By J V Fesko, TGC.
Christians often hear and use the term “covenant theology,” but some may not know all it entails. The term is an iceberg that floats above the surface of the water with a large mass of ice hidden beneath.
This article will dive beneath the water’s surface and briefly explore the iceberg mass of covenant theology by first defining what a covenant is and then examining the three major covenants common to historic Reformed theology.
Defining Covenant
A covenant is an agreement between two or more people. This definition may change slightly depending on the context in which the term appears. Some covenants are purely promissory, such as God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 6–9). Other covenants have mutual obligations associated with them, such as God’s covenant with Adam (2:16–17; Hos. 6:7; Rom. 5:12–21).
Even if the term “covenant” isn’t in the biblical text, a covenant can still be present. The psalmist gives a series of synonyms for “covenant” when he writes, “[The LORD] remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant” (Ps. 105:8–10). In this passage, God makes covenants with a commanded word, sworn promise, and confirmed statute.
But not all covenants operate the same way, so what are the different types that appear in Scripture?
Covenant of Redemption
Before the foundation of the world, the Father swore an oath to appoint the Son as the covenant surety for the people of God, an oath that made the Son a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7, esp. v. 22). Jesus tells us of this covenant when he says to his disciples, “I covenant to you, as my Father covenanted to me, a kingdom” (Luke 22:29, author’s translation).