The Covenant of Redemption

Covenant Theology

Throughout the Reformed tradition, covenant theology is a major emphasis. The historical Reformed position of what Scripture says about the covenant is the bicovenantal approach. Starting in the Garden of Eden with Adam, God made what theologians call the Covenant of Works which promises eternal life to Adam and Eve for perpetual obedience. This covenant is highly conditional since it asks for perfect obedience to God. Unfortunately, Adam failed to keep this covenant with God, plunging the rest of humanity to come after him into sin. Instead of deserting humanity, God initiates the beginning of the Covenant of Grace in Genesis three when He promises that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. The different covenants throughout redemptive history are dispensations of this one covenant of grace because they all point to Christ or are fulfilled by Christ as in the New Covenant which is the culmination of the Covenant of Grace. Christ lived out the covenant of works perfectly on our behalf so that we might become part of the Covenant of Grace. These two covenants explain the drama of redemptive history. But is there a covenant that was made in eternity?

The Covenant of Redemption Defined

The Covenant of Redemption is the pretemporal agreement between the persons of the Trinity to plan and carry out the redemption of the elect. Its origins are probably around the middle of the 16th century and then almost universally accepted in the Reformed tradition by the 17th century. Through thorough exegesis of Scripture, this doctrine is well thought out. Some people think this is something theologians have made up, but it is not. There is biblical rationale that supports the doctrine of the Covenant of Redemption.

Biblical Language

God’s Word frequently uses the language of the elect as being bought and sold. For example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (see also Acts 20:28, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:18).” Moreover, Jesus was given a mission implying that there was an agreement beforehand. John 5:36-37 says, “But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me (see also John 6:38; 10:18; 17:4). . .” Also, Scripture uses transactional language to describe Jesus’s mission, such as John 6:37-39 which says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day (see also John 17:6-9).” All of this language used to describe what Jesus’s ministry on earth is to accomplish denotes a covenant between the Father and the Son.

Individual Passages: Psalm 2:7; 110:1, Zechariah 6:12-13

Starting in Psalm 2:7, Scripture explicitly states a covenantal agreement between the Father and the Son. Verse 7-8 says “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. . .'” At the beginning of these verses, the Hebrew word for decree is used synonymously throughout the Old Testament for covenant. In the Israelites’ cultural context, the word decree is a document given to the King. So, this verse is saying the Father gives a document (or makes a covenant) with the Son, thereby giving Christ authority over all the earth which is renewed in time when the Son takes on His human nature (the incarnation). Next Psalm 110:1 says, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'” In this verse, we see that the Son agreed to humble himself and the Father agreed to crown the incarnate Son as King to have dominion over all the earth. There is an oath between the two which is used interchangeably throughout the Bible as a covenant. Samuel Rutherford says, “The covenant of redemption is the cause of the stability and firmness of the covenant of grace,” therefore, it would chronologically make sense for it to be pretemporal and renewed in the incarnation. Finally, Zechariah 6:12-13 says, “And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of Hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.'” In this messianic prophecy, the Branch represents Christ who will build the temple of the LORD who is Yahweh. Therefore, the counsel of peace is between the Father and the Son which is an agreement to bring peace to God’s people. All of these verses give context to an intra-trinitarian agreement before the incarnation and Christ’s mission on earth.

Conclusion and Application

The pretemporal intra-trinitarian covenant to redeem God’s people, bring peace to them, and establish Christ’s authority over all the earth, is founded on the unchangeable and faithful character of the triune God. Lying a foundation for Christ’s ministry on earth, the Covenant of Redemption allows us to realize the eternal promise of God’s purpose to redeem His people. What a blessing it is to be in the outworkings of this unchanging covenant. This covenant reveals three things. First, it guarantees salvation for the elect. Secondly, it guarantees that all conditions for our salvation has been met in full. Finally, it shows God’s infinite love for the elect. We can rejoice with Brakel who says, “Love moved the Father and love moved the Lord Jesus. The covenant of redemption is a covenant of love between those whose love proceeds from within themselves, without there being any loveableness in the object of his love. Oh, how blessed is he who is incorporated in this covenant and, being enveloped and irradiated by this eternal love, is stirred up to love in return exclaiming, “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19).

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