UNITY OF THE DIVINECOVENANTS

The Bible consists of sixty-six books written by some forty different authorsover a span of more than a thousand five hundred years. Yet, the Bible is notmerely an anthology of historical works, stories, poetries and other literaryworks. The Bible itself declares that all parts of it are given by inspirationof God (2 Tim 3:16). This can be verified to a certain degree even by asuperficial reading of the Bible. But much more than that, the Christian,reading and examining the Bible with the illuminating help of the Holy Spirit,will surely not miss the fact that it is indeed one book whose ultimate authoris God Himself. However, the average reader of the Bible, unaided by knowledgeof systematic theology, may find it difficult to see a central theme orunifying principle running through the Scriptures. Thus, it may be difficultfor a person who has no sympathy with systematic theology, though having a highregard for the Scripture, to see the biblical basis behind the CovenantTheology expressed in our Confession of Faith, such as:

This covenant [of grace] wasdifferently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel:under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices,circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to thepeople of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for thattime sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, toinstruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom theyhad full remission of sins, and eternal salvation, and is called the OldTestament (WCF 7.5).

One may well point to Romans 5:12–21 and perhaps Hebrews 8–10 to show thatthere is indeed a covenant of salvation centring on Christ. But our inquirer orobjector (as the case may be) may well point out: firstly that the phrase“covenant of grace” does not occur in the Scripture, and secondly, there aremany references to covenants which God made with different individuals in theOld Testament, e.g., Noah, Abraham, Moses and David, but there does not appearto be one that spans the different eras covered by scriptural history. How dowe respond to such a person?

In this short article, we would like to make an attempt to answer the secondobjection, namely, we would like to show that there is indeed a covenantinitiated by God that spans scriptural history which, we believe, correspondsto the Covenant of Grace. This covenant, we believe, is manifested or renewedwith different persons at different times in revelational history, so that theyappear as different covenants, but are, in fact, referring to one and the samecovenant progressively revealed. In a follow-up article, we shall show theunilateral and gracious character of these divine covenants (or subordinatecovenants) in order to show that the one covenant spanning redemptive historymay rightly be called “the Covenant of Grace.” Note, however, that in theinterest of brevity, these articles are necessarily introductory. Thoseinterested in a fuller treatment may consult: O. Palmer Robertson, TheChrist of the Covenants (P&R, 1980), 308 pages.

We will show the unity of the divinely initiated divine covenants by firstlooking at the testimony of the New Testament; secondly, looking at how thecovenants are structurally united, i.e., how later covenants build upon earlierones; and thirdly, by showing that each of the covenants has the same theme.

Testimony of the NewTestament

Immediately after John the Baptist was born, Zacharias his father was filledwith the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn ofsalvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth ofhis holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should besaved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform themercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oathwhich he sware to our father Abraham (Lk 1:68–73).

Notice how Zacharias explicitly refers to the Abrahamic Covenant, but then (1)he refers to it as a covenant which has been spoken of since the creation ofthe world; and (2) he seems to include the promise of the Davidic Covenantunder it. The most obvious explanation of this apparent inaccuracy onZacharias’ part is to see that he recognises that the Old Testament covenants,whether made with Adam, Abraham or David, all refer to the same covenant.

The writer of Hebrews also hints at this thought when he speaks about the bloodof Christ as being “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb 13:20). It maybe thought that this everlasting covenant refers only to theNew Covenant which was inaugurated by Christ at His death and will never bedisannulled (e.g., Jer 32:40). But this interpretation is highly unlikely whenwe consider the fact that the phrase “everlasting covenant” occurs many timesin the Old Testament. It was used to describe the Noahic Covenant (Gen 9:16), theAbrahamic Covenant (Gen 17:7), and the Davidic Covenant (Isa 55:3). The book ofHebrews was written to Jewish Christians who would have been very familiar withthe Old Testament. When they read the term “everlasting covenant” (diathêkêaiônios), they would no doubt call to mind references to the “everlastingcovenant” in the Old Testament (exactly the same words in the Greek translationof the OT, the LXX). Again, therefore, there is a strong evidence that thewriter of Hebrews, writing under inspiration, considers the Noahic Covenant,the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant as one and the same covenant.

Structural Unity of theCovenants

We have already referred to the Adamic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, theAbrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant and the NewCovenant. These are the divine covenants, which God appears to have made withindividuals in the course of revelational history. To show that these are allaspects of the same covenant, progressively revealed, we need to prove, apartfrom the New Testament testimony, that they are structurally and thematicallyunited.

