch passing between the
pieces. Now, what is the significance of this action by the Lord here? If we look forward at verse 18, we see the
significance. In verse 18 we read, ON THE SAME DAY the LORD made a covenant with Abraham. It seems then
that the dividing of the animals and the passing of the oven and torch between them served to formally make,
establish or cut the covenant.
It has been suggested that this ceremony is the establishment of an oath of self-malediction. That is, the one
making the covenant and participating in this ceremony is saying something to the effect of, Let it be done unto me
as unto these animals if I should break the oath I make today. The striking thing about this is that God is the One
making the oath. Isnt that remarkable? How we see the love and condescension of God in this act. Man should
take Him at His word, but He participates in the ceremony in order to give assurance to Abraham that He will indeed
do what He has said He will do.
(d) The Prophetic Word
This occasion is also marked by the giving of a prophetic word for Abrahams assurance. While in the dream-like
state described in verse 12, God reveals to Abraham in detail what He plans to do with Abrahams offspring. God
does this, again, to encourage Abrahams faith and to draw forth patience from him in waiting on the fulfillment of
Gods promises.

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(3) Genesis 15:18-21
Abrams descendents would inherit the land of Canaan.
(4) Genesis 17:1-6
God reiterates His covenant promise to Abram and changes his name to Abraham, signifying that He would also
make Abraham the father of many nations.
(5) Genesis 17:7-8
Now God expands the promise to include Abraham and his descendents after him. Note also, the covenant formula
language, I will be a God to you and you shall be My people. Is this promising salvation from sin to Abraham and
all his descendents? No, God is making them His own special people in a physical sense at this point.
(6) Genesis 17:9-14
Abraham and his descendents after him are charged with keeping Gods covenant. Here God establishes the sign
or the token of the covenant. Notice how God uses the language that this IS My covenant which you shall keep.
This becomes something of an initiatory right which marks out Abraham and his descendents after him.
(7) Genesis 22:1-18, esp. v. 15ff (Acts 3:25-26; Luke 1:71ff; Gal. 3:15)
On the occasion of the offering up of the promised seed, Isaac, God significantly expands the scope of the covenant
promise made, to include here an even more explicit reference to the worldwide gospel blessing that would come
through Abrahams loins. Notice that God swears an oath here (verse 16).
8. Other significant passages which expand the scope of the Abrahamic covenant
Gen. 17:21 The covenant made with Isaac as well (not Ishmael!)
Gen. 26:3-4 To Isaac is promised the land of Canaan and worldwide blessing through him. (Again,
not with Ishmael)
Gen. 28:13-14 To Jacob is promised the land and worldwide blessing through him (not Esau!).
Gen. 35:9-12 Promises repeated to Jacob, and his name is changed to Israel.
b) Summary of Biblical Material
(1) Parties to the covenant
(a) Jehovah
(b) Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
(c) Abrahams seed
(2) Divine Promises
(a) Abraham to be the father of many nations.
(b) His descendents would be multiplied like the stars in the heavens.
(c) Descendents to inherit the land of Canaan.
(d) In conjunction with the inheritance of the land, they will be the people of God. He will be their
God and they will be His people. Israel becomes the special, corporate people of God.
(e) Through Abrahams seed (sg.), worldwide spiritual, gospel blessing would come. This is very
literally fulfilled in a flesh and blood descendent from Abraham. Abraham would be the father of
the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15 who would accomplish salvation and crush the
serpents head, and thereby would be a blessing to the world.
(3) Mans Responsibilities
(a) Circumcision: Unlike the Noahic covenant which could not be broken, this covenant must be
kept.
(b) Genesis 17:1 Walk before Me and be blameless.
(c) Genesis 18:19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his
household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that
the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."

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(4) Token of the Covenant
Circumcision: A visible reminder of what God had promised, and in a very real, literal, physical way,
Abrahams descendents are marked out from all humanity as the special people of God. Note that
the token, or visible reminder, of the covenant is said to be equal to the covenant. This is true in the
New Covenant as well: This cup IS the New Covenant in my blood.
(5) The Covenant Ratification Ceremony
Genesis 15:1-17 account of the dividing of and passing between the animals.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 9: Abrahamic Covenant, Part 2
3. Historical Outworking of the Abrahamic Covenant
We continue now in our historical analysis of the Abrahamic covenant. Weve seen the historical background and
the main features of the covenant. Now we want to consider the historical outworking of Gods covenant with
Abraham. Well consider first how God fulfills his promises to Abraham and then well see the strategic role of Gods
covenant with Abraham in redemptive history.
a) Fulfillment in redemptive history
(1) Fulfillment of promise to be father of many nations
How did God fulfill His promise to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations? Consider Gods words to
Abraham regarding the birth of Ishmael through Hagar, Sarahs bondwoman:
Genesis 21:13 "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."
As we trace out the history of Abrahams descendents, we find that Ishmael, Esau and the sons of Keturah
(Abrahams 2nd wife) are all made into nations with Gods blessing.
*DRAW CHART ON BOARD
(2) Fulfillment of promise of multiplied seed
From the body of a 100 year old man, God was faithful to keep His promise and multiply Abrahams descendents
beyond number. How long did that take? How soon do we see God make good His promise? By the time the nation
of Israel is ready to come out of Egypt, this was true about them:
Deuteronomy 10:22 Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the LORD your God
has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.
(3) Fulfillment of promise of the land
Here I want you to see a number of OT texts that confirm that God fulfilled His promise to give the promised land to
Abrahams descendents. This is important, because there are some who believe that God never fulfilled this
promise and that it yet remains to be fulfilled literally at some future time.
(a) Exodus 6:2-8
Exodus 6:2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. 3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. 4 "I have also established
My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were
strangers. 5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in
bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 "Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will
redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 'I will take you as My people, and I will be

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your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians. 8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I
will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' "
(b) Deuteronomy 29:1, 10-13
Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with
the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb 29:10
" All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your
officers, all the men of Israel, 11 "your little ones and your wives -- also the stranger who is in your camp,
from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water -- 12 "that you may enter into covenant
with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today, 13 "that He
may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to
you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
(c) Joshua 21:43-45
Joshua 21:43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and
they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He
had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all
their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the
house of Israel. All came to pass.
(d) 1 Kings 4:21
1 Kings 4:21 So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as
the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

(e) Nehemiah 9:8, 24

Nehemiah 9:8 You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of
the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites -- To give it to
his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous.
Nehemiah 9:24 So the people went in And possessed the land; You subdued before them the inhabitants of
the land, The Canaanites, And gave them into their hands, With their kings And the people of the land, That
they might do with them as they wished.
(f) Psalm 105:8-11, 44
Psalm 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand
generations, 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 10 And confirmed it to
Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As
the allotment of your inheritance,"
Psalm 105:44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, And they inherited the labor of the nations,
I think God wants us to understand that this promise was fulfilled in every way, to the smallest detail, dont you? I
think God wants us to know that if Israel is not in the land at any time in the future, it is NOT because God has failed
to keep His promise to Abraham. God kept His promise and repeated the truth of that fulfillment over and over again
in the OT.
*Now, note brethren that to this point, these promises are fulfilled literally, historically, temporally. They are fulfilled
on the typical level. And the recipients of the promises to this point in redemptive history are all the physical seed
of Abraham; that is, the physical descendents of Abraham as that line runs through Isaac and Jacob. It is Abrahams
seed according to the flesh.
But there is one more promise to be considered, and that is the promise of worldwide blessing to come through
Abrahams seed, blessing to be visited upon all the nations and all the families of the earth.

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(4) Fulfillment of promise of worldwide blessing
(a) Acts 3:25-26
Acts 3:25 "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to
Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 26 "To you first, God, having raised
up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
(b) Galatians 3:7-29 (read selected verses)
Galatians 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand,
saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing
Abraham13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the
Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
How does God fulfill this promise? How does blessing come to all the families of the earth through Abraham? It
comes through the gospel!
But now I want to try to understand more precisely how this works by asking and answering the important
theological question: who are Abrahams seed?
(5) Who are Abrahams seed?
(a) Abraham looked for something greater
The fact that this worldwide blessing comes through the gospel should immediately trigger in our minds the thought
that there was much more present in Gods dealings with and promises to Abraham that at first meets the eye.
Though it appears that God is dealing with Abraham on the temporal and earthly level, yet evidently there is going
to be a higher and spiritual fulfillment to these promises- there is going to be type and antitype in these promises.
Interestingly, our NTs teach us that Abraham himself understood this. Look at Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16:
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive
as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of
promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.13 These all
died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,
embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say
such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country
from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better,
that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city
for them.
Look also at John 8:56:
John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
Though we do not have much insight into how Abraham understood this or how clearly he saw these things, yet he
clearly understood that there was more to Gods promise than just a physical piece of real estate in Palestine. He
was looking for something more, higher, better.
(b) Not all Israel
There is also another set of passages that give us some insight into this dynamic associated with the Abrahamic
covenant. There are those passages that indicate to us that there is more to the concept of Abrahams seed than at
first meets the eye. We are given an initial insight into this simply by means of the way God selects Isaac and then
Jacob to be the heir of the promises. At that time, God distinguishes the child of promise (Isaac) from the child of
the bondwoman. God is making a distinction between those who are Abrahams physical offspring. They do not all
receive the promises to the same degree.
When we come to our NTs, it is John the Baptist who begins to show how this will ultimately be fulfilled. Look at
Matthew 3:8-9:

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Matthew 3:8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have
Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Evidently, it is not good enough to simply be descended from Abraham according to the flesh. God is looking for
something else in order to be considered a son of Abraham.
Look also at John 8:37, 39-41, 44:
John 8:37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no
place in you...39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were
Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has
told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 "You do the deeds of your father."
Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God 44 "You are of your
father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own
resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Here Jesus indicates that it is possible to be descended from Abraham physically but to be considered of another
offspring spiritually. Jesus is saying, You are Abrahams descendents, but you are not Abrahams children.
Finally, look at Romans 9:6-8:
Romans 9:6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of
Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be
called." 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children
of the promise are counted as the seed.
There is a difference between the children of the flesh and the children of promise. The children of promise are
considered the real offspring of Abraham and it is the children of promise who will receive the blessings that belong
to Abraham.
Now, if you were a Jew in the day of John the Baptist, or Jesus, or Paul, would you be a bit confused? Is God
playing games here? Who are Abrahams seed and heirs of the promises made to the fathers?
(c) Christ as Abrahams seed (sg)
We believe that Jesus is the literal, physical fulfillment of the promise made in Genesis 3:15. He is the seed of the
woman who would crush the serpents head while having His heel bruised in the accomplishment of the salvation of
His people.
Just so, Jesus is also THE seed of Abraham. Look at Galatians 3:16, 19 again:
Galatians 3:16, 19 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to
seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ19 What purpose then does the law
serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
This passage teaches us that Jesus Christ is Abrahams ultimate seed to whom the promises were made and in
whom they are fulfilled. And in that sense He is Abrahams final physical seed. He is the literal, physical fulfillment of
the promise that through one of Abrahams descendents, blessing would come to all the families and nations of the
earth.
(d) Believers (Jew and Gentile) as Abrahams seed (pl)
In Christ, there is a second layer of application to the fulfillment of this and other promises made to Abraham. God
promised to make Abraham a father of many nations, as well as to multiply his descendents as the stars in the sky
and the sand on the seashore. God fulfilled that promise in a literal and physical sense, as we have seen. But in
Christ, God has fulfilled that pledge above and beyond what Abraham could have conceived.
Im going to jump ahead to the typology of the Abrahamic Covenant for a second. Abraham was a type of Christ as
covenant head. He is the righteous servant of Jehovah to whom promises are made and blessing comes to a
multitude of those who are related to him as covenant head. In the same way, Jesus Christ, as that Seed of

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Abraham to whom the promises were made, is also the covenant Head who produces a seed or offspring of His
own; a spiritual of faith seed who become joint heirs of the promises with Him, and who by virtue of their union
with Him by faith become the children of Abraham, the true circumcision, the true Jews if you will. And in that they
become the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.
Christ has a seed:
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an
offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in His hand.
But Christs seed is not defined by or produced by physical generation, but spiritual regeneration, and are
characterized as those who are of faith:
Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Galatians 3:14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure
to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who
is the father of us all
Now what is the point of all this? Well, we see from these texts that God has fulfilled His promise to Abraham to
multiply his seed and to bless all nations through him through Christ and His spiritual seed. His spiritual seed, and
through Him Abrahams seed, are defined as those who are of faith like believing Abraham. They are those who
possess the righteousness of faith which Abraham had before he was circumcised. If you belong to Christ, then you
are Abrahams seed. If you are of faith, you are Abrahams seed. If you are circumcised in heart through
regeneration, you are the true Israel of God.
*COMPLETE DRAWING AND FILL IN PARALLELS
(e) Application to the New Covenant ordinances
Under the terms of the New Covenant, no one is considered an inheritor of the promises made to Abraham until he
or she becomes a child of Abraham. And the only way to become a child of Abraham now that the final seed has
come is by virtue of a saving attachment to Abrahams literal seed who is Christ. And the only way to be attached to
Christ is through faith which is the product of regeneration.
Now I ask you, who are the members of the New Covenant people of God? Who is admitted to the covenant under
these terms? Is it believers and their seed? Is it those of faith and their seed, whether they are of faith or not? Is it
the regenerate and their unregenerate seed?
No, the New Covenant makes no such stipulation for the children of believers. There is no physical, organic
dynamic at work in the New Covenant. One must be born again to gain entrance to it.
This being the case, only these of-faith children of Abraham are entitled to the signs or tokens or ordinances of the
New Covenant in baptism and the Lords Supper.
b) Strategic Role in Redemptive History
(1) The Abrahamic Covenant establishes the unifying bond of all subsequent redemptive history. That is,
the promise to Abraham ties together everything that follows in the outworking of Gods plan of

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salvation. Every covenant which follows is a very direct, organic outgrowth and further development of
the Abrahamic Covenant.
(2) It supplies the framework in which we can understand the transformation of the people of God under
the Old Covenant to the people of God under the New Covenant. More on this later.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 10: Abrahamic Covenant, Part 3
Introduction
Observations from the life of Abraham:
1) He was 75 years old when called. This means he spent 75 years as pagan idolater. This is evidence of the
marvelous grace of God in his life to produce such a radical change. Also means that he had to wait 25 years for the
fulfillment of promise of son. Sometimes I think we forget this. Perhaps that helps to explain the strength of his faith
by the time God asks him to sacrifice his only son.
2) Note Gods dealings with Abram in chapter 13. God reiterates the promises in connection with Abrams humble
and generous dealings with Lot over the division of the land. Perhaps Abrams response here is testimony to his
faith in Gods initial promise. He does not feel compelled to look out for his own interests. He has a God who will
do so.
3) Sarah uniquely blessed in the covenant.
Genesis 17:16 "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother
of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart,
"Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a
child?"
B. Typology of the Abrahamic Covenant
Now we come to the final installment in our consideration of the Abrahamic covenant. We will take up the typology
present in Gods dealings with Abraham. In my original introduction to this material, I said that with Abraham we are
taking a giant leap forward in the progressive unfolding of Gods redemptive purpose. We have seen gospel pictures
in Genesis 3:15 and in Gods covenant with Noah. Now in Abraham, we expect to find many details of gospel
revelation filled in to this unfolding picture. And that is because in Abraham we find not only types pointing forward
to Christ, but we also find literal aspects of the covenant which have a specific and direct bearing upon the
accomplishment of redemption.
1. Representative Headship: Abraham as a type of Christ
a) Covenant Head
Once again, we see in Abraham the crucial gospel concept of Gods righteous servant who serves as the head of
the people of God, or the idea of the one and the many. Though not in exactly the same way as we saw in Adam
and in Noah, in Abraham we have a picture of Christ as Gods elect one, the righteous servant, through whom a
multitude (his spiritual posterity) is blessed.
Abrahams physical posterity is blessed in this covenant relationship with God by virtue of their blood association
with him. All the blessings of the covenant come to them because they bear his name, as it were. See Genesis
17:6-8:
Genesis 17:6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come
from you. 7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 "Also I give to
you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an
everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

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Remember the covenant complex diagram? Abrahams children are blessed by virtue of their attachment to him. In
the gospel, Christs spiritual offspring are blessed because we are attached to Him by faith.
b) Representative Obedience
Abrahams obedience secures covenant blessings for his descendants:
Genesis 26:4 "And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your
descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 "because
Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
Do you see the emphasis there? Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge! Gods promised
blessings to Abraham and his offspring were secured for them by Abrahams righteousness before God. Now, how
does this relate to the gospel? Look at what the NT says about the blessings that belong to the believer in Christ:
Romans 5:9 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience
many will be made righteous.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose
of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
Think of the experiential blessing of having Abraham as your father. Throughout your life, you could always go to
Jehovah and say, Oh, LORD, please remember your promises to your servant Abraham. SEE Nehemiah, Daniel,
Zacharias (Luke 1). Well then, how much more the blessing that belongs to the Christian! Think of the experiential
blessing of having Christ as your righteousness. Throughout your life, you can go before God and appeal to Him not
on the basis of your own righteousness. That would not be very assuring, would it? Rather, we appeal to God on the
basis of the perfect righteousness of Christ. We may say, O LORD, please remember the perfect righteousness of
Your Son. All Your promises are Yes and Amen in Him. Please remember Your Word to me because of Christ.
2. Adoption: The special people of God as a type of the church
As we observed in our historical study, God has done something new and very significant in Abraham. He now calls
out, separates out unto Himself of all of humanity one man and his offspring. And God comes to that one family and
promises to establish and maintain a covenant relationship with them (Gen. 17:6-8), to make a great nation out of
them (Gen. 12:2) and to adopt them as His children. Where do we find that? Turn to Romans 9:4:
Romans 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the
law, the service of God, and the promises;
Now notice what the Scriptures say of the New Covenant people of God, the church of Jesus Christ:
Jeremiah 31:33 with Hebrews 8:10 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that
you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but
now have obtained mercy.
Ephesians 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will,
Think of the significance of this if you were an Israelite. What a privilege! What a blessing, in every way to be
adopted as the very children of God, separated out from all the peoples of the earth! How much more, then, is this
true for us in the church. Christian, do you have a sense of belonging to a family, to a people? This is your identity in
Christ!
3. Inheritance: Canaan as a type of Christian inheritance

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The question we are considering here is this: what does the promise of the land in the Abrahamic covenant
represent in the gospel? Remember, the land was considered Abrahams inheritance, right? It was the inheritance of
Abrahams offspring. Is there a concept of inheritance in the gospel?
a) Inheritance of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 3:13-14 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the
Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul indicates that in Christ we are given the promise of the inheritance of the Holy Spirit. Now, how does the
indwelling Holy Spirit serve as the antitype of the promise of the land? The land was really the dwelling place with
God- God with you and within you. (Garden!). In the gospel, we realize this experience initially by the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We are NOW always with the Lord!
As wonderful a blessing as that is, greater in fact than any of the temporal blessings of the Old Covenant era, we
look for something more
b) Inheritance of the land in the new heavens and earth
1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
Ephesians 1:13-14, 18 having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the
guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Hebrews 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the
promise of the eternal inheritance.
So we see that the ultimate fulfillment of this imagery will be realized in the new heavens and earth. The land we
look for is the redeemed earth, delivered from the curse of sin, and the place where Christ dwells in the midst of His
people.
**Think for a moment about the Jewish attachment to the land. SEE PSALM 137. How much more should we be
those who look for our inheritance, and live as strangers and pilgrims in the earth, seeking a homeland, a heavenly
city!
4. Marking Out: Circumcision as a type of regeneration
Remember the sign of the covenant? It was circumcision, right? The sign or mark of circumcision was designated
by God as that which distinguished His covenant people from all other peoples. It was a physical mark literally
carried out in the flesh of the male children of Abraham. The language God uses to describe this mark makes it
sound almost equivalent to the covenant itself:
Genesis 17:13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised,
and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Now, is there an antitype to circumcision in the gospel? Consider these NT texts:
Romans 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in
the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh,
Col. 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the
body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

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In the New Covenant, the antitype to circumcision is regeneration, it is circumcision of the heart. The mark that
separates out the true people of God from all the other peoples is the new birth!
5. Blessing: Promise of worldwide blessing as a type of the gospel going to the nations
Think for a moment of the material blessing that God poured out on Abraham:
Genesis 13:2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold6 Now the land was not able to
support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell
together.
God not only blessed Abraham himself with great material blessing, but God promised to bless all the nations
through Abraham. Weve already talked about this, but let me just say it again. In what way did God bless the
nations through Abraham? Was it a promise to give material blessing to all the families and nations of the earth?
What did Abrahams blessing picture for us?
Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
It is spiritual, gospel blessing that God intended to bring to the nations through Abraham and his seed, who is
Christ. And we see that blessing now covering the face of the earth, dont we? Isnt it exciting to think of the
implications of this truth for the work of missions and evangelism? God has promised to bless all families and all
nations in the gospel. And Hes doing that right now as we speak. The gospel has gone out. Believers are taking the
gospel to every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Mission organizations are targeting all the unreached people
groups in the world with the gospel. This is nothing less than the fulfillment of the promise that He made to
Abraham!
6. Resurrection: Isaac a type of the resurrection of Christ and the believer
Turn to Romans 4:17-25. READ:
Romans 4:17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he
believed -- God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to
what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his
own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to
God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And
therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it
was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised
because of our justification.
Follow the line of argument:
-The object of Abrahams faith here is God, who gives life to the dead (resurrection).
-The dead here are Abraham and Sarah. Abrahams body and Sarahs womb were as good as dead in terms of
bringing forth new life.
-Abraham was to believe, to cling in faith to the promise that life would come from his body and Sarahs womb.
Thus, he was to believe that life was to come from death, resurrection.
-Verse 22 says, Abraham did believe and by that faith he was justified.
-Likewise, or as an antitype to this, the one who now believes that God raised Jesus from the dead will be justified
(vs.24).
-It is believing that life can come from death which is the call of faith. We believe that God raised Jesus from the
dead and that He will raise us up with Him.
7. Faith: Abraham the Father of those who believe
This is not so much a type, but in Abraham, God provides the exalted picture of the supreme place of faith in Gods
saving purposes.
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

