Image Image Image Image Image
Scroll to Top

To Top

Books

05

May
2011

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

The Covenant of Works: Its Confessional and Scriptural Basis

On 05, May 2011 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams

The Covenant of Works: Its Confessional and Scriptural Basis

Order at RBAP

Series Description

This is the third book in the series Recovering our Confessional Heritage. The series is sponsored by the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies in cooperation with RBAP. The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies is a graduate theological school which aids churches in preparing men to serve in the Gospel Ministry. For more information please visit irbsseminary.org.

The purpose of the series . . . is to address issues related to the Second London Confession of Faith of 1677/89 (2LCF). . . . The series will include treatments of various subjects by multiple authors. The subjects to be covered are those the series editors (along with consultants) determine to be of particular interest in our day. The authors will be those who display ample ability to address the issue under discussion. Some of the installments will be more involved than others due to the nature of the subject addressed and perceived current needs. Many of the contributions will cover foundational aspects of the self-consistent theological system expressed in the Confession. Others will address difficult, often misunderstood, or even denied facets of the doctrinal formulations of the 2LCF. Each installment will have a “For Further Reading” bibliography at the end to encourage further study on the issue discussed. ~ from the series editors, James M. Renihan and Richard C. Barcellos

Product Description

“Moses, writing after the historical acts of creation, utilizes the covenantal name of God, Yahweh, while discussing Adam’s Edenic vocation (Gen. 2:4ff.). Isaiah utilizes concepts that started with Adam to explain the universal guilt of man, while using the word “covenant” (Isa. 25:5-6). Hosea, looking back upon previous written revelation, makes explicit what was implicit in it. The prophet’s inspired words give us God’s infallible knowledge of one of the similarities between ancient Israel and Adam. Both had a covenant imposed on them by God and both transgressed their covenants (Hos. 6:7). Paul, while reflecting on Adam’s Edenic vocation, contrasts the disobedience of Adam and its results with the obedience of Christ and its results (Rom. 5:19). The term “works” in the phrase “covenant of works” contrasts with “grace” and “gift” in Romans 5:17. Paul asserts that Adam was a type of Christ (Rom. 5:14). Adam sinned and fell short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Christ did not sin (Heb. 4:15) and, upon his resurrection, entered into glory (Luke 24:46; Acts 26:19-23; 1 Pet. 1:10-12), a quality of life conferred upon him due to his obedience (Rom. 5:21). This is the life he confers upon all believers.

These scriptural realities, understood by the utilization of the hermeneutical principles of the Holy Spirit as the only infallible interpreter of Holy Scripture, analogia Scriptura, analogia fidei, and scopus Scripturae, led to the confessional formulation of the doctrine of the covenant of works.” ~ Richard C. Barcellos

138 pages
Published 2016

Product Endorsements

A proper understanding of Adam’s state in the garden is fundamental to a coherent doctrine of salvation, which is why this little book on the covenant of works is so important. Richard Barcellos mines the riches of the Reformed Baptist theology and explains the covenant of works with exegetical fidelity and theological clarity. Anyone who wants greater insight into the covenant of works and Reformed Baptist confessional theology should definitely read this book.

J. V. Fesko, Ph.D.
Academic Dean
Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology
Westminster Seminary California

 

No document more amply demonstrates the clear lines of continuity between Reformed Baptist thought and our Christian creedal and Reformed confessional heritage than the Second London Confession of Faith of 1677/1689. And in that Confession we see the biblical teaching on the covenant of works clearly and cogently expressed. It is in breaking that covenant that Adam became a covenant-breaker, and brought down upon us the covenant curse of death (spiritual, physical, and eternal); and it is in keeping that covenant that the Second and Last Adam, our Lord Jesus, became The Covenant Keeper in our place, and brought down to us the covenant blessing of life eternal. I warmly commend the exceptionally fine work represented by this book.

Dr. Liam Goligher
Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church
Philadelphia, PA

About the Author

Richard C. Barcellos, Ph.D., is pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Palmdale, CA. He is author of The Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace: More than a Memory, Christian Focus/Mentor and Getting the Garden Wrong: A Critique of New Covenant Theology on the Covenant of Works and the Sabbath, forthcoming from Founders Press.

Order at RBAP Facebooktwittermail

Tags | ,

19

Feb
2011

In Books

By Brandon Adams

Logos’ 17th Century Particular Baptist Covenant Theology Collection

On 19, Feb 2011 | In Books | By Brandon Adams

Preface: Make sure to read Samuel Renihan’s important How to Read Logos’ Baptist Covenant Theology Collection to understand how these works relate to 1689 Federalism. They are not all in agreement with every detail. Pascal Denault’s summary as well as the Coxe/Owen volume should guide your evaluation of these other authors.