Structural unity has to do with unity arising out of the circumstancessurrounding the inauguration and administration of the covenants. Simplystated, two covenants are structurally united if the later of the two covenantsrefers to, or builds upon the earlier covenant. Put in another way, twocovenants are structurally united if the stipulations or promises of both ofthem are at the same time effective. It is not difficult to see that twoeverlasting covenants with the same theme that are in force in the same timemust be referring to different aspects of the same covenant.

Bearing this in mind, it can be seen that the Mosaic Covenant is structurally unitedto the Abrahamic Covenant by the context of the establishment of the latercovenant. In Exodus 2:24, which anticipates the establishment of the MosaicCovenant, we are told: “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered hiscovenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” John Murray notes that “Theonly interpretation of this is that the deliverance of Israel from Egypt andthe bringing them into the land of promise is in fulfilment of the covenantpromise to Abraham respecting the possession of the land of Canaan (Ex 3:16,17, 6:4–8; Pss 105:8–12, 42–45; 106:45)” (John Murray, The Covenant ofGrace, [P&R, 1988], 20). Thus, it may be said that the Mosaic Covenantdeveloped from the Abrahamic Covenant, and thus the two subordinate covenantsare structurally united.

The Apostle Paul also hints at the structural unity between the AbrahamicCovenant and the Mosaic Covenant when he affirms that the Abrahamic Covenantremains in force when the Mosaic Covenant was inaugurated: “And this I say,that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, whichwas four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should makethe promise of none effect” (Gal 3:17).

Again, we see that the Davidic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant arestructurally united since Solomon comes under the scope of the Davidic Covenant(2 Sam 23:5; Ps 89:3–4; cf. 2 Sam 7:12–16), but David charged him to keep thestipulations of the Mosaic Covenant: “And keep the charge of the LORD thy God,to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and hisjudgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thoumayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself”(1 Kgs 2:3).

Even more strikingly, the Lord draws four of the subordinate covenants togetherin Ezekiel 37:24–26:

And David my servant shall be kingover them; and they all shall have one shepherd [promise of the DavidicCovenant—Ps 89:3–4]: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes [stipulationsof the Mosaic Covenant—Ex 24:7], and do them. And they shall dwell in theland that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt;and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children [promise ofthe Abrahamic Covenant—Gen 15:18], and their children’s children for ever:and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make acovenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: andI will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst ofthem for evermore[promise of the New Covenant].

What about the New Covenant? Numerous statements in the New Testament appear tosuggest that there is a discontinuity between the Old Covenant and the NewCovenant (e.g., Heb 8:6–7). Is there a structural unity between the NewCovenant and the Old Covenant? The term “Old Covenant” (cf. Heb 8:13), we mustremember, is not a precise theological term. It is a comparative term tohighlight the newness of the New Covenant. But in what sense is the NewCovenant new? Very simply, it is new in that its promises and administrationare the substance or antitype of the shadows and types in the Old Covenant.This is what the writer of Hebrews mean by “better covenant” and “betterpromises” (Heb 8:6). The tabernacle of the Old is replaced by Christ, theEmmanuel (Heb 9:11; Mt 1:23) who tabernacled among us (Jn 1:14). The sacrificesof the Old which cannot really take away sin (Heb 10:4) ceased with the perfectpropitiatory sacrifice of Christ Himself (Heb 9:14; Mt 26:28). The priestlyadministration of Old finds its fulfilment in the mediatorship of Christ (Heb4:15–16; 7:24–25). The land promised of Old finds its real substance in thepromise of eternal inheritance in Christ (Heb 6:18–19; 11:10, 16). The Kingpromised in the Davidic Covenant is now seated on the throne reigning as Kingof kings and Lord of lords.

Moreover, the New Covenant does not do away with every aspect of the OldCovenant. Though the ceremonial laws of the Mosaic Covenant have beenfulfilled, the Moral Laws remain as a principle of life or the regulations ofcovenant life of New Covenant saints (Mt 5:18–20, etc.). The Sabbath remains asign between God and His people (Ex 31:11, 16; cf. Heb 4:9 [note: “rest” translates sabbatismos]).The promise of the Abrahamic Covenant is still for believers and their seed(Acts 2:39). The sacraments of the Old Covenant: Circumcision (AbrahamicCovenant) and Passover (Mosaic Covenant) remains as Baptism and the Lord’sSupper.

