The Covenant of Grace

The covenant of grace is a gracious covenant because it is a fruit and manifestation of the grace of God to sinners.  It is grace from start to finish.  It is also an eternal and inviolable covenant to which God will always be true though men may break it.  Even in its widest extent, it includes only a part of mankind and is, therefore, particular.  If its New Testament [administration] is called universal, this is done only in view of the fact that it is not limited to the Jews, as the Old Testament [administration] was.  This covenant is also characterized by unity.  It is, essentially, the same in all [administrations], though the form of its administration changes.  The essential promise is the same (Genesis 17.7; Hebrews 8.10), the gospel is the same (Galatians 3.8), the requirement of faith is the same (Galatians 3.6-7), and the Mediator is the same (Hebrews 13.8).  The covenant is both conditional and unconditional.  It is conditional because it is dependent on the merits of Christ and because the enjoyment of the life it offers depends on the exercise of faith.  But, it is unconditional in the sense that it does not depend on any merits of man.  And, finally, it is testamentary as a free and sovereign disposition on the part of God.  It is called a “testament” in Hebrews 9.16-17.  This name stresses the facts (1) that it is a free arrangement of God, (2) that its New Testament [administration] was ushered in by the death of Christ, and (3) that, in it, God gives what He demands.  The covenant of grace differs from the covenant of works in that it has a Mediator.  Christ is represented as the Mediator of the new covenant (1 Timothy 2.5; Hebrews 8.6; 9.15; 12.24).  He is Mediator not only merely in the sense that He intervenes between God and man to sue for peace and to persuade to it, but in the sense that He is armed with full power to do all that is necessary for the actual establishment of peace.  As our Surety (Hebrews 7.22), He assumes our guilt, pays the penalty of sin, fulfills the law and, thus, restores peace.

From: Summary of Christian Doctrine by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1938), pp. 83-84.

Louis Berkhof (1874-1957) taught for 38 years at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 

The Covenant with Abraham

Up to the time of Abraham, there was no formal establishment of the Covenant of Grace.  While Genesis 3.15 already contains the elements of this Covenant, it does not record a formal transaction by which the Covenant was established.  It does not even speak explicitly of a Covenant.  The establishment of the Covenant with Abraham marked the beginning of an institutional church.  In pre-Abrahamic times, there was what may be called “the church in the house.”  There were families in which the true religion found expression and, undoubtedly also, gatherings of believers, but there was no definitely marked body of believers, separated from the world, that might be called the church.  There were “sons of God” and “sons of men,” but these were not yet separated by a visible line of demarcation.  At the time of Abraham, however, circumcision was instituted as a sealing ordinance, a badge of membership, and a seal of the righteousness of faith.

From: Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof; reprint (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1958), p. 295.  Originally published circa 1934.

 

Desiring Assurance

The Christian also desires assurance in his religious life.  He is concerned, in the present, about what the future will bring since he knows that the highest interests are at stake here - eternal interests.  And, because these are of such tremendous importance and relate to the final issue of his life, he cannot rest satisfied with a ground that is fallible.  This means that he need not look for it in himself nor in any creature, be it man or angel, but can only expect to find it in something that is divine, something that abides amid all the changing vicissitudes of men’s lives and that carries with it absolute assurance.  God, only, can supply us with a ground of confidence that is unchangeable and on which we can safely build the house of our hope.  And, not only that, but He has already put His people in actual possession of such a sure foundation in the glorious promises which He has given them in Christ, their Lord.  It is to this that Paul directs our attention in the words of our text.

From: “The Sure Promises of God,” a sermon on 2 Corinthians 1.20, in Riches of Divine Grace: Ten Expository Sermons by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), pp. 32-33.

 

Christian Assurance

The Christian also desires assurance in his religious life.  He is concerned in the present about what the future will bring, since he knows that the highest interests are at stake here – eternal interests.  And, because these are of such tremendous importance and relate to the final issue of his life, he cannot rest satisfied with a ground that is fallible.  This means that he need not look for it in himself nor in any creature, be it man or angel, but can only expect to find it in something that is divine, something that abides amid all the changing vicissitudes of men’s lives and that carries with it absolute assurance.  God, only, can supply us with a ground of confidence that is unchangeable and on which we can safely build the house of our hope.  And, not only that, but He has already put His people in actual possession of such a sure foundation in the glorious promises which He has given them in Christ, their Lord.  It is to this that Paul directs our attention in the words of our text.

From: “The Sure Promises of God,” a sermon on 2 Corinthians 1:20, in Riches of Divine Grace (Ten Expository Sermons) by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), pp. 32-33.

