Eternal Covenant of Grace: For what it is worth, I have come to see that I have believed many things simply because I had heard them, repeated over time by worthy individuals, brethren whom I esteem and love in the fellowship of the gospel of Christ. And let’s be honest, familiarity has a way of slowly settling the mind, shaping how we think over time. When certain expressions and ideas are heard often enough, they begin to feel settled, almost self-evident, and one can find himself repeating them without ever having carefully weighed them in the light of Scripture. This is not to cast suspicion on those from whom we have learned (far from it), but to acknowledge how easily we may come to rest in what has been handed down to us. We do not see all things clearly, nor would we pretend to, but we are in constant need of being brought back to the testimony of God, that our thoughts of Christ and the gospel might be shaped by what He has spoken, rather than by what has simply become familiar. For if there is any safety, it will not be found in consulting our favorite theologians to see how their thoughts are arranged, but in resting in the testimony that God Himself has given of His Son. John 3:33.
Let me begin by drawing attention to one of my favorite Old Testament passages, words spoken by David near the end of his life, when the passing of time had stripped away much, and what remained was brought into clearer view, which, in many ways, seem to gather up a rich and steady testimony concerning Christ. What is so striking is that, with all else stripped away, they draw no confidence from anything found in David, but rest in what God Himself had made sure, looking beyond himself to that which would be fulfilled in Christ. II Corinthians 1:20. “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” II Samuel 23:5.
And what child of God, having been taught something of the emptiness of what is found in himself, can read these words and not be struck with wonder? To see that his interest is not bound up in anything within, but secured in that which stands fast in Christ, is no small thing. I Corinthians 1:30. And as these things are opened to us in the Scriptures, we find ourselves, like David, falling upon them, resting in them, and rejoicing in the Lord, who has made them all our salvation and all our desire. I Peter 1:8.
Just recently, and so often in the past, I’ve seen writers and heard speakers use this passage as a launching pad to speak about the Covenant of Grace, or what is sometimes referred to as the Eternal Covenant of Redemption. And it’s not hard to see why. Those are strong words, everlasting, ordered, sure. They seem to point to something established beyond all uncertainty. But before moving forward, it may be worth asking whether we are hearing what David is saying, or whether we are approaching the text with familiar terminology and expressions that have been handed down to us over time.
If we stop a moment and consider the words themselves, they bear a weight of meaning and glory that reaches beyond the words themselves. David speaks of an everlasting covenant – something not bound to time, but rooted in eternity. He calls it ordered in all things, not left open or uncertain, but fully established. And he declares it to be sure – fixed, settled, unmovable. This is not the language of something hanging in uncertainty, but of something fixed and established. And when he adds, “this is all my salvation, and all my desire,” the eye is lifted away from David entirely, and directed to that which alone can answer such words, Christ Himself.
It is at this point that much of the language we often hear begins to move beyond what is actually set before us in the Scriptures. We begin to hear of arrangements, of terms, of agreements, of roles being set and conditions being fulfilled, as though these things were plainly set forth in the testimony given to us. And yet, when we return to the Scriptures themselves, that is not the manner in which these things are spoken. The emphasis is not placed upon an arrangement being made, but upon something established; not upon terms being agreed upon, but upon a salvation set forth as sure. And it may be worth asking whether, in our attempts to describe these things, we have at times carried in ways of speaking that arise more from human dealings than from the simplicity of the truth as it is in Christ.
When Scripture speaks of the Father and the Son in the work of redemption, it does so in a way that is simple, clear, and free from the language of human arrangement. The Father sends, the Son comes, and the work is brought to its completion. But it is never set before us as a negotiation, nor as the settling of terms between separate wills. Rather, what appears throughout is a perfect unity – one will – one purpose – one work – revealed in the Father, and fulfilled in the Son. John 4:34. And in this, the certainty of what David speaks is not explained by an arrangement, but by God’s own undivided purpose, which stands sure in Christ. Ephesians 3:11.
If that is so, then it may be helpful to return to the word itself. When Scripture speaks of a “covenant” in this connection, it does not set before us a contract to be negotiated, nor an agreement dependent upon terms being fulfilled, but something established by God Himself, and therefore sure. The strength of it does not lie in the language used to describe it, but in the One who has made it. And when that word is joined, as it is here, with “everlasting,” with “ordered in all things,” and with “sure,” it is difficult to see how it can be pressed into the mold of human arrangement. Rather, it speaks of something grounded in the eternal purpose of God in Christ, where nothing is left uncertain, and nothing rests upon contingency, but all stands fast in Him. Ephesians 1:11.
I say this because I often hear this covenant spoken of in terms that go beyond the simplicity of Scripture. It is described as an arrangement entered into between the Father and the Son, with conditions proposed, obligations undertaken, and a work agreed upon to secure the salvation of a people. And while such language may be intended to safeguard the certainty of salvation, it can leave the impression of distinct parties coming to terms, as though there were separate interests to be reconciled. And it is here that we begin to see the difficulty, not that the truth being sought is wrong, but that the manner of speaking may introduce confusion, and subtly obscure that perfect unity which Scripture everywhere maintains concerning God and His work in Christ. “I and my Father are one.” John 10:30.
When we return to the Scriptures themselves, the language is both simple and consistent. The Father sends the Son, the Son comes to do the will of Him that sent Him, and the work is accomplished. A people are given, a salvation is wrought, and all is spoken of as sure. But nowhere are we brought into a scene of terms being settled, or conditions being agreed upon. Rather, what meets us throughout is a perfect unity of purpose and will, where all things proceed from God Himself, and are brought to their fullness in Christ. “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38.
If this be the manner in which the Scriptures speak, then it becomes important to consider how we are using the word “covenant” in this connection. For if by that word we mean to describe something arranged by way of terms and conditions, or an agreement entered into between parties, we may be in danger of attaching ideas to the truth that Scripture itself does not set forth. But if the word is used simply to express what God has established in His own purpose, and made sure in Christ, then it stands in harmony with all that has been said. And it is good to remember that when language goes beyond the testimony, it does not strengthen the truth, but often obscures it. Proverbs 30:6.
When the Scriptures set these things before us, they do not merely give us a framework to consider, but a Person to behold. Christ is not presented as One who enters into an arrangement to make salvation possible, but as the One in whom salvation stands complete and sure. He is the substance of all that is spoken – the One in whom the purpose of God is revealed, and by whom it is accomplished. It is in Him that all the promises of God are yea and amen, and in Him that every blessing is secured. If this be true, then the certainty of what David declares cannot be grounded in an arrangement about Christ, but in Christ Himself, who is at once the foundation and the full accomplishment of all that God has established.
In the end, it is not the framing of these things that gives them strength, but Christ Himself. For He is the One in whom all is established, ordered, and made sure. And as these things are made known to us in the Scriptures, we are brought, like David, to rest in Him, and to rejoice in the Lord, who has made Him all our salvation and all our desire. MPJ
Postscript: It may be noted that writers such as John Gill have expressed this subject in more formal covenantal terms, often describing it as an eternal agreement within the Godhead, wherein the Father appoints, the Son undertakes, and the work of redemption is set forth in terms of conditions fulfilled and promises secured. For those who may not be familiar with this kind of language, it may be helpful to recognize it in these terms – by way of illustration, a minister might say something like this: “In eternity past, the Father gave a people to the Son. The Son covenanted to redeem them by His obedience and death, and the Father covenanted to accept that work and give Him the reward of His people. What Christ accomplished in time was settled in eternity.” While such language is intended to uphold the certainty of redemption, the question remains whether it reflects the simplicity of Scripture, or