Page 3 of 3Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology Chart. God has 2 peoples with 2 separate destinies:Israel (earthly). John Piper's position. Wayne Strickland, ed., Five Views on Law and Gospel. Body and Bride of Christ. There are many similarities between the Law of Christ and Mosaic Law, but that does not change the fact that the Mosaic Law has been canceled and that, therefore, we are not to look to it for direct guidance but rather to the New Testament. Since covenant theologians trace their roots to the reformation, they naturally believe in the historical-grammatical method of interpreting the Bible (which I also hold to). The covenant of works, instituted in the Garden of Eden, was the promise that perfect obedience would be rewarded with eternal life. Some O. Covenantal and dispensational theology. prophecies are for the literalnation of Israel, others are for spiritual Israel. For example, in Scripture we explicitly read of various covenants functioning as the major stages in redemptive history, such as the covenant with Abraham, the giving of the law, the covenant with David, and the new covenant. Third, as a result of this literal interpretation of Scripture, dispensationalism holds to a distinction between Israel (even believing Israel) and the church. Always Pre-Millennial andusually Pre-Tribulational.
CT holds that the Mosaic Law can be divided into three groups of laws — those regulating the government of Israel (civil laws), ceremonial laws, and moral laws. By Vern S. Poythress. God has ordained three special offices in the Christ confessing covenant community: minister, elder and deacon.
Scripture requires the baptism of adult converts who have not been previously baptized. This way of speaking, however, may not be used properly when considering the law/gospel distinction hermeneutically or theologically. 'Israel of God' in Gal 6:16 means physicalIsrael alone. I think this form of thinking has profound effects on our understanding of the Bible, since if the promises made to Israel in the OT can suddenly be 'spiritualized' and applied to the gentile church instead, what guarantee do we have to trust God's promises to us? To summarise, the hermeneutical problems that I see in covenant theology are the following: the belief in the NT reinterpreting the original meaning of the OT, non-literal fulfillments of OT promises, the use of typology in reinterpreting many OT passages, Jesus being the fulfillment of Israel and therefore no need for national Israel. Covenant - the (eternal) covenant ofGrace, others to 2 redemptive. My Thoughts on Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. Jesus made only an offer of thespiritual Kingdom, which was. The essential difference between New Covenant Theology (hereafter NCT) and Covenant Theology (CT), however, concerns the Mosaic Law. But at the same time I do not think it has the most drastic effects on your theology, even if one were to accept the theological covenants as legitimate descriptions of biblical truths. The ceremonial Lawshave been abolished; the civil laws have beenabolished except for their general equity; themoral laws continue. Although both Jews and Gentiles are saved by Christ through faith, believing Israel will be the recipient of additional "earthly" promises (such as prosperity in the specific land of Palestine, to be fully realized in the millennium) that do not apply to believing Gentiles, whose primary inheritance is thus "heavenly. When used broadly, it refers to everyone who is baptized into the Christ confessing covenant community. The marks of a true, Christ confessing, covenant community are the pure preaching of the Gospel (the covenant of grace), the pure administration of the covenant signs and seals (sacraments) and the administration of discipline.
David will sit on the Millennial throne inJerusalem. God"s program in history is mainly through. Generally, seven dispensations are distinguished: innocence (before the fall), conscience (Adam to Noah), government (Noah to Babel), promise (Abraham to Moses), Law (Moses to Christ), grace (Pentecost to the rapture), and the millennium. Adam was created sinless but with the capability of falling into sin. Chart - Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology | PDF | Dispensationalism | Covenant Theology. Granted, I do not believe that the theological covenants (Covenant of Redemption, Covenant of Works, Covenant of Grace) are found presented as such in Scripture. Denial of the "internal/external" distinction leads necessarily to confusing election and the decree or to positing two types of election, decretal and "covenantal" (i. e., a temporary, historical, conditional election) as is evident in the so-called "Federal Vision" theology. The eternal Covenant of Redemption waswithin the Trinity to. In each kingdom, Christians live under Christ's lordship according to the nature of that kingdom.
I also believe that our understanding of God's faithfulness to Israel as a nation is crucially important, since God himself has promised us that Israel will always continue to be nation before him (Jeremiah 31:35-36). With regard to justification and salvation, the Mosaic covenant was an administration of the covenant of grace. Messiah as their sin-bearer. The Law has been abolished. The covenant of grace is best understood in relation to the covenant of works. Seems MacArthur would be a good source for Dispensationalism. Many have written to us asking about the differences between these three views, and so before discussing John Piper's perspective we will give an overview of each. As a sign of covenant renewal the Supper is not appropriate for those who cannot understand the nature of Christ's presence or the blessing and jeopardy which attach to the Supper. What Does John Piper Believe About Dispensationalism, Covenant Theology, and New Covenant Theology. Justifying faith may be said to be the only proper condition or instrument of the covenant of grace. Covenant theology did not arise de novo in the 16th or 17th centuries but virtually all the elements which made up Reformed covenant theology existed inchoately in earlier epochs. After all, could not the same happen to us, in that the promises given to us are later reinterpreted to mean something else, and applied to someone else instead of us? Historical/Theological.
