Covenant and Kingdom

Week 1 – What is Covenant Theology and Why Study It?

Hebrews 10:19-25

• • Why study covenant theology?
    • Properly understanding covenant gives us deeper grounds for greater assurance of our faith, and a greater appreciation of God’s wisdom and faithfulness
    • Covenant is the way that God relates to man and the way that the members of the Godhead relate to one another
    • Helps us to see the fullness, scope, continuity, authority, and applicability of all of Scripture
    • Helps to provide a framework for understanding the whole of Scripture in its context
  • What is covenant theology?
    • The study and explanation of the united purpose of God in all history past, present , and future (Samuel Renihan)
    • A framework for biblical interpretation, informed by exegetical, biblical, and systematic theology, that recognizes that the redemptive history revealed in Scripture is explicitly articulated through a succession of covenants, thus providing an organizing principle for biblical theology (Ligon Duncan)
    • Strong emphasis on the historical development and outworking of God’s redemptive plan
    • Considers and impacts various branches of theology, thus it is important that we carefully consider it and understand it
  • Key terms/concepts

• Covenant – A commitment guaranteed by a solemn oath, with the threat of [divine] sanctions

• Typology – The study of analogical correspondence among revealed truths about persons, events, institutions, and other things within the historical framework of God’s special revelation, which, from a retrospective view, are of a prophetic nature and are escalated in their meaning (Greg Beale)

• Federal Head – One covenant representative whom God deals with and who connects all those under his headship to the covenant

• Covenants of Works – Covenants in which promised blessings are received on the basis of works done

• Covenants of Grace – Covenants in which promised blessings are received on the basis of free grace as a gift

• Kingdom/Dominion – Covenants delegate authority, grant dominion over a particular sphere

• • What makes a covenant?

• Sanctions – Threats that enforce and ensure the fulfillment of covenant commitments

• Precepts – The covenant law/obligations

• Promises – Blessings of the covenant

• Federal Head

• Delegation of Dominion

• Major covenants of Scripture
  • Kingdom of Creation
    • Covenant of Life, Noahic Covenant
  • Kingdom of Israel
    • Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant
  • Kingdom of Christ
    • Covenant of Redemption, New Covenant