B. The Covenant of Grace

Because of man’s fall into sin and its reward of death (judgment) the distance between God (the Creator) and man (the Creature) is so great, that although men owe their obedience to God, they are unable to earn their escape from the wretched effects of sin, nor from their condition as men who are under a just judgment (See Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 7). Only a divine act of mercy is able to save men from their sins and thereby to cancel out the debt of their state of being.

The covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed, (Heb. 9:15-17, Heb. 7:22, Luke 22:20, 1 Cor. 11:25, Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 7, Article 4). Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 7, Article 3, says: “Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe.

From man’s perspective (an anthropomorphism) the Lord cut covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:9-12) as conditioned upon obedience and perfect fidelity. The Divine Triune Being is immaculate in all his works, thus his works are certain to unfold perfectly through time as decreed. There is no uncertainty in his promises, nor in any of his works.

The cutting of a covenant, or a contract/agreement, was an ancient eastern tradition. The Hebrew word for covenant is berîyth – derived from the root word that means to cut. Of old, covenants were made by the cutting (dividing) of animals into two parts. The agreeing or contracting parties would then pass between the animal parts. This rite of making covenant signified the mutual promise to keep the terms of the agreement or contract between the parties or persons.

A breach of contract or covenant meant that the offender would be killed or cut apart as an act of rightful judgment. It is most significant that the Lord put Abram into a deep sleep, and that a great darkness fell upon him (Gen. 15:12), then the Lord alone passed between the animals (Gen. 15:17) that had been cut in two. This established the Abrahamic Covenant as an unconditional covenant, one that is unable to be broken (Ps. 89:34, Heb. 6:13-28). God does not lie, neither does he change his mind, but fulfills his covenant (Num. 23:19).

The terms of the covenant were thus made by the superior (the Lord) against the inferior (Abraham). We gain an appropriate perspective on the covenant responsibilities that are attached to the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” and it is enlightening to read carefully the substance of the Westminster Larger Catechism questions and answers 123-131.

Consider the responsibilities that all men have towards the Lord, the ultimate superior. Be mindful that the Lord fulfills his promises towards his elect being fully able to affect his covenant promises towards his inferiors. It should not be lost upon us that the God who cut covenant with Abraham is the very one Triune God who made covenant to make man in his own image and after his own likeness (Gen. 1:26).

It was the Lord’s purpose to foreordain the elect unto salvation (Eph. 1:4) so that the keeping of God’s Covenant is a guaranteed certainty. The Lord’s decree being without possible violation, Abraham’s being conditioned upon obedience. Yet we must note that the Lord could not possibly break the terms of the grace that was given to Abraham. The Lord declared with certainty the promise that he keeps covenant forever.

Jesus High Priestly prayer (John 17) attests to his work in keeping covenant so that the elect have ultimate assurance that the death sentence for sin has been lifted from them, having been fully placed upon Jesus. He paid the price for our sin. He rose again and sits in glory at the right hand of the Father.

Take note of Jesus prayer: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” Jesus declared that the heirs of his covenant mercies have kept his word.