Have You Read and Understood the Terms of Agreement? - Mark James

 

​When was the last time you read through the terms of agreement for the credit card that you use or a website that you use such as PayPal or an investment website? Oftentimes, we simply “accept” those terms without even reading them. Yet we use such items as credit cards and marketplace/investmentwebsites on a daily basis, so that those terms of agreement are in place and have some effect upon us even though we have not read them and certainly do not think about them while using the credit card or paying off the credit card. They are there and in effect regardless of how much thought we put into it. 

In the past week, how many times have you thought about the covenant of redemption? I’m willing to say that for most of us it is “not at all.” So today I’d like to think about how the covenant of redemption affects us as believers. First, it would be helpful to be reminded of what the covenant of redemption is and how Scripture talks about it. The covenant of redemption is typically understood to be that eternal covenant between the persons of the triune Godhead in order to accomplish redemption. In this covenant, the Father elects a people for Himself and appoints the Son to be the Mediator of His elect via the covenant of grace and all that that entails (Incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension). The Holy Spirit anoints and equips the person of Jesus Christ for His mission as well as applying the work of Jesus to the elect. You can find reference to this covenant in the Westminster Confession of Faith VIII.1 as well as support for it in passages such as Acts 17:31, John 17:6, Hebrews 1:2, etc. An immediate implication and application for the Christian life is readily seen in that this covenant undergirds the entire story of Scripture as the covenant of redemption is carried out in time/space/history. Additionally, this covenant undergirds the work of the Messiah for our salvation. But I would like to dive deeper.

​Psalm 2 is one of the traditional places in Scripture appealed to for support of the covenant of redemption. Psalm 2:7 states, “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” J. V. Fesko points out that the term “decree” is virtually synonymous with “covenant”. In this case, Yahweh is speaking to His Anointed (v.2) who is also his Son and making reference to a covenant that is established between the two of them. The terms of the covenant in context involve a place (v.6), a people (v.8), and it implies God’s presence (v.8). The arena in which this covenant will take place is creation (v.8). So, Yahweh has covenanted with the Messiah to make Him king within the sphere of creation and His rule will be centered in Zion, but the boundaries of His kingdom will be the entirety of creation (“ends of the earth”).

Within this creation-kingdom, there are two contrasting groups of people described. The first group is described as a multiplicity of peoples who have their own earthly kings and together the people with their kings are trying to rebel against the rule of Yahweh’s Messiah-Son (v.3). Such attempts are foolish, so foolish indeed that it causes God to laugh (v.4), because the reign of the Messiah-Son is a covenanted reign rooted in eternity which cannot be thwarted by temporal and finite creatures, all of whom fall under the umbrella of the eternal king’s reign. The warning of a judgment that the Messiah-Son King will mete out implies a call to this people group to cease from their foolish and feeble attempt at rebellion and submit to the reign of this King (vv.11-12a). For those who do submit, there is a blessedness to be found (v.13), contrasted with a judgment to be incurred for those who continue in rebellion (vv.9, 12). Here we see ways that we can frame pastoral ministry as well as Christian testimony when it comes to the proclamation of the Gospel. The free offer of the Gospel in preaching and evangelism is those who have been made covenant keepers by the grace of God in Christ Jesus calling covenant breakers to return to loyalty to their covenant King who made them and will one day judge them as covenant breakers if they do not repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, His Anointed One. 

Zechariah 6:9-15 is another passage used in support of the covenant of redemption. In Zechariah 6, Zechariah sees a vision of Joshua the high priest who back in Zechariah 3 served as a sign pointing to the coming Branch, who is now referenced again in Zechariah 6. The same themes that occur in Psalms 2 also occur in this passage. The idea of place is present in that the Temple of Yahweh is going to be built (v.12). The presence of God is indicated in this passage via the idea of the Branch sitting and ruling on the throne of God (v.13). A people is identified as those who will “come and help to build the temple of the Lord” (v.15).  To the kingly office present in Psalm 2 is added the office of priest and these offices will be combined in one person. The combination of king and priest is present as the Branch is sitting and ruling on a throne while bearing “royal honor” and this throne is indicated to be within the temple of the Lord. This combination of 2-offices-in-1-person is also seen symbolically in that the high priest Joshua is crowned with a crown and Joshua typifies this one whose name is “the Branch” (v.12).  

Notice that not only is the Messiah tasked with building the temple of Yahweh, but the Messiah’s people come alongside Him and participate in the building as well. This flavors how we understand such passages as 1 Corinthians 3:16 which states, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” and Ephesians 2:19-22 in which the Church is described as growing “into a holy temple in the Lord.” The temple building of Zechariah 6 becomes both individual temple building as well as corporate temple building in the NT. Individually, the temple building occurs in our progressive sanctification as we daily seek to put to death our evil desires and deeds and to increase living unto righteousness (WLC #75; WSC #35) in both private and family worship. Dear Christian, your living the Christian life and fighting the good fight of faith is rooted in the covenant of redemption. In fact, it is you participating in the eternal covenant of redemption via our Great High Priest Jesus Christ. Corporately, the temple building occurs in corporate worship. Corporately, we grow together in the fellowship of the saints as together we worship our Priest and King, pray for one another, encourage one another, etc. In other words, we can see Christian fellowship as temple building where you are helping build me up and I am helping build you up. By participating in private worship, family worship, and corporate worship, the Master temple builder is building you up, but you are participating alongside Him as you build up your brothers and sisters in the faith.

So whether you are reading your Bible, leading your family in worship, preaching from the pulpit, sharing the good news of Christ with an unbeliever, repenting of and putting to death a malicious thought, praying for the congregation in a session meeting, partaking of the sacrament, teaching Sunday School, encouraging another believer, cooking for the Wednesday night prayer meeting, or any other activity related to living out the faith, the covenant of redemption is at work and being carried out. This is not some esoteric theological construct far removed from our daily lives. Rather, it undergirds our daily lives in Christ Jesus our Lord.