 

Available for $169.95

Overview

The Baptist Covenant Theology Collection dives into seventeenth- and eighteenth-century covenant theology, emphasizing the implications God’s covenants with man have for modern-day believers, particularly regarding baptism. One of the largest divisions facing the Baptist church in the seventeenth century was the stance on paedobaptism. These texts carefully craft arguments from Scripture, drawing from developments in covenant theology to address contemporary arguments supporting infant baptism. The collection contains a blend of accessible texts written for laity and more in-depth scholarship for those wanting to dig into covenant theology.

With Logos Bible Software, these valuable volumes are enhanced by cutting-edge research tools. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Tablet and mobile apps let you take the discussion with you. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

  • Examines seventeenth- and eighteenth-century covenant theology
  • Addresses contemporary paedobaptist arguments
  • Provides a variety of accessible and scholarly explorations of Scripture

 

Facebooktwittermail

01

Jan
2011

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

The Fatal Flaw

On 01, Jan 2011 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams

The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism & Covenantal Dichotomism. Johnson’s treatment differs in some important respects from the Coxe/Owen treatment (see disclaimer below), but he shares their rejection of the “multiple administrations” view and highlights the dichotomous nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. This book is a very helpful summary of various ways paedobaptists have attempted to deal with the “law of works” aspect of the Mosaic Covenant.

Disclaimer Paperback Kindle Facebooktwittermail

08

Dec
2005

In Books

By Brandon Adams

R.B.C. Howell’s “The Covenants”

On 08, Dec 2005 | In Books | By Brandon Adams

RBC Howell

R. B. C. Howell, the second president of the Southern Baptist Convention, presiding from 1851 through 1858, is described in Cathcart’s Baptist Encyclopaedia as” one of the ablest and most learned men in the South.”

A Biographical Sketch of R. B. C. Howell

You can read his book The Covenants over at the Founders website, as well as on Kindle.

Though Howell’s formulation was slightly unique in how he divided up the post-fall covenants in the Old Testament (“we have traced in the preceding chapters, two classes of covenants, of three each”), his basic approach was that of 1689 Federalism.

 Of the law, and the gospel, —the Old, and New covenants, —Paul speaks in language which can hardly be misunderstood. He characterizes them, not as one covenant, developing itself in different forms… Thus have we seen that the old covenant, or law, was fulfilled, and superseded by the new covenant, or gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read more…

Facebooktwittermail

Tags | ,

19

Nov
2000

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

The Family Tree of Reformed Biblical Theology

On 19, Nov 2000 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams

Subtitled Geerhardus Vos and John Owen–Their Methods of and Contributions to the Articulation of Redemptive History, this book is a comparative analysis of Vos and Owen in historical-theological context. The thesis is that Vos’ biblical-theological method should be viewed as a post-Enlightenment continuation of the pre-critical federal (i.e., covenant) theology of seventeenth-century Reformed orthodoxy.

324 pages
Published 2010

If you are interested in Reformed biblical theology and how it relates to the federalism (or covenant theology) of the post-Reformation era, this book is for you. It contains a brief history of biblical theology, Vos and Owen in historical-theological context, a comparison between Vos’ Biblical Theology and Owen’s Biblical Theology, then a closing comparative analysis and conclusion.

Available at RBAP

Endorsements

Here is a book no seminary library should be without and which no department of biblical studies, or historical theology can responsibly ignore….Richard Barcellos’ excellent treatment of the hermeneutics of two of history’s greatest biblical scholars should be on your required reading shelf.

Richard W. Daniels, Ph.D.
Author of The Christology of John Owen

Congratulations and gratitude are due to Dr. Richard Barcellos for giving us this wide-ranging, detailed study of the history of biblical theology. With this substantial contribution Dr. Barcellos has put both the academy and the pulpit deeply in his debt.

Sinclair B. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Author of John Owen on the Christian Life

Those interested in Reformed theology, in particular issues of theological method, are indebted to Barcellos for this most welcome and helpful study.

Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus
Westminster Theological Seminary

OPC Review

Confessing Baptist Podcast Interview

Facebooktwittermail

Tags |

17

Nov
2000

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

An Essay on the Kingdom of Christ (Abraham Booth)

On 17, Nov 2000 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams

 Available on Amazon Kindle ($0.99), PDF, .ePub (free) and .mobi (free).

Also available in Portuguese (PDF).