In redemptive historical terms, the Old (Mosaic) Covenant was weighted toward the ministry of the Law ("the letter") whereas the New Covenant is weighted toward the ministry of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3). 24. believers were not in Christ, not part ofthe Body or. My main reason for holding to a dispensational view is my commitment to stay faithful to the historical-grammatical method of interpretation, being applied to all of Scripture, not just most of it. Not everyone who is baptized receives the substance or benefits of the covenant of grace. Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 7. God has always had only 1 people, the Churchgradually. A genuinely Christian life cannot ordinarily be lived outside a true Christ confessing covenant community. However, I do not think this is very helpful, especially since not all dispensationalists actually hold to the same number of dispensations (some hold to only four, whereas others even eight or nine). Covenant vs dispensational theology chart. The covenant of grace was inaugurated post-lapsum and is to be distinguished sharply from the covenant of works. Covenant theology is so of the essence of Reformed theology that to revise its covenant theology is to revise the substance of Reformed theology. Because they deny the internal/external distinction, advocates of "covenant objectivity" teach a view of the sacraments which is virtually indistinguishable from the Roman ex opera operato view. It structures God's post-fall relationship to mankind; pre-fall, God structured His relationship by the covenant of works.
Considered relative to sanctification (in distinction from justification) faith can be said to be active and is begun and sustained by grace but involves human cooperation with sanctifying grace. The allegation that the pactum salutis tends to tritheism seems to ignore the distinction between the economic and ontological Trinity. A good example of this was S. Lewis Johnson, who was a dispensationalist and yet recognized the theological covenants of covenant theology as legitimate descriptions of the truths taught in Scripture. In Reformed theology, the covenant of works is identical to the Law which says: Do this and live. Restrain sin insociety, to lead to Christ, and to instruct. There is a just and necessary distinction to be made between those who are in the covenant broadly (externally) and those who are in the covenant both broadly and narrowly (internally). Just as the old sign and seal of covenant initiation (circumcision) could only be observed once so the new sign and seal of covenant initiation (baptism) can only be observed once. Dispensationalism vs covenant theology pdf list. The Church is a parenthesis in God's programfor the. The covenant of grace is the progressive historical account of the administration of the Gospel in the history of redemption. Sanctity flows out of proper use of the divinely ordained covenant signs and seals. God made a Covenant of Grace with Christand His people, including Adam. The covenant signs and seals are means of grace for all believers whereby their faith is genuinely strengthened and their sanctification advanced. Did you find this document useful? Does this mean that believers are not bound by any divine law?
The Mosaic covenant was not renewed under Christ, but the Abrahamic covenant was. However, both of these strengths I believe at the same time are great weaknesses for this system, since in their emphasis of focusing on God's unified purpose in this world, they have easily sought to put Scripture in too tight of a mold, so that it ends up being distorted in some aspects. The Abrahamic covenant is a renewal of the postlapsarian covenant/promise made to Adam (Genesis 3:15; 17). But nothings worse then quoting Scofield to a MacArthur-ite. New covenant theology typically does not hold to a covenant of works or one overarching covenant of grace (although they would still argue for only one way of salvation). Even though I do not agree with the conclusions of covenant theology and believe that some of these beliefs can be very harmful for our understanding of biblical truth, I am nonetheless truly thankful for my covenantal brothers who affirm the authority of Scripture and the clarity of the gospel. The God of the Bible relates to his creatures covenantally from eternity (pactum salutis), in creation (covenant of works), in providence (covenant of preservation) and in redemption (covenant of grace). In support, it is pointed out that a covenant is in essence simply a sovereignly given promise (usually with stipulations), and since there is only one promise of salvation (namely, by grace through faith), it follows that there is therefore only one covenant of grace. A weakness of dispensationalism, as with any theological system, can come if you begin to elevate the system itself too much, so that it is no longer being evaluated and polished in the light of further understanding of Scriptural teaching. However, when it comes to prophetic portions of Scripture, they seek to apply a form of 'spiritualizing' to arrive at the meaning of the text.
Because the old covenant community feasted every time they assembled and because the Supper is Christ's ordained sign and seal of covenant renewal it ought to be observed every time the new covenant community assembles. Jacob or the figurative, spiritualIsrael, depending on context. One of the leading reformed scholars on dispensationalism. Lewis S. Chafer, John Walvoord, Tim LaHaye, JohnNelson Darby, C. I. Scofield). Because of the visible/invisible distinction (internal/external) it is possible to participate in the covenant signs and seals to one's harm (1 Corinthians 10; Hebrews 6; 10). Because of the commitment to passage priority, it yields a more accurate understanding of the original intent of the biblical authors. John Reisenger, Abraham's Four Seeds. 23. an offer of the literal Kingdom toIsrael; since. Yet, I also wish they would reconsider the biblical teaching in these aspects of their theology, especially as it relates to God's purpose for national Israel and the literal fulfillment of God's promises. Isaac and literal Israel. He is probably the furthest away from dispensationalism, although he does agree with dispensationalism that there will be a millennium. Monocovenantalism or refusal to distinguish between the covenants of works and grace implies a confusion of Law and Gospel.