GOD’S
COVENANT OF GRACE AND COVENANT OF REDEMPTION: SIMILARITIES AND DISTINCTIONS
Covenant
theology is a common part of reformed thinking. The topic, however, can be
convoluted and far-reaching. At the foundation, many might simply assume
covenant theology to center around the various covenants of the Bible, e.g. the
Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant, or even the new
covenant. Covenant theology, nonetheless, encompasses vastly more than the
individual covenants manifested throughout history. In fact, reformed thought,
as expressed by John Calvin, suggests that there are not multiple covenants but
only one covenant of grace between God and his people, which is manifested
through various instances in history and finalized and made permanent in the
new covenant. This line of thought is clear when the Bible is viewed as a
meta-narrative rather than individual stories useful for moral inspiration. The
text of Scripture, rather, is the story of God and his people centered around
Jesus Christ and a story into which we fit today, i.e. we, the church, have
been grafted into Abraham’s blessing as God’s people; we are adopted children
of God.
A
unique aspect to covenant theology is the distinction between the covenant of
grace and the covenant of redemption. Many often do not think about or realize
two distinct covenants; yet, there is evidence for both and distinctions
between both. Lest there be confusion or false understanding, I will examine
both the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace regarding their
similarities and distinctions.
What Are They?
Before
discussing the similarities and distinctions of both covenants, we should
understand what they are. They are not the same covenants; thus, they should
not be discussed in the same terms.
Covenant
of Grace
In
recent years, covenant theology has become vital to my understanding of God’s
work and story. My thoughts began to shift when I realized God’s covenant with
a people above his covenant with individuals. Certainly, we might look to
individual covenants, e.g. the Abrahamic covenant, when discussing this
theology; nevertheless, even individual covenants were manifestations of God’s
covenant with a people.
The
covenant we see most saliently in Scripture is the covenant of grace. The
covenant of grace is the covenant which God initiated and made between himself
and his own chosen people. Those who are a part of the covenant of grace are
children of God (1 John 3:1).[1] From the time God cursed
the serpent in Genesis 3 through the final page of Revelation and the end of
time, God’s covenant has been employed and will continue to be employed. While Satan
has often tried to thwart God’s plan, he has not succeeded. Rather, God has
succeeded in redeeming his chosen people through a chosen seed from the lineage
of David. The church now, therefore, stands as the blessing of Abraham. This is
the covenant of grace:
God the Father
has chosen a people; God the Son has redeemed the chosen people as his bride;
and God the Spirit has called and guided the chosen people, namely the church.
The
covenant of grace was initiated by God but, as with all covenants, includes
conditions by which the other party (Christians) must abide. We are God’s
people and members of the covenant which God has instituted out of his great
love. The covenant of grace then is the covenant between triune God and his
people.
Covenant
of Redemption
The
covenant of redemption, often referred to as the (Latin) pactus salitus, is different from the covenant of grace in that it
is the pact made in eternity past between all three members of the Godhead
regarding how the chosen people (the church) would be redeemed. The basis for
the covenant of redemption is the three-way love relationship between the
Father, Son, and Spirit. Out of love for the Son, the Father gives a people;
out of love for the Father, the Son redeems the people; and out of love for
both the Father and the Son, the Spirit calls, convicts, and guides the people.
All actions are born of and based upon love between members of the triune
Godhead for each other.
Biblical Support
One
might question the biblical basis for belief in such a covenant. By right
admission, there does not exist explicit references to the covenant of
redemption; it is, however, a central part of reformed theology.
Although
the term “Covenant of Redemption” is not a biblical designation, the teaching
that, from before the creation of the world, the persons of the Trinity entered
into a solemn pact to accomplish the work of redemption, the Father promising
to give a people to the Son as his inheritance, the Son undertaking to
accomplish their redemption, and the Spirit covenanting to testify to Christ,
and apply his redemption to his people's hearts, is most evidently biblical.
Thus, according to the divine testimony, the Lamb was already considered as
“slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8) so certainly was the
agreement to accomplish redemption established before history.[2]
Additionally, there subsists biblical
support for the covenant of redemption by way of inference. Psalm 2, for
example, “depicts Christ relating the terms of the Covenant
that the Father had established with him. Isaiah 53:10-12 also speaks of the
covenantal agreement between the Father and the Son in the accomplishing
of redemption; and Ephesians 1:3-14 gives a trinitarian picture of the roles
that each person of the godhead undertook from eternity to perform.”[3] Many, however, view the
gospel of John as the clearest portrait which points to the covenant of
redemption, as Jesus repeatedly speaks of the work given to him by the Father,
e.g. John 5:17-31, 36-37, 43; 6:37-40, 57; 7:28-29, 38-39; 8:16-19, 26-29, 38,
42, 49-54; 9:4; 10:14-18, 25-30, 36-38; 12:23-28, 44-50; 13:3, 20, 31-32;
14:9-14, 16-20, 24-26; 15:8-15, 24-27; 16:7-16, 27-28; 17.[4]
Lest
one question basis for the covenant of redemption, be mindful of various areas
of Christian theology which do not present explicit biblical support, e.g. the
age of accountability, which perhaps presents even less biblical support. What
we have here are two disparate covenants: the covenant of grace and the
covenant of redemption of which there are both similarities and striking
differences. For the remainder, I will discuss the similarities and differences
between both covenants.