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Paul, the greatest proponent of the doctrine of justification by faith, quotes this verse and points to the example of
Abraham in both Romans 4 and Galatians 3. He uses Abrahams faith as the ultimate demonstration of the fact that
sinners are justified, made right with God, forgiven of their sins, promised everlasting life, not on the basis of any
righteousness or works of their own, but only on the basis of faith in the person and work of Christ- like Abraham! In
both cases, Paul is addressing the Judaizing tendency to add works to faith in the finished work of Christ. Abraham
was justified by faith before circumcision came, and certainly before the law came. In like manner, the sinner is
justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of our study of Gods covenant with Abraham. I hope you can see why I said at the
beginning that this covenant takes us much further in the unfolding of Gods redemptive purpose in Christ. Now, for
the first time in redemptive history, we see the idea of a people being separated out from humanity to be the people
of God. We also see the narrowing of the pool from which the seed of the woman would come. He will be a son of
Adam. Now we know He will be a Son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And through that one seed, and faith in the
person and work of that one seed, gospel blessing will come to all the nations.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 11: Mosaic Covenant, Part 1
A. Historical Analysis
Today, we begin the study of the Mosaic Covenant. This study will take three lessons. Well begin with the historical
background and then well survey the nature or content of the Mosaic Covenant.
1. Historical Background
There are three major historical events that prepare the way for the Mosaic Covenant: 1) the Abrahamic Covenant,
made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 2) the settling and eventual enslavement in Egypt, and 3) the redemption out of
Egypt. I take it that we are familiar enough with these events to pass over them for the sake of time. In considering
the historical background, then, I simply want us to understand how the Mosaic Covenant relates the Abrahamic.
Turn to Exodus 6:2-8 READ. What is the significance of v. 5? What does He mean by I have remembered My
covenant?
Gods act of deliverance must be seen as rooted entirely in His covenant promises to the patriarchs. Abrahams
seed cant inherit the land God had promised if theyre in bondage in Egypt. So to keep the land-promise to
Abraham out of His covenant faithfulness to Abraham God first delivers his descendents from Egypt. Now,
notice in v. 8 the explicit oath-characteristic of the land-promise. God is going to bring them into the land which He
swore not which He conditionally offered but which He swore, to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That
unconditional oath undergirds the rest of the history of the nation of Israel. Whatever the Mosaic Covenant adds to
their relationship with God, and whether they keep the Mosaic Covenant or break it, fundamentally, God views Israel
as the seed or offspring of His friend Abraham. And that identity is going to save Israel time and time again,
because they turned out to be a rebellious, unbelieving people and the only thing that restrained Gods hand and
kept Him from wiping them off the face of the earth, is that they were Abrahams seed, and God had made a
promise to Abraham, and He was going to keep that promise.
Now notice in v. 7, I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Centuries earlier, God had promised to be
the God of Abrahams descendents, meaning that He would adopt them as His special covenant people. Now He is
saying that He is about to make good on that promise. The Mosaic Covenant established on Mt. Sinai is essentially
the covenant that formally adopts Israel as Gods special people. It brings their election in Abraham to historical
realization in a visible, organized and redeemed community. The Abrahamic promised to make Israel an elect
people in Abraham. The Mosaic fulfills that promise the elect community was redeemed and adopted. Why is the
book of Exodus in our Bibles? Because Israel was Abrahams offspring, and God was fulfilling His promise to

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Abraham. So the Mosaic Covenant flows out of the Abrahamic, as a fulfillment of the promise. Well, you know the
story: God redeems Israel out of Egypt with great judgments and an outstretched hand, leads them into the
wilderness and up to the foot of Mt. Sinai. Now the stage is set, and it is there in the Arabian desert about 7 weeks
after the exodus that the promised covenant is finally established with Abrahams seed.
2. Features of the Mosaic Covenant
a) Prologue
Lets move on now to consider the features of the covenant. There is a vast amount of material, so were going to
have to be very selective.
Lets begin by looking at the actual covenant-inauguration, beginning in Ex. 19:3-8 READ.
First of all, notice that the word therefore in v. 5 connects the covenant which is about to be given in the next
chapter with the redemption from Egypt referred to in v. 4. God is saying, because I have redeemed you
purchased you out of slavery I own you. You are now My people, and you will therefore serve Me and obey My
laws. If they keep His covenant that hes about the make with them, Israel will be a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation. Israel is going to be Gods kingdom and God is going to be their king. By the covenant about to be
given in the next chapter God is instituting a theocracy, a national government headed by God Himself as political
sovereign. The Mosaic covenant establishes Israel as a kingdom, and installs Jehovah as their king. Thats
whats happening here. Now like any king, Israels King makes laws that He imposes upon His subjects laws by
which the King governs His kingdom. In v. 8, Israel responds by saying that they would accept Jehovah as their
king and would submit to His laws. This leads to the important episode of the mountain surrounded by darkness
and thunder and lightning and earthquakes and the blast of a trumpet, a mountain so dreadful and holy with the
presence of Almighty God that any man or animal that merely touched it would die. What do you think the effect
was of these fierce elements that attended the giving of the covenant? They impart to the covenant an ominous
and threatening character, the intention being to put the fear of God into every Israelite heart to impress them with
the awful holiness of God, and their utter sinfulness and unworthiness of covenant intimacy with such a God.
b) Ten Commandments
Now from the top of the mountain, God speaks in the hearing of the entire nation in which the King gives the people
the Ten Commandments. In Ex. 20, God is speaking audibly, later He will inscribe the Ten Commandments on
tablets of stone, but originally they are delivered directly by God to the people, apart from any mediating function by
Moses. Turn to Ex. 20:1-3 READ. After this, God goes on to give all Ten Commandments. Again, we see in this
preface to the Ten Commandments that God grounds His authority to make these commandments on the fact that
He had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. Because He had redeemed them, therefore He is now their King,
they are His subjects, and He has the right to give them these laws that they are bound to obey. And the very first
commandment, and therefore by implication the most important, is that they are to serve no other God. They are
the exclusive property of Jehovah He alone is their King, and will tolerate no rivals. So the Ten Commandments,
considered strictly in its original, historical setting, is in effect the Constitution of this new nation,
containing the foundational moral principles governing Gods political kingdom over Israel. It is the law
upon which all other laws are built and around which the rest of the Mosaic system revolves. And what kind of laws
are these? They are moral laws, expressive of the righteous character of God Himself, laws which had been binding
on the human race since Adam. Whats new is not the substance of these laws, but their formal codification and
use as the central covenant document between God and Israel. God was hereby saying, My kingdom will be a
righteous kingdom. I demand that my subjects live in moral uprightness and not like the heathen nations.
c) The Mediator
Well, the people are frightened and they plead with Moses to ask God not to talk to them directly anymore. They
say, Moses, you go and speak with God, and then tell us what He said, and from this point onward, thats the
procedure that God follows. And by the way, that wasnt an evil thing for them to do; God actually praises them for it
in the book of Deuteronomy, saying Oh, that they would always fear Me like that. Now, this development is
something new in the history of Gods covenants. Unlike previous covenants, this covenant has a mediator
Moses who acts as intermediary, or go-between, between God and Israel. He represents Israel before God in
interceding on their behalf, and He represents God before Israel in teaching Gods laws to the people and exhorting
them to keep them.
d) The Book of the Covenant

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So having spoken the Ten Commandments directly to Israel, God continues to give additional laws to Moses, who in
turn writes them down and later reads them to the people. Now these additional laws mediated by Moses are called
in chapter 24:7 the Book of the Covenant. Thats technical language referring to the contents of Ex. 2023. Now, if
we were to survey this material, we would find that these laws are a mixture of moral and civil statutes that develop
in more detail the principles of the Ten Commandments, as they apply to Israels political-historical-cultural reality.
So the Ten Commandments are the underlying, abiding moral principles. These new, additional laws are the
application of those principles to daily Israelite life in a theocratic society.
e) Ratification Ceremony
Now lets go to the covenant-ratification ceremony. Lets read 24:3-8 READ. Moses reads the Ten Commandments
and the Book of the Covenant to the people. How do they respond? They promise national obedience to Gods
commands. God presented them with a constitution, a body of law, and they willingly embraced it and bound
themselves voluntarily to it. That was a good thing, by the way. God intended them to embrace the covenant. This
indicates the bilateral nature of this covenant unlike that made with Noah or Abraham, this covenant was mutually
agreed to by both parties. Not that Israel negotiated with God or had any say in what the covenant would be. But
they did as it were swear an oath to hold up their end of the relationship.
Now after the peoples response, the covenant is then ratified by the shedding of blood, which is sprinkled on the
Book of the Covenant and on the people themselves, thus binding the people to the covenant documents. The use
of blood graphically demonstrated that the penalty of breaking the covenant was death. The violator of these
commandments would die. But the blood also signified the purification of an already sinful Israel by the death of a
substitute. Just as blood would later be sprinkled on all sorts of things to purify them and consecrate them as holy
to the Lord, the first thing the blood is sprinkled on is the people as a whole, purifying them and consecrated them
the nation as a whole as holy, separate, set-apart to the Lord. They now belonged to Jehovah.
Now verse 8 explicitly tells us that the Lord had made a covenant with them according to all these words that is,
according to the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments in chs. 20-23, or the Book of the Covenant.
And what are both of those things? What one word describes the contents of Ex. 20-23? Answer: Law. Whatever
else may be added to the covenant later, fundamentally, this is a covenant of law. They were law documents
that formed the heart of the covenantal relationship.
So what is the essential nature of the Mosaic Covenant? The Mosaic Covenant was an agreement between a
King and His subjects, a charter that established His throne among them and defined their obligations and
duties toward each other and toward their King. It was fundamentally a covenant of law, requiring Israel to
be holy as their King is holy.
But while that is the heart of the covenant, thats not all there was. After the covenant was ratified, it was further
expanded by the institution of the tabernacle, the priestly system, ritual cleanliness laws, ceremonies and feasts,
and most significantly, the sacrificial system. Lets briefly comment on each of these additional elements.
f) The Tabernacle
The institution of the tabernacle enabled God to dwell in the midst of the camp among the Israelites without being
defiled by their sinfulness. Like earthly kings, this King dwelt among His subjects. His government would not be
administered from up in the heavens, but He would be near to them, in their very midst. The various elements of
the tabernacle collectively symbolized the throne-room of the King in the heavens, brought down and symbolically
placed upon the earth. But unlike earthly kings, the unique demands of His divine holiness and the iniquity of Israel
necessitate a system of separation even in the context of co-dwelling. God is in their midst, but there are three
barriers between the Israelite and God the outer fence, the sanctuary curtain, and the curtain to the Holy of
Holies, and you werent allowed just to go strolling through them into the tabernacle. Access was very, very limited.
So we have both a covenantal intimacy and co-dwelling, and a separation or holding back at the same time. God
has graciously condescended to dwell in a tent in the midst of their tents, but yet He keeps them at arms length. So
we begin to feel this tension in the Mosaic system.
g) The Priestly System
The priestly system was instituted to serve the tabernacle. They also administered most of the other institutions,
such as officiating at ceremonies and feasts, offering sacrifices, pronouncing cleanness or uncleanness, and
teaching the people the law of God. On the one hand this was a blessing God chose some individuals to serve

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Him in a special and close way. But on the other hand, that God appointed the Levites as a separate caste and the
priests as an even more select group within the Levites, and a single high priest from among the priests is
something of a disappointment God had intimated in Ex. 19 that the nation would be a kingdom of priests that is,
all the people would be priests. But by three degrees of separation the Levites, the priests who alone could enter
the holy place, and the high priest who alone and only once a year could enter the most holy place where God was,
God again has separated Himself from the people at large even in the very context of co-dwelling and covenant
relationship, so we again feel a certain tension.
h) Ritual Cleanness Laws
The ritual cleanness laws declared a person unclean for certain communicable diseases, most notably leprosy, as
well as for touching a dead body, after childbirth or during menstruation, after marital relations, and so on. Now
these laws are not simply to be understood as cleanliness laws. They are not primarily hygienic in nature, although
they served hygiene on a secondary level. These laws were primarily meant to safeguard Gods holiness. God
attaches uncleanness to every aspect of mans life that has anything to do with birth, blood or death, all of which
bear the marks of the Adamic curse. These things in themselves were not sinful, but they were symbolic reminders
of the sin that clings to every part of mans being, and as such are incompatible with the holiness of the divine King
that dwells in their midst. Physical hygiene was made a picture of spiritual wholeness physical defilement a
symbol or representation of spiritual defilement and sinfulness. So those individuals pronounced unclean are
temporarily barred from access to the holy things, and in some cases such as for leprosy, removed from the camp
entirely. Again, we see this separation or holding of Israel at arms length, because they were unclean, while at the
same time graciously dwelling among them.
i) Ceremonial Sabbaths and Feasts
The ceremonial Sabbaths, that is, those in addition to the weekly Sabbath, and the feasts included the New Moon
or monthly celebration, the Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of Firstfruits, the feast of Weeks or
Pentecost, the feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles, the Sabbath year and the
year of Jubilee. The calendar feasts are in three groupings: the first three occur together in early spring, the fourth
by itself almost two months later, and the last three occur together in the fall. These are timed roughly to
correspond with the various stages of harvest, three times when the fruits of the earth are yielded. So part of their
function is to remind Israel who it is that blesses their fields and gives them grain in its season. The feasts were an
opportunity to consecrate the fruit of the field as gifts to God in thanksgiving. But the feasts have another more
significant purpose they are also ceremonial reminders of Israels history. The Passover and Unleavened Bread
correspond to their redemption from Egypt, the Firstfruits of their entrance into Canaan when they first partook of
the fruit of the land and the manna ceased, the feast of Weeks to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, the feast of
Trumpets possibly to the conquest in reminder of the fall of Jericho, and the feast of tabernacles to their wilderness
wanderings. So these holy times were set apart for Israel for at least three reasons: 1) consecrate herself to her
King, 2) to express gratitude for His provision for their material needs, and 3) to remember His great acts of
redemption, all of which would have the effect of reminding Israel three times every year who her King is and who
she serves.
j) Sacrificial System
Lastly, we have the sacrificial system detailed for us in the first 7 chapters of Leviticus. There we find instructions
for the Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering to which also the Drink Offering was closely associated, the Peace
Offering, the Sin Offering, and the Trespass Offering, five offerings in all. The Grain/Drink and Peace offerings
those two were consecratory in nature; they were acts of worship, thanksgiving and dedication. The Burnt, Sin
and Trespass offerings, on the other hand, were propitiatory in the nature their purpose being to turn Gods wrath
away. These sacrifices symbolically covered Israels sin by the transfer of sin from the offerer to the sacrificial
animal thats what was happening when they placed their hand on the animals head and involved the
subsequent destruction of the sin-bearing animal. This procedure would secure the divine Kings forgiveness of
their infractions of His law. These chapters repeat over and over again the refrain so the priest shall make
atonement for his sin and it shall be forgiven him. In addition to these sacrifices for individuals, sacrifices for the
nation were instituted as well. Each morning and evening the priests offered a sacrifice for the nation. Also, in all
the annual feasts and ceremonial Sabbaths the sacrifices atoned for the sins of the nation as a whole. This came of
course to highest expression on the Day of Atonement, in which a burnt offering and sin offerings were made and
the blood was applied to the Most Holy Place, thus making atonement for all of Israel until the next year. The
scapegoat offering was also presented at that time, bearing the iniquities, transgressions and sins of Israel out of
the camp away into the wilderness.

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The important thing to note here is that God made provisions for Israels infractions of the law of the covenant,
so that considered as a whole, the Mosaic Covenant required a general, not a perfect, obedience to Gods
laws and a reliance on Gods mercy and forgiveness extended in the sacrificial system. But while the
sacrificial system was a very gracious provision, it was also patently deficient and a rather heavy burden. Put
yourself in their shoes for a moment. These sacrifices had to be offered over and over and over again. If Israel really
followed the sacrificial statutes as prescribed, the tabernacle was a non-stop blood-bath day in and day out. Now
what do you suppose the effect of all this was on Israel? The Mosaic covenant was a constant reminder of
sinfulness. God would not let them forget that they are sinners in constant need of atonement if God is going to
continue to dwell in their midst.
Now, taken all together, what is the common thread running through the institutions of the tabernacle, the priestly
system, the cleanness laws and the sacrificial system? So the covenant documents required that Israel be
righteous, and these additional institutions added on told Israel that they were in fact not righteous. They did not
have in them what it took to keep the covenant, and it was necessary to have all these additional institutions just to
keep a tentative peace between God and Israel, lest He break out and consume them in a moment.
3. Summary of Source Data
Weve looked at things somewhat historically just to gather our source data, but lets end by tying it all together in
classical covenant form.
First of all, what was the essential nature of the covenant? The Mosaic Covenant was a national covenant
mediated by Moses that established Israel as a nation under the kingship of God.
Who were the parties to the covenant? The parties to the covenant were God, and the nation of Israel, the
redeemed and organized physical descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Its important to note that Israels
redemption was from Egypt it had nothing to do with redemption from sin. They were a mixed multitude,
unbelievers and believers mixed together. Most of them died and went to hell. Their membership in the covenant
community had no bearing on the destiny of their eternal souls.
What were Gods promises? God promised were to be God to this nation, and take them corporately as His
special people. He would exalt them, bless them, provide for them, protect them, fight for them, preserve them in
the promised land, and most importantly, dwell in their midst.
What were Israels responsibilities? Israels responsibilities were to submit as loyal subjects to the Kings laws,
dedicate themselves to Him in thanksgiving for all His blessings, remember His redemptive acts, keep themselves
clean, rely on His protection, and seek His forgiveness when they disobey His laws.
What is the sign of the covenant? Previous covenants have had signs Adam had the Tree of Life, Noah the
rainbow and Abraham circumcision, so what sign did God give Israel as a token of the Mosaic Covenant? Lets
read about that in Ex. 31:13, 16-17 READ. Originally, the Sabbath was given to mankind as a creation ordinance.
Now, in a special way it is further given as a token of covenant membership to His chosen people. The
Sabbath became a pledge of the Canaan-rest that lay before them and covenant co-dwelling with God. It reminded
Israel of their redemption from slavery in Egypt, and the blessings they could look forward to. It was also a
reminder of Israels duties to worship God. In this way, the Sabbath symbolized both the promises and the duties of
the covenant, so much so that it is even called a perpetual covenant, as if it were the covenant itself. It would
remind Israel of Gods covenant every week. So the Sabbath day is the sign of the Mosaic Covenant.
Was there an oath? Like most if not all covenants, there was an oath the people themselves swore it when they
pledged national fidelity to the covenant, both at Sinai and again in the plains of Moab. Interestingly enough, God
never swears any oath regarding His conditional promises. Never once does He swear to exalt them, or take an
oath to preserve them in the land. In fact, the only two direct references to God taking an oath are when He swore
that the first generation would not enter the land but perish in the desert, and when He swore that Moses would not
cross over the Jordan. If you regard the adverb surely as tantamount to an oath, which I think is legitimate, then
God swears on a number of occasions, but all of them bad I will surely hide My face and you shall surely
perish. So the only oaths being made on Gods part were ones threatening death upon a disobedient and

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rebellious nation. When was the last time we saw God swearing an oath of death for disobedience to a covenant of
law?
Conclusion
In conclusion, heres what I want you to remember if you remember nothing else: the Mosaic Covenant was
national, not personal. In its literal, historical sense, it had nothing to do with personal salvation. It was the
constitution of a theocracy, a national government headed by God. It was made with a people redeemed from
Egypt, not a people redeemed from sin. It was a covenant of law, most fundamentally. It demanded not perfect
righteousness on the part of each individual, but a general righteousness from the nation as a whole. It was
inseparably connected with the land of Canaan. And it was in fulfillment of Gods covenant promise to Abraham,
that He would take his descendents for Himself as a special nation and a holy people, and would cause them to
inherit the land of Abrahams pilgrimage. In the Mosaic Covenant, God is making good on that promise in a literal,
earthly, temporal way with Abrahams fleshly seed, the nation of Israel.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 12: Mosaic Covenant, Part 2
B. The Nature of the Mosaic Covenant
Introduction
There has been more disagreement about the nature and place of the Mosaic Covenant than any other subject in
covenant theology. Reformed theology has been wrestling with the Old Covenant for four centuries, and as of today
there is still no clear consensus. Many of the original covenant theologians saw it as a covenant of works, as if the
Adamic Covenant had been fully or partly reinstituted. Then things swung the other way, and Reformed theology
saw it as a covenant of grace a gospel covenant essentially no different than the New Covenant. More recently,
there has been a swing back to appreciating its legal, works-character. Why all the confusion? Well, for two
reasons:
First, Gods dealings with Israel are complex and cannot be oversimplified. Israels relationship with God defies
simple categorization. As we study, it becomes clear that there are both gracious and legal elements intertwined in
the relationship between God and Israel. We see an interplay between law and promise, between works and faith,
between the inflexible thundering of Mt. Sinai and the sweet patience and graciousness of a God slow to anger and
quick to forgive.
The second reason why there is so much confusion is because of a faulty presupposition that has been around for a
long time. As long as we insist on pressing the historical covenants into the mold of either the one Covenant of
Works or the one Covenant of Grace, were never going to solve the problem. We must first let the Mosaic
Covenant speak for itself! When we do that, another major presupposition falls away we discover that this
covenant, in its historical, literal sense, has nothing to do with personal salvation from sin. It has nothing to do with
gaining heaven, or being right with God on a personal level. As we insisted last lesson, it was a national covenant
that organized and established the community of Israel as a theocracy under the rule of God. The inheritance is not
heaven, it is Canaan. But even if were just talking about Canaan instead of eternal life, we are still left with the
puzzling question of the principles of inheritance. On what basis does Israel get the land of Canaan? That is what
this lesson is about.
1. The Operative Principle of the Mosaic Covenant
a) The Principle Concern of the Mosaic Covenant
We with the question: what is the principle concern of the Mosaic Covenant? We saw last week that the Mosaic
Covenant was fundamentally a covenant of law. The Ten Commandments codifies existing moral law it is
expresses the righteous character of God and what it requires of His creatures. Therefore, we conclude that the
principle concern of the Mosaic Covenant is that Gods people will be a righteous people. They must be holy as