 

Definition of Dogma

A dogma may be defined as a doctrine, derived from Scripture, officially defined by the Church, and declared to rest upon divine authority.  This definition partly names and partly suggests its characteristics.  Its subject matter is derived from the Word of God and is, therefore, authoritative.  It is not a mere repetition of what is found in Scripture, but the fruit of dogmatic reflection.  And, it is officially defined by a competent ecclesiastical body and declared to rest upon divine authority.  It has social significance, because it is the expression, not of a single individual, but of a community.  And, it has traditional value, since it passes the precious possessions of the Church on to future generations.  In the History of Dogma, we see the Church becoming ever increasingly conscious of the riches of divine truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, mindful of her high prerogative as pillar and ground of the truth, and engaged in the defense of the faith once delivered to the saints.

From: Reformed Dogmatics: Historical (History of Dogma) by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1937), p. 21.

 

The Second Advent and the Millennial Hope

The early Christians were taught to look for the return of Jesus Christ and it is evident, even from the New Testament, that some of them expected a speedy return.  The literal interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6 led some of the early Church Fathers to distinguish between a first and a second resurrection and to believe in an intervening millennial kingdom.  Some of them dwelt very fondly on these millennial hopes and pictured the enjoyments of the future age in a crassly materialistic manner.  This is true, especially, of Papias and Irenaeus.  Others, such as Barnabas, Hermas, Justin, and Tertullian, while teaching the doctrine, avoided its extravagances.  The millennial doctrine also found favor with Cerinthus, the Ebionites, and the Montanists.  But, it is not correct to say, as Premillenarians do, that it was generally accepted in the first three centuries.  The truth of the matter is that the adherents of this doctrine were a rather limited number.  There is no trace of it in Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius, and other important Church Fathers.

The Millenarianism of the early Church was gradually overcome.  When centuries rolled by without the return of Jesus Christ, when persecutions ceased, and when Christianity received a sure footing in the Roman Empire and even became the State religion, the passionate longing for the appearance of Jesus Christ very naturally gave way for an adaptation of the Church to its present task.  The allegorical interpretation of Scripture, introduced by the Alexandrian school and sponsored, especially, by Origen, also had a chilling effect on all millennial hopes.  In the West, the powerful influence of Augustine was instrumental in turning the thoughts of the Church from the future to the present by his identification of the Church and the Kingdom of God.  He taught the people to look for the millennium in the present Christian dispensation.

During the Middle Ages, Millenarianism was, generally, regarded as heretical.  There were, it is true, here and there, transient and sporadic buddings of the millennial hope in the sects, but these exercised no profound influence.  In the tenth century, there was a widespread expectation of the approaching end of the world, but this was not accompanied with chiliastic hopes, though it was associated with the idea of the speedy coming of the Antichrist.  Christian art often chose its themes from eschatology.  The hymn Dies Irae sounded the terrors of the coming judgment, painters depicted the end of the world on the canvas, and Dante gave a vivid description of hell in his Divina Comoedia.

At the time of the Reformation, the doctrine of the millennium was rejected by the Protestant Churches but revived in some of the sects, such as that of the more fanatical Anabaptists and that of the Fifth Monarchy Men.  Luther scornfully rejected “the dream” that there would be an earthly kingdom of Christ preceding the day of judgment.  The Augsburg Confession condemns those “who now scatter Jewish opinions that, before the resurrection of the dead, the godly shall occupy the kingdom of the world, the wicked being everywhere suppressed” (Art. XVII).  And the Second Helvetic Confession says: “Moreover, we condemn the Jewish dreams that, before the day of judgment, there shall be a golden age in the earth and the godly shall possess the kingdoms of the world, their wicked enemies being trodden under foot” (Chapter XI).

A certain form of Millenarianism made its appearance, however, in the seventeenth century.  There were several Lutheran and Reformed theologians who, while rejecting the idea of a visible reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years, advocated a more spiritual conception of the millennium.  Their view of the matter was that, before the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ, there will be a period in which the spiritual presence of Christ in the Church will be experienced in an unusual measure and a universal religious awakening will ensue.  The Kingdom of Jesus Christ will, then, stand out as a kingdom of peace and righteousness.  This was the early form of Post-, as distinguished from Premillennialism.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the doctrine of the millennium again met with great favor in some circles.  It was advocated by the school of Bengel and, more recently, by that of Erlangen, and numbered among its adherents such men as Hofmann, Delitzsch, Auberlen, Rothe, Elliott, Cumming, Bickersteth, the Bonars, Alford, Zahn, and others.  There is a great diversity of opinion among these Premillenarians as to the order of the final events and the actual condition of things during the millennium.  Repeated attempts have been made to fix the time of Christ’s return, which is, with great assurance, declared to be imminent but, up to the present, all these calculations have failed.  Though there is a widepread belief today, especially in our country, that the return of Christ will be followed by a temporary visible reign of Christ on earth, yet the weight of theological opinion is against it.  In liberal circles, a new form of Postmillennialism has made its appearance.  The expected kingdom will consist of a new social order “in which the law of Christ shall prevail, and in which its prevalence shall result in peace, justice, and a glorious blossoming of present spiritual forces.”  This is what [Walter] Rauschenbusch has in mind when he says, “We need a restoration of the millennial hope” (A Theology for the Social Gospel, p. 224).  Up to the present time, however, the doctrine of the millennium has never yet been embodied in a single Confession and, therefore, cannot be regarded as a dogma of the Church.