Similarities
There
are three primary similarities between God’s covenant of grace and covenant of
redemption which should be addressed.
Both
Are Initiated by God
First,
both the covenant of grace and the covenant of redemption are initiated by God.
Humankind does not initiate either covenant; nor is any human qualified and
capable of initiating such a covenant with God. Consider the manifestations of
God’s covenant in Scripture. Whether his covenant with Abraham, Moses, Noah,
David, or even with his people in the new covenant, it is never initiated by
humankind. The covenant of redemption, a pact between the members of the
Godhead, while related to the salvation of God’s people, does not include God’s
people in the covenant. It is, thus, initiated by triune God. The covenant of
grace, likewise, while specifically between God and his people, has been
initiated by God; his people then merely respond. Both covenants are initiated
by God.
Both
Have God’s Glory in Mind
Both
covenants hold the aim of God’s glory. The basis for the covenant of redemption
is the threefold love relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit, i.e. it
is centered around God’s glory. The covenant of grace also aims at the glory of
God. In fact, salvation is not made possible except for the glory of God. The
church is not saved simply because God loves us enough to save us. Rather,
God’s people are saved to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). Many
might find it difficult to grasp the fact that God does not love simply to love
but for his own glory. If something does not glorify him, he would not do it.
Even the crucifixion itself glorifies God. Without sin, there could be no
judgment; without judgment, there could be no ultimate display of love through
the cross; and without the cross, God’s glory would not be revealed in its
fullest sense through the compatibility of both love and judgment. Both were
displayed on the cross and indeed bring glory to God. The covenant of
redemption and covenant of grace then are both intended to bring glory to God.
Both
Are Executed in Love
Moreover,
both covenants are executed in love. The covenant of redemption has been
executed in love between all three persons of the Trinity; the covenant of
grace, meanwhile, has been executed in love for the church. Both covenants
bringing glory to God, exceeding love is displayed in the employment of the
covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace.
Additionally,
we, the church, are still part of the effects of both covenants. Since the
covenant of redemption deals with how the chosen people would be redeemed, the
specifics of that agreement are seen in the covenant of grace. God then has
redeemed his people from the beginning of time and continues to redeem his
chosen ones today. Thus, all believers have the privilege of experiencing the
effects of both covenants and will do so throughout eternity, as the bequeathed
and eternally loved people of God.
Distinctions
There
exist three primary distinctions between the covenant of redemption and
covenant of grace.
The
Party Being Loved
The
party being loves in the covenants differs. In the covenant of redemption, it
is God who is primarily loved. The covenant of redemption, in fact, does not
include humankind as a party; rather, it is made between the three persons of
the Trinity alone. It is then God being loved in the covenant of redemption
rather than the chosen people.
Timing
The
timing also differs between the covenant of redemption and the covenant of
grace. The covenant of redemption had to be made in eternity past before time
began. The covenant of grace was the plan within that covenant; yet, it could
not be made until the chosen people existed. The covenant of redemption could
be considered outside the bounds of time and space while the covenant of grace
cannot. The covenant of grace had to be made and exercised at a particular time
and with a particular people. While both are eternal, the covenant of grace
falls within the bounds of time and space unlike the covenant of redemption.
One
Precedes the Other
Another
distinction between these two separate covenants is that the covenant of redemption
precedes the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace is truly a derivative of
and even dependent upon the covenant of redemption. Without the trinitarian
covenant of redemption in eternity past, the actual plan of humankind’s
salvation, e.g. the covenant of grace, would not be possible. The covenant of
redemption is primary and overarching, from which stems the covenant of grace.
Following the eternal pact made between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit then,
God’s people now share in the benefits of the covenant of grace.
Transformation: The Result of Realizing the Covenant of
Redemption
One
might wonder how or why covenant theology matters. Many Christians are likely
not familiar with the covenant of redemption of even covenant theology at all.
The knowledge of both, however, should change our lives. As people who have
been covenanted by a loving God, knowledge of the covenant of redemption should
allow us to realize God’s desire for his own glory, for without that desire,
the covenant of grace would not exist. The covenant of grace is not the end but
is rather means to an end: namely the glory of God. The pact made between the
Father, Son, and Spirit in eternity past is the cause of the blessing we now
hold: the blessing of being grafted and adopted into the chosen people of God.
Our lives then should be transformed not only because of gratitude but because
of a fervent realization that we are actively a part of the plan God instituted
before time began. As he changes us, the plan made in the covenant of
redemption is working. For the church then, realizing the covenant of
redemption should result transformation.
[1] Keep in mind that only the church possesses the
privilege of being called children of God. Those who are not Christians are
God’s creation but not his children.
[2] “Is there a biblical basis for the Covenant of
Redemption,” Monergism.com, accessed March 13, 2019,
https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/qna/covredemp.html.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