The evidence is quite conclusive, I believe: the divine covenants that God madewith representative individuals in the Old Testament, are structurally unitedto one another. None of the covenants were simply cancelled or disannulled. Allthe covenants built upon one another and culminated at the New Covenant wherewhat is shadowy and typical finds their fulfilment in Christ.

Thematic Unity of theCovenants

The divine covenants are not just structurally united. An examination of eachof them will reveal that there is a soteriological theme that runs through eachof them. This theme is best captured in the phrase: “I will be your God and youwill be my people,” which constantly recurs in various forms in the summationof the covenants (see ICR 2.10.8; Louis Berkhof, SystematicTheology [BOT, 1958], 277; Robertson, Covenants, 45).

Adamic Covenant

The most important statement in the Adamic Covenant is nodoubt Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, andbetween thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruisehis heel.” This verse, which has long been dubbed the protevangelium,however carries much interpretative difficulties. In particular, manycommentators struggle with the meaning of the phrase “her seed.” Does the seedrefer to Christ or to Christians? Interestingly, a search through theliterature on the subject would reveal that by and large, most commentatorswould eventually arrive at the conclusion that it has a primary and secondarymeaning. Matthew Poole’s puts it very well:

… first and principally, [“her seed”refers to] the Lord Christ, who with respect to this text and promise iscalled, by way of eminency, the seed, Galatians 3:16, 19; whose work it is tobreak the serpent’s head, i.e., to destroy the devil, Hebrews 2:14.… Secondly,by way of participation, all the members of Christ, all believers and holy men,who are called the children of Christ, Hebrews 2:13… are the implacable enemiesof the devil, whom also by Christ’s merit and strength they do overcome (Comm.in loc.).

This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul’s commentary on the verse in Romans16:20, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your [plural] feetshortly.” So Robertson notes that “Paul sees the ultimate realisation of this earliestword of prophesy in the destruction of Satan under the feet of believers at theend of the age” (Robertson, Covenants, 99). This distinction ofbelievers from unbelievers demonstrates that the major theme of the AdamicCovenant is in fact the said: “I will be your God and you will be my people”(cf. 2 Cor 6:14–16). This is further confirmed in Genesis 3:20, where Adamnamed his wife Eve, “because she was the mother of all living.” Adam is now thefather of all who will die (Rom 5:12), but the woman, through the prophesiedvirgin birth of Christ, has become the mother of all who will live. Genesis3:21 supports this interpretation with the slaying of the animal to make thecoats of skin, typifying the perfect sacrifice at the Cross, by which the Lord redeemsa people for Himself.

Noahic Covenant

Although not specifically mentioned, the theme, “I will beyour God and you will be my people,” can also be seen in the Noahic Covenant.This is first implied in the Lord’s choice of Noah and his family, out of allthe families on the earth, to be saved from the deluge. The phrase, “Noah foundgrace in the eye of the LORD” (Gen 6:8), surely is an indication of the firstpart of the theme, i.e., “I will be your God.” And undoubtedly, “Noah walkedwith God” (Gen 6:9) indicates the second part of the theme: “you will be mypeople.”

Similarly, after the flood, the soteriological theme can again be seen.Firstly, it is seen in Genesis 9:9, “I establish my covenant with you, and withyour seed after you.” It is true that on the surface, this covenant mightappear merely to be a promise that God would not destroy the earth by floodagain (v. 11). However, there is more to it. The Apostle Peter, certainlyrefers to this very statement in the phrase “by the same word” in 2 Peter 3:7,and his commentary is that the reason why the earth is “kept in store” by thatpromise is that the Lord is “longsuffering to usward, not willing that anyshould perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). The NoahicCovenant must therefore be understood as exhibiting the same commitment of Godto redeem a people unto Himself, just as in the Adamic Covenant.

The Noahic Covenant, we may conclude, is not a new covenant, but a developmentof the Adamic Covenant.

Abrahamic Covenant

The theme of the Abrahamic Covenant is much more explicitlystated than in the previous two subordinate covenants from which it develops.This is first seen in the use of the thematic formula in conjunction with theestablishment of circumcision as a sign and seal of the covenant in Genesis17:7: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed afterthee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God untothee, and to thy seedafter thee” (italics mine). The fact thatthis pronouncement is not merely to establish the Jewish nation, but a redeemedcovenant people, is clear from the Apostle Paul’s testimony: “And if ye beChrist’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal3:29).

