pilgrim people

Called to Serve: Essays for Elders and Deacons (Grandville: Reformed Fellowship, 2007) is a book designed to help train and equip elders and deacons for their task as officers in Christ's church. It is the work of twelve authors, including Michael Horton, W. Robert Godfrey, Kim Riddlebarger, Cornelis Venema, and Danny Hyde. There are chapters on the nature, duties, and spiritual life of elders and deacons; why elders must know, love, and defend sound doctrine; advice to elders on how to deal with potential new members who do not yet understand covenant theology and infant baptism; church discipline; family visitation; diaconal ministry; how an elders' meeting functions; and more. There is also an appendix that lays out a ten-week training course for elders and deaocns, whcih can be used as initial training for potential new officers, or as a refresher course for those already serving in office.

My hope is that this work will bear much fruit for God's kingdom as it is manifested in the local congregation throughout the world. At $15, it is a great deal. And it's out just in time to be a great Christmas gift for that special elder or deacon in your life!

MGB

What is Covenant Theology and why does it matter? (con't)

Covenant theology is necessary becasue, as I said in the last post, covenant is the whole organizing principle of the Bible. Covenant theology is the organic framework and structure of the Scriptures themselves. The history of special revelation is organized not by a central dogma, but by covenants which God himself ordained and in which he is a member. It's like I always say to our congregation, the Bible is essentially about ONE thing: God redeeming a people for himself through Jesus Christ. And that story unfolds within the framework of covenants in made in history.

Covenant theology helps us to read the Bible as one story, one plot. It amplifies and explains that great promise echoed from Genesis to Revelation: "I will be your God and you shall be my people." While Covenant Theology pays careful attention to the contours and variations of redemptive-history, it nevertheless begins with continuity rather than discontinuity. It helps us to see the basic continuity between the Old and New Testaments in terms of a single covenant of grace running throughout, as well as the discontinuity within the Old Testament, distinguishing between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, for example.

If we do not go with the structure and framework that the Bible itself provides, then we will almost always make a mess of our interpretation of the Bible. We will be given to our own assumptions, whims, and hangups when trying to resolve the complicated questions that inevitably arise from the Bible. The Bible is a big book, sixty-six books in fact. It has several different genres and a lot of diverse teaching. Where do we start and how do we see the Bible internal consistency? Covenant theology provides that. It is the Bible's own framework that keeps us safe when navigating the waters of interpreting redemptive-history. It leads us to the safe harbor of the Person and Work of Christ, which is what the Bible is all about.

More to come...

The following is the first in a series of posts on Basic Covenant Theology. These are based on our present class in the Wednesday Night Study in Theology at CURC. This is the second time that I have taught the class and the response from those in attendance has been very positive and enthusiastic. I thought it might be helpful, therefore, to create a series of posts that can walk the reader through the basic concepts of covenant theology. I will try to keep the posts relatively short.

What is a Covenant?

We should start by asking, what is a covenant? In Scripture, a covenant is a solemn bond or pact between two or more parties. As Michael Horton said in his excellent book God of Promise, "we can start by saying that from the most commonly used Hebrew word for this concept (berit), a covenant is a relationship of 'oaths and bonds' and involves mutual, though not necessarily equal commitments...some biblical covenants are unilaterally imposed commands and promises; others are unconditional." (p.10)

As we will see, a covenant typically has three major components:

1. An Oath

2. Conditions

3. Sanctions (promises of blessings for obedience and penalties for disobedience)

This concept should not seem too foreign to anyone in our culture. If you think about it, you are in all sorts of covenants with different people in your life. If you are married, you are in covenant with your spouse. On your wedding day, you took vows (an oath) before witnesses, you promised to fulfill certain conditions (i.e. "to have and to hold from this day forward...to love and to cherish till death do us part, etc."), and if those conditions aren't fulfilled (i.e. if the covenant is violated by adultery), there will be penalties.

The same is true of a loan from a bank. Anyone who has bought a car or a home knows that they took an oath, so to speak, when they signed loan documents and promised to fulfill the conditions of repaying the loan. If those conditions are fulfilled, there will be blessing (i.e. you will, after 30 years in most cases, own a home). But if those conditions are NOT fulfilled, there will be penalites (i.e. your home will be seized and your credit history goes in the toilet).

The basic concept of a covenant, therefore, should not be all that foreign to us. Most relationships involve some sort of covenant.

What is Covenant Theology and why does it matter?

God is in a relationship with his people by means of a covenant. In fact, 'covenant' is the whole organizing principle of the Bible. It is the very fabric of the Scriptures as they unfold from Genesis to Revelation. If we want to understand the Bible, we must begin the covenants that God has made in history. Covenant theology, therefore, provides the framework and structure of the Bible. This is not a system imposed on the Bible; rather, it is the system and structure that arises from the Bible itself.

More to come...

MGB

As members of Christ URC know, Dr. Horton has been teaching an amazing class in our adult Sunday on the topic of worship, based on his book A Better Way. You can listen and/or download these lectures, as well as many others that Mike has taught at CURC, by clicking here.

I received news today from Casey Vander Ploeg, a member of Bethel URC in Calgary, Alberta, that the council of his church has formally approved a church plant in the nearby city of Airdrie, budget and all. It now goes to the congregation for ratification. This is wonderful news to hear that another URC church plant is soon to be launched. Planting churches is what the the Great Commission is all about. If we want to see how the apostles put Matthew 28 into practice, we should look at Acts 2, culminating in v.42: "and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers." Throughout the Book of Acts, we see churches being planted in which the Kingdom of God spread and disciples were made through the means of Word and Sacrament in church overseen by officers.

May God cause another local manifestation of his Church come into being in the land of the Canadian Rockies, Calgary Flames, and sub-zero temps in the winter. Please keep Casey, the core group at Airdrie, and the overseeing Consistory as well as the congregation of the Calgary URC in prayer. Pray that the Lord supplies them with a good pastor soon. If you know anyone who lives near the Calgary/Airdrie area, be sure to direct them to this new work. You should be able to find out more information about the plant by contacting Bethel URC at http://orginal.bethelurc.org/index.asp

MGB