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their King who dwells among them is holy. The law, which is the heart of the Mosaic Covenant, demands
righteousness on the part of Gods covenant people. Institutions such as the tabernacle, priesthood, ceremonial
uncleanness laws and the sacrificial system all existed because Israel was a sinful people they were not,
fundamentally, a righteous, law-keeping people. So all these institutions are required just to keep a tentative peace
between God and Israel, covering their sin and keeping them at arms length from Gods holiness, lest He break out
and consume them in a moment. Because of these provisions for sinfulness and imperfection, the covenant as a
whole did not demand a perfect obedience. It was designed with sin and repeated failure already taken into
account. But it was still a covenant of law, and a general, national righteousness was its principle concern. The big
message emblazoned on the Mosaic Covenant is, You must be a righteous nation.
b) The Conditionality of the Mosaic Covenant
Now we come to the question of the conditionality of the Mosaic Covenant. Another point that cannot be argued is
that the Mosaic covenant was both bilateral and conditional. That is to say, the covenant blessings are not outright
promised to Israel. They are prefaced with a big IF. IF a certain condition is fulfilled, THEN you will receive the
covenant blessings. IF that condition is not fulfilled, THEN you will forfeit all the covenant blessings.
Now what do you suppose is the condition of the Mosaic Covenant? Not only is righteousness as expressed by the
law the principle concern of the Mosaic Covenant, but righteousness is also the condition of the covenant
blessings. The Mosaic Covenant held out the land with all its related blessings of sonship and said to Israel, Im
giving this to you, but on one condition: you must be a righteous, law-abiding people. If youre not, you forfeit
everything. That is the conditionality of the Mosaic Covenant.
Lets look at a number of passages that establish this point. Lets start by turning to Lev. 26:3-4, 9-12 READ. Does
everyone see the conditionality of the covenant in this passage? V. 3 begins, IF you walk in My statutes and keep
My commandments and perform them, THEN I will give you all these blessings, and v. 9 I will confirm My covenant
with you. V. 11, I will dwell among you, and v. 12, I will be your God and you will be My people. Clearly, the
blessings of adoptive sonship are made contingent on the condition of national obedience to the law.
Now we continue reading, v. 14-16a, 18-19a, 21-22a, 23-15a, 27-29, 33, 38-39. What is the condition upon which
these curses hinge? Look at v. 15. It is not merely a single transgression that sends Israel into this divine
judgment. Nor is it their daily sins of weakness and ignorance sacrifices provided a covering for those. According
to this text, it is despising and abhorring Gods covenant. It is walking contrary to God. It is being unwilling to obey
Him at all. It is prolonged, stubborn, impenitent continuance in rejecting God as their King and rightful lawgiver. No
sacrifice offered any atonement for that kind of lawlessness, and that is what constitutes breaking the covenant.
Also, notice that God doesnt bring all these curses on them all at once. He does so in five stages, each
progressively worse than the previous as God slowly increases the pressure. All along the way He gives them
another chance to repent and obey Him, and another chance, and another chance. We see here the long-suffering
and patience of our God, who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires repentance. But the primary
purpose of reading these verses is to underline the fact that Israels inheritance of the land was conditioned on
her law-keeping.
Now, what is the problem this presents us with? To make the promised-land conditioned on law-keeping? It is the
promised land, isnt it? Were not these blessings held out conditionally to Israel the very same blessings that God
had sworn an oath an unconditional, unilateral oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? We have promise and
we have law both offering the same blessing so which is it? According to the Mosaic Covenant, is the land a
free gift, or does it have to be maintained through the works of the law? What is the operative inheritance-principle
set forth by the Old Covenant? Well the passage we just read would argue for the latter, that it is through the works
of the law. This is so important that we need to see some more texts.
Turn and read:
Deut. 4:25-26, 40
Deut. 6:23-25
Deut. 7:12
Deut. 8:1, 19-20
Deut. 11:8-9
Deut. 11:22-28
Deut. 28:1-2, 15, 63-64

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These passages make it abundantly clear, that fundamentally the inheritance requires righteousness. It cannot be
obtained, enjoyed or kept apart from obedience. Now God was not mocking them by asking the impossible. God
wasnt demanding perfection. The covenant made provision for sin. And God shows amazing patience and
slowness to bring judgment even when they do start to rebel. It was a law-covenant, but its strictness was
loosened and relaxed enough to accommodate the weaknesses of fallen human nature. What it did not
accommodate was a rebellious heart of hatred toward God. If Israels heart were right and their only problem was
the weakness of their flesh, then it would be within Israels ability to keep this covenant. So if Israel breaks the
covenant, its not because it was unreasonably strict or impossibly hard, but because they willingly chose out of the
wickedness of their hard hearts to despise Gods covenant. Also, in saying that the Mosaic covenant was works
oriented, Im not saying that it was all works and no grace. There were plenty of gracious features and elements all
throughout. God never treated Israel precisely as they deserved, but was slow to judgment and quick to forgive. But
nonetheless, considered in its place in redemptive history, the law, not grace, was its defining character. On the
basis of these many passages, it is safe to conclude that the operative inheritance-principle of the Mosaic
Covenant, considered strictly by itself, was inheritance by law-righteousness. Inheritance by lawrighteousness.
But this conclusion does not fully explain the complexity of Gods relationship with Israel. What about all that
emphasis we saw on the land that God swore to their fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, what was that all
about? How is an oath-bound promise consistent with a system of law-righteousness? I began by saying that
Israels relationship with God was a complex one, intertwining law and promise, works and grace. Well weve seen
the law part. Now lets see the promise part.
2. The Impact of the Abrahamic Covenant
a) The Real Reason they Inherit the Land
Deut. 9:4-7 READ. All along God had been telling Israel that they had to be righteous to possess the land thats
the message of the Mosaic Covenant. But when the time comes to actually enter the land, God turns around and
tells them that the inheritance is not on the basis of their righteousness after all! At the end of the day, thats not the
reason they get the land! What happened? Is God backtracking on the covenant? Is He dropping His demands?
Was He not really serious when He made the inheritance conditioned on national righteousness? No, we have to
be careful not to attribute insincerity to God, or suggest that He didnt really mean what He said in the Mosaic
Covenant. No, what He said on Mt. Sinai He meant. Well then what do we make of this? 1) They have to be
righteous to get the land, 2) theyre not righteous, 3) but they get the land anyway!
I think the key to untying this knot is the little pronoun your. God says its not because of your righteousness or the
uprightness of your heart that you get the land. The implication being that it is righteousness and uprightness of
heart that is required, but it is not their righteousness that secures the inheritance. They were a stiff-necked and
rebellious people who by their disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant had repeatedly forfeited their
inheritance. So why do they get the land? What is the real reason, according to this text? The real reason they
get the land is because of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God covenant mercies toward the patriarchs are
covering Israels failure under the Mosaic law and allowing God to treat them as righteous even though they are not.
Look at v. 27 of the same chapter READ. Gods covenant with Abraham stood between God and Israel as a shield.
Thats why I emphasized last week that fundamentally when God looks at Israel He sees them as the seed of His
friend Abraham. That is their fundamental identity and impacts their entire history. In the place of a disobedient
Israel, stood an obedient Abraham, Gods friend.
b) A righteous Abraham
Now what do I mean when I speak of an obedient Abraham? I thought he was justified by faith, just like we are.
Well thats true. His personal justification and inheritance of eternal life was pure grace received by faith in the
promise of a coming Son. But Im not referring now to Abrahams personal justification. I am referring to his unique
function in redemptive history as the covenant head of Gods people and as the possessor of Gods special
covenant promises about the land and world-wide blessing. Considered from that vantage point, the qualifying
factor for his unique position in redemptive history was his obedience. That obedience was undoubtedly the fruit of
personal faith, to be sure, but it was obedience nonetheless, and thats what God draws attention to. In Gen. 12,
the blessings are conditioned on his leaving his country and going to Canaan. He obeyed. In Gen. 17, God
commands Abraham to walk before Me and be blameless, and I will make My covenant between Me and you

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Abraham did that. And in Gen. 22, God says Because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your
son, your only son blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply in your seed all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.
In Nehemiah, theres a prayer of repentance that mentions Abraham, saying You found his heart faithful to You,
and made a covenant with him. Gods covenant with Abraham was established, confirmed, and reconfirmed
by steps as Abraham proved on various occasions to be an obedient servant with an upright heart.
Now the most important text in this regard, and lets turn there and read it, is when God renews the covenant with
Isaac in Gen. 26:3-5 READ. Now the blessings themselves are unconditional Isaac would receive these things
because God had sworn an oath to Abraham. But why did He swear the oath in the first place? What is the reason
that God assigns for having all these blessings in store for Isaac and his descendents? Because Abraham obeyed.
Not perfectly but fundamentally and substantively, Abraham was a righteous man. And the covenant was
established with him on the basis of his righteousness. Thats what the text says, isnt it? Abraham was justified
as an individual by faith and faith alone. The New Testament makes that crystal clear. But were not talking about
his personal justification now, were talking about his covenant headship, and that was given on the basis of his
walking with God and pleasing Him with an upright heart. Now am I saying that there was no grace involved in
Gods covenant-making? No! There was lots of grace involved in the whole transaction. Abraham didnt earn the
covenant as if by being obedient he twisted Gods arm and forced Him to pay Abraham off with these blessings
no, God didnt have to make these promises even if Abraham was 100% sinless. So theres much grace and
condescension involved in the making of the covenant, but nonetheless, God attaches the covenant promises to
Abrahams obedience. So when we think of the Abrahamic Covenant, we must think in terms of a righteous,
obedient Abraham. Thats what God throws the spotlight on.
c) The Impact of Abraham on Israel
Well what does all this have to do with Israel and the Mosaic Covenant? Well let me ask you what is the
significance of the terms found in v. 5? Abraham kept Gods commandments, His statutes and His laws. What
commandments, statutes and laws? These terms refer to the law as expressed in the Mosaic Covenant, a
covenant that hadnt yet been instituted. This is what the Mosaic Covenant was urging Israel to do to keep His
commandments, His statutes and His laws and it says here that Abraham did just that! Though the law had
not yet been given, Abraham, by his faithful obedience to God, is judged to have kept and fulfilled the substance of
that law. He possessed, however imperfectly, the basic righteousness that the law would require of Israel. And if,
as was revealed in the terms of the Mosaic Covenant, the inheritance is conditioned upon righteousness, and
Abraham is righteous, then Abraham has fulfilled the terms of the Mosaic Covenant before it was ever made
and thus secured a title to the inheritance. Thats what the Abrahamic Covenant was, it was God saying Well
done, My friend, My righteous servant, heres your inheritance! Because you have walked with Me and been
upright, I swear an oath to bless you, and not only you, but your descendents also.
What I am saying is that Abraham kept the law on behalf of Israel, and secured the inheritance by his
obedience that Israel could not secure by theirs! What we have here, on a temporal, physical, material, typical
plane is imputation of righteousness on a national scale. Again, Im not talking about the imputation of Christs
perfect righteousness to individuals! Im just talking about the imputation of Abrahams relative, general
righteousness to the nation of Israel as a whole. What we see in the history of Israel is Abrahams righteousness
being imputed to Israels account, and covering their wickedness. And so when they are prepared to enter the land,
God tells them Its not because of your righteousness that youre getting the land, but because of Abrahams. And
every blessing you get from Me is not because of your righteousness, but because of that oath I swore centuries
earlier. So heres Gods logic: 1) You must be righteous to possess the land! 2) Youre not righteous, 3) but
Abraham has fulfilled that righteousness for you. Heres the land. That, I believe, is the answer to our puzzling
question. The Abrahamic Covenant satisfying the demands of the Mosaic.
So, the operative inheritance-principle of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the one that actually succeeds in
obtaining the land, is inheritance by promise. The land was obtained, not by law-keeping, but by Gods free and
gracious promise, made possible by Abrahams law-keeping. Lets look at two more passages just to make sure we
really see this:
Turn and READ: Deut. 4:37-38, Deut. 7:6-8.

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In the very same sermons in which Moses is exhorting the people to keep the law and telling them that they will
continue in the land only in a state of righteousness, he is also telling them Dont put your confidence in the law, oh
Israel, but look to the promise. You are getting this land and will be preserved in it because God made a promise to
His righteous servant Abraham who has fulfilled the demands of the law on your behalf, and thats the only reason.
So we have seen now 2 very different principles of inheritance: Law-keeping and promise. Which one of these two
principles wins the day? Which one actually secures the inheritance for Israel? Israel sets out at the beginning
of the day to inherit the land by keeping the law of the Mosaic Covenant. But at the end of the day, they
actually receive the land because of the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. The land was offered in one
way, but received in another. The promise has delivered what the law could not. Grace has succeeded where
works has failed. Because of their failure under the Mosaic Covenant, every blessing that Israel enjoys they enjoy
out of pure grace as undeserving recipients of the promise God made to His friend Abraham. That is the
complexity of Gods relationship with Israel. It is complex because there are two covenants at play, not one. The
Mosaic Covenant with law, and the Abrahamic Covenant with promise. Sometimes one is more prominent and
sometimes the other, which explains the constant intertwining of law and promise. And the entire history of Israel
can be understood as the interplay of those two covenants. The Mosaic demands righteousness. The Abrahamic
fulfills that righteousness. The law condemns. The promise delivers.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 13: Mosaic Covenant, Part 3
I concluded the last lecture with the observation that the Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of law. Not for the
obtaining of personal salvation or justification, but operating on the temporal, material, typical level. Its function was
to condemn. The Abrahamic Covenant was a covenant of promise. Again, not for the obtaining of personal
salvation. It operated on the same temporal, typical plane. Its function was to shower undeserved, unmerited
blessing on the seed of Abraham who learned under the Mosaic system that they had no hope of earning it by their
law-keeping.
3. The Purpose of the Mosaic Covenant
Now if thats true, if God intended that the law should fail to secure the blessing it conditionally offered, why give it at
all? If God never intended the inheritance to be by law-keeping but rather by promise, why did He institute a
covenant that offered it by law-keeping? This raises the question of the purpose of the Old Covenant.
So what was the purpose of the Mosaic Covenant? I think it safe to say that the Mosaic Covenant had multiple ends
in view. But were going to focus on what I believe was the primary purpose of the covenant and the most important
for us to understand today.
a) A hopeless bondage
Centuries after God had made a promise to Abraham to give his descendents the land of Canaan, Israel found
herself hopelessly in bondage in the land of Egypt. Enslaved by her Egyptian task-masters for perhaps hundreds of
years, Israel had no hope of extricating herself from her condition and getting back to Canaan on her own. And even
if they could, how could they possibly enter Canaan with all those Canaanites living there? There was a land of rest
out there, a land flowing with milk and honey, that their fathers had spoken of and that they had been taught as little
children would one day be theirs. But the cold, hard reality of life was, it was beyond their reach. They couldnt
possibly obtain the land by their own efforts. All they could do was cry out in despair and hope that if the God of
their father Abraham was really out there, maybe He would help them.
b) A gracious, promised redemption
God heard their cries and remembered His covenant with Abraham. Out of faithfulness to His promises to the
patriarchs, God visits Israel and raises up for them a deliverer. Through Moses, God unleashes His power against
Egypt and redeems Israel out of bondage with an outstretched arm and great judgments. Now how much of this

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exodus due to their efforts? NONE. Every step along the way, it was God acting alone, performing great
supernatural wonders to redeem Israel out of Egypt. What Israel could not accomplish by her own efforts, God
accomplished out of sheer mercy and graciousness, in keeping His promise to His friend Abraham. Now, Israel was
free. Their chains were shattered and they were on their way to the Promised Land. And the Canaanites? No
problem just as God had brought them out of Egypt, He would likewise use His strength to defeat their enemies
and give them the land as He had promised. God was doing for Israel what Israel could not do for herself.
c) The appropriate heart response of Israel
Now what do you think would be the appropriate heart-response of Israel? How ought they have responded to such
a great, free and gracious redemption? They should have been filled with gratitude, love, worship and desire
to serve the God who had redeemed them. Their hearts should have been humbled to think of their own lack of
strength and dependence on God, and strengthened in faith, having seen God prove His faithfulness to His
promises, and out of that faith and love and gratitude they ought to have burned with zeal to please God and
obey His commandments willingly and joyfully. In other words, having experienced the redemption of the LORD
and baptism in the Red Sea, they should have had circumcised hearts. Now by that Im not referring to
regeneration in a New Covenant sense, but on the typical-historical plane that would mean an Israel as a nation
humbled by her own weakness and willing to trust God for all her needs, joyfully serving the LORD and
remembering with gratitude all His great acts of redemption. This is what the feasts and ceremonial Sabbaths were
all about, remember? This is what Moses was urging Israel to do in much of the book of Deuteronomy.
Lets see this in Deut. 10:12-16 READ. Remember Gods acts of redemption! Remember all that Hes done for you!
Love Him with all your heart and all your soul, dont forget who it is that gives you all these blessings, serve Him and
obey His commandments joyfully out of grateful hearts! You see, God will have a righteous people. His moral
law is non-negotiable. His adopted covenant community will be a holy nation. And in the end, that
righteousness can only be produced by circumcised hearts. By hearts that want to please God. Hearts that love His
commandments. That can sing with the psalmist in Psa. 119, O how I love thy law! Thats not legal obedience.
Thats obedience that flows out as an expression of faith and love. And that is obedience far deeper, far more
real, far more genuine than legal obedience could ever be. It is the kind of obedience God wants. Well, this is
how Israel should have responded after their gracious redemption out of Egypt.
d) Israels problem
But there was a problem with Israel. What problem was that, according to our text? Moses urges them to be stiffnecked no longer, because thats what they had been for the past 40 years since they left Egypt. Although they had
initially believed God and rejoiced in their redemption, that memory lasted only a few days. They were a stiffnecked, rebellious people. Their hearts were NOT circumcised. They were not grateful. They did not remember
Gods great acts of redemption. They did not humble themselves. They did not trust God for their needs. They
were unbelieving and did not love God, and therefore, they had no desire or inner zeal to keep Gods
commandments. In fact, they hated them. They were a burden to them. They had not learned the great lesson of
their redemption from Egypt. And consequently, they were an unrighteous people.
e) A hypothetical scenario
Now, hypothetically speaking, lets say that God had given them there in the desert a basically gracious covenant.
Lets say that the Mosaic Covenant was a gospel-like covenant which was unconditional, made no threats, had no
terror, and no curses for law-breaking. Imagine if there were only a few basic, general principles of righteousness
explained, but not all those myriads of intricate and detailed laws. And law-keeping was just the expression of faith
and not a means to earn the inheritance? In other words, what if the Mosaic Covenant was just like the New
Covenant that were under? What do you think would happen if God gave a covenant designed and fitting for a
people of circumcised hearts to Israel, a people of uncircumcised hearts?
Well first, they wouldnt keep His laws. The New Covenant only works because were a people who want to please
God. We dont need threats, but thats because we are a people of circumcised hearts. Israel was not. And without
a heart longing to please the God it loves, there can be no real obedience. No real righteousness. In other words,
God would not have a righteous people.
Secondly, God would not be worshipped. God wants the worship of hearts burning with love and passion for Him.
He wants a people overflowing with joy and gratitude. He wants a community that will give Him the glory for all Hes
done. But Israel was incapable of being that kind of people, because they were of uncircumcised hearts.

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So if God had given a gracious covenant designed for a people of circumcised hearts to a people of uncircumcised
hearts, He would not achieve what He is after. His people would not be righteous and He would not be worshipped.
Israel was unprepared for a gracious covenant. They werent ready to relate to God entirely on the basis of
promise. They werent ready to enter His rest and receive the fullness of His promises to Abraham. They
were not yet truly Abrahams children.
f) A new bondage
They hadnt learned the lesson of the exodus. That it was all God, and all promise, by which the inheritance would
be obtained, not by their own strength or efforts. Blessing could be had only by trusting the LORD and looking to
His strength and trusting in His promises. That was the lesson of the exodus and that is what they failed to
understand, or at least it didnt go deep enough for them to remember. So, God is going to teach them the same
lesson again. Hes going to send them back to Egypt, as it were, and let them again feel the weight and
misery of bondage, let them again come to the end of themselves and lose all hope in their own strength so
that they cry out again to the LORD, and then the LORD will remember His covenant with Abraham again
and deliver Israel out of bondage again. God is going to repeat the lesson!
But He doesnt do it by literally sending them back to Egypt. He brings them under a different kind of bondage. The
bondage of the law. The covenant that God makes with this stiff-necked people is a legal covenant of worksrighteousness. A covenant that demands obedience in order to receive the inheritance. A covenant of hundreds of
detailed and minute laws governing them in every area of their national life. Now God isnt being mean here; dont
compare Him to Pharoah this was not fundamentally a new bondage, but rather a means by which the existing
bondage to sin in their uncircumcised hearts would be acutely felt and caused to rise to the surface. Now in case
you are wondering about this idea of God bringing Israel into bondage under the law, let me remind you of some
New Testament commentary on this episode.
Rom. 7:6, we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by
Rom. 8:15, contrasting the Old and New Covenants: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear...
In Gal 4:3ff, Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the
fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son
how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
Later in the same chapter Paul tells us that For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives
birth to bondage, which is Hagar-- for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now
is, and is in bondage with her children
In Gal. 5:1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with
a yoke of bondage.
The Mosaic Covenant was not only a covenant of bondage, but also a covenant designed to produce death.
In Romans we read statements like: The law entered that sin might abound
That sin, through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful
The commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death
And the most shocking language I want us to see with our eyes lets read 2 Cor. 3:6-9 READ.
If we follow the most fundamental rule of Protestant hermeneutics, that we allow the New Testament to interpret the
Old, then we must put aside whatever notions we may have had about the Mosaic Covenant being a gracious,
gospel-like covenant and take our cue from clear statements of the New Testament that tell us it was a covenant of
bondage. It was a ministry of death and condemnation, designed to stir up sin in uncircumcised hearts and
cause Israel to feel their hopeless bondage under it. This is the primary, main purpose of the Mosaic Covenant.
Its purpose was to bring Israel into bondage to the law that they might come face-to-face with their corrupt
hearts and see themselves for who they are.