In the same way, the circumcision is not so much to mark out the Jewish people,but to be a sign of inward grace. The Apostle Paul himself says, “For he is nota Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outwardin the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is thatof the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men,but of God” (Rom 2:28–29).

We have, moreover, seen that the land promised in the Abrahamic Covenant pointsrather to the heavenly “city which hath foundations whose builder and maker isGod” (Heb 11:10), i.e., an eternal inheritance in Christ. The Dispensationalcontention that the Abrahamic Covenant deals largely with ethnic Israel ratherthan with the redeemed body of Christ, as we have seen to be the case of theprevious two covenants, is therefore answered in the New Testament. And so onceagain, we see that the Abrahamic Covenant is, in fact, a development of theearlier covenant rather than a new one.

Mosaic Covenant

Under the Mosaic Covenant, the thematic formula appearseven more frequently in the institution and essence of the covenant. The phrasefirst appears explicitly when Moses approached God after his initial failurewith Pharaoh. God first assured Moses of what He would do for Israel (Ex6:1–7), and then He revealed the purpose of what He was about to do: “And Iwill take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall knowthat I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdensof the Egyptians” (Ex 6:7; italics mine).

This purpose was confirmed when Israel was eventually brought out of Egypt, andthe Mosaic Covenant was about to be inaugurated. As Moses stood before God atMount Sinai, God reminded Israel through him: “Ye have seen what I did unto theEgyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, andkeep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:for all the earth is mine” (Ex 19:4–5).

This same theme is also found elsewhere in the Pentateuch as a summary of theessence of the covenant and Israel’sdeliverance from Egypt.We see this in Leviticus 11:45, where God said: “For I am the LORD thatbringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to beyour God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” In the same way,Moses reminded the new generation of Israelites: “But the LORD hath taken you,and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt,to be untohim a people of inheritance, as ye are this day” (Deut 4:20). Later, asthey stood in the plains of Moab to renew the bonds of the covenant, Mosesdeclared to them the purpose of their gathering: “That he may establish thee today for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God,as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham,to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Deut 29:13). Thus the very purpose of the MosaicCovenant is the establishment of a people for Himself.

It is also significant to note how Moses points out that the covenant wasalready made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thus indicating unity of the MosaicCovenant with the Abrahamic Covenant, and therefore with the previouscovenants.

Davidic Covenant

The Davidic Covenant was inaugurated in 2 Samuel 7:12–16.Although the word “covenant” does not appear there, it appears in Psalm 89:

I have made a covenant with mychosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever,and build up thy throne to all generations.… My mercy will I keep for him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I maketo endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.… (Ps 89:3–4, 28–29).

Is this covenant distinct from all the preceding covenants in that it is madeonly with David and his seed, and has to do with the throne and nothing else?If that be the case, then this covenant has no meaning for anyone who is not aphysical descendant of David, yet the Lord invites all through Isaiah: “Inclineyour ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will makean everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies ofDavid” (Isa 55:3). The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in his sermon in Antiochof Pisidia to prove to the people that through Christ was preached unto themthe forgiveness of sin (Acts 13:34, 38). Quite obviously, then, the DavidicCovenant is not only a standalone covenant; rather it has the same theme as theprevious covenants: the redemption of a people unto God, only now it isrevealed how He would be a God unto them. He would be God unto them through therule of Christ the greater David.

New Covenant

It is almost superfluous to have to show that the theme ofthe New Covenant is as with the preceding covenants, for it is explicitlystated in Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make withthe house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law intheir inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be theirGod, and they shall be my people” (cf. Heb 8:10; 2 Cor 6:16).

We noted earlier, the New Covenant is not entirely new. Itis the culmination of the Old Testament covenants. Now, confirming that it isthematically united with the earlier covenants, we essentially prove that it isone with all the earlier covenants.

Conclusion

We have shown that the divine covenants inaugurated by God are not in factstandalone covenants. They are all structurally and thematically united to oneanother. The theme that threads through each one of them is that of redemption,but redemption can only be mediated through Christ (Acts 4:12; Jn 14:6; etc.).We can only conclude that Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of theworld (Rev 13:8), is the Mediator in all these divine covenants. His bloodseals each of the covenants. And His blood is “the blood of the everlastingcovenant” (Heb 13:20). We may conclude that each of the divine covenants is anadministration of the same everlasting covenant. This will become even clearerwhen we examine the gracious character of each of the subordinate covenants.

—JJ Lim