Our Eternal Redemption

[12th April 2013]

Two things have stirred me up very recently both of which we have met up with in classes, which I think are worth further exploration. They have stirred me up because they have touched on the fundamental issue of how we are saved as christians.

1.     The seeming ‘unfairness’ of the fact that God should give up his Son to die in our places on the cross was raised. This concern is not new and continuously raises its head.

2.     In a class presentation we saw a couple of minutes of a Moslem apologist insisting that the Trinity is not to be found in the Bible. It is.

This is where one of the covenants comes in. It is one that is not explicitly stated in the Bible, but one which is there by implication only – but which is the most important one.

This is the so-called ‘Covenant of Redemption’ made in the heavenly places between Father, Son and Holy Spirit before all time: the covenant that the Son would die on the cross in the place of sinful humanity. The Father promised the Son a reward on completion of his work. The Father gave to the Son the church whose salvation he would accomplish through his obedient death on the cross.

The Son accepted the Father’s gift and the conditions of the covenant. The Holy Spirit promised to apply the gifts to the church in all their forms to unite the church to the Son. This so-called Covenant of Redemption is the basis of all of God’s redemptive work for us down the history. I do not want what I am saying to you to be as theology lecture but I want it to encourage and reassure you.

Hear what the Scripture says …

1 Pet 1:10-12 – the Spirit, we learn that the Spirit of Christ wrote the Old Testament scriptures:

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and enquired carefully, 11 enquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Ps 40 says …

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
    but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

Hebrews tells confirms that Ps 40 was written by David and really are the words of Jesus Christ about himself – in this psalm we are listening in on the heavenly dialogue between Father and Son … God delights in obedience more than animal sacrifices and the Son delights to obey …

These are the loyal words of the Son to the Father

Ps 110 describes how the Lord Jesus receives his reward for his obedience. Here we catch sight of the covenantal oath made by God to his Son. The Father seals the covenant with an oath and appoints him a priest. He also promises him a reward and be granted judgement on the earth.

The Lord says to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The Lord sends forth from Zion
    your mighty sceptre.
    Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely
    on the day of your power,
    in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest for ever
    after the order of Melchizedek.”

Is 53 says …

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors. 

Why am I telling you this?

Now I don’t recognise the God whom Richard Dawkins hates, he does not exist. Dawkins builds up a monster straw god in order to whack him down in a torrent of abuse. One of the reasons why some Christians struggle with their relationship with God is because they have not grasped who and what God really is. And in particular they have not grasped God’s love and grace as revealed in this eternal covenant between Father and Son.

We are so much richer in our understanding of God when we grasp this eternal covenant made for our benefit before the beginning of time.

1.    It tells us of the love of God. Indeed, God is love. It is not a sentimental empty mushy feeling between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The love of God in liberal theology has no content. But the love of God is a love not just for humankind but a perfect holy love between the three persons of the Trinity – love which is neither theoretical nor passive, but a love which shows itself in works. A deep, mutual, and united love for one another at great cost between the three Divine Persons.

2.     The perfect blessedness of God exists in the free loving covenantal relationship one for another, thus also mankind will only find true blessedness in a covenant relationship with our creator God. God has chosen to share this intra-trinitarian love with his people. He truly loved us while we were yet sinners, before we were even created. As we worship God, we do not worship a grim master, but one who is love. When you are tempted to doubt your salvation, remember that your salvation is not guaranteed or established by your holiness, because of your prayer life or because of your pious parents but because of this initial eternal promise made since the beginning of time and truly as Jesus said on the cross – “It is finished!” Without this promise the Christian life can easily become a pious duty-filled treadmill.

3.     The Covenant of Redemption brings joy of assurance of salvation. If there is any earning to be done it has already been earned for you by Christ. Knowing that our own salvation has been planned since the beginning of time in eternity. Our salvation is dependent not on our obedience but because of God’s love and intra-trinitarian obedience and love.

4.     The Covenant of Redemption stops speculation. Once we know that the Mediator of the Covenant of Redemption, the incarnate Son of God, who in sinless perfection and holiness died on the cross and who was raised to life on the 3rd day – that is all we need to know. The jigsaw pieces fit together.