From: Reformed Dogmatics: Historical (History of Dogma) by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1937), pp. 270-272.

(Boy, did this guy have it in for premillennialism, or what?)

 

The Reformed Order of Salvation

In Reformed theology, the ordo salutis acquired a somewhat different form.  This is due to the fact that Calvin consistently took his starting point in an eternal election and in the mystical union established in the pactum salutis.  His fundamental position is that there is no participation in the blessings of Christ except through a living union with the Savior.  And, if even the very first of the blessings of saving grace already presupposes a union with Christ, then the gift of Christ to the Church and the imputation of His righteousness precedes all else.  In the Council of Peace, a union was already established between Him and those who were given unto Him by the Father and, in virtue of that union, which is both legal and mystical, all the blessings of salvation are, ideally, already the portion of those who are of Christ.  They are ready for distribution and are appropriated by them through faith.

From this fundamental position, several particulars follow.  The salvation of the elect is not conceived atomistically since they are all eternally in Christ and are born out of Him, who is the Head, as members of His mystical body.  Regeneration, repentance, and faith are not regarded as mere preparations, altogether apart from any union with Christ, nor as conditions to be fulfilled by man, either wholly or in part, in his own strength.  They are blessings of the covenant of grace which already flow from the mystical union and the grant of Christ to the Church.  Penitence assumes a different place and character than in the Lutheran order.  Calvin recognized a repentance preceding faith, but saw in it merely an initial fear, a legal repentance that does not necessarily lead to faith and cannot be regarded as an absolutely essential preparation for it.  He stresses the repentance that flows from faith that is possible only in communion with Christ and that continues throughout life.  Moreover, he does not regard it as consisting of contritio and fides.  He recognized the close connection between repentance and faith and did not consider the former possible without the latter, but also pointed out that Scripture clearly distinguishes the two and, therefore, ascribed to each of them a more independent significance in the order of salvation.

But, however Calvin may have differed from Luther as to the order of salvation, he quite agreed with him on the nature and importance of the doctrine of justification by faith.  In their common opposition to Rome, they both describe it as an act of free grace and as a forensic act which does not change the inner life of man but only the judicial relationship in which he stands to God.  They do not find the ground for it in the inherent righteousness of the believer, but only in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which the sinner appropriates by faith.  Moreover, they deny that it is a progressive work of God, asserting that it is instantaneous and, at once, complete, and hold that the believer can be absolutely sure that he is forever translated from a state of wrath and condemnation to one of favor and acceptance.

Lutheran theology did not always remain entirely true to this position.  Faith is, sometimes, represented as a work that is basic for regeneration; and the mediating theologians base justification on the infused righteousness of Jesus Christ.

From: Reformed Dogmatics: Historical (History of Dogma) by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1937), pp. 224-226.

 

Augustine’s View of Grace

The will of man stands in need of renewal, and this is exclusively a work of God from start to finish – a work of divine grace.  It is necessary to guard against a possible misunderstanding here.  When Augustine ascribes the renewal of man to divine grace only, and, in this connection, speaks of “irresistable grace,” he does not mean to intimate that divine grace forces the will, contrary to the nature of man as a free agent but, rather, that it so changes the will that man voluntarily chooses that which is good.  The will of man is renewed and, thus, restored to its true freedom.  God can, and does, so operate on the will that man, of his own free choice, turns to virtue and holiness.  In this way, the grace of God becomes the source of all good in man.

From what was said, it follows that Augustine’s doctrine of regeneration is entirely monergistic.  The operation of the Holy Spirit is necessary, not merely for the purpose of supplying a deficiency, but for the complete renewal of the inner disposition of man, so that he is brought into spiritual conformity to the law.  Says Shedd: “Grace is imparted to sinful man, not because he believes, but in order that he may believe; for faith itself is the gift of God.”  The divine efficiency in regeneration results in the conversion of the sinner, in which man may be said to cooperate.  Augustine distinguishes several stages in the work of divine grace, which he calls “prevenient grace,” “operative grace,” and “cooperative grace.”  In the first, the Holy Spirit employs the law to produce the sense of sin and guilt; in the second, He uses the Gospel for the production of that faith in Christ and in His atoning work which issues in justification and peace with God; and, in the third, the renewed will of man cooperates with Him in the life-long work of sanctification.  The work of grace includes the entire renewal of man in the image of God and the spiritual transformation of the sinner into a saint.  It is hardly in line with his main thought when he also represents the Church as a more or less independent dispenser of divine grace and speaks of baptismal regeneration.

From: Reformed Dogmatics: Historical (History of Dogma) by Louis Berkhof (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1937), pp. 139-140.