The Covenant of Redemption - Sam Renihan

[4Elect]

From "The Mystery of Christ: His Covenant & His Kingdom" - Samuel Renihan

What It Is

• A covenant transacted between the members of the Trinity before the creation the world for the redemption of the elect. It is the foundation of the New Covenant.

Parties of the Covenant

• The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• The Father declares the Son to be His chosen servant for redemption, the Son agrees to take on the role, the Spirit is given to empower the Son/Servant (servant songs of Isaiah 42:1-7, 50:4-9)

Commitments of the Covenant

• The Son - The Father commands the Son to "become incarnate, to obey the law perfectly, and to offer Himself up as a substitutionary sacrifice for a special people." (154) This charge Jesus explicitly references in John 10:17-18. Jesus appointed by the Father as a king (Psalm 2:6-9), a priest in after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), and the role of a prophet (Isaiah 61:1-2). The Son will become the Federal head of the covenant.
• The Father - The Father charges the Son and then commits to helping Him fulfill His mission (Is. 42:6, 49:8, 50:7-9). Commits to resurrecting and exalting the Son at the completion of the misison.
• The Spirit - Sent by the Father to aid the Son in completing His mission.

Fulfillment of the Covenant

• The death of the Son on the cross for the redemption of the elect.
• The Son also fulfills the Covenant of Works as the second and faithful Adam, the Abrahamic Covenant as the promised seed, and the Mosaic Covenant as the perfect keeper of the law and fulfilment of the types and shadows of the sacrificial system.

Final Note - I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires an overview of the Bible's story from a 1689 Federalist. Renihan does a wonderful job in a relatively short space to put together the key components of Baptist Covenant theology and while presenting the glories of Christ's fulfillment and the master plan of God for our redemption.

 

[DateNowney]

Another good book is The Last Adam, by Brandon Crowe. Its basic argument is that the synoptic gospels are basically an account of how Christ fulfilled the perfect requirements of the law by his life. Coupled with a good background in CT, it's a great book.

 

[Κρέιγκ]

Another good book is The Last Adam, by Brandon Crowe. Its basic argument is that the synoptic gospels are basically an account of how Christ fulfilled the perfect requirements of the law by his life. Coupled with a good background in CT, it's a great book.

I can second the Crowe book, and say that maybe even better (though it depends on what you are interested in) is his more recent Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life? The Last Adam is very good, and presents a strong argument that Christ's mighty works ought to be viewed in terms of fulfilling the Law's requirement, rather than just a tacked on prolegomena to the passion. However, he it is highly oriented towards New Testament studies, and leaves the reader to do most of the work of filling in the dogmatic outline.

For historical theology looking at the Covenant of Redemption, I found Scottish Federalism and Covenantalism in Transition: The Theology of Ebenezer Erskine by Stephen Myer really great. It doesn't address 1689 Federalism directly, being a narrow study of key Presbyterian figures, but Myers really gets into the weeds on the developing state of the pactum salutis in the 17th-18th centuries. Worth your time if you are into that kind of thing.