John Murray’s aim in this next section of his essay is to investigate whether the definitions provided above of the covenant of grace as a mutual agreement is properly aligned with the teachings of Scripture. He does not deny the strong presence of God’s grace and promise. Click here, to read Murray’s essay.
Covenants Between Men
Covenants were made between Abimelech and Isaac, Labanand Jacob, Gibeonites with Joshua, David with Jonathan, David with Abner, Solomon with Hiram, all using the term ‘covenant’ or berith (Hebrew). Although in covenants between men does bear the concept of mutual agreement, this does not mean mutual agreement is central to God’s covenant with man. The idea of contracts or pacts is the central feature here between men, but instead “sworn fidelity” and “whole-souled commitment.”
Covenants Made by Man with God
Next, Murray investigates covenants initiated by men. Examples include Joshua (Jos. 14:25), Jehodia (2 Ki. 11:17), Josiah (2 Ki. 23:3), and Ezra (Ezr. 10:3). Instead of these contracts or even agreements, these are “promissory commitment[s] to faith or troth on the part of the people concerned.” These covenants are promises of unconditional devotion to God and obedience to Him. This type of covenant is much like the covenant between men, being one of commitment.
Divine Covenants
Now this seems to be the most important issue: does mutual agreement play the central mechanism for covenants which God makes? Outside of formal covenants that we seem to always recall, such as the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, the word covenant is also used in regards to God’s creative ordinances, such as the covenant of the day and night (Je. 33:20, 25) or that the earth would continue its cycles of season, harvest and day/night (Gn. 8:22). In these creative ordinances we also see God’s faithfulness and see “covenant may be used to express divine monergism and fidelity.”
We will be continuing in the following posts to go through different covenants, namely the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic and New Testament covenants.
But covenant theology is not just simple speculation, but should affect us somehow. Since we are in the New Testament covenant, the new covenant Christ spoke of at the last supper, how are we to respond to covenant? This is one of the main reasons why I feel it is important that we understand covenants, their progression and their fulfillment in Christ, so that we can also live lives in accordance with our membership in the covenant of grace.
