The Covenants

The way in which God relates is through the covenant. There are traditionally three different covenants to consider when studying the Scriptures.

First, and most importantly, God established an eternal covenant with Himself - the Triune Godhead has a covenant of redemption, whereby the Father elects a people to redeem, the Son wins the elect by His perfect life, atoning substitutionary death, and death-conquering resurrection, and the Holy Spirit bestows salvation on the elect through regeneration.

Second, God establishes His covenant with all of mankind. Traditionally considered to be the covenant of works, or the covenant of creation, we see that God will grant life to all who obey Him perfectly. Sadly, but surely, no human born of Adam can perfectly and completely obey the Lord.

After the fall, we notice the third covenant - that of grace. For God could have justly destroyed His creation for failing to keep the covenant of works. But, in light of the covenant of redemption, it was fitting for the purposes of glory to glory Himself, to forbear the sins of mankind for a time. This covenant of grace is noted in repeated renewals to men of faith, such as Noah, Abraham, David, and of course, Jesus - where the covenant is called the New Covenant.

Notice though, as R.C. Sproul declares, that even the covenant of works first made with Adam is actually quite gracious. For the etneral and infinitely holy God had no need to create, nor to relate with His Creation on such as intimate level as the convenant. This grace is just another reason to praise Him. Isaiah 57:15 sums it up nicely: "For this is what the high and lofty One says—He who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"