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g) The lesson they must learn
And thats the lesson God was teaching them. God would let them fail again and again, the curses of the law would
descend on them again and again, sin would be stirred up, the condemnation intensified, their burden made heavier
and heavier until they learned their lesson. And that lesson was, that they could not earn the inheritance. They
were NOT a righteous people. They did not possess the strength and ability and wisdom to earn their own
blessings if they were to get the land, if they were to remain in it, if they were to know blessing and be preserved
alive, GOD HAD TO DO IT FOR THEM. They had to trust God to keep His promises to Abraham, and only in
repudiating their own sinfulness and fleshly efforts and looking to God to come through for them, only in that way
could they know blessing. Only then could they enjoy the land. That was the message of the Mosaic Covenant, and
its primary purpose was to get that message across humble your hearts, O Israel, look away from your flesh and
from the law, and look to the promise, cry out to God for mercy as you did in Egypt, and when He listens and
delivers you because of His promise to Abraham, respond to His mercy by being circumcised of heart and clinging
in love and faith to the LORD your God. The Mosaic Covenant was designed to fail, in order to drive Israel into
the arms of the promise, that she might learn not to trust in herself, but in God.
h) What if the lesson was not learned?
Now what would happen if Israel failed to learn their lesson? Would the promise be effectual? Would they still
receive the Abrahamic blessings, despite their unbelief? The answer is no. The promise was unconditional to
Abraham. God would bless His descendents. But which descendents? Not all of them. Not all are Israel who are
of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham. That doesnt just apply to personal
justification, as its used in Romans; it also applies at the typical level. Only a believing Israel was considered
the seed of Abraham and therefore heirs of the promise. Insofar as they were unbelieving, and didnt learn their
lesson, they would not be counted as seed, despite their blood heritage. And if theyre not counted as seed, the
promise doesnt apply to them. The promise could only be received by repentance and faith. Now remember, on
the typical level were not talking about faith in Christ were talking about trusting in God to come through for them
and keep His promises to Abraham in terms of providing for them, keeping them alive, conquering their enemies
and so forth. Obviously that is foreshadowing saving faith in Christ, but on the typical level thats not what were
dealing with.
Lets get some Scripture underneath this idea. Heb. 3:15 - 4:2 READ. The 1st generation had experienced the
redemption out of Egypt. They had passed through the Red Sea and seen their enemies destroyed in it. They had
been fed from heaven and drank water from the rock. They had seen demonstration after demonstration that God
would indeed be faithful to His covenant promises to Abraham and bring his seed into the land, which is here
referred to as His rest. So why in the world did that privileged generation fail to enter in? What was the
fundamental reason that first generation lost their inheritance and perished in the wilderness? Unbelief. Despite all
that they had experienced, they didnt believe in Gods promise. God had promised them the land and conquest
over its inhabitants. But they looked at the military strength of the Canaanites and listened to their fears instead of
believing God. Unbelief was the real problem, the source of their rebellion, and thats why they didnt enter
in.
According to 4:2, why is it that the promise didnt profit them. Because it wasnt mixed with faith! God had made
promises to Abraham. Israel was required to believe that promise. And so believing, to draw their swords and
enter what would otherwise be a reckless and impossible battle. The promise would be made good to them
only insofar as they believed it, and would be realized practically only through the instrumental means of
obedience that is motivated by faith! You cant get the land unless youre willing to enter the land and take
it, and that requires faith. The Abrahamic Covenant was worthless apart from faith. And by and large, Israel was
not a believing people.
Lest it be thought we are hanging too much on one passage, allow me to quote from some other passages as well.
Deut. 1 comments on this same episode, and tells us that they did not believe the LORD.
In Psa. 106 we read of the same story that they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word.
In. Psa. 78 we read of a similar act of rebellion just a few weeks prior, and it explains they did not believe in God,
and did not trust in His salvation. [physical; provision for material needs in the desert]

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Jude 5 tells us that God having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not
believe.
And 2 Ki. 17, summing up why Israel was being exiled to Assyria, says that they stiffened their necks like their
fathers who did not believe in the LORD their God.
Text after text after text says that the 1 st generation failed to receive the land, and the nation was eventually exiled
from the land centuries later, because of unbelief, which goes hand in hand with impenitence. Now if Israel had
gone astray and then repented, God would have restored them. If they went astray again and repented again, Hed
restore them again. No matter how much Israel disobeys, if she comes to her senses and repents and turns to God
and the promises in faith, the promise would always come to the rescue and save the day. Gods mercies are
always ready to be poured out, as soon as there is repentance and faith. But if theres not if theres no
repentance and no faith in His promises, the promise is silent. No help from Abraham. Israel would be on their
own.
And for the most part, thats basically what happened. Israel didnt care about Abraham and his promises. They
didnt want relationship with God at all. They just wanted to be free of Him. And in the presence of such
impenitence and unbelief, the promise is of no effect. And all that remains between a wicked Israel and a
holy God is a thundering Mt. Sinai, ready to unleash the terrors of the law upon them. So insofar as Israel
fails to learn the lesson that the Mosaic Covenant was designed to teach, that they were woefully inadequate and
had to trust in God for their help, to the same degree they would be denied the benefit and blessings of the
Abrahamic Covenant. Israel suffered much and was eventually expelled from the land, not because God had
forgotten His promise, but because Israel refused to lay hold of the promise by faith.
4. Historical Outworking
But God is a patient God who suffers long. And Hes willing to take His time to give Israel another chance. So we
find that the subsequent history of Israel is the working out of this interplay between law and promise, as God
pounds this lesson in again and again. What we see throughout Israels history are multiple exodus cycles. A little
redemption story repeated again and again under varying circumstances. Israels heart is hardened and they begin
to rebel, the law of Moses condemns them and God brings the covenant curses on them, bringing them as it were
back into slavery, whether it be by disease or famine or oppression from other nations, and keeps them there until
they come to the end of their rope and cry out for mercy. And every single time, even when their cry is somewhat
shallow and only temporary, God remembers His covenant with Abraham, and delivers them out of bondage. What
theyre going through is the exodus story all over again. Sin, bondage, repentance, deliverance. The law
condemns, the promise delivers. Their own strength fails, God exercises His strength. And what Gods doing is
teaching them the lesson over and over again, and they never seem to learn it. Theres always a faithful remnant,
but as a whole, their hearts never do get circumcised. They never learn to respond to God as Moses had exhorted
them in Deut. 10.
We see this cycle in the perishing of the 1 st generation and the success of the 2 nd. We see the cycle in the latter
years of the conquest. We see the cycle in the period of the judges. And we continue to see the same thing during
the divided monarchy. The northern kingdom of Israel rebels immediately and really never had a good king and
perished quickly. But in Judah we see good kings followed by a bad king followed by a good king. When the bad
king leads Judah into idolatry and wickedness, God brings the Mosaic curses on them. But then a good king
follows who repents and cleanses the land of idolatry and turns to the LORD, and God removes the curses.
Later, God raises up prophets and sends them to Israel and Judah, pleading with them to acknowledge their
wickedness, repent and turn to God and trust Him for deliverance. Trust in Me, God is saying. Repent of your
wickedness and return to Me, and I will receive you. This is the message of the prophets they are exhorting
them to take to heart the lesson that God has been teaching them for nearly a thousand years. Well they still dont
get it. In fact they imprison and even kill the prophets, and in that hopelessly impenitent and hardened condition,
God brings His lesson to a close. They are sent into captivity one last time, this time into Assyria and Babylon.
They are an utter failure.
Well, theres one last chapter in the lesson before its over for good. Decades later while in exile in Babylon, a man
named Daniel as well as a man named Nehemiah pray some of the most extraordinary prayers found in the Bible,

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prayers of repentance on behalf of the nation. They acknowledge their sinfulness, Gods righteousness for having
expelled them from the land, Gods faithfulness to His promises and Israels utter unfaithfulness. And they cry for
mercy. They ask God to remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And you know what? He does. One last time, even
after it appeared to be all over for Judah, God heeds the cry of His people and redeems them out of bondage in
Babylon and brings them back to Canaan. Theyve learned their lesson this time, at least partly. Never again would
idolatry be a part of Jewish life, even to this day. Never again would the Jews flirt with polytheism or seek to be like
the other nations. Never again would children be passed through the fire to Molech. The religious character of Israel
changed radically. But they only learned half their lesson. It transformed them into strict monotheists and made
them to be forever a very religious people who made a big deal about keeping the law, but they were trusting in their
own abilities to keep Gods law. They were intent on obeying, but they thought they could obey with their own
strength. All the exile did was change an idolatrous God-hating people into a strict, religious, self-righteous Godhating people. Their hearts were not really circumcised after all. And for that reason, though they rebuild the
temple, God doesnt come and occupy it. The prophetic promises of a renewed Israel after the restoration arent
realized, not yet at least. Gods purposes went way beyond this little nation of Israel. He was preparing something
far more glorious.
So, with that, the Mosaic Covenant had served its purpose. The lesson had been taught enough times. It was now
inscripturated in the Bible and the pages of history. It would stand as a monument to human sin and Gods tender
mercies. It would lay the foundation for Gods true purposes with the human race, and the real redemption that was
coming. History was coming of age now, ready to leave its childhood behind. And so, after the last prophet,
Malachi, speaks from God, a deafening silence from heaven takes hold that lasts some 400 years, during which
time we have the fall of Persia, the Greek empire, the Hasmonean Kingom in the Maccabean period, the rise of
both the Sadducees and the Pharisees, and the invasion of the Roman empire, bringing Israel into yet another
oppression. But it was not national, political slavery that God would be concerned with anymore. It was the slavery
of the sinful hearts of individuals that really mattered. The 400-year silence is first broken when an angel appears to
a young Jewish woman, and tells her that from her womb God is raising up a new deliverer. It was time to put the
Mosaic Covanant aside and make room for a better covenant, and a better Israel.
Summary
So in summary, the Mosaic Covenant was a schoolmaster brought in to teach a lesson, to prepare the way for the
ultimate exodus story, and to prepare the hearts of those who would experience it. The Old Testament was written
to prepare and set the stage for the New Testament.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 14: Mosaic Covenant, Part 4
Introduction
In the last two lessons, weve been dealing with the subject of Israels relationship to both the Mosaic and
Abrahamic covenants and the interplay of law and promise in the outworking of their history. Now were going to
turn our attention away from the historical-literal and turn our thoughts to the subject of typology. The Mosaic
Covenant was a national, earthly covenant meant to illustrate to convey to typify spiritual truths by the use of
national, historical events on a much lower, typical plane. Ive said many times that the Mosaic Covenant had
nothing to do with personal, eternal salvation but it absolutely positively did typify the great issues of our
eternal salvation. God was illustrating deep, eternal theological truths by the types of a nation, a mountain, a
desert, a land called Canaan, an exile to Babylon and a restoration. So were going to end our study of the Mosaic
Covenant by an overview of the typology of Israel. Most if not all of us are well aware that Israel was a type of the
Church, but as were going to see this morning, the typology is more rich and complex than that. The typology of
Israel could be divided into two classes, each of which can be further divided into two major subsets of types.
1. Gods Two Sons

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The first class of Israel typology is what Im calling Gods Two Sons. If youll remember from our lesson on the
Adamic Covenant, we said that Adam was a type of Christ, and one of the connections between them was that they
are both called the son of God. His firstborn. Now Christ alone is the only begotten Son of God but there is a
parallel sonship at the functional level that is, Adam as man and Christ as man occupying the office and role of
sons of the heavenly King. But there is a third party also called the son of God, and who do you think that is? Israel
is called Gods Son in several places. In Exodus, God says to Pharoah through Moses, Israel is My son, My
firstborn, so I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. In Hosea God says When Israel was a child, I
loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son. And at times God calls Himself Israels Father. Because of this
language, we suspect that Israel as a single entity, a corporate whole in some way represents or plays the
part of Gods two sons, Adam and Christ. And that is exactly what we find.
a) Israel as a theatrical reenactment of Adam
The first major subset of typology under this class is Israel as a reenactment of Adam. Now, why am I calling it a
reenactment? Well, we cant really call it a type, because types are by definition forward looking. The Adamic
covenant historically precedes the Mosaic. Im calling it a reenactment to emphasize that its connection is one of
symbolic or picturesque likeness. The Mosaic Covenant was like the Adamic Covenant, though not identical to it.
There were parallels in national Israel that acted out upon the stage of history something like a play that
portrayed the Adamic covenant. It was a reenactment on the stage of history choreographed by God to
illustrate to the world what had happened to the human race thousands of years earlier.
Lets consider some of these parallels. Im going to describe Israel, but as Im doing so I want you to think of mans
original state in the garden of Eden. First we have the formation of a nation/son, as it were, out of the dust of the
wilderness. This nation was set forth as an image-bearer of God, a nation close to God that was to reflect His glory
to other nations. The holiness of this nation was to the end that they might have communion with God. God would
dwell in their midst. Wherever God went by the fiery cloud, Israel followed, in a sense walking with God. They
were to be a nation of kings and priests to God, co-rulers of God upon the earth. Do you see the parallels with
Adam yet?
Then God takes His son and plants him in the land of Canaan. And how is Canaan described in the Bible? This is
clearly garden-imagery. Canaan is reminiscent of the garden of Eden, a place of pleasure and delight and
abundance. And most significantly, Canaan is Gods own dwelling place. In Ex. 15 Moses sings to the LORD: You
will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which You have made
for Your own dwelling. Canaan was Gods dwelling place. God had formed a son, a people, from the dust of the
wilderness and then placed them in His own garden home, to dwell together with Him, to enjoy His protection and to
taste and see that He is good. Wasnt that Adams experience in the garden?
What else? God gives Israel the duty of multiplying and spreading out throughout the land, filling it with people that
will worship and enjoy God. Israel is to subdue the land and have dominion over it. And He gives them laws to live
by, laws that governed their society, their duties toward creation, their fellow man and God, with a special place for
the observance of the seventh day. And most importantly, Israel was promised continued life and enjoyment of
Canaan as long as they were obedient to those laws, and remained faithful to their divine King . God related
to his son on the basis of law a conditional covenant that could be broken, thus forfeiting the inheritance.
Now can you see the reenactment here? God instituted the conditional Mosaic Covenant in order to represent
and play the part of the Adamic Covenant He had made with Adam. And starting with their settlement of
Canaan, God is giving a replay of mans original state in the Garden of Eden. The dominant theme is the goodness,
the delightfulness, the graciousness, the condescension of mans Creator, and the blessing that Adam enjoyed in
the beginning.
But it was against this good and gracious God that Israel rebelled. Like Eve, Israel disbelieved the God of truth and
embraced the lie of other gods. Like Adam, Israel despised Gods goodness and His many benefits, they did not
want to live under His kingly rule, and sought to be the master of their own destiny. This rebellion that we see
again and again in the history of Israel is a repetitive reenactment of the fall of man. Every time Israel
rebelled, the sin of our first parents was being portrayed, that men might understand the wickedness that had
overtaken the human race.

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In response to their rebellion, God lays curses upon Israel, as He did upon Adam, ultimately culminating in
expulsion from the garden-land of Canaan. The weeping of Lamentations, the sorrow of the prophets, the
despondency of the children of Israel in Babylon who refused to sing the songs of Zion, remind us of the fall of
man from his first estate in Eden. From one angle, it would be correct to say that almost the entire Old
Testament is an enlarged commentary on the book of Genesis, portraying by repetitive and real historical
reenactments mans fallen condition and need of salvation. As such, the Mosaic Covenant was a reenactment
of the Adamic Covenant, intended to bring about the same consequences that the Adamic did, so that by illustrating
rebellion, judgment and exile on a national scale, we might better understand the condition of our souls in Adam.
b) Israel as a type of Christ
But is there not a second and last Adam?!?! Is there not One whom Adam typified, who succeeded where he had
failed? If Israel represented the first Adam, we would expect that Israel would also typify in some fashion the
second Adam, the second and final son of God. And in fact, we find in our Bibles that properly speaking, Jesus
Christ is the Israel of God. Lets turn to Isa. 49:2-3 READ. Now who is God speaking to here, and how do we
know? The Messianic character of this chapter is unmistakable, as Christ Himself quotes it and applies it to Himself
on several occasions Christ is the righteous servant of Jehovah so often referred to in the latter part of the book of
Isaiah. But according to v. 3, God calls His Servant, Christ, by the name of Israel. So we have scriptural warrant to
conclude that Israel is a type of Christ. Well, what are the parallels between Israel and Christ?
Weve already mentioned that God called Israel His firstborn son. Secondly, Israel was the seed of Abraham and
heir of the promises, but Galatians says that Christ is THE Seed of Abraham, singular, and THE Heir of the
promise. Christ is the ultimate and final recipient of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Next parallel. Matthew quotes an Old Testament reference, saying Out of Egypt I have called My Son. In the
original context, that verse was referring to the exodus of Israel out of Egypt, but Matthew applies it to Christ. Like
Israel, Christ was called out of Egypt near the beginning of His life when Joseph and Mary returned from hiding after
the death of Herod.
Heres another parallel. Turn to Deut. 8:2-3 and see if you can pick up the typology READ. Now what is the
typology here? So like Israel, Jesus spent a 40-unit period of time alone with God in the desert, His obedience and
commitment to God being tested and proved, before starting on His ministry. And what else marked the beginning of
His ministry? Was He not baptized in the Jordan river, in the general vicinity of where the children of Israel had
crossed through the Jordan river and first entered Canaan 1,400 years earlier?
But it goes further and deeper. Christ, we are told, was born under the law. Like Israel, Christ submitted Himself
to keeping the law of God, and was bound by obligation to faithfulness and obedience to His Father. Like Israel,
Christ sets out to earn His reward by obedience to the law. But unlike Israel, Christ actually succeeded in
achieving a righteousness by the law. Christ inherited the heavenly Canaan, both the Spirit and the new
creation, by His obedience. There was no rebellion in His heart, nor guile upon His lips. He was the perfectly
obedient Son that Israel never was. He is Gods true Israel, Gods obedient Israel. Gods righteous Israel.
Now, what else? When Israel entered Canaan, they did not immediately receive the inheritance, did they? They
had to go forth by the sword and conquer and take possession, gradually, of what God had already given them.
Similarly, Christ received the title to all the nations of this world when He accomplished His work and ascended to
His Father, but did not come into actual possession of His inheritance all at once. What did He do 10 days later?
He poured out the Holy Spirit upon the Church and sent the Church forth into all the world preaching the gospel of
the kingdom. And ever since then, Christ has been gradually conquering and taking possession of His
inheritance by the sword of the word of God, one regenerate soul at a time.
And finally, Israel was Gods dwelling place among men, intended to be a light to the nations. But Jesus is the true
Immanuel. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ bodily. He is the glory of Israel and a light to the
Gentiles. Jesus is therefore the true Israel, because it is in Him that God really dwells and from whom God shines
His holy light to the nations. Christ is the ultimate and true seed of Abraham, heir of the promises, the true
Prince of God, the Israel in whom the Father is well pleased.
So, in summary, Israel under the Mosaic Covenant typologically pointed in two directions toward Gods two
sons, backward to Adam, and forward to Jesus Christ. The history of Israel is in part a reenactment of Gen. 1
through 11 it depicted the failure of Adam and the fall of mankind from our original state and descent into

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wickedness. But it also typified the second Adam, and prefigured by way of contrast the unique success of Christ in
securing the inheritance by a works-righteousness. Adam, and later Israel portraying Adam, had failed to obtain it.
But Christ obtained it. The history of Israel is a presentation, playing out the great story of the fall and of
redemption, of paradise lost and paradise regained, of a man named Adam, and a man named Jesus. This
is the typology in Israel of Gods two sons.
2. Gods Two Kingdoms
Israels typology is not limited to depicting two individuals. Israel must also be viewed as a community. Therefore the
typology also extends to depicting two communities, and they are the respective communities or humanities that
flow out of Adam and Christ, which are the 1) fallen human race, and 2) the redeemed Church. This is the second
class of Israel-typology. The first was Gods two sons. The second is Gods two kingdoms.
a) Israel as a type of the fallen human race
The first kingdom that God established on earth was with the newly created human race under Adam and Eve.
Adam was Gods representative over the community of his descendents. If man had remained in his unfallen state,
the earth would have been populated by a vast number of people who enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God. Gods
kind rule on the earth in and through His representative Adam would have continued indefinitely, His will being done
on earth perfectly by His obedient subjects. But Adam fell, and with him, the entire community the entire human
race rose up in rebellion against their divine King, and defected to His enemy to serve a different master. God is
still the rightful King and Lawgiver of all the earth. Men are still duty-bound to serve Him and obey His laws.
He still has a title to this earth. It is His, and nothing the human race or even the devil does can change the
fact that God is the rightful King with a just claim upon the allegiance of His creatures.
We see this reality depicted in the history of Israel, dont we? God formed that nation, gave them a constitution or
covenant of law and established His kingdom over them. Jehovah was their lawful King, by redemption and by
covenant. But over their history, Israel repeatedly rose up in rebellion and tried to cast off Gods rule so they could
go and serve other gods. Their rebellion did not cancel or forfeit Gods claim upon them. He was still their King,
whether they recognized Him or not. But now His laws were burdensome. Due to their uncircumcised hearts, the
Mosaic Covenant was to them a covenant of bondage. Israel is portraying fallen humanity.
So what does God do? He brings judgments upon Israel, He makes life hard for them, but He doesnt just outright
destroy them, though He has the right and power to do so. He exhibits amazing long-suffering and slowness to
wrath. He sends prophets to Israel to plead with them on His behalf to be reconciled to God, to repent of their
wickedness and turn in faith to the God who alone can help them, and who is always ready to forgive and restore.
And God has been doing that very thing to the fallen human race. Every time an evangelist preaches the
gospel, every time a missionary urges repentance and faith, God is calling mankind with offers of graciousness and
mercy He is giving them time and opportunity to repent, to return to their rightful King, and receive a gracious and
undeserved pardon.
But how does Israel respond to the prophets, as a whole? They stiffen their necks and harden their hearts, some of
the prophets they beat and send away, some they imprison, some they kill. They hate God and they reject His
repeated offers of mercy, because they dont want to serve Him. They dont want Him to be their King. And
this is how, apart from the Spirits work, the unbelieving human race responds to the gospel! At her unbelieving
worst, Israel is depicting the unbelieving mass of humanity.
Well what is the final outcome? Insofar as they are impenitent and unbelieving, God threatens great wrath and
destruction, pronouncing judgment against Israel. The Day of the LORD is a long time in coming, as God gives
Israel and Judah even more time to repent, and more opportunity, and more space. So they begin to laugh at His
threats and not take them seriously a long time has passed and they were still alive and well. The sun always
rises and the sun always sets, nothing is new under the sun, surely Gods judgment will never come. But although
Gods patience is long-suffering, it is not eternal. At long last, His patience came to its end and all of Gods threats
were fully carried out. Israel and Judah, each in their own respective episodes, perished from the land in a
bloodbath of destruction and suffering.
This is a pictoral depiction in real history of what will happen to the unbelieving Adamic humanity. Israels
destruction under the curses of the Mosaic Covenant is a type, a prophecy, a preview, of the destruction of
this world under the final curses of the Adamic Covenant, of the final Day of Judgment, the final Day of the

