Covenants Of Time Cannot Supercede The Eternal Covenant

The covenants that are made in time cannot disannul that which was made in eternity. God’s covenants of time manifest the progressive way in which He reveals Himself to man. As the root was in the ground before the stem, leaves, bud, and the fragrant fruit, the eternal covenant of God was eternally confirmed in Christ before it was revealed to man by the Holy Spirit in time.

The eternal covenant (diatheke, means covenant, will, or testament) of grace is unilateral. This leaves depraved man out of the covenant of grace because he is spiritually impotent. To make a covenant effective, the parties must be able to fulfill the conditions undertaken. With depraved man, such fulfillment is impossible. However, there is an eternal covenant in which God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the contracting parties; and the chosen sheep are the beneficiaries. Thus, the covenant has three parts: (1) the promise by the Father, (2) the fulfillment by the Son of God, and (3) the application by the Spirit of God (Eph. 1:1-14).

The following things are revealed in the eternal character of the covenant: (1) Its antiquity--outdates the covenants of time (Heb. 13:20, 21); (2) Its permanence—only what comes from eternity can survive eternally; (3) Its immutability—assured because that which is mutable changes, but God never changes (Mal. 3:6). God has nothing in Himself that is not Himself; therefore, He cannot change in Himself. Arminians claim that God’s purposes can be thwarted. That would mean the elect of today, because of human determination, may become non-elect tomorrow. According to them, God can do no more than adjust Himself to the will of man, and His determination toward His creatures may change. What a horrible concept of the only true and living God!

God never created the human will as an instrument to defeat His own purpose. He creates men that they may serve His immutable will. To suppose that He who creates all things cannot determine the choice and destiny of that which He has created is absurd. Scripture says, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His…”(II Tim. 2:19 NASB). Those known by God are His eternal choice who will not only be born of God, but they will also be preserved for eternity (Jude 1).

The word “covenant” is used several ways in the Scriptures—conditional, unconditional, soteriological, eschatological, temporal, and eternal. The Greek noun diatheke is translated into English by the words “covenant” and “testament.” When it applies to the covenant of grace, some scholars believe the word “testament” is better than “covenant” for the following reasons: (1) A covenant is an agreement between two parties which sometimes may not be between equals, whereas a testament is the one-sided disposal of something by the will of the testator. (2) A covenant is dissolved by death, but a testament only becomes legally effective at the point of death. However, in Hebrews 9:16-17, the word has the double significance of “a will” and “a covenant.” The wonderful truth about this passage is that Jesus Christ is the covenant Victim and Mediator of the covenant.

In studying the covenant of grace, the lessons typified by the tabernacle are most important. For example, the Ark is a symbol of God’s throne, and it is from this throne all blessings descend. The Mercy Seat was placed upon the Ark, and it was the same size of the Ark. This means that God’s saving grace reaches no further than the eternal covenant.

God made legal, ceremonial, and national covenants that were temporary, but the covenant of grace is eternal (Heb. 13:20, 21). The covenant of grace reaches up to God’s highest attributes and down to the elect’s deepest needs. Nothing can alter the disposition of God who made it. He foresees all changes, overrules all events, and provides for all circumstances. The eternal covenant, in the light of Holy Scripture, has the God of peace as its author, the great Shepherd of the sheep as its fulfillment, and the sheep from among Jews and non-Jews for whom Jesus Christ died as its recipients (John 10:16).

The safety of the sheep whether Jews or Gentiles rests in the power of the Shepherd (John 17:1-3; 10:1-16, 28-30). The eternal covenant was made with the eternal Son, God the Father’s equal, not with lost and depraved mankind (Gal. 3:16-22). Paul proves that a confirmed covenant cannot be abolished by a subsequent covenant in time. For example, the Abrahamic covenant was not made with Christ and Abraham. The promise was made to Abraham subsequent to the covenant which was confirmed before in the eternal Son of God. Therefore, the eternal covenant was exhibited, to some extent, in the Abrahamic covenant. This principle applies to all the other covenants made in time.

Hebrews speaks of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. His death paid the penalty of sin, satisfied the righteous demands of the law, and made possible the flow of peace to the elect of God on the basis of satisfied justice.

God’s covenant concerning Israel’s restoration is unconditional: “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew…” (Rom. 11:2 NASB). If God could contradict what He said He will not do, everything would crumble, even the Christian’s hope in God. The unconditional covenant of God is frequently asserted throughout Scripture. Therefore, Israel’s restoration is not on the basis of her holiness but for the Lord’s sake. It is for the preservation of God’s faithfulness. God said to Ezekiel, “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord God, when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land” (Ezek. 36:22-24 NASB). Paul said, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11: 28-29 NASB).

The perpetuity of some elect Israelites is asserted over and over. (See Num. 23:9-10; I Chron. 17:21-22; Ps. 136:14; Jer. 31:35-37; Amos 9:8.) Because of their unfaithfulness, the nation is driven from its land and scattered among the nations. Their removal, taught by Moses and the prophets, was designed for correction and punishment. However, it is not perpetual. Because of the Jews nationally promised perpetuity and future position as a nation in the yet unfulfilled purpose of God, they are preserved as a people. The divided Kingdom will become one again in Christ.

The Old Testament prophets presented the coming of Christ under two very contrasted aspects. Out Savior was presented as the “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3 NASB) and as the conquering King “on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Is. 9:7 NASB). Peter describes the prophets as searching diligently into those predictions (I Pet. 1:10). The Old Testament prophets saw two gigantic peaks in a distant mountain range. They appeared to be very close together. However, it was later discovered that a long valley separated the two peaks; but this discovery was not made by the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament.

At the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, He quoted Isaiah’s prophecy which would be fulfilled in His first advent. “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him” (Luke 4:17-20 NASB). Compare what Christ quoted with Isaiah 61:1-3. He stopped short of what the religious Jews wanted to hear: “And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn” (Is. 61:2). This part of the prophecy was not a part of Christ’s first advent. His omission enraged the religious Jews who did not hear what they wanted.

The prophets often announced the advent of Jesus Christ without making any distinction between the first and second advents because both are necessary for perfected redemption. Christ’s first advent prepared for the second. The first was in humiliation; the second will be in power and glory. Each advent has its appropriate sphere of accomplishment. The glory of the second is the consummation subsequent to the suffering and application of the first.

Both the disciples of Christ and Christians today need instruction on the subject of eschatology. From the elect’s perspective, soteriology and eschatology are their most important sciences. All the other Biblical sciences are wrapped up in these two. Do not forget the question that Christ’s disciples asked Him just before His ascension, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). How can the “church” (assembly) be the kingdom since Christ had already established His assembly? (See Matt. 16:18-19; 18:15-20.) Furthermore, Jesus Christ had already given the assembly the great commission (Matt. 28:16-20).