Jonathan Hughes wrote:
Well I
promised myself I wouldn’t
write any more posts until I had finished writing an exam next Monday
but I
wanted to put one small one forward. Blaine and John’s comments
below (thank you gentlemen) highlight an area that I have had a lot of
change
in lately. Basically it comes down to figuring out whether God’s
relationship with me (and all TT members) is a covenantal relationship
or a
contractual relationship. Let’s have a discussion of the difference(s)
between covenant and contract. I would suggest beginning with a simple
definition (marriage is an example of covenant, business agreement an
example
of a contract) and then go to scripture (as Blaine is doing below) to
determine
which type of relationship God has with us. To tip my hand I come in
fully on the covenant side. I have come to see that God always begins
with grace, then gives law, and then the consequences. In other words,
I
am the Father of Abraham etc. (grace), Follow my commandments (law) and
you
will be blessed (consequences). If that order is misconstrued or
changed
around I think one runs into a lot of trouble. How would the verse
Blaine mentions below work out? Is it an example of works being a
prerequisite for
saving grace? One may want to work out what to do with all the ‘Ifs’
that are often placed in verses dealing with covenant (for example, If
you
follow my commandments I shall bless you). Do they make them into
contracts or are they descriptive ifs, prescriptive ifs etc.? This is
part where I am still fuzzy but I’ll get there. And finally I would
like to discuss how our Christian lives would be different if we
realized God’s
relationship with us was one of covenant instead of contract. This
will
lead us into discussing Christ’s High priesthood and His vicarious
humanity. I am getting excited just thinking about where we could go
with
all this. Thank you God! Let’s work it out.
Now I may
not be able to post much until
next Monday or Tuesday so please do not be suspicious if I do not reply
to any
responses right away. I cannot stress how important I think it is to
deeply understand the difference between a Covenant God and a Contract
God. May the Spirit of God lead us in this discussion.
Jonathan
I look forward to more as your
time permits, John. At present, the biggest difference I see in a
covenant and a contract is that a contract is an agreement acceptable
to two or more parties, while in a covenant, the stronger party always
sets the terms. Give me more!
Terry
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