Calvinism: A Gateway to Covenant Theology (8 minutes)

Not every Calvinist adheres to the 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith or the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Many godly men and women, brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, adhere to the doctrines of grace in salvation without embracing Covenant Theology. The purpose of this brief article is to propose to these fellow soldiers in the faith to consider an embrace of Covenant Theology on the basis that biblical covenants correspond with the doctrine of Unconditional Election.

A Survey of Covenants in the Bible

Covenant Theology asserts that God’s primary method of relating to mankind is via covenant. This understanding comes from observations in scripture that God covenanted with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and all who are in the New Covenant today. The following scriptures display these claims:

Adam: But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me (Hosea 6:7; cf. Genesis 2:9-15).

Noah: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you . . . I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:8-9, 11).

Abraham: When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly” (Genesis 17:1-2).

Moses: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exodus 24:7-8).

David: “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).

The Church: And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

From the very beginning, God chose to covenant with his people. His immutability confirms that we need not expect anything different than a covenant as the way he chooses to relate to his people today.

Defining Covenant

At this time, I will rely on two men, one Baptist and one Presbyterian respectively, to define the term “covenant” (see each man’s works listed in the last paragraph titled Further Reading). Pastor Samuel Renihan defines covenant as a “guaranteed commitment” (page 41), while Minister Jonty Rhodes describes the word covenant as “a conditional promise” (page 18). Both men affirm that these concise definitions require much more explanation but help grasp the general concept of what occurs between God and man upon establishing a covenant. Pastor Renihan expands on his introductory definition, stating, “Because God is one of the contracting parties in the covenants under consideration, and because covenants are not a natural feature of the Creator-creature relationship, all covenants are the results of God’s own free initiative to carry out His purposes and to do good to mankind. Covenants are not “take it or leave it” options. God imposes His covenants on man and determines the commitments” (page 41).

The Covenant Connection to Calvinism

I cannot help but hypothesize how much Pastor Renihan’s statement must resonate with Calvinists. The phrase, “all covenants are the results of God’s own free initiative to carry out His purposes,” echoes the Apostle Paul’s writing in Ephesians 1:3-6, a text supporting the doctrine of Unconditional Election. Paul writes,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (emphasis added).

A Calvinist could replace the word “covenant” in Pastor Renihan’s statement with the word “salvation” and ought not to have any reservation in their theological position. Let’s try it out: “all [salvation is] the result of God’s own free initiative to carry out His purposes.” I don’t know about you, but that felt pretty good to type! In all seriousness, my interpretations of my observations and purposes of explanation are not to equate a fallible man’s writing on the covenants (Renihan or Rhodes) with an inspired man’s writing on election (Paul); but rather to point out that the way we speak about how God chooses to covenant with people is the exact same way we describe how God chooses to redeem his elect unto salvation. Therefore, the inherent compatibility of Calvinism with Covenant Theology is scarcely deniable.

An Abrahamic Observation

I know of no Calvinist (or Arminian for the matter) who denies that God entered into a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12-17.  Following the death of his father, Abraham dwelt with his wife and nephew in the land of Haran. Historically, the natural division within the book of Genesis is between chapters 11 and 12. The problem that this division between chapters creates is that Bible readers often forget that Abraham was not the only man on earth when God chose to make a covenant with him. Genesis 10 and 11 detail the descendants from Noah to Abraham. Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, repopulated the earth formidably; so, when God came to Abram in Genesis 12 to make a covenant with him and a covenant people from him, the Lord chose one man to make one people from among all the other descendants of Noah. There is perhaps no more profound example of God’s sovereign election than when he chose to covenant with Abraham. This truth should delight and invoke joy within the heart of every Calvinist! Why, the very thing that God did by choosing Abraham and his offspring to establish one holy nation among many peoples, is the exact same thing that God does today in the New Covenant (1 Peter 2:9).

The Inseparability of Covenant and Conversion

 At this time, I will ask that you buckle your seatbelts, place your tray tables up, and put your seats in their full, upright position as we make one more observation regarding Covenant Theology and Calvinism. Perhaps, you or somebody you know is a Calvinist but does not confess Covenant Theology. I’d like to state that Calvinism, specifically Unconditional Election, is the doctrinal fruit of Covenant Theology. Hopefully, you have seen the consistency between God’s election of Abraham (Abrahamic Covenant) and God’s election of believers today (New Covenant). Lastly, please note how inseparable the Covenant and the doctrine of election were for the saints who penned the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith:

Moreover, man having brought himself under the curse of the law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to make a covenant of grace, wherein He freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in Him, that they may be saved; and promised to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life, His Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe (LBCF 7.2 Of God’s Covenant).

Further Reading

There are certainly differences in the nuances of Covenant Theology between Reformed Baptists and Presbyterians, but there is also considerable solidarity to celebrate within each denomination’s covenantal view. For further reading on Covenant Theology from both a Baptist and Presbyterian standpoint, I recommend the following books:

For a Baptist Understanding of Covenant Theology:The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, And His Kingdom by Samuel Renihan

For a Presbyterian Understanding of Covenant Theology: Covenants Made Simple: Understanding God’s Unfolding Promises to His People by Jonty Rhodes

God is faithful.