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LORD, when death comes to its ultimate expression in the lake of fire, when Gods patience ends and He
carries out all His threats, and forever destroys the rebellious, traitorous kingdom of this world that has
been hating Him and serving His enemy for all these thousands of years. The kingdom of Israel under the
Mosaic Covenant was a reenactment of the kingdom established at creation under the Adamic Covenant,
how it rebelled and descended into wickedness, and how God is going to judge it unless it repents and
turns to Him in faith. That is one of the two main messages of the Old Testament.
b) Israel as a type of the Church
Israel is not the Church, Israel is a type of the Church, a foreshadow, a prefigurement, a kind of symbolic prophesy
of Gods future dealings with His true and ultimate covenant people, a new and final kingdom that God will establish
on the earth under the authority of Christ. Just as the Israelite kingdom pointed backwards to Gods first
kingdom in Adam, it also pointed forward to Gods last and final kingdom in Christ, which is the New
Covenant Church.
Few people have missed the obvious typology in Israels early history pointing to our corporate experience as the
New Covenant Church, and even our experience as individual believers. Lets think about some of the parallels.
Heres what were going to do. Im going to throw out the type, and I want you to tell me what the antitype is.
Okay?
The children of Israel are the offspring of Abraham, and thereby beneficiaries of Gods covenant promises to him.
Antitype?
Before Abraham became a vast nation, in the beginning Israel was composed of the twelve sons of Jacob. Israel
was built upon the foundation of these twelve patriarchs. Antitype? (Eph. 2:20)
Israel was redeemed from bondage in Egypt, in which Egypt was condemned and judged, and Israel spared by the
application of a lambs blood on the doorposts of their homes. Antitype?
Their deliverance from Egypt was to be repeatedly celebrated in the Passover, so that they would be reminded
again and again of their redemption and hence their consecration to God. Antitype?
Immediately after their redemption from Egypt, Israel passed through the cloud and through the Red Sea and were
thus consecrated to God. Antitype? (1 Cor. 10)
God revealed to Israel His covenant, by which Israel was to be a special people, a holy nation, and a kingdom of
priests. Antitype? (1 Pet. 2:9-11)
The Mosaic covenant was inaugurated in Ex. 24 by the sprinkling of the blood of oxen upon the people. Antitype?
(this is My blood of the New Covenant)
Moses was the mediator of this covenant. He spoke Gods words to Israel, and pleaded on behalf of Israel before
God. His mediation had a priestly function he interceded for Israel; he sprinkled Israel with the blood of the
covenant; he could approach God as no one else could. His mediation had a prophetic function except for the Ten
Commandments, all of Gods revelation to Israel came through him, and he was to exhort Israel to hear and obey.
And his mediation had a kingly function he was the leader and law-giver of Israel with full authority to execute the
Lords will among the people. This national theocracy was headed by God, but He mediated His theocratic rule in
and through one man. Antitype?
The first generation surrounded Mt. Sinai and from the mount, the mediator Moses received and delivered to the
people the law of God. Antitype?
The law of God, the Ten Commandments, were engraved by the hand of God on tablets of stone. Antitype? (2 Cor.
3)
Israel encamped around the presence of God, who dwelt in their midst. Antitype?
Animal sacrifices were instituted by which an animals blood is shed in the place of the sinful Israelite. Antitype?

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Priests were consecrated to serve in the tabernacle and to present the blood of the sacrifices before God?
Antitype?
God did not leave the Israelites as a loose collection of individuals, but placed them into an organized and
structured society, or community. They worshiped God as a community, were an aid and help to one another, were
given instruction on their relationships with one another, and were placed under the authority of able men that fear
God, who were appointed by Moses to be rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Antitype?
The children of Israel were nourished in the wilderness by manna, bread that came down from the heavens and
sustained them in their journeys. They also drank of waters that came from rocks. Antitype? (1 Cor. 10)
Israel spent many years being refined, tested and taught obedience in the wilderness, being taught that man does
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. During this time, all were purged
and refined; some in unbelief rebelled and perished, some remained faithful and made it to Canaan. Antitype? (1
Cor. 10 & Heb 4)
At the end of their pilgrimage in the wilderness, Israel came to the border of the promised land. When God called
them to cross over the Jordan, they entered their rest, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Their pilgrimage had
ended, being no longer strangers and sojourners. Manna became the fruit of the land, their tents became houses,
and the temporary tabernacle became the permanent temple placed in the very midst of the land. Antitype?
The typology continues throughout their history, but its much more mixed. Every time we have the disobediencejudgment-repentance-deliverance cycle occuring we see a reenactment of the fall of man and a typical
foreshadowing of Gods salvation in Christ. Every time the Mosaic Covenant condemns and the Abrahamic
Covenant saves their skin, we see a picture of the law-curses of the broken Adamic Covenant, and the
blessings of grace available to us in the New Covenant. In Adam we all died. In Christ, we are made to live. In
the strength of our own flesh we will be defeated by the spiritual Canaanites within us, but by trusting in God and
looking to His strength for our help, we will be delivered.
Conclusion
The typology of Israel in connection with the New Covenant, the Church and the individual Christian is manifold.
Weve only touched on a few of the many parallels. Do not shy away from this. As we labored to prove in the
beginning of this course, God intended the Old Testament to be understood and appreciated in this way. Those
who would deny the use of the Old Testament or downplay the role of typology in instructing and encouraging the
people of God today would rob us of unspeakable sweetness and profit. Dont listen to them. This entire book is
profitable for instruction and has something to say to us today even the difficult and often misunderstood Mosaic
covenant and the long history of the nation of Israel.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 15: Davidic Covenant
Introduction
We move on in our study of the unfolding of Gods plan of salvation in redemptive history. We have now considered
Gods covenant dealings with Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. This morning we begin a study of Gods covenant
with David. By way of introduction, let me ask you a question. As we move forward in this study, what are some
things that we should expect to find? Generally speaking?
OK. Well, as has been our pattern, we will begin by surveying the historical data pertaining to the Davidic covenant.
Lets begin with a look at the historical background. This will be a bit longer than usual this morning. There are an
unusual number of very relevant and interesting details to be considered in order to fully grasp the setting and the
significance of Gods covenant with David.
A. Historical Analysis

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1. Historical Background of the Davidic Covenant
a) Jacobs Prophetic Blessing
READ Genesis 9:8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your
enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you
have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of
the people.
I dont want to spend a lot of time here, but I just wanted to point out this text for a frame of reference. One of the
things I really want you to come away with as a result of this class is a greater grasp on the flow and themes and
interconnectedness of Scripture. Now I admit that I do not fully understand what is taking place here. I do know from
other OT texts that when the patriarchs gave their blessings, something extremely significant was taking place. At
times, it was almost like an infallible pronouncement of what would take place in the future. Remember what
happened when Jacob deceived Isaac and received the blessing that belonged to Esau. It could not be reversed.
And here, some 600+ years before David would ascend the throne of Israel, Jacob identifies Judah as the tribe from
which the future king would come.
b) The Covenants of Promise
READ Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision
by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands -- 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without
God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ.
REFER TO COVENANTS CHART. As we survey the landscape of covenant theology which we have studied so far,
the covenants of promise referred to by Paul in Eph. 2:12 are those covenants peculiarly associated with the
people of Israel- the Abrahamic, the Mosaic and the Davidic covenants, right? What were the covenants that
excluded the Gentiles? It was not the Adamic or Noahic. The Gentiles lived under the terms of those covenants, and
remain under the terms of those covenants. Therefore, the historical background of the Davidic Covenant consists
most specifically in the various promises and fulfillments associated with the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. In
these two covenants, Jehovah has separated unto Himself a family which He Himself has miraculously and
powerfully turned into a nation. The number of descendants has been multiplied greatly; this family/nation has been
delivered from slavery in Egypt and given the land of Canaan. God is their God and they are His own peculiar
people. They have been organized and are governed by the terms of the Mosaic covenant.
Now, the covenant that God will make with David and the establishment of his throne on Mt. Zion is, in a sense, the
climactic work of Gods purpose to bring this special people out of bondage and establish them in the land, under
His rule, administered through His chosen king.
c) Israels Heart Rebellion Against Jehovah
READ 1 Samuel 8:1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The
name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons
did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. 4 Then all the
elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your
sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6 But the thing displeased
Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to
Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 "According to all the works which they have done since the day
that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day -- with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods -so they are doing to you also.

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1 Samuel 8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they
said, "No, but we will
have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before
us and fight our battles."
A significant part of the context of the Davidic covenant is the rebellion of the people against Jehovah as their only
Lord and Sovereign, their King. As God indicates here, their desire for a human king like all the other nations around
them is a rejection of the benevolent reign of King Jehovah. I make this observation here simply to point out once
again how man is shown to be what he is apart from the grace of God. And God is once again the merciful, patient
One who is working out His redemptive purposes even in the face of mans rebellion. We have here another
theatrical reenactment of the depravity of man and the grace and mercy of God.
*Isnt it interesting and sobering to note that in desiring a king, Israel is rejecting God? Then when Christ comes, the
true king of Israel, the nation according to the flesh says, We will not have this man to reign over us.
d) Immediate Historical Context
(1) Sauls Kingship
Perhaps we could go further and observe that at first God gave Israel Saul and not David. And Saul reigns for 40
years over a united Israel and Judah! But Saul, the man of the flesh, disobeys God and is rejected by God. Do we
see this theatrical reenactment again here?
(2) David First Anointed as King of Judah (2 Samuel 2:1-4)
At 30 years of age, David is anointed king over Judah. 2 Samuel 2:11 tells us that he set up his reign in the city of
Hebron, and there he reigned for 7 years and 6 months.
(3) Civil War between Saul and David (2 Samuel 3:1)
This text tells us that there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, David growing
stronger and stronger, Saul growing weaker and weaker. Finally, Abner, the commander of the army of Sauls house
turns on Ishbosheth and approaches David about making terms of peace and bringing Israel under Davids reign.
David accepts this and makes a covenant with Abner. As you know, Davids general Joab then murders Abner. But
this unfortunate event does not halt the uniting of the kingdom under David.
(4) Israel Unites Under Davids Reign (2 Samuel 5:1ff)
David, we are told, makes a covenant with the elders of Israel. They anoint David king over all of Israel in Hebron.
David is 37 now and he will reign over a united Israel and Judah for 33 years.
(5) David Takes Jerusalem (Zion) from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-16)
David had ruled over Judah in Hebron for 7 years. Now, after conquering the Jebusites and claiming Jerusalem, he
moves his reign to this city, which is more centrally located within the united territories of Israel. He calls Jerusalem
the City of David and he dwells there in a fortified stronghold. Verse 10 of chapter 5 says, So David went on and
became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
(6) David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6)
As you know, in Davids first attempt to return the ark, Uzzah is struck dead by the Lord for touching the ark. Later,
David follows Gods directions more carefully, and brings up the ark with gladness. He sets it in the midst of a
tabernacle which David had erected for it. What is the significance of this? The ark represented the throne of God in
the midst of the people, the presence of God with them, Gods rule in their midst. David is mindful of this. Unlike
Saul who was a man after his own desires, David is a man after Gods own heart. He is jealous for the honor of God
in Israel. Aware of this significance of the ark, David desires to bring the ark to the place from which he himself is
reigning. He desires that his reign on Israels throne not be separated in the minds of all from the true rule of
Jehovah over His people. Davids rule is representative of Gods true authority over them. David will rule under
Gods command and in Gods presence, the symbol of which is the Ark of the Covenant.
(7) God Gives David Rest from All His Enemies (2 Samuel 7:1)
Under Davids reign, God gives the entire nation of Israel a peace which they had never experienced. Think of this
now. Its been over 400 years since the exodus from Egypt. And now at last, Israel knows a peace in the Promised

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Land which it had not previously experienced. Though not all her adversaries were annihilated, yet their immediate
threat has been put down.
(8) Davids Desire to Build God a House (2 Samuel 7:1-3)
In the context of all that we have seen thus far, David reflects upon Gods goodness to him. He sees that he is
dwelling in a paneled house in the peace God has given, but the ark of God remains in a tent. So, David expresses
to Nathan his desire to build a house for the Lord. Nathan initially tells David to do what is in his heart. But God
sends Nathan back to David with a reply. And it is in this reply that we find the inauguration of Gods special
covenant with David.
Thats the Historical Background of the Davidic Covenant. Now lets move on to consider the Features of the
Davidic Covenant. And we will begin by simply conducting a survey of the major texts related to this covenant of
Jehovah with David.
2. Features of the Davidic Covenant
a) Survey of the Key Biblical Material
(1) 2 Samuel 7:4-17 (READ)
I said a moment ago that we have here in 2 Samuel 17 the formal inauguration of a covenant which God makes
with David. Is this a covenant? The Hebrew word berith is not found in this passage. But what is found in this
interaction between God and His servant David which makes us think this should be considered a covenant?
(a) Reiteration of previous covenant concepts
From verses 4-10, notice how God reiterates several covenant ideas in His response to David: 1) First (vs.4-7), God
reminds David that despite not having a house, He has always been with Israel. According to His promise, He has
been willing to go about from tent to tent wherever His people found themselves. God has dwelt in the midst of His
people and He will continue to do so. When Israel sojourned, God sojourned. When Israel was in tents, God was in
a tent- Gods special presence in the midst of His people. 2) Next (vs.8-9), God reminds David that He has been
with him in a unique way. He has been present with David (vs 9) wherever he has gone. He has blessed David. He
is the One who has established David and given him rest from all his enemies. 3) Finally, (vs.10), God again returns
to the people. He says that He will establish Israel in this land and will continue to give them rest from their
enemies.
*In these observations, we see the idea of God being with His covenant people, Israel as a nation; David as an
individual. As O. Palmer Robertson puts it, At the heart of the Davidic Covenant is the Immanuel Principle.
(b) The specific promises given to David
Verse 11 says, Also the Lord tells you that He will build you a house. Now isnt that interesting? This interchange
began with David saying that he wanted to build a house for God. What did he mean by that? He meant that he
wanted to build a permanent dwelling place for God- a temple, as opposed to a tabernacle. But God comes back
and says, You want to build a house for me? No, you will not build a house for Me, but I will build a house for you.
Now what did God mean by that? David already dwelt in a permanent house. What does God mean? He means a
dynasty. God says David, your sons are going to sit on the throne of Israel after you. David wants to build God a
temple, but God will build a dynasty for David.
We must not fail to see the significance of this interchange. This play on words which God employs is begging for
our careful attention. What is the significance of this interchange? We now see a new idea in redemptive history
the idea of perpetual rule on the throne of Israel by a seed of David, the dynasty principle blended together with
an old covenant concept that of dwelling place. Only now the idea of dwelling place is being spoken of in
permanent terms. We see blended together here the idea of permanent dwelling place with perpetual rule in Israel.
God will establish His rule over Israel through Davids posterity, and Davids posterity will establish Gods permanent
dwelling place in Israel. Robertson, God shall maintain His permanent dwelling-place as king in Israel through the
kingship of the Davidic line.
So, the promise is that God will build David a house. His posterity will sit on the throne of Israel, and that reign will
always be intimately associated with the dwelling of God in the midst of Israel. Look at verse 16 where God
summarizes the essence of this part of the covenant. READ.

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Theres another promise given in verse 13. God promises David that his son will build a house for God. Then in
verse 14-15, God promises perpetual faithfulness to Davids sons. He will not deal with them as he did with Saul.
When they wander he will chasten them, but he will not ultimately forsake them. Finally, in verse 14, God adopts
David and his seed. God will not only place David and his seed on the throne, but by virtue of this special covenant,
God will maintain a very special relationship with Davids seed. The language of adoption is used here. I will be his
father and he will be my son. Sound familiar? I will be their God and they shall be my people. But even more
significantly, we see here the idea that the son of David who will be king will be son of God! Son of David and Son of
God.
2) 2 Chronicles 7:12, 16-18 (READ)
This text clearly proves that Gods special relationship with David is rooted in a covenant (Verse 18). But I want you
to see something else in this text. Note how God speaks of choosing this place, choosing this house for His special
dwelling place. Closely associated with the Davidic covenant is the selection of Jerusalem (Zion) and the temple in
particular in Jerusalem as His dwelling place in the midst of His people Israel. This reality is established at the time
of the inauguration of the Davidic Covenant.
3) Psalm 78:67-72 (READ)
Psalm 78:67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, 68 But chose the
tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. 69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He
has established forever. 70 He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; 71 From following
the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. 72 So he
shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Once more in this text, we see the wedding together of the selection of Mount Zion for the sanctuary of God (vs 6869) with the selection of David to shepherd His people (vs 70). In connection with the Davidic covenant, God
chooses Judah for His dwelling place and for His king. The throne of God and the throne of Gods appointed king
will dwell together.
4) Psalm 132:11-18 (READ)
Psalm 132:11 The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: "I will set upon your throne the fruit of
your body. 12 If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I shall teach them, Their sons also shall
sit upon your throne forevermore." 13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 14
"This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. 15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will
satisfy her poor with bread. 16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy. 17
There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with
shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish."
Note here the swearing of an oath in the promise God makes to David (vs 11). And again we see the emphasis on
the choosing of Zion as the dwelling place of God in conjunction with the Davidic covenant. Gods throne is set up in
the same place as the throne of His Anointed King. Gods chooses to take up residence forever in the same place
where His king will reign forever. God promises to set upon Davids throne the fruit of his body (vs. 11). He promises
to do this forever (vs. 12). And he injects a measure of conditionality to this promise. Davids sons must keep His
covenant and walk with Him (vs.12).
5) Psalm 89:3-4, 26-37
Psalm 89:3 "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: 4 'Your seed I will
establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.' "
Psalm 89:26 He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' 27 Also I will make him
My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall
stand firm with him. 29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. 30 "If his
sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, 31 If they break My statutes And do not keep My
commandments, 32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. 33
Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant I
will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to
David: 36 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; 37 It shall be established forever like
the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky." Selah

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We observe here God establishing the covenant in an oath-bound pledge (vs 3, 35). God promises to place Davids
offspring on the throne of Israel forever (vs 4, 29, 36). Davids royal son is adopted by God as firstborn son (vs. 2627). Finally, observe the language of verse 37. Next time you look at the full moon up in the sky, think of Gods
promise to David.
6. 2 Samuel 23:5
2 Samuel 23:5 "Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered
in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; Will He not make it increase?
I wanted to turn here simply to see the impact of the covenant in Davids own life and experience. He is at the end
of his days. These are among his final words. And the promise of God is prominent in his thinking, in his peace and
in his hope for the future. Though he cannot see the results of it in his own house even at that time, he trusts that
God will do what He said. To David, God swore and oath. Therefore, it was ordered and secure. That is the effect of
covenant- for Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and for us.
b) Summary of the Biblical Material
(1) Parties to the covenant
(a) Jehovah unilaterally initiates the covenant.
(b) David and his seed after him.
*Note the narrowing of the pool from which Messiah would come. Now we know from which tribe and family He
would come.
(2) Divine Promises
(a) God will permit Davids son to build His temple (permanent dwelling place).
(b) God will make David a house (a royal dynasty). His seed will reign on Israels throne after him.
(c) Davids throne will be perpetuated forever.
(d) God will dwell in special relationship to this king. He will be a Father to Davids royal seed, and
the king shall be like a son to God.
(e) God will dwell in the temple which Solomon builds in the city of His choosing, Zion or Jerusalem.
(3) Human Responsibilities
(a) If Davids sons forsake Gods law, God will chasten them, but He will not forsake His covenant.
(b) Psalm 132:12 makes it seem more conditional.
(c) 1 Kings 9:6-9, God says outright that if Solomons sons disobey, He will cast this house out of
His sight.
(4) Token of the Covenant
(a) Technically, there is no token or sign of the covenant. None of the texts specify a sign in an
explicit way in the manner of the Noahic, Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants.
(b) But lets think about this for a moment. The token functions as a sign or representation of the
substance of the covenant. We see that with the rainbow, circumcision and the Sabbath.
c) Is there something that functions in this way in the Davidic covenant? Is there a symbol that
captures the essence of the covenant? Robertson suggests that the throne functions as a sign of
the covenant. Look at 1 Chronicles 29:22 READ.
1 Chronicles 29:22 So they ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness on that day. And they made
Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the LORD to be the leader, and Zadok to
be priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and
all Israel obeyed him.
This text highlights what we have seen throughout these various texts. There is the closest connection between
God taking up residence in the midst of His people as their true king, and the establishment of Gods man on the
throne in Zion. Gods kingship is mediated through David and his seed, so as long as Gods man is on the throne,
we see the fulfillment of the promise to David, and the larger reality of the rule of God in the midst of His people.

