If one were to take a
survey of modern American evangelical Christians regarding the covenants of
Scripture and the confessions of historic Christianity, I am convinced that he
or she would uncover enormous confusion. I can say with a high degree of
confidence that the typical evangelical Christian’s knowledge of these
particular subjects is dreadful. Now, I am not referring to false converts
here. I am referring to solid, bible believing Christians.
Ask yourself the question, “how
many covenants can I name without much effort?” What was the first great creed
in Church history? How many of the great confessions can you name? Now, shift
gears and ask yourself; why is knowledge
about things like the covenants, creeds, and confessions important to begin
with? If you do not know the answers to these questions, the fault lies
partly with you and very likely, mostly with your leaders. If the fault lies
with you, the good news is that there is something you can do about it. You get
go to Amazon.com and make the appropriate purchases to gain a better understanding of church history. Second, you can read about the
biblical covenants in Scripture. I will provide a short list and the scriptural
references for both at the end of this post.
The more sobering question is why
is it that most Christians simply don’t care? Why are the distractions of this
world, the entertainment of this world, and the many entanglements of this
world so much more interesting than those things that have serious implications
where the kingdom of God is concerned? It is obvious that Christians care very
little about the biblical covenant, about the circumstances that produced the
Apostles and the Nicene Creeds. It is painfully clear that modern evangelicals
simply could give a rip about the Westminster Confession, the London Baptist
Confession, and the historical setting that provided the impetus for their
existence. But that is not the point. The question is why do so many modern evangelical
Christians care nothing about what is without a doubt some of the most
significant events within the unfolding drama of redemptive history within Scripture
and within the Christian church? That they do is uncontroversial. Why they do
is a question of a different nature altogether.
I blame the apathy on
a number of factors not the least of which is a focus on existentialism by
modern evangelical pastors. Now, before I go any farther, I want to explain
what I mean by existentialism. In
short, existentialism holds that human predication begins with the thinking,
feeling, acting individual. This view has led to the idea that any sort of
systematizing, either theological or philosophical, is simply too abstract for
the concrete nature of human experience. Now, the manner in which existential
philosophy has influenced the church can be seen by surveying movements like
the seeker-sensitive model, the emergent model, and various other movements
that are not quite so obvious. The thinking has shifted from church in community to the individual. Doctrine has been
downplayed. People that emphasize theology and reading Scripture properly have
been criticized for treating the Bible like a math textbook or something similar.
Relationships, feelings, and individual experiences have displaced Bible
studies. What we call Bible study, or small group study is really little more
than an attempt to emphasize relationships, discuss the worldly affairs we find
ourselves involved with from day to day, talk about sports, the kids, work, the
spouse, the family, and just about anything but the deep truths of Scripture
and the profound events in Christian history. The gospel of Christ is now “lived”
rather than proclaimed. Being a good husband has displaced being a godly man.
We routinely see articles about “being in love” with God or romancing Jesus as opposed to
the sobering and serious command to love God with all our being. In short, existential philosophy has
produced a man-centered, feelings oriented, experienced-based concept of
Christianity that is a mere shell of that which is unfolded for us in the pages
of the biblical text.
This explains why
there is such apathy toward doctrine. It’s simply too abstract. Talk about
holiness and sanctification and hating sin produces feelings that do
not make me feel very good about myself. Repentance is really quite a negative
term after all. It implies that I am deficient, that I need to change, that I am unacceptable as I am. And that just cannot be true at all. It contradicts everything my parents, teachers, coaches, and therapists have told me. Confrontation requires judgment, not flattery and tends to offend people
and is perceived as unloving and arrogant. It is the “self” that dictates not
only the content of the Christian message but the method for how it is
delivered. This explains why church discipline is an endangered species in
modern times. How often do you hear pastors preach about the purity of the
church and what it means for a community to protect that purity? Yes, we can turn
such a process into self-righteous legalism. Balance is necessary. Love is
essential. And humility is indispensable. But the purity of the Church is a
non-negotiable of Christian praxis. Existential theology is antithetical to the
church in community. And a church that is not church in community is indeed not a church at all. The unifying principle of the church is the truth revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Love and diversity and tolerance are not unifying principles of the church even if they are indispensable virtues. (Eph. 2:20-21)
Another creed worth mention is the
one that came out of the Nicean Council in 325. The Nicene creed was the result
of a council at Nicea aimed at dealing with a serious heresy in early
Christianity. The root of the Arian heresy was located in the attempt of
certain Christians to make the Christian message respectable in their culture
among the intelligentsia of the day. Sound familiar? Ultimately, this led to
false views involving the nature of Christ. To resolve the issue once and for
all, a council was called in the city of Nicea. The result was the Nicene Creed
which gives us a concise confession regarding what a genuine Christian
confesses about the nature of Jesus Christ. How many Christians know anything
about the details and significance of the Nicene Creed?
