Covevant Theology

I recall, in the beginning of my walk with Christ, that my understanding of scripture was different than it is today. I am sure you are saying, ‘Well yea, Scott. You were in the initial stage of your new life in Jesus. The process of sanctification is like a snowball rolling down a hill!’ In fact, even in light of this, my hermeneutic was flawed. I saw the bible in a divided fashion; generally read the New Testament. If I read any of the Old, it was bits and pieces and I always saw the Old as outdated, material that I have to interpret through the New Testament writings.

I was saved in a Calvary Chapel; the theology in this venue was Arminian, premillenial dispensationalism. The Old Testament was not neglected, but driven by certain presuppositions prevalent in the Calvary Chapel system. It was taught in their bible college. One thing that was stressed to us sheep was the fact that we are ‘People of the Word’. We were always encouraged to read the scriptures and hold the leadership accountable to what they were actually teaching. In this, I began reforming. In the five years I sat in this Calvary Chapel, I read a voratious amount of material. This to include, Matthew henry, John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul and Charles Spurgeon; believe it or not, these books were purchased in the Calvary Chapel bookstore. Well, to be brief, these writers had a direct impact on my walk. Soon after, I left and joined a faithful congregation of Particular Baptists. In that time, another 5 years, I started reading about how God always has worked with the creature, that being, through a covenantal means. God has never not been a God of Covenant. In this, the bible then became one whole book with the same faithful God in both Testaments. A light came on. There were three events in my walk, that stand out greatly. 1) When I first was saved, 2) When I became Reformed and 3) when I understood ‘covenant’. The bible became one book with no real amplifications (excpet for the culminating point in time, when Christ dided and resurected). Soon after this, I left this Baptist ccongregation and joined a local Presbyterian church. The rest is history.

In Deuterotomy:

⁹Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Dt 7:9)

In Isaiah:

¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart,

And the hills be removed;

But my kindness shall not depart from thee,

Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,

Saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (Is 54:10.)

In Jeremiah:

⁴⁰And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (Je 32:40)

Considering the language used here, one can clearly see that God is a covevant keeping God; this covenantal language is much more than just words, but a direct correlation with God’s character and faithfulness.

The God of Covenant by Scott Bushey
The Economy of the Covenants by Herman Witsius

Various Authors on Covenant
“Covenant” – by Dr. Zacharias Ursinus
A Baptist Proves that Baptism is not by Immersion – by Unknown
A Practical Discourse concerning Vows: with a Special Reference to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper – by Edmund Calamy
Atonement and the Covenant of Grace by Hugh Martin
Baby Belief Before Baptism – By Dr. Nigel Lee
Baptism – by Dr. Charles Hodge
Baptism – by Dr. Ulrich Zwingli
Baptism and Infant Baptism – by Dr. A. A. Hodge
Children and Church Membership – by Dr. Thomas Shepard
Children in the Covenant of Grace – by Dr. Thomas Shepard
Covenantal Ideas – by Dr. Herman Witsius
Did All Mankind Fall in Adam’s First Sin? by Edward Fisher
Difficulties About Baptism – by Dr. Douglas Bannerman
Dr. John Calvin on Infant Baptism
Dr. Jonathan Edward’s Miscellanies on “Covenant”
Dr. Jonathan Edwards On Infant Baptism – Part 1
Dr. Jonathan Edwards On Baptism – Part 2
God’s Covenant with Men – by A.A. Hodge
God’s Covenants with Man, the Church by AA Hodge
Infant Baptism – by Dr. Martin Luther
Infant Baptism: Scriptural and Reasonable Part 1 – by Rev. Samuel Miller
Infant Baptism Scriptural and Reasonable Part 2 – by Rev. Samuel Miller
Infant Baptism Scriptural and Reasonable Parts 3-4 – by Rev. Samuel Miller
Introduction to Covenant Theology by JI Packer
Is the Mosaic Covenant the covenant of Grace? by Wilhelmus a’Brakel
John Calvin on Genesis 17
Jonathan Edwards On “Covenant” – by Dr. John Gerstner
Man in the Covenant of Works by Louis Berkhof
Oath and Ordeal Part 1 – by Dr. Meredith G. Kline
Oath And Ordeal Part 2 – by Dr. Meredith G. Kline
Of Infant Baptism and Dipping – by Dr. John Owen
Paedocommunion and Covenant Theology Edited by C. Matthew McMahon
Reformed Interpretation of the Mosaic Covenant – by Mark W. Karlberg
Retracting Credobaptism – by Dr. Fowler White
Smith on Covenant Theology – by Dr. Morton Smith
The 5th Commandment And Infant Baptism – by Rev. Ezekiel Hopkins
The Ark of the Covenant Opened by Patrick Gillespie
The Covenant of Grace by AA Hodge
The Covenant of Grace by Herman Bavinck
The Covenant of Works by Thomas Watson
The Covenant Seed – by Dr. Thomas Goodwin
The Doctrine Surrounding Infant Baptism – by Rev. Ezekiel Hopkins
The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man by Herman Witsius
The Mystery and Marrow of the Bible by Francis Roberts
The Polemics of Infant Baptism – by Dr. Benjamin B. Warfield
The Remedy Provided for by Jesus Christ in the Covenant of Grace by David Dickson
The Sacramental Principle – by Dr. William Cunningham
The Scriptural Foundation of the Covenant of Works by Louis Berkhof
The Subjects of Baptism – by Dr. Wilhelmus a’Brakel
Three Characteristics of the Covenant of Grace by Herman Bavinck
Vindiciæ Legis et Fœderis – by Rev. John Flavel
Violating the Covenant of Works by Herman Witsius
What is a Covenant? – by Dr. Charles Hodge
Why We Baptize Infants – by John Murray