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3. Historical Outworking of the Covenant (Fulfillment/Functions in Redemptive History)
a) Key Events in the Historical Outworking
(1) Solomon builds the temple
(2) Unbroken succession of kings of Judah from Solomon to the captivity
This dynasty lasts about 400 years. Evidently, this dynastic reign is unprecedented in the ancient near east for its
duration. This is longer than the greatest Egyptian dynasty. Some have gone so far as to assert that there has never
been a longer reign of a single dynasty in any land in the history of the world. Note by way of contrast, Gods total
rejection of the northern tribes. Once again, it is the people of promise who are the remnant. WHEN THIS ENDS, IS
GOD UNTRUE? NO. WHY? OT KINGS ONLY A TYPE.
(3) Christ is the ultimate fulfillment. At His resurrection and ascension, He is raised to the right of God where
He reigns upon the throne of the kingdom of God over the people of God (Israel) forever.(Isaiah 9:6-7;
Isaiah 11:1-4; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24; Acts 2:29-36)
b) Nature of the historical outworking
*Note: This fulfillment of the Davidic covenant is somewhat like the fulfillment of the Abrahamic in that it is a
literal/typical fulfillment. Jesus really is of the line of David. He is Abrahams seed literally and Davids seed literally.
But He is so much more in the typical fulfillment; the higher, spiritual fulfillment that God intended even in the midst
of the literal, historical, earthly dealings that He was having with the nation of Israel.
c) Observation on Israels history as a nation
Before moving on to the typological significance of the Davidic covenant, lets pause briefly to see the picture of
Israel at the height of the fulfillment of the covenants of promise. (SEE 2 Chron. 7, 8, 9 Briefly survey: God has
fulfilled His promise to Abraham by giving them the land of Canaan. He has given them rest from all their enemies
and a time of peace. The Temple is now completed and God takes up residence in that Temple, so that His holy
presence resides on His holy hill of Zion in Jerusalem. The people are dwelling in unprecedented splendor and
wealth in this land flowing with milk and honey. This is the picture.
In a sense it is all downhill from here for Israel as a physical nation. Yet, these pictures have been painted by God
and preserved for us for our learning and admonition. Consider this scene and picture positively. What a delight it
must have been to be among the people of God in those days. Does this not make us long for the fulfillment of all
that yet awaits us in the new heavens and earth- a land, as it were, flowing with milk and honey, in which
righteousness dwells, and best of all, God is there!
B. Typology
1. Israel: A Type of the Kingdom of God
a) The Type
Gods special, chosen people are not only a holy nation, but a mediatorial kingdom. It is Gods good pleasure to
organize His elect and special people into a nation with God as sovereign ruler. At first this was a direct theocracy.
Now, God is pleased to appoint a mediatorial king, His righteous servant, the man of His own choosing, through
whom He rules over His people. The establishment of the king in Israel to reign as Gods viceroy in the theocracy
only further demonstrates this idea of the people of God living together in the kingdom of God.
b) The Antitype Consummated
The ultimate fulfillment of this type occurs when? In the new heavens and the new earth, when all the enemies of
Christ will have been finally subdued and judged, when the Lamb will sit on His throne with the nations of the
redeemed gathered together before Him. They will live together for all eternity in unbroken peace, immeasurable
splendor and glory, enjoying the righteous reign of the all-wise, all-powerful, just and merciful King of Kings and Lord
of Lords.
c) The Antitype Inaugurated
Even today in the church, Gods chosen people live and serve in the kingdom of God inaugurated. Christ (Gods
righteous servant, the Man of His choosing) presently rules the universe from heaven and His people are His willing
servants and subjects, seeking to carry out the will of her Lord. He is head of the church, King of the Universe, Lord
of Lords.

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2. David: A Type of Christ
Though Israels demand for a king other than Jehovah was a wicked thing, yet God overruled their evil request and
used the occasion for the glorious display of all that He intended to do through the man Christ Jesus. God was king
of the theocracy. Yet God chose to appoint a deputy, as it were, who would sit on the throne of His kingdom as His
representative authority. Thus, there is the establishment of this divine/human rule in the kingdom of God.
3. Davids Son: A Type of Christ
The king who will reign on the throne of Israel forever will be the Son of David and the Son of God (2 Sam. 7:14).
Also, it was Davids son who would build the temple of God. And it was Davids son who was the prince of peace,
the one who realized the full blessing and benefit of the promises of God to His chosen people.
It is interesting to note here that Gods promise to David was that he would reign forever. Not only do we see in
subsequent history that this reign comes to an end, but we also realize that David himself could not reign on the
throne forever. As Peter said in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you
of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Now, the prophets
realized this in their time, and so more and more they began to associate the fulfillment of Gods promise to David
with the coming of Messiah, one who would be both son of David and son of God. (c.f. Psalm 2:6-7; Isa. 9:6-7)
And this is exactly how the New Testament interprets this reality. (c.f. Acts 2:25-36; Hebrews 1:5-13) The author is
arguing here for the superiority of the Messiah over all others first and foremost on the basis of His sonship to God.
And this he does by joining together the decree of Psalm 2 that Messiah would be son with the promise of 2 Samuel
7:14, as well as other OT texts.
4. The Kingship of Davids Sons: A Type of Our Kingship
Davids sons were promised the throne by virtue of their organic connection to David, Gods righteous servant, with
whom God enters into covenant. In the new heavens and new earth, and in an initial way even now in the church,
believers are kings and priests unto God. We have the hope of ruling and reigning with Christ forever by virtue of
our union with Him.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 16: New Covenant, Part 1
Introduction
Today we begin our study of Gods final covenant, the New Covenant. It is the last of a series of divine covenants
we find in our Bibles. And, it is the most important. It is the culmination and goal of redemptive history. I want to
begin by way of historical background to set the stage for the New Covenant by going to the Old Testament
prophets, because in those prophets God gives a glimpse of the hope of the New Covenant what it will be like,
what Israel has to look forward to. We will see a lot of detail. It comes to us in words and images appropriate to the
era in which the prophets lived, but nonetheless descriptive of our hope and our inheritance under the New
Covenant.
A. Historical Background
1. The Prophetic Hope of the New Covenant
a) Jeremiah 31:31-34 READ
This is where we get the term New Covenant [WRITE NEW COVENANT] which will be the primary label picked
up by the New Testament. Now with whom is God going to make this new covenant [WRITE GOD & ISRAEL &
JUDAH]? Now when Jeremiah penned these words, where were Israel and Judah? They were in captivity, and
they had gone into captivity because they and their fathers had broken the Mosaic covenant. But God has

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purposes of mercy toward His people, and on the basis of both His covenants with Abraham and now David as well,
He promises to restore them to the land and enter once again into covenant relationship with them. Look back at
Jer. 31:8a, 10b-12, 27-28 READ. God gives a glorious promise of restoration. And it is in the context of this
restoration from captivity that God promises to make a new covenant with His restored people. So from the view of
the prophets, the historical context of the new covenant will be Judah and Israels restoration from captivity [WRITE
RESTORATION FROM CAPTIVITY].
But will all of Israel and Judah be part of this new covenant community? Cf. vv.7 why does He call them the
remnant? So it is not all of Israel, but the remnant that had undergone the purging and refining fires of divine
judgment and remained alive [WRITE (REMNANT)]. And this remnant is marked out by their believing and
penitent character cf. Jer. 29:11-14. They will be seeking God and searching for Him with all their heart.
Zephaniah: For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be
haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name
of the LORD. So the New Covenant will be made not with all of Israel, but with a humble, believing remnant.
Thats a crucial distinction to keep in mind Jesus and John the Baptist will pick up on this theme in their teachings.
Lets go back to ch. 31 and read on, vv. 31-34 READ. Will this covenant be a restatement of the Mosaic Covenant?
Is God going to renew the same covenantal relationship He had with Israel before the captivity? No! This will be an
entirely new covenant, not an old one. V. 32 explicitly says that it will not be according to the covenant made at
Sinai. It will be new, different, unique, better. Thats why we call it the New Covenant. This is very important: this
passage does NOT emphasize the similarity between the Old and New Covenants. The whole point of the text is
the newness, the difference of this New Covenant! The New Covenant is not the same in substance with the
Old Covenant differing only in its external form; the Mosaic covenant did not need a tune-up; it needed a
complete overhaul. Better yet, it needed to be sent to the junk yard and replaced with a brand new car. The New
Covenant is something substantively and essentially new in redemptive history. There has never been
anything like it. How is it new? We are told by means of three promises in this text. What are these promises,
from vv. 33-34?
(1) Circumcised hearts
God will write His law on minds and hearts, not on tablets of stone as before. The New Covenant community will
still have law they will not be a lawless people, but the law will be within them instead of merely imposed from
without. Now having the law of God written on the heart is elsewhere in the Old Testament referred to as being
circumcised in heart [WRITE CIRCUMCISED HEARTS]. That means a heart humbled in acknowledgment of
ones weakness and devoted in faith to the God in whom it trusts, such that it is full of love and gratitude toward God
and intensely desirous of pleasing Him and obeying His laws. Circumcised hearts is what the original exodus
generation did not have. Those experiencing the new exodus, however, would be circumcised of heart, thus
producing a joyful, law-abiding, obedient Israel that the tablets of Sinai could not produce.
(2) Universal faith
What else does it say is different? Everyone will know the Lord, not just a few as before. By know He means the
experiential knowledge of Gods redemptive power and the trust and dependence on Him that is born out of such
knowledge. In the New Testament, this concept is intensified and applied to individuals under the terminology of
faith. In the Israel of old, even in her best times there were significant numbers of unbelieving, stiff-necked rebels
who could care less about God and what He had done for them. But God is saying that in the New Covenant, there
wont be any more rebels. All of the new, restored Israel will walk with the God they love in humble faith and trust.
Faith will be universal in Israel [WRITE UNIVERSAL FAITH].
(3) Forgiveness of sins
Lastly, both these first two promises are only possible because God is going to forgive Israel of her rebellion and
apostasy over all those centuries. [WRITE FORGIVENESS OF SINS] Israel will have a clean slate, totally
forgiven. This was not possible under the Mosaic system. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin.
It only pictured atonement and God only temporarily passed over sin for a season. But in the New Covenant, a
sacrifice will be provided such that sin even the high-handed sins of apostasy and rebellion all sin will be taken
away for good! It will be really, truly, forever gone, as God says I will remember their sins no more. No more will
they know My judgment, no more will they feel the heat of My anger, no more will I set My face against them; no
more will sin be an issue between us, ever again.

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So how is the New Covenant not according to the Old Covenant? What is different? Circumcised hearts,
universal faith, forgiveness of sin. Now, because the Old Covenant was lacking at these points, it was just
waiting to be broken God even refers to it in v. 3 as My covenant which they broke. By implication, God was
designing the New Covenant to be different, such that it would not be broken. It will not have to be repeatedly
renewed as the old had to be. It will fully and finally put an end to the cyclic and perennial apostasy that Israel
exhibited throughout her history. God is promising to replace the Mosaic Covenant with a better covenant
established on better promises which is guaranteed to succeed where the Mosaic failed.
b) Ezekiel 36:24-28, 33-36 READ
Now this passage doesnt explicitly mention a covenant but theres no doubt from the historical context and imagery
that the same reality is being described. First of all, upon being gathered out of all nations and restored to the land
we see again the concept of heart circumcision in vs. 26. He is promising that the remnant of Israel will be
circumcised in heart, having learned by their redemption from captivity to walk in humble trust in their God.
(1) Regeneration and the Holy Spirit
But Ezekiel uses language that is unique to him in the Old Testament. For the first time in redemptive history, we
read of a transformation of heart so radical that the word circumcised isnt strong enough. It is like getting an entirely
new heart or a new spirit. God is using the language of a surgeon Hes going to surgically open up Israel and
remove that stony, hard, unbelieving heart and replace it with a heart of living, soft flesh that is humble, believing
and alive to God. The New Testament picks up on this imagery and develops it using the language of a new birth,
or regeneration [WRITE REGENERATION]. So the New Covenant community will be a regenerate community.
Now, what else does God give them [WRITE HOLY SPIRIT]? The Spirit of God Himself is going to descend upon
Israel and indwell the hearts of men and women. He is going to dwell not just in their midst as before, but now also
inside His people individually. Experientially, this is the great defining characteristic of the New Covenant
community. This is the heart of its newness and the guarantee of its success, this is its source of power,
this is what keeps our hearts humble and believing and walking with God in holiness: it is a community
indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Gods Spirit will cause them from within, v. 27, to walk in His statutes, and keep His
judgments and do them. Law will no longer be the operative principle of Israels relationship with God the new
operative principle will be the Spirit. But the effect, the impact of the indwelling Spirit is that Israel will actually
become in the truest sense a law-abiding people! The Spirit will produce a deep, genuine righteousness in Gods
people that the law could not.
So, what are the promises of the New Covenant weve seen so far? Circumcised or regenerate hearts, universal
faith, forgiveness of sins and now, the Holy Spirit. What kind of promises are these? Are these physical, material,
national blessings like those of earlier covenants? No, they are spiritual blessings. We conclude therefore that the
New Covenant has to do with spiritual and eternal issues that previous covenants had only hinted at by way of
types and shadows in the material realm. Unlike every covenant since the fall of man, the New Covenant is about
eternal salvation.
(2) The land
But the New Covenant blessings are not exclusively spiritual in nature. According to vv. 33-36, what else is part of
the New Covenant hope? According to the prophets, the New Covenant will find its realization, not just anywhere,
but in the land of Canaan [WRITE CANAAN]. Israel and Judah will be planted in the land of Canaan and will
possess it forever, as God had sworn to Abraham. But it wont be the same old Canaan as before. Everything about
the New Covenant is new the people are new, hearts are new, the covenant itself is new, and now we learn, the
land is new as well. The ruins will be rebuilt and the desolate land tilled and planted and made so fruitful that the
entire land becomes in the words of v. 35, like the garden of Eden. [WRITE FRUITFUL LIKE EDEN] God is
promising to His remnant the inheritance of a rejuvenated, rebuilt, lush, fertile and prosperous Canaan very
reminiscent of the garden of Eden. That also is part of the New Covenant hope! Now, it could be that there is
spiritual imagery here as well. But we must not drain it of all its material character. There is something concrete,
something earthy, something tangible, something so very human about these promises. Just as real humanity is
both spiritual and material in our nature, so the New Covenant hope includes both spiritual and material blessings
that our suited to the needs of both the spiritual and material aspects of our humanity. Gods redemption is a
redemption of not just the soul, but of both soul and body. We need to remember that.
c) Ezekiel 34:23-25, 28-29 READ

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(1) Messiah as King
What does God call the New Covenant in this passage [WRITE COVENANT OF PEACE]? Under this covenant of
peace, Israel is comforted with the prospect of dwelling safely in the land without fear, without danger from foreign
nations or from wild animals. Canaan will be a place of peace and safety and quiet, and for this reason the New
Covenant is here called a covenant of peace. [WRITE PEACE & SAFETY]. V. 28 tells us that there will also be
no more enemies [WRITE NO MORE ENEMIES]. The garden of Eden theme is also picked up on in v. 29. But
we have a new element here, and thats the mention of a certain prince or ruler over Gods New Covenant people
here referred to as David. In the New Covenant, God is going to set the Seed of David upon the throne of David
from which He will rule over Gods people. God will re-establish His rule through the mediation of a Prince, thus
keeping His promise to David. Of course we know that this isnt David Himself that will rule, but Davids Son, the
Messiah [WRITE MESSIAH AS KING]. Under the New Covenant, the Messiah will be Israels King, mediating
Gods rule among them in a peaceful, quiet, Eden-like environment.
d) Ezekiel 37:23-28 READ
(1) Gods permanent dwelling
Here we see the New Covenant called by two names at once, what are they? So these three names, new
covenant, covenant of peace and everlasting covenant are interchangeable in the prophets. They all refer to the
same thing. We read here that the Messiah, the new David, will be king over the reunited kingdom of Judah and
Israel and will govern them in such a way that they are a law-abiding people. So the new Israel will be obedient not
only because of the Spirit that dwells in them, but also because of the good and righteous King that will rule over
them. But in vv. 26-28 we see an additional element. God will finally, fully, permanently set His sanctuary in
the midst of His people and dwell with them forevermore [GOD DWELLS IN THEIR MIDST].
(2) Fulfillment of prior covenants
Lastly, notice the emphasis on forever, the word appears four times in this passage. What does that tell us about
the New Covenant kingdom? Unlike the Mosaic Covenant, the New Covenant messianic kingdom is everlasting.
It never comes to an end. This also means the New Covenant is the final chapter. There will be no more
covenants after it. Now the use of the word forever occurs in connection with three distinct promises found in vv.
25 and 26. There are the three things that will be forever: they will dwell in the land forever, David will be their
prince forever, and Gods sanctuary will be placed in their midst forever. Now what do these three promises
correspond to? [WRITE ABRAHAMIC, MOSAIC & DAVIDIC AFTER PROMISES] v.25 they will dwell in the land
thats the Abrahamic covenant; v.26 God will establish them and set His sanctuary in their midst thats the
Mosaic covenant; v. 25, David will be their prince thats the Davidic covenant . Every single one of the
covenants of promise, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, and the Davidic, will be fulfilled in the New Covenant.
In the land, with God dwelling in their midst, with the Messiah as king ruling over them. Thats how the story ends.
All the promises and expectations of earlier covenants find their ultimate realization in this one, final,
consummate end of redemptive history, under the new covenant, a covenant of peace and an everlasting
covenant.
e) Isaiah 49:6-8 READ
(1) Inclusion of the Gentiles
What is strange about the way the word covenant is used in v. 8? The New Covenant is not a thing, its a Person.
Its Gods righteous Servant. The Messiah Himself is the New Covenant! All of the covenant promises are bound
up with Him. Through the Messiah Israel will experience forgiveness of sin, universal knowledge of God,
circumcised hearts, the Holy Spirit, a renewed Canaan, a Davidic King ruling over them and the permanent dwelling
of God among His people. If you get Christ, you get all those things. He Himself is Gods New Covenant. Therefore,
all those who experience His redeeming and restoring work are by definition recipients of the New Covenant. So,
who are the recipients of the new covenant? The answer: who is it that the Messiah is sent to redeem and restore.
What does the text tell us? As expected, it first focuses on the tribes of Jacob the preserved ones (or remnant) of
Israel. But is that all? Who else is Messiah sent to? This passage reveals that the New Covenant will embrace far
more than just the remnant of Israel and Judah. The Messiah comes not just to Israel, but also as a light to the
Gentiles. And Gods salvation goes not to Israel only, but to the ends of the earth. And if the sending of the Messiah
to save and restore is the giving of the New Covenant, then God will make the New Covenant not with Jews only,
but with Gentiles as well! Unlike the covenants of promise that preceded it, the New Covenant is universal in

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scope. It embraces every tribe, tongue and nation inasmuch as the Messiah is sent to deliver, raise up and restore
a people from all over the world.
There are dozens of passages we could look at in the prophets that draw the Gentiles into the scope of the New
Covenant. In one passage in Zechariah we read explicitly that many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that
day, and they shall become My people. God will winnow down, purge, and refine Israel until all that is left is a
small, believing remnant [UNDERLINE REMNANT], and then He will build them back up to a mighty nation by
adding to their number Gentiles [WRITE + GENTILES] who also seek the LORD. What God is doing is
reconstituting Israel, thus creating a new Israel [WRITE A NEW ISRAEL]. And this New Israel, this
reconstituted Israel made up of both Jew and Gentile, is the Israel who will experience the ultimate
deliverance and restoration from captivity. It is this new, reformed, remade nation that will be brought into
the land and with whom God will enter into the New Covenant. Forgiveness of sin, universal knowledge of
God, circumcised or new hearts, the Holy Spirit, a renewed Canaan, the Messiah as their King, and Gods
permanent co-dwelling these are the promises made not to Israel of old, not to those whom Moses led out
of Egypt, or even those Cyrus would send back from Babylon, but to the new Israel, those that the Messiah
would lead out of captivity to sin and restore to right relationship with God. So, who are the recipients of the
New Covenant? It is the New Israel, a remnant of Jews plus Gentiles under the leadership of the Messiah. That is
Gods New Covenant people.
f) Isaiah 65:17-19, 25; 66:22-23
(1) New Heavens & New Earth
(Referring to Isa. 49:6-8 still) Notice also that the geographical context has been expanded. Formerly we have read
of Canaan being restored as the place for Gods New Covenant purposes. But v. 8 says that the Messiah will
restore the earth and cause the people to inherit the desolate heritages. Apparently, a Canaan lying desolate under
the curse of the broken Mosaic Covenant is a picture of the formerly perfect earth now subjected to the curse of the
broken Adamic Covenant. The New Covenant promises of a renewed and prosperous Canaan are actually
promises of a renewed and glorified earth, a world-wide Garden of Eden. But if thats not convincing enough
Isa. 65:17-19, 25; 66:22-23 READ. The New Covenant Canaan weve been reading about has really been larger
than life, hasnt it? The imagery of Eden, the supernatural beauty of the land, the emphasis on permanence- these
things go beyond the realm of what is possible in this present world. When you read the prophets, you find streams
of water bursting forth in the desert which blossoms like a rose, the wilderness made into a fruitful field and the
fruitful field into a forest. The harvest is plentiful, the lions lie down with lambs and there is no more sickness, no
more sorrow, no more tears, no more enemies! What is this place?
Isaiah reveals the real identity of the New Covenant Canaan. Its not a piece of real estate in the middle east. That
was a type, a picture. The New Covenant Canaan is the new earth. The prophets have been referring to it all this
time under the historical imagery of Canaan, the mountains of Israel, Jerusalem with its temple and sacrifices
those are the images that the readers of the prophets could understand but all along what is being referred to in
figurative language and here revealed explicitly is not Palestine, not a semi-restored but still sinful millennial
Jewish kingdom doomed to failure, but an entirely new and re-created earth that will never end! And who
will be there? According to ch. 66, not just Jews only but all flesh will worship before the Lord for all eternity, as a
new Israel, with renewed minds and hearts indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit, planted in a new earth,
related to God under a new covenant and with a new David reigning in their midst. That is the New Covenant.
Conclusion
Clothed in the language and historical imagery of Judahs return from Babylon, all along the prophets have been
painting a glorious picture of the kingdom of God in its consummate state in the new heavens and new earth, under
the banner of the New Covenant, and it is the possession and inheritance not only of the remnant of Judah, but of
the remnant of mankind. Not those redeemed from Egypt or from Babylon, but those redeemed from sin. The
humbled, penitent and believing from every nation, tribe and tongue. The New Covenant is our hope too, brethren.
All these prophecies belong to us. Take them up, savor them, wait for them, think about them often, live for them.

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Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 17: New Covenant, Part 2
2. The Restoration
We continue now to consider the historical background of the New Covenant. We learned from the prophets that in
connection with Judah and Israels restoration from captivity and return to the land, God would establish the New
Covenant with them.
Well, just as Jeremiah had prophesied, the Babylonian captivity lasted for 70 years. Shortly after the Medes and
Persias conquered Babylon, Cyrus the king sent Zerubbabel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel
would return with a group of Jews numbering in the tens of the thousands and after some interruptions would
complete rebuilding the temple 20 years later. After 60 more years, another contingent of Jews and Levites would
leave Persia and return to Israel under the leadership of Ezra the scribe. Then Nehemiah would come to rebuild the
wall of Jerusalem and under his leadership Jerusalem would be both repaired and repopulated, there would be a
national cleansing and repentance, and the people would renew their commitment to the Mosaic Covenant.
One would have thought that it would be at this time that the New Covenant would be established, but its not.
There are abundant indications that this restoration from Persia was merely the beginning of a much greater
restoring work of God, and it was that greater work that the prophets were ultimately referring to. Judahs return to
Canaan was just the first step. After all, Daniel had prophesied that the coming of the Messiah and the final
restoration would take place not immediately, but 483 years after the decree to restore Jerusalem. So nearly
500 years would pass after Judahs return to Canaan before the Messiah came to usher in the New Covenant!
Well what happens while Daniels 483-year clock is running down? In 332, Greece takes over the region and
begins to transform it into a Greek culture and way of life. The parties of the Saducees and Pharisees form among
the Jews. The Greek oppression would reach its height under Antiochus IV Ephiphanes, who leads a fierce but
short campaign to exterminate the Jewish religion. Deliverance comes in the form of a revolt under the Maccabees
in 164 BC which leads to a one-hundred year freedom and independence for Israel in what is called the
Hasmodean kingdom. The freedom ends, however, in an internal civil war that is decided in 63 BC when Pompey
takes Jerusalem and brings Israel under the control of the Roman Empire. Rome would establish the Sanhedren to
exercise a limited rule according to Jewish law and favored the Sadducees, who then came to dominate the
Sanhredren and the priesthood. Finally, Rome would install a ruthless general of Arab descent, Herod the Great, on
the throne of Israel as their vassal in the region.
Thus ends the OT period, with Judah once again in captivity and under foreign occupation, with a corrupt priesthood
and a power-hungry Sanhedren. In the mean time, Daniels prophetic clock ticked down until there were only 30
years remaining. Many of the faithful were getting restless as the expectation of Messiahs coming began to grow.
That is the setting for the birth of Jesus.
3. Christs Coming
What I want to do now is turn to our New Testament and pick up the historical narrative by examining some key
texts connected with Christs birth. The question that were seeking to answer now is what did Jesus come to
accomplish? What was His mission? What was the significance of His coming? There are a number of ways we
could answer that question, but Ive chosen to divide it up into three major points. 1) To fulfill Gods covenants with
David and Abraham, 2) to establish the long-awaited New Covenant, and 3) To winnow or refine Israel.
a) To fulfill Gods covenants with David and Abraham
(1) Matt 1:1,17 READ
These two verses at the beginning and at the end of the genealogy of Jesus both mention two specific names from
the Old Testament; two really important figures that Jesus is connected to: David, and Abraham. Now why David

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and Abraham? God had entered into special covenants with them as individuals, swearing with an oath certain
promises about His purpose to bless them and their offspring. Identifying Jesus as the seed or offspring of these
two individuals is essentially holding up Jesus as the fulfillment of those covenant promises. Jesus is the seed
of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed and who would inherit the land of
promise. Jesus is the son of David who would build Gods temple and reign over Israel forever. While both
covenants had immediate application to their more immediate offspring, they were both ultimately referring to what
God would accomplish in and through Jesus Christ. How important is this connection to the Old Testament? Well,
when the very first verse of the entire New Testament begins with the names of David and Abraham, wed
better pay attention, because God is calling attention to the fact that the entire New Testament is in some
sense the outworking of Gods covenant promises to those two individuals. We will not fully appreciate the
NT, therefore, if we are ignorant of the covenants made with David and Abraham. Thats the note upon which the
New Testament begins. Well lets look a little more closely at each of these two covenants individually. Since
Matthew mentions David first, lets start with David.
(2) Luke 1:31-33 READ
The angel Gabriel is announcing to Mary the coming birth of Jesus, and he tells her something about who Jesus will
be and what He will accomplish. This is what its all about, he says, this is why Hes coming. And everything he tells
Mary is a clear allusion to what? The Davidic Covenant, isnt it? His name will be great, just as God had told David
that He had made his name great. He will be called Son of the Highest, as God had promised David that his seed
would be to God a Son, and God would be His Father. In an official or functional sense, God would adopt Davids
son as His own. And most importantly, Gabriel says that Jesus will be given the throne of His father David and will
reign over the house of Jacob, or Israel, forever in a never-ending kingdom. That of course was the heart of the
Davidic Covenant. In Jesus the seed becomes singular and He becomes the final and ultimate heir to the
throne, such that by the power of an endless life there will be no successors. Hes the end of the Davidic
line. In Jesus, forever and ever, David will always have a son upon the throne of Israel. Jesus was coming not
only to reign over Israel, but also to defeat their enemies, deliver them from oppression, judge the wicked,
usher in peace and quiet, and raise up a temple or dwelling place for God in their midst. Jesus is the new
David, the antitype of all that David himself typified and prefigured.

(3) Luke 1:54-55

Well what about Abraham? Turn back to Luke 1:54-55 READ. Mary is singing a song of praise to God in response
to the conception of Jesus within her womb. What significance does Mary attach to the conception of Jesus? What
is God doing in history, and where have we seen nearly identical words in the Old Testament? Isnt this a strong
allusion to the exodus? Gods people groan under bondage, and God hears, remembers His covenant promises to
Abraham, and comes to help His people Israel by raising up a deliverer to lead them out of bondage. And Marys
allusion to that event here in her song about what great things God was doing for her in connection with the coming
birth of Jesus tells us that in Jesus God is going to do a similar work. There is to be a new exodus, and with it
a new Deliverer, none other than the baby in her womb. So Jesus is coming to be the new Moses Moses
himself told us to expect a prophet like unto himself. But why is God raising up this new Deliverer? For the same
reason He raised up the old one; because of His covenant with Abraham. Jesus was coming to fulfill Gods
promise to Abraham, to redeem his descendents out of bondage.
(4) Luke 1:68-75 READ
The context of this prophesy is the birth of John the Baptist. But Zacharias focus isnt John, but the one coming
after John. And how is it that we are to understand the coming of Jesus? What is its significance in redemptive
history? Zacharias tells us in v. 68, [God] has visited and redeemed His people. Just as Mary had earlier said
He has helped His servant Israel. This is the language of deliverance. It is again a clear allusion to the exodus
event. We see reference to the raising up of a Deliverer when it says in v. 69, and has raised up a horn of salvation
for us. That is, a great leader or ruler who would be Gods instrument to save Israel, just as Moses had done 1,500
years earlier. Well what is Jesus coming to do? V. 71 to save Israel from their enemies, and v. 74 so that having
delivered them from their enemies, they might serve God in peace and righteousness. But why is God going to visit
and redeem His people; why is He raising up a new Deliverer text? V. 72, To perform the mercy promised to our
fathers, to remember the holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham. Zacharias attributes this
divine visitation to Gods faithfulness in keeping His promise to His friend Abraham. Jesus was coming to fulfill the
Abrahamic Covenant.

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(5) Acts 3:24-26 READ
Peter gives us an inspired commentary on why Jesus had come into the world. It was in fulfillment of Gods
promise to Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the earth. God raised up Jesus as He had raised up Moses
before Him to bless His people by working a mighty deliverance. What is the nature of the world-wide blessing
according to Peter in this text? So the Abrahamic blessing is the raising up of a chosen Deliverer to deliver or
redeem Israel, not from Roman occupation, but from the bondage of their sins. The whole world presently
groans under the bondage of sin. The strength of sin is the law. Paul tells us in Rom. 5 that God gave the law so
that the offense might abound and so that sin might through the commandment become exceedingly sinful. We
might say that the law was like Pharoah telling the Israelites that they had to keep up their quota of bricks while at
the same time fetching their own straw. So all the world generally, and Israel especially, was in bondage to sin and
in need of not a political or military redemption, but a spiritual redemption. They needed to be freed from their sins.
To be turned away from their iniquities. To be forgiven, and to be given circumcised hearts free to serve God in
holiness and righteousness. And through type and shadow, that is the blessing that God really had in mind when
He made His covenant with Abraham. The redemption from sin that Jesus would accomplish is the true and
ultimate fulfillment of the promised blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant.
So hopefully we have established our first point, that Jesus, the Son of David and Son of Abraham, came into the
world to fulfill both the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants in their truest sense.
b) To establish the New Covenant
But according to the prophets, Messiahs fulfillment of these two covenants would itself come in the form of another
covenant. A new covenant. That brings us to our second point, which is that Christ came to establish the longawaited New Covenant.
Now what was the prophetic New Covenant hope, do you remember? All nations Jews and Gentiles will
worship before the Lord for all eternity, as a new Israel, humbled and penitent, completely forgiven of their sins, with
renewed minds and hearts indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit, full of joy and gladness, dwelling safely and in
peace, planted in a new earth with a new David reigning over them and with God Himself dwelling forever in their
midst. We are told by multiple witnesses at the time of His conception and birth that Jesus had come into the world
to fulfill precisely those hopes and usher in the New Covenant kingdom. And in doing so, in establishing the New
Covenant which forever replaces the old Mosaic Covenant, He would dramatically fulfill and confirm in His Person
for all eternity Gods covenant with David, and His covenant with Abraham.
But is that what would actually happen? Did Jesus usher in the New Covenant? Well, what the prophets had not
seen and what confused even Jesus disciples was a new truth that had never been revealed in the Old Testament:
Messiahs coming to usher in the New Covenant hope would be in two stages. Not one coming, as it had
appeared to be in the prophets, but two. It would be at Jesus second coming that the entire New Covenant picture
would come into clear focus. The prophets had been describing not primarily the effects of His first coming, but His
second. The New Covenant they saw was the New Covenant as it will be in eternity in the new earth, not so much
as it is now. However Jesus did institute or inaugurate the New Covenant during His first advent. All of its
basic elements are already present, but in seed form, and will not be visible and earth-transforming until He
returns to complete His work and consummate the New Covenant.
Lets affirm that Jesus did in fact establish the New Covenant by turning to Acts 5:30-32 READ. Here is an afterthe-fact commentary on the first coming of Christ, and it is saturated with New Covenant language from the
prophets. Just as Jeremiah foretold that God would raise up a David for Israel, so God raised Jesus from the
dead. Just as Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be exalted and extolled and be very high, so God exalted
Jesus when He ascended after the resurrection into heaven. Just as Ezekiel foresaw David as a Prince over
Gods people, so Christ is installed as Prince at Gods right hand. Just as Jeremiah had foretold a repentant and
humble Israel receiving a full pardon and forgiveness of sins under the New Covenant, Christ occupies His
position of Prince and Savior for the purpose of giving repentance to Israel and granting them that
forgiveness of sins, on the basis of a mighty deliverance that He had wrought upon the cross. And as Ezekiel
foretold that in the New Covenant God would put His Spirit within His people, so Peter testifies that all who had
obeyed the gospel message, that is, all who were humbled and repentant and believing, had received the
Holy Spirit.

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Peter is saying that the New Covenant had come. All of the elements of the New Covenant hope are present
now in partial realization. We live in the age between the ages, the age of transition. Our experience of the New
Covenant now is entirely spiritual, but there is coming a day when the Messiah will return, and complete the
ushering in of the New Covenant hope. And in that day it will not be less, spiritually or materially, than what the
prophets have caused us to expect, but more.
c) The Winnowing or Reconstitution of Israel
(1) The prophets expectation of purging
Before we open to our New Testaments, please listen as I quote a few short exerpts from the prophets concerning
what will happen when the Messiah comes:
Mal 3:2-3: "He [the Messiah] is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of
silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver.
Zech 13:7-9: [in connection with the striking of the Messiah] it shall come to pass in all the land, says the LORD,
That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the
fire,Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested.
Ezek 20:37-38 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face
to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case
with you," says the Lord GOD. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the
covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me
According to the prophets, the Messiah would come to refine, purify, cut off, purge and test Abrahams descendents.
When Messiahs work is done and the dust clears, what you would have left is the final remnant of Judah and Israel,
with whom the New Covenant would be established. But the prophets dont stop there. They foresee the
participation of Gentiles as well in the New Covenant community. So the Messiah would come to cut off many from
Israel, winnowing them down to an elect remnant, and then would build up the nation once again by grafting in
Gentiles from all over the earth. Now what is that? What is He doing, essentially? Hes reconstituting the nation!
Hes starting a New Israel with a new constitution, a new definition and a new makeup. And this is what the makeup
will be, according to the prophets: the Jewish remnant + ingrafted Gentiles = the New Israel. Thats the formula.
(2) John and Jesus message of winnowing
(a) Luke 3:7-9, 16-17
Now lets see this reconstitution in the messages taught by both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus. Turn to Luke
3:7-9 READ. John the Baptist picks up on the prophetic theme of winnowing. He tells the Pharisees and
Sadducees that in connection with the imminent arrival of the kingdom of God, the natural children of Abraham who
did not repent were going to be cut off from the covenant community and would not be a part of the kingdom. In
their place, God could raise up children to Abraham from the stones clearly indicating that God has the right at
any time He pleases to redefine who the children of Abraham are, and hence, who comprises the Israel of
the promise. Blood genealogy and physical circumcision isnt a promise of anything apart from repentance
and a circumcised heart.
Now who is going to be the agent of this winnowing work? vv. 16-17 READ. Jesus is the great Winnower. What is
winnowing, by the way? Its when you take the harvested wheat and cast it up into the air so that the wind picks up
and blows the lighter chaff, the worthless stuff, to the side while the heavier wheat falls directly to the ground. It is a
process of testing by which the good wheat is separated from the worthless chaff. The wheat, the Jewish remnant
that remains after the winnowing process, will be gathered up into the New Covenant kingdom, thats the barn. The
rest of Israel that failed the test by refusing to bear fruits worthy of repentance would be burned, and the adjective
unquenchable is a clear reference to the fires of hell. So there is to be a great separation, a great division
within Israel by which God will identify His chosen remnant, His sheep, the true children of Abraham. And
Jesus is the Person who brings about that separation and division.
(b) Matthew 10:34-38
How does He do that? Lets turn to Matt. 10:34-38 READ. Jesus came demanding whole-hearted commitment and
allegience. No half-hearted disciples. No putting the hand to the plow and looking back total commitment! This

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was a test that would really show whether or not a person believed in Him. Only genuine, Spirit-wrought faith could
make a man take up his cross and follow Jesus at such a high cost. Confronted with Jesus, all men will reveal
who they are, whether they are of the true Israel or not, and their faith will be evidenced by their willingness
to follow Christ at any cost. Christ comes demanding that men make a decision. The net effect of such a demand
is division. Separation. Jesus was and still is an offense, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense. God had set forth
His Son Jesus Christ as the object of faith, to be the ultimate point of decision as to whether men would believe God
or not. Those who failed the test, and they would be many, would be cut off from Israel, disowned from the family of
Abraham, and disinherited from the promises. So Jesus came to bring a sword upon Gods people, to carve
Israel into two separate groups, the believing and the unbelieving.
We see the theme of these two groups throughout Jesus teaching, dont we?
He tells us of a broad way upon which many walk that leads to destruction, and a narrow way upon which few walk
that leads to life. He speaks of good trees bearing good fruit, and bad trees being cut down. The destruction of
houses built on sand, and the safety of those built on the rock of His teachings. The sheep and the goats, the wise
and the unwise virgins, the wheat and the tares, the good and bad soil, those who are of Christs sheep and hear
His voice and those who are not, etc.
And whats the collective point of this huge emphasis in His teaching ministry? The point is that the New Covenant
kingdom would not be inherited by all Israel, but only by the believing remnant of Gods own sovereign
choosing. The New Covenant and the Kingdom of God it establishes would be discriminating as to its recipients.
(3) The remnant of Israel
(a) Romans 9:27-28, 32-33 READ
God put forth Christ as a stumbling stone and rock of offense and called Israel to believe on Him. Most, however,
would not they would reject Him and even crucify Him, and consequently, God would cut them off until all that
remained of the nation that used to be as numerous as the sand of the sea would be a small remnant, and only
that remnant would experience the New Covenant redemption that the prophets had promised. It is clear
isnt it, that God has redefined who Israel is. It is no longer those who simply have Abrahams blood in their
veins. It is now those who are of faith. As He says in v. 6-8. The Israel of the New Covenant would be only a
subset of the old Israel. It would involve only an elect, chosen remnant from among Abrahams descendents.
And who are they? Who is the Jewish remnant, the election according to grace that would form the core and
foundation of a new nation? The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true Israel, the chief-cornerstone of the new nation,
the Prince of God who was called out of Egypt, baptized in the Jordan River, and tried in the desert for 40 days. So
the remnant begins with Him, doesnt it [WRITE: Jesus]? But immediately He calls others to join Him, and the 12
disciples become part of the Jewish remnant as well, the number 12 paralleling the 12 tribes of Israel [WRITE: 12
Disciples]. But the 12 werent the only disciples Jesus had there were many others, hundreds probably, that
followed Him around and believed His word. They too became part of the Jewish remnant and members of the New
Israel [WRITE: Other Followers]. The reconstitution of Israel had begun. And it wouldnt end there. After the
resurrection more and more believed; Peter preached a sermon and in one day 3,000 more Jews were brought into
the New Israel. A new nation was being built from the ground up upon the foundation of Jesus and the
disciples. This was the Jewish remnant, and in them, the New Covenant community was born.
(4) The ingrafting of Gentiles
But the Jewish remnant is only half the equation, isnt it? Thats how it begins, but there is another essential
ingredient in Gods new nation: ingrafted Gentiles.
Jesus didnt just speak of winnowing, He also hinted on several occasions that due to unbelief the majority of
Israel would be cast out and God would turn His attention to the Gentiles.
He tells the Pharisees that with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, many from the east and the west, from the north and
the south will sit down in the kingdom of God, while they, the Jewish sons of the kingdom would be cast out. On
another occasion He tells them the parable of the wicked vinedressers and concludes by saying, the kingdom of
God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
(a) Romans 11:17-18, 24 READ

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The root or the olive tree here is Gods covenant people. Before Christ, they were those physical Jews living under
the terms of the Mosaic Covenant. Now, however, God has redefined or reconstituted the covenant community in
the Person of His Son Jesus. Jesus is the Israel of the New Covenant. Hence, membership in Christ is now
synonymous with membership in Israel. He is the root or cultivated olive tree. To be an Israelite now, you
have to be attached to Christ by faith. Consequently, the greater mass of Jews the natural branches who
were unbelieving no longer fit the definition of Israelites in this reconstituted Israel, and were therefore cut off from
the covenant community, leaving behind only a few natural branches that had believed. Thats the Jewish remnant.
But thats not enough. The natural branches left behind are too few. There is still room for more at the supper
table. Having broken off most of the natural branches, God takes wild branches that is, Gentiles like you
and me and grafts us by faith into Christ, which means that contrary to nature we Gentiles are grafted into
the New Israel! We now partake of the sap and fruitfulness of the Israel of God Jesus Christ side by
side with the Jewish remnant.
(5) The Church as the new Israel
So now we have the Jewish remnant, Jesus and His disciples, and now weve grafted in Gentiles from every tribe,
nation and tongue. And what is the result? The result is a new nation. A New Israel, reconstituted as to its identity,
its definition, its foundation and its makeup. It is the heir of all the promises, the recipient of the New Covenant. It is
none other than the Church of Jesus Christ. The New Israel, of which the prophets spoke and to whom all the
promises were made, is the Church. The Church is the Israel of the New Covenant.
(a) Ephesians 2:11-22 READ
We Gentiles were once strangers from the covenants of promise those are the Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic
covenants. They belonged only to the Jews. We were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, BUT NOT
ANYMORE!
Now, now in Christ, we who were once afar off, who were once strangers, who were once aliens, have been
brought near. Near to what? To the commonwealth of Israel and to the covenants of promise! As it says in v. 19,
we are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the Jews of the commonwealth of Israel and
fellow heirs of their covenants and their promises.
And its not as though were simply tapping into their well from a distance, getting some side-benefits from the Jews
but still second class to them. vv. 14-18 tell us that Christ came, in part, to eradicate the distinction between Jew
and Gentile, to draw us Gentiles into the covenant community that we might become one people. Notice the
emphasis on oneness:
v. 14 who has made both one;
v. 15 so as to create in Himself one new man from the two;
v. 16 that He might reconcile them both to God in one body;
v. 18 through Him we both have access by one Spirit.
We are now, v. 19, fellow citizens with the saints, that is the Jewish remnant, and fellow members with them of the
household, or people, or covenant community of God. There is now not two peoples of God, two kingdoms,
Israel and the Church, but one nation, one kingdom, one people, one Israel: the Church of Jesus Christ.
(6) Our new spiritual ethnicity
As a consequence of our ingrafting, we Gentiles have a new identity. While we dont change our physical ethnicity,
we do in a sense change our spiritual ethnicity.
(a) We are the true Circumcision (Phil. 3:2-3) READ
In v. 2, Paul is warning against the Judiazers who were requiring Christian Gentiles to be circumcised so that they
might become Jews. But Paul says thats not necessary! these believers are already Jews. The circumcision
the offspring of Abraham is no longer defined as those who have a cut in their flesh, but as those who worship
God in the Holy Spirit and rejoice in Jesus Christ. By faith in Christ we are circumcised in heart, and that is the true
circumcision that marks out Gods people. We believing Gentiles are the circumcision.
(b) We are the true Jews (Romans 2:28-29) READ