Screen Shot 2014-11-17 at 11.20.08 AM

Review by Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin

In his day, Abraham Booth (1734-1806) was one of the leading pastors of the English Calvinistic Baptist denomination. Once described by Andrew Fuller as “the first counsellor of our denomination,” he was always referred to by his contemporaries with deep respect. His chief claim to literary fame is probably his The Reign of Grace (1768). This essay, which has also been reprinted a number of times, was written some twenty years later, and is a valuable exploration of the ramifications of our Lord’s confession before Pontius Pilate: “my kingdom is not of this world” [John 18:36]. Booth argues that by this statement Christ depicts himself as a spiritual monarch, ruling over the realm of the human conscience and the heart [p.6-7]. Moreover, since “the empire of Christ. .. extends to every creature” [p.5], his kingdom cannot be regarded as coterminous with any earthly state. Building on these assertions, Booth queries “whether any national religious establishment can be a part of his kingdom” [p.21]. Booth hastens to add that he has no doubt that many in the Church of England of his day, the “national religious establishment” in view here, were genuine members of Christ’s kingdom. He is rightly calling into question, though, a marriage between Church and State, common in his day and regarded with nostalgia by some evangelicals in ours. Moreover, due to the fact that Christ’s kingdom is a one, its establishment is by means consonant with its nature: “evangelical truth and spiritual gifts, laborious and ardent prayer, fortitude, patience, and a holy example” [p.29].

Regarding another book Reign of Grace, Ernest A. Payne notes:

It is a surprisingly mature and rounded essay in biblical theology and shows how busy Booth must have been in the years at Sutton-in- Ashfield. Would that we knew exactly who or what gave the new direction ro his thought! He is clearly indebted to the one he refers to as “the celebrated John Owen”.

In regards to 1689 Federalism, Booth does an excellent job of showing the tremendous difference between the kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Christ by highlighting the fact that Israel was a temporal nation with God as it’s monarch, in contrast to the New Covenant:

This admirably gracious Covenant is completely suited to a spiritual kingdom, and to the subjects we have been describing : for it announces no designs, makes no provisions, confers no blessings, but those that are spiritual and internal. The true knowledge of Jehovah, writing his law in the heart, forgiveness of all sin and perpetual relation to God, are the blessings for which it engages; but there is not a word respecting temporal blessings, nor concerning any merely external relation to the Supreme, though these were the grand articles in the Covenant made at Horeb.

Booth also points his readers to John Erskine’s the Nature of the Sinai Covenant to better understand how the obedience required in the Mosaic Covenant was only external.

Booth’s essay was recently transcribed and made available on Amazon Kindle ($0.99), PDF, .ePub (free), and .mobi (free).

Abraham Booth, 1734-1806

Facebooktwittermail

17

Nov
2000

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

The Divine Covenants (A.W. Pink)

On 17, Nov 2000 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams


2940015323337_p0_v1_s260x420

A.W. Pink’s “The Divine Covenants” (0.99 on Kindle; free as PDF) is a 20th century particular baptist treatment of covenant theology. Pink was well acquainted with all the relevant literature. He quotes Owen frequently and also rests upon Abraham Booth (19th century particular baptist) at key points.

He should be read carefully, as a superficial reading may appear to support the multiple administrations view, but a careful reading shows otherwise. See Did A.W. Pink Agree with 1689 Federalism?

Facebooktwittermail

06

Jul
2000

In Books
Resources

By Brandon Adams

Kingdom of God: A Baptist Expression of Covenant & Biblical Theology

On 06, Jul 2000 | In Books, Resources | By Brandon Adams

TheKingdomOfGodCover1_01

Is there a central plot to the Bible? And if so, why is the Bible divided into two different testaments? Moreover, how do these two testaments relate to each other? No doubt, it can be overwhelming to traverse the various covenants of the Bible. And it can be difficult to understand the unity and diversity of the Old and New Testaments. The Kingdom of God: A Baptist Expression of Biblical & Covenant Theology explains why the maze of the Old and New Testaments cannot be properly navigated or understood without a knowledge of the dual (law and gospel) nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. For the law of the Old Covenant and the grace of the New Covenant flow out of the Abrahamic Covenant and are wonderfully reunited in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, out of the earlier dichotomy comes the later unity of the gospel message.

[Take note, Johnson’s view differs at important points with the Coxe/Owen view. For more on this, please see Republication, the Mosaic Covenant, and Eternal Life.]

“On the many books that exist on covenant theology, rare are those that are accessible to neophytes while at the same time instructing the well read student on the subject. This one does both. If Jeffrey Johnson’s first book, The Fatal Flaw, explained what Baptist covenant theology is not, The Kingdom of God explains what it is. In my view, the most important contribution of this work is to bring us the history of salvation through all the biblical covenants in a Reformed Baptist perspective. The deeper treatment that Jeffrey Johnson gives to the Abrahamic Covenant in this work is one of the clearest statements I have read. After you finish reading it, you will have a clearer view of the big picture of the kingdom of God.”
Pascal Denault
Author of The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology

Order Now at FreeGracePress.org

Use code “1689” to get 20% off

Facebooktwittermail