Fast-forward to Wittenberg, Germany
on October 31, 1517 and keep your eyes fastened on the doors of the Castle
Church. If you watch long enough, legend has it that on this day you will see
something else fastened to the door of this church: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.
Luther was reacting to abuses in the Roman Catholic Church. And in response to
those abuses, Luther gives us 95 Theses, a confession if you will, of what
Luther holds to be essence of Christian belief. Luther sought to set the record
straight by way of confessing a particular set of beliefs that he held were the
expression of true Christianity.
Then again, in response to Charles
I, the Long Parliament was called to assembly in Westminster to discuss the
reform of the Church of England. The result was the Westminster Confession of
Faith. In addition to this we can add the reaction of the Baptists who differed
with their Presbyterian brothers on the nature of the covenants, and
restructured the confession with one of their own, known as the Second London
Baptist Confession. This latter confession deviates only on a few points from
the older Westminster Confession. These great confessions were designed with
the same spirit as the early Christian creeds. Moreover, they were in keeping
with a long held rich tradition that goes back to the very beginning of man’s covenantal
relationship with God.
Why Christians should care about
the biblical covenants
The reason Christians must care
about the biblical covenants is because the covenant is the vehicle by which
God enters relations with all His creatures and especially with His elect. He
covenants with us. The truth is that God has never related to man apart from a
covenant. The covenant defines the terms of God’s relationship with man and man’s
responsibilities to God. Robertson says, “In its most essential aspect, a
covenant is that which binds people together. Nothing lies closer to the heart
of biblical concept of the covenant than the imagery of a bond violable.”
[Robertson: The Christ of the Covenants] All Christians relate to God via the
blood of Christ spilled in the New Covenant. (Heb. 9:28) Modern Americans have
numerous casual relationships. God has none! God does not engage in informal
relations or casual relations whatsoever. Modern Christians view their
relationship with God the same way they view their relationship with others.
This is simply wrong. According to Nehemiah Coxe, the covenant “implies a free
and sovereign act of the divine will exerted in condescending love and
goodness.” [Coxe: Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ] God stoops down to
enter covenant relation with His creatures. The picture is nothing short of
stunning and glorious. What this means of course is that unless you understand
that God’s relationship is always covenantal in nature, then you do not
understand the nature of God’s relationship with His creation and especially
His elect. I could be wrong, but I think this means that every Christian should
have a firm understanding of the biblical covenants, their nature, and how they
operate. And if they do not possess such an understanding, then they must be
presently working on attaining one. Nothing less will do if you truly care
about the nature of your relationship with God and His relationship with you.
Why Christians should care about
the ancient creeds
Philip Schaff begins his work, The Creeds of Christendom, “The Bible is
the Word of God to man; the Creed is man’s answer to God. The Bible reveals the
truth in the popular form of life and fact; the Creed states the truth in the
logical form of doctrine. The Bible is to be believed and obeyed; the Creed is
to be professed and taught.” To being with, creeds and confessions are
significantly important in Scripture. For example, the basis for the most
fundamental of all Christian confessions is located in Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord
is one!” That God is one is revealed truth. That our God is one is the
confession of God’s own. We fast-forward to the New Testament and a different
scene. Jesus asked His disciples who men thought He was and Peter answered and
said, “Thou art the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of the living God.” This is
Peter’s great confession about the identity of Christ. Paul gives us a
wonderful confession about the mystery of godliness in 1 Tim. 3:16, “By common
confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the
flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the
nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” There are many other
examples in the text that teach us the significance of confession in our
devotion and worship of God. One cannot help but wonder how something so
obviously significant and important in the text has come to be so neglected and
ignored in so many modern versions of Christianity. I think I have a word for
it: existentialism.
The Major Covenants are Scripture are as follows:
The Covenant of Works: Genesis 1:28-30; 2:15-17
The Noahic Covenant: Genesis 9:1-17
The Abrahamic Covenant(s): Genesis 12:1-3; 17; 22:15-18
The Mosaic Covenant: Genesis 19-24
The New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:27-40; Matt. 26:26; Heb. 8
The Great Creeds and Confessions would include:
The Apostles Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Athanasian Creed
The Canons of Dordt
The Belgic Confession
The Westminster Confession
The London Baptist Confession 1689
A couple of recommendations:
Church History In Plain Language (Bruce Shelley)
The History of Christianity (Justo L. Gonzalez) 2-volumes
Turning Points (Mark A. Noll)
A couple of recommendations:
Church History In Plain Language (Bruce Shelley)
The History of Christianity (Justo L. Gonzalez) 2-volumes
Turning Points (Mark A. Noll)
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