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Under the New Covenant, the definition of Jewishness has changed. Jewishness, or membership in the covenant
community, is no longer defined by physical things such as family blood lines and fleshly circumcision. It is defined
by inward, spiritual things by the circumcision of the heart wrought by the Holy Spirit. Brethren, if youve been
born again, you are a spiritual Jew. Thats what Paul is saying. If you have a new heart, you are more Jewish to
God than those Israelites He delivered from Egypt. But how does faith turn us into Jews? Jesus is a Jew in fact,
He is the Jew of Jews, the glory of Israel. And by faith we become joined to Christ in a union that communicates to
us everything about Him in His humanity. Hence, we receive His Jewishness before God. Not ethnically, but
spiritually, in every sense that counts. Because Christ is a Jew, those believing Gentiles attached to Christ become
Jews the true Jews over whom the Son of David will rule forever. And because we are Jews, God puts His mark
on us by circumcising our hearts.
(c) We are the children of Abraham (Galatians 3)
Gal. 3:6-9, 13-14 READ. Who are the sons of Abraham? Well, theyre not those with Abrahams blood in their veins.
V. 7, only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham the unbelieving Jews are no longer considered Abrahams
seed. And so, by their unbelief, they were cut off, disowned as Abrahams children. The true sons and heirs of
Abraham are now defined by faith, not by blood, and v. 8, they include Gentiles. The New Covenant which as
was ratified by the death of Christ secures for Gentiles, v. 14, the blessing of Abraham. Its our blessing now. And
whats the blessing? It is a) justification (v.8) and b) the Holy Spirit (v.14). Those are the promises thats what the
seed of Abraham will receive.
But who is the seed of Abraham? Would you please read vv. 16, 19? Jesus Christ is the Seed, singular. In a
sense, there was only ever one Seed of Abraham to whom the promises were made. Yes, the typical aspects of the
Abrahamic Covenant applied to his immediate offspring, but the antitype of the promises justification and the Holy
Spirit were made to one specific Seed in particular, to Jesus Christ. As it says in v. 19, till the Seed should come
to whom the promise was made. The promise was made to Christ! It was as if everything God was speaking to
Abraham, He was really, indirectly, speaking to Jesus, the son of Abraham. The same thing is true, by the way
not only of Abraham, but of David, and even of Adam and Noah as well. All of the covenants made with Gods
righteous servants were ultimately made with Christ. They are His covenants and His promises, and in
connection with His resurrection and ascension God would confirm those covenants to Him personally.
Now what this means is that the blessing of Abraham belongs to Jesus! Justification, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of
God, the new earth these all belong to Jesus Christ. They are His inheritance. Were not accustomed to
thinking in this way; normally we think of Christ as giving these things to us, and thats true, but the only reason He
is able to do so is because He Himself first received them, so that He might give them to us. Okay, so just
when did Jesus ever receive justification and the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us that God justified Him or declared
Him acceptable by raising Him from the dead that was His justification and is the source of ours and in the book
of Acts we learn that upon His ascension to Gods right hand Christ received received the promise of the Holy
Spirit whom He then poured out upon His Church. Jesus is the true Seed of Abraham, the true Israel, and
therefore the singular Heir of all the promises.
Every blessing we receive in the New Covenant are blessings that belong to Jesus as the Seed of Abraham
to whom the promises and covenants were made, and by union with Him by faith, we participate in those
blessings. We tap into His inheritance, His promises, His blessings, and His identity as the Israel of God.
In Christ, we believing Gentiles are the children, the seed, of Abraham.
So we Gentiles, having been joined to Christ by faith into the New Israel, have spiritually received His ethnicity or
genealogy. We are the true circumcision. We are the true Jews. We are the true children of Abraham. We, the
Church, are the sons and heirs of God.
Marrow of Theology
Bogota, Colombia
October 2009
Covenant Theology
Lecture 18: New Covenant, Part 3
B. The Ratification and Essential Nature of the New Covenant

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It is our purpose now to summarize the essential nature of the New Covenant as it is presented in the New
Testament.
Before we begin in the NT, let me remind you briefly of the picture painted of the New Covenant by the Old
Testament prophets. From the perspective of the prophets, they are describing the KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE
AGE TO COME. They are describing the consummate state in the new heavens and new earth. The New
Covenant is a new earth reality. It represents in the hope of Israel the ushering in of the final, never-ending age of
bliss under the reign of Messiah the Prince. Clearly, this picture includes both individual blessings and the
organization of a new covenant community. Keep in mind these two emphases from the prophets: individual
salvation from sin, as well as a new community of the saints.
1. New Testament Biblical Witness
a) Matthew 26:26-28 [read]
On the occasion of the institution of the Lords Supper, Jesus says, This is My blood of the new covenant. Thats
the key phrase of the passage. What would have come to the minds of those Jewish disciples when they heard this
phrase? Do you remember what we saw in Exodus 24 when the Old Covenant was ratified? The Old Covenant was
confirmed or ratified by the shedding of the blood of the sacrifice. Moses then took half the blood and sprinkled it on
the altar. The other half he sprinkled on the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has
made with you according to all these words.
Now whats happening? What is Jesus doing here? In the New Covenant, the blood of Christ is shed and sprinkled
on the New Covenant people, and in that way the covenant is established, confirmed or ratified. But lets notice the
emphasis of Jesus words here. We are trying to establish the essence of the New Covenant. What does the
shedding of Christs blood accomplish, according to the text? His blood is shed, for the remission of sins.
The blood shed under the Old Covenant by means of the burnt offerings and sacrifices merely provided a covering.
But by the shedding of Christs blood which ratifies the New Covenant relationship between God and His people,
real remission or forgiveness of sins is accomplished. Do you remember the promise of Jer. 31, I will forgive their
iniquity and their sins I will remember no more? That is at the heart of the New Covenant. Christs death upon the
cross provides the objective basis for the establishment of this new relationship with God.
So, the death of Christ accomplishes the remission of sins and establishes a new relationship between God
and His people. In that way, His death ratified or put into force the New Covenant.
b) 2 Corinthians 3:2-6 [read]
The phrase I want to focus on here is in verse 6, ministers of the New Covenant. In what way is Paul a minister of
the New Covenant? Well, in verse 3 he says that he is used by God to minister regeneration! Youve been given
new hearts by Christ through our ministry! Isnt that the language there? That should bring to mind the promises of
Jeremiah 31.
Now how is it that Paul fulfills such a ministry? Look quickly at the way he describes the primary focus of his work
throughout this section:
-2:12, I came to Troas to preach Christs gospel.
-2:14, God through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
-2:17, were not peddling the world of God, but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak
-3:12, we use great boldness of speech.
-4:2, we arent handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth
-4:3, but even if our gospel
-4:4 the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ
-4:5 for we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord.
How is it that Paul is a minister of the New Covenant? By preaching the gospel! The great promise of the new
covenant is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit giving new hearts to all those who are members of the covenant
community. And how is it that those new hearts are formed? By the preaching of the gospel under the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. To preach the gospel is to be a minister of the new covenant, v. 6. And that is not just true for Paul. That
is true for everyone who preaches the gospel. That is not just true for pastors. If you are preaching the gospel, you

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are ministering the New Covenant! But for those who are pastors, doesnt this tell us something very important
about what should be the primary focus of our ministry?
Now what does this tell us about the essence of the New Covenant? It tells us that it is one and the same as the
gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the preaching or proclaiming of the New Covenant.
c) 2 Corinthians 3:6-9 [read]
In this section, I want us to observe the various contrasts made between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant:
Old Covenant
New Covenant
6)
the letter kills
Spirit gives life
7-8)
ministry of death on stones
ministry of Spirit
9)
ministry of condemnation
ministry of righteousness
We recognize that he is speaking of the 10 commandments as the summary of the Covenant, but also as the
summary of the absolute standard of moral law. As such, its function was to kill, to administer death, to bring
condemnation. By contrast, the New Covenant, Paul says, gives life, gives the Spirit of God, writes the law of God
on the heart, and declares men righteous in Gods sight.
So, what is the essence of the new covenant? It is justification, and regeneration, and life. And where does that
come from? The gospel. Now, heres the important point. These things do not come through the Old Covenant. The
Old Covenant, especially as summarized in the 10 Commandments only brought condemnation and death. It
served as a tutor to bring us to Christ. But the New Covenant that brings forgiveness and justification and life.
d) Hebrews 9:11-15 [read]
The key phrase in this section is in verse 15, He is the Mediator of the new covenant. In this verse, Christ is given
the office or title of Mediator. What is it that made Him the Mediator of the new covenant according to this passage?
-verse 15: by means of death
-verse 12: with His own blood He entered
-verse 14: through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
And according to this passage, what did Christ accomplish by His death, as Mediator of the New Covenant?
-verse 12: obtained eternal redemption
-verse 14: cleanse your conscience
-verse 15: redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant
So then, what does this teaching about the Mediation of Christ teach us about the essence of the new covenant?
The essence of the new covenant is the mediatorial cross-work of Christ which accomplishes the redemption of His
people, provides for the forgiveness of their sins, and their justification and secures the eternal life of the elect.
Now, heres the point I want to emphasize. All of this occurs by virtue of Christ acting as Mediator of the New
Covenant. This did not occur by virtue of the Mediation of Moses under the Old Covenant. Abraham could not have
secured this kind of blessing. Redemption, justification, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life- these are all spiritual
blessings secured by the cross-work of Christ, performed in His role as Mediator of the New Covenant. Therefore,
the New Covenant is in its essence the gospel of Jesus Christ.
e) Hebrews 8:6-8 [read]
We observe from this text that there is a better covenant than the Old which is established on better promises. It is
also better because Christ is the Mediator of this covenant. And clearly, this better covenant with Christ as Mediator
is the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah in chapter 31. This new, better covenant with Christ as Mediator is the
same one we studied from the OT prophets.
Now, lets discuss briefly this idea of Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant. What is a mediator? What does a
mediator do? A mediator stands between two parties; he is a go-between. In this case, we are speaking of Christ
standing between God and man. How does Christ do this for us under the terms of the New Covenant?
LBC (8:1)
It pleased God in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus his only begotten Son, (a) to be the
Mediator between God and Man; the (b) Prophet, (c) Priest and (d) King.

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As Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is a Prophet. He speaks for God before the people. He is the incarnate
Word of God. He teaches the people about God and about the way of salvation. He reveals the Father. As Mediator
of the New Covenant, Jesus is a Priest. He goes to God for the people. He first offers Himself as a substitutionary
sacrifice for sin. Then He brings the blood of that sacrifice into the Holy of Holies once for all in the presence of God
and He makes intercession for His people. As Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is also a King. He mediates
Gods authority by ruling and reigning on the throne of David over the people of the covenant.
Christ is the mediator of the New covenant in His three-fold offices of Prophet, Priest and King.
Now based upon this reality, let me just ask you a series of questions:
Can you be saved without the prophetic work of Christ, Christ revealing the Father to you? No. Can you be saved
without the priestly work of Christ, Christ offering Himself on your behalf and interceding for you in the heavenly holy
of holies? No. And can you be saved without the kingly work of Christ, Christ exercising the rule of God in your
heart? No.
Now, please get the point again. There appears to be no salvation apart from Christs work as mediator of the New
Covenant, apart from Christ acting as Prophet, Priest and King. None of the other covenants which we have studied
thus far have made such provision for sinners. In their literal, historical, plain function, they were earthly and
temporal and typical. They were shadows of the substance which is Christ. They pointed forward to the promise
held forth in the gospel which would be accomplished under the terms of the New Covenant.
This being the case, could we say that there is no salvation apart from the New Covenant? Thats what we are
saying. There is salvation in no other but in Christ. The person and work of Christ must be understood in
relation to His role as Mediator of the New Covenant. Therefore there is no salvation apart from the New
Covenant.
Brethren, here is where our entire approach to this class comes together (again, an approach which we believe is
most consistent with the Scriptures). This is why weve made such a point of emphasis of the typology of each
covenant. All throughout redemptive history God has been progressively revealing through these covenants the one
way to be truly and spiritually redeemed from sin, the one way of salvation, which would come through the New
Covenant. In those foreshadowings, God was preaching the gospel as it were. His people in previous generations
were to see through this typology the hope of the Messiah of the New Covenant, and they were to set their hopes in
Him.
f. Excursus: What About Old Testament Saints?
Now, over and over again, we have been seeing from these texts that the essence of the New Covenant is the
gospel. And what that means is that salvation and its accomplishment properly belongs to the New Covenant. The
salvation of all men who ever have been saved or ever will be saved is in Christ Jesus, which means that salvation
is actually accomplished when Christ comes as Mediator of the New Covenant.
This being the case, how is it then that Old Testament saints were saved, if salvation comes through the New
Covenant? We are asserting that even those who did not live out their days on this earth under the New Covenant
nevertheless were saved by virtue of their participation in the salvation flowing from the New Covenant. How can
this be so? How could they receive saving New Covenant blessings without living under the New Covenant?
In attempting to answer that question, let me remind you of the two different aspects or emphases that we have
seen in the biblical witness to the New Covenant. In these various New Testament texts, the emphasis has fallen
upon the New Covenants spiritual essence, which is the gospel or eternal salvation for individuals by faith in Christ.
Now we need to step back and remind ourselves of the emphasis of the prophets. The prophets spoke of this
essence, but they spoke of much more. Not only would the New Covenant be a spiritual reality in the hearts of
individuals, it would also usher in the establishment in final, ultimate form of the kingdom of God among men. The
New Covenant not only saves individuals, it also gathers those who are saved into an organized community, a new
Israel reconstituted around Christ Himself and made up of Jews and Gentiles together. It places a king, Christ, to
rule over this kingdom forever, and all of this is located in the very physical reality of a new earth.
So, for the purpose of illustration, we could speak of the New Covenant as having two layers: the first and
most fundamental layer is the spiritual salvation towards individuals. For simplicity, lets call this the gospel layer

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[draw gospel box]. That is what weve stressed this morning. The second layer is the constitution of these saved
individuals into a new, organized, visible community of the people of God. We could call this the kingdom layer
[draw kingdom box]
The gospel layer transcends history [draw line in both directions, label salvation]. It has its roots and its source
in the historical event of the crucifixion and resurrection, but, its saving benefits extend across time in both
directions. Every believer partakes of the saving work of Christ no matter what historical era he lived in.
The kingdom layer, however, has a definite, historical starting point, before which it did not exist [draw line
going forward only label Church]. With the resurrection of Christ, a new historical reality came into being, the
formation of a new corporate entity built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ being the chief
cornerstone. That new organization is the reconstituted Israel of God. It is a community organized and gathered
together under the terms of a new constitution- the New Covenant. It is called the Church, which is the kingdom of
God. The Church of Christ came into being with the first coming of Christ. It did not exist in this kingdom phase
before His coming. Now who is gathered and incorporated into this new nation? All the redeemed of all ages!
Whether the souls of Old Testament saints in heaven or Christians still living on the earth, at the resurrection of
Christ all were bound together into a new entity, and collectively formed into the Church universal.
So Old Testament believers were saved by the timeless application of the work of Christ as Mediator of the New
Covenant. Those saving blessings flow out in all directions for all time. But they were not part of the New Covenant
community during their lifetimes, nor did they live in the kingdom of God in this sense. But since then, they have
become full participants in the New Covenant: not only in its gospel blessings, but now, as citizens of that new Israel
which it formed, they are full members of the Church triumphant in heaven. But those who are converted since the
Cross enter into both layers, salvation from sin and incorporation into the body of Christ, all at once when they
believe- isnt that why the New Covenant is better???!!!
Look at Hebrews 12:18-24. When you think of the New Covenant community, this is what you should think of.
2. Summary of the Features of the New Covenant (very brief)
a. Recipients: The house of Judah and the house of Israel (Zion).
*Now, particularly from our survey of the NT material, who are the recipients of the New Covenant? Note what we
are asking here. Who is the true Israel of God under the New Covenant? Those who are Abrahams spiritual
descendents by faith. It is Christs disciples, gathered together as a community in the church of Jesus Christ.
b. Substance
In our study to this point, we established that the substance or essence of the New Covenant is the gospel of Jesus
Christ. In reference to the participants in the New Covenant, we are speaking of every spiritual blessing received by
those who are saved through that work of Christ accomplished on the Cross.
GGN summary of the essence of the New Covenant:
1) Moral law of God written on the heart
2) Experiential I will be your God, and you shall be My people.
3) Legal forgiveness of sins
c. Responsibilities
Repentance and faith
d. Ratification
NC ratified by the shedding and application of the blood of Christ.
(Matt. 26:26-28; Heb. 9:15, 10:29, 12:24, 13:20)
e. Mediator
Christ (Hebrews 7:22, 9:15, 12:24)
f. Token
The Lords Supper. (Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

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C. Historical Outworking or Fulfillment of the New Covenant
In conclusion and by way of review, I want to tie all this together by rehearsing the historical outworking of the New
Covenant, with special emphasis given to the KINGDOM aspect.
1. Restoration to the Land
According to the prophets, what would Israel have expected in Gods dealings with them? What were the major
events in their prophetic calendar? They would have expected to be restored to the land after 70 years in exile,
when Messiah would come and establish the kingdom of God in Israel.
But then God reveals through Daniels prophecies that 69 weeks or 483 years would pass between the return from
exile in Babylon and the coming of the kingdom and Messiah. God keeps His promise to bring back a remnant from
captivity in Babylon, after the 70 years in exile. But upon their return, it becomes painfully obvious to all that the
glory of Israel has departed, that Messiah had not yet come, that they yet waited for the kingdom of God with David
on the throne, and peace from all their enemies, with God in their midst. Daniels prophecy of the passing of years
between these events is confirmed.
2. The Coming of the Messiah
Then, as the time of the fulfillment of Daniels 69 weeks is near, the voice of an angel is heard by a young virgin girl
in Israel, announcing the coming of the Promised One (READ Luke 1:31-33). What is the note sounded by the
angel? Messiah and the kingdom are coming. Not many years later, the voice of another one is heard, crying out in
the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. God sends John the Baptist, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
prepare Hebrew Israel for the coming of Christ AND for the coming of His kingdom. What was Johns message?
Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. John brings a startling message to Hebrew Israel. His message is one of
division, of purging and of refining.
His message, as it were, is the precursor to Pauls, They are not all Israel who are of Israel. Only those who repent
will enter the kingdom of God, and the rest will be cut down and thrown into the fire. And John gathers together a
penitent and expectant remnant of Hebrew Israel into a community. Johns method is the preaching of the kingdom,
calling men to be right with God through repentance and faith, and baptizing those who believed.
Then, after 480 years from the restoration from Babylon, with three years remaining until Messiah comes according
to Daniel, Jesus begins His public ministry. And what is the nature of His ministry? Jesus uses the same method as
John. Jesus preaches the coming of the kingdom of God, but in so doing He emphasizes the ethical character of
that kingdom, the spiritual, internal realities that belong to the children of the kingdom through repentance and faith.
Again, Jesus like John, brings a message of pruning and refining of the people of God. Unexpectedly to Hebrew
Israel, the kingdom is not for all the physical descendants of Abraham, but for those of the faith of Abraham. In the
sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that His kingdom would be populated only by those whose righteousness
exceeds that of the hypocritical Pharisees, those with a genuine heart righteousness. In John 3, He teaches that
man in Himself cannot produce this kind of righteousness, but only those who are born from above, or born again,
that is, only those who are new creatures in Christ. Jesus echoes the prophecies of Isaiah, pronouncing a great
purging, refining or winnowing work in Israel, removing the wicked from among the people of God and reconstituting
a new nation. There will be a believing remnant separated out from physical Israel who will constitute the new Israel
of God, and consisting of Jesus and His disciples gathered around Him.
3. The New Covenant Inaugurated
Having preached this message, and performed this work in His day, Jesus gathers together this visible society of
Hebrew believers- this pruned, and reformed Israel- and He institutes the new covenant, ratified by His own blood
and signified by the Lords Supper. With the blood of the New Covenant, Jesus makes atonement for the sins of His
people and accomplishes their redemption. In this way, he fulfills the many prophecies of the coming of Messiah,
setting the captives free, opening the eyes of the blind, restoring the lame and the sick. Jesus, through the blood of
the New Covenant, redeems His people to God. After accomplishing the salvation of this new Israel, Jesus ascends
to heaven and from there, pours out His Spirit upon Christian Israel, as the down payment of their inheritance and
as a foretaste of the future glory that yet awaits them. And there in heaven, Jesus, the mediator of the New
Covenant, ever lives as Great High Priest, making intercession for His own.
But what about the kingdom? What about all the glorious promises of kingdom life at the coming of Messiah? This
was the question on the disciples mind before the ascension of Christ to heaven. Do you remember their question?

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Jesus, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? At this time, Jesus revealed a Daniel-like reality, that His
kingdom would come in two stages, separated by an unknown and lengthy period of time. It is only at this time that
Jesus reveals that there will be two comings of Messiah. In His first coming, He accomplishes the salvation of His
people from their sins, He gathers together the new Israel of God consisting of all those with the faith of Abraham,
He begins the process of crushing Satans head by the establishment of His reign on the throne of heaven and the
propagation of the gospel and the making of disciples throughout the earth. His kingdom is a present reality, but it is
only inaugurated in the establishment of the Church.
He reigns in the hearts of His people through conversion and the indwelling of His Spirit and the writing of His law
our hearts. He rules in His Church through the apostolic testimony contained in the Scriptures and by His Spirit in
the Church. His people are gathered together and regulated in their life together by the Scriptures. His rule and His
kingdom are advanced through the commission given by the King to His Church, to go into all the world and make
disciples in every nation. Yet, the character of His kingdom now has the character of His first coming. Just as He
took up the cross in His first coming, so His disciples in this age, bear the cross in following the Master and doing
His will. And just as He was despised and rejected in His first coming, even so His disciples in this present age are
despised and rejected by the world. Yet, His kingdom spreads from shore to shore through the foolishness of the
preaching of the gospel and the conquering of mens souls for Christ. The Church advances and the gates of hell
cannot prevail against it. Jesus Christ, all authority in heaven and in earth having been given to Him, is building His
Church. His kingdom has indeed come. Note also a remarkable and unexpected fact about this new Israel in the
present age. For a time, the Church was entirely made up of Hebrew converts. Christian Israel consisted entirely of
those still connected to physical Israel. But then, God, having grafted out unbelieving Jews from Israel, began to
graft in believing, uncircumcised Gentiles! And in a most remarkable fulfillment of OT prophecy, Christian Israel
under the New Covenant was composed of believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile alike. Now, the people of God,
the Israel of God, under the New Covenant consists of Jew and Gentile alike, observing the same sign of the same
covenant.
4. The New Covenant Consummated
But it has not come in its fullness of glory. The majority of references to the kingdom of God in the NT are future
oriented. And like the patriarchs of old, the people of God in this age look for a city whose builder and maker is God.
We too are passing through this world as strangers and pilgrims, waiting for Christ to come a second time, and with
Him the consummation of all things in the crushing of all His enemies, the final purging of the Church of all the
unconverted, the resurrection of all the dead in Christ to everlasting life and the establishment forever of His
glorious reign in the new heavens and the new earth. At that time, Christ will present the church to Himself in glory
(Eph 5) and He will dwell in the midst of her, He will dwell with His bride forever.
And make no mistake, there will only be one people of God in eternity, brethren, and that is the Church of the Lamb.
There is no other group of saved people. Noah and Abraham and Moses and David and Peter and James and
John and Paul and you and I and every other believer from the foundation of the world until its end will dwell
together in the same city, as the same people, relating to God through the same Mediator and under the same
covenant. In the end, all of us, even those that lived in Old Testament times, are recipients of the New Covenant in
its consummate fullness, together comprising the elect of God, the holy remnant, and the one covenant community
to whom God will say for all eternity I am your God, and you are My people.
And thus the purpose of God in redemption, planned in eternity, accomplished and applied in history, will be brought
to glorious fruition in the second coming of Christ to finally and ultimately establish His kingdom under the terms of
the New, everlasting, unchangeable, unbreakable covenant with the house of Israel, the true people of God.

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