Covenant Theology and Law
People misuse the law of Moses because they do not understand grace.
Virtually all covenant theologians believe in law preaching as a means of bringing men to saving conviction. Virtually all covenant theologians are Augustinians. Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk. John Calvin quotes Augustine extensively in his Institutes of the Christian Religion in his defense of Covenant Theology. Augustine rose up as the apologist for the Constantinian sacral church/state movement in the 4th century.Augustine was the preeminent sacralist theologian of his time and for all time.
Covenant Theology by definition is a major systematic misuse of the law of Moses. It is the theological system that is responsible for the crusades, for all manner of "holy wars", for religious oppression widespread, for the murder of political leaders who were also sacralists, for Protestant and Catholic persecution of true religion.
Calvin and other Augustinians used a false internal introspection to count as a "law conviction". They used the scripture, "examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith" and applied it to UNBELIEVERS, when clearly, Paul applied it to believers. The conviction of the Spirit is quick, it is a cutting of the spiritual nature, and it is completely effective, as we see in Acts chapter 2. We don't see a long drawn out false introspection with the results of the gospel! That is why I view Covenant Theology as being no better than dispensationalism. It is my view that these will be avoided ultimately, by the elect.
How then, can people who claim to be NEW Covenant theologians hang onto law preaching as being true? Real New Covenant theologians cannot do so. If you reject a false system you must reject it in its entirety. Law preaching is the foundational misuse of the law of Moses in the Covenant Theology system. It is foundational because it bypasses God's prescribed method of salvation, the preaching of the gospel to savingly convict. (Acts ch 2) True believers are cut to the heart by the gospel, not by the law.
If doctrine of the first connection to Christ is wrong, then the system that results and is built up around that doctrine must be wrong.The elect are called by grace, the gospel is of grace, and the elect are cut to the heart by grace.
Men who are so called New Covenant theologians, ie those who supposedly reject the one covenant of grace, but who also believe in law conviction are continually trying to fold their theology into the Protestant model. Most believe they are "Reformed" and that they are indeed Protestant. They believe in the foundational false gospel that the Protestants believe, so that they are unable to separate themselves and go outside the camp. But the elect will have nothing to do with the system or fellowship of Covenant Theologians!
I posted this at the prosblogion regarding Covenant Theology:
Servetus view of Trinity is a result, really, of the erroneous views of Covenant Theologians. Calvin and the others in varying ways explained the trinity as being hierarchical, with the Father eternally begatting the Son, and the Holy Spirit issuing from both. But this all stems from a misuse of Psalm 2:7, which misinterprets the generation of Christ. Clearly the Apostles as final interpreters of divine revelation have revealed that the resurrection of Christ is the fulfillment of Psalm 2:7 as shown in Acts Ch 2, Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:4-5. Since there is no eternal generation, there is no subservience of the Son in eternity, only with regard to the salvation process. Since Christ is not subservient, the weakened arguments of His equality put forth by the Covenant Theologian would not have brought confusion, that, in my view resulted in the theories of Servetus, Jehovah's Witnesses,etc. I hold the Covenant Theologians responsible for this general error of a lesser Christ. I further then hold them responsible for the persecution of Servetus and his murder. The failure of the Covenant Theologians to establish a true New Covenant theology with the Apostles as the final arbiters of doctrine has lead to persecutions, false doctrine, sacral religion and all manner of evil.
As an overview of Covenant Theology I reiterate the passage below also found in my belief statement. Please note that a true New Covenant Theology believes in the power of grace and in the powerlessness of law. Unfortunately Covenant Theologians believe that the law of Moses has some power to convict men or humble men to make them ready for the gospel and to force Christian views upon others by a territorial sacral merger of church and state. The only consistent Covenant Theology is that which seeks to establish Theonomy. Those Covenant Theologians who are not theonomists are still legalists in their misuse of law preaching and binding us with days. Here below is a definition of Covenant Theology:
The doctrine of one covenant of grace that encompasses the Old Covenant and New Covenant is a doctrine that is in error. It is CRUCIAL to note that the Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of works, not of grace. (Gal. 3:11-19) But Covenant Theology denies this truth and is a doctrine that is the pillar of both Protestant and Catholic beliefs and is a false teaching. The types and shadows of the Old Testament have their fulfillment in Christ and in His Church. The false elevation of the Old Covenant to a covenant of grace by the Protestants and Catholics resulted in legalism, infant baptism as a replacement for infant circumcision of the Old Testament, a false substitution of Sunday for Saturday as being the sabbath day and a sacral fusion of church and state. Christ is our sabbath, and baptism is only for believers. (Heb 4, Heb 13:20, Acts 2:38) Jesus said His kingdom was NOT of this world.
Most of the Jews did not have faith in the Old Covenant and were lost. A remnant was saved. These were believers who were saved through the understanding that their Redeemer lived, as we see in the book of Job. The doctrine of One Covenant of Grace is the longest running misuse of the law of Moses. Covenant Theology is the new Circumcision. The circumcision group almost mislead Peter but Paul withstood Peter in Galatians. The circumcision group professed Jesus but loved law instead of our Lord. So it is with the Covenant Theologians.
We know that with the establishment of the New Covenant the elect could then pass through into the most holy place. (Heb 10:19-20) This entrance was a new and living way that had not existed for the elect in prior to the death and resurrection of Christ. They had the same faith, but not the same status!
So then, what are the implications of this understanding of the improved status of the saints? Well, for one thing, those who claim that the Old Covenant is the same covenant of grace have no answer for this new status. Even Calvin has no direct comment on the implications of this difference of status although he mentions the new status in the Institutes book 2 chapter 20 section 18.
If we are to believe that the two covenants are really one covenant of grace, then how is it that the post pentacostal elect have this greater status than the OT saints had? Or, how can the covenants both be of grace if the spiritual kingdom of God had not yet appeared until Pentacost?
If the Old Covenant is a covenant of grace this ability to pass into the holiest would have had to have been made available to the Old Covenant saints. And if this ability had been available, there would have been no need for Christ to have died. It is essential that the covenant of grace have a starting point IN TIME.
By making it a covenant above time, without a starting point in time, the Covenant Theologians open up a can of worms. If the Covenant of grace, which is the same thing as the Spiritual kingdom of Israel is not ever introduced in time, then there is no entrance into the holiest. We know that can't be.
On the other hand, if the covenant of grace includes the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in time, then the Old Covenant saints had no need to look for a future country, a future status. (Heb. 11:16 and 11:39-40)
Therefore, it is impossible for the Covenant of Grace, Spiritual Kingdom of God, to not be the New Covenant that has its start at Pentacost. (Acts 2)
Of course, any effort made to require that these New Covenant saints, who have access to the holiest of holies to keep days,to baptize their children as if they were saved,to submit to "holy" governments,to submit to taste not touch not, etc, is demeaning and not worthy of their status as kings and priests of the Covenant!
Any effort made to establish that the Old Covenant saints were elevated to the same status as the NC saints is to destroy the work of Christ. He made a difference in the status of the elect. We all had the same faith, but New Covenant saints are in the Covenant of grace, in the spiritual Kingdom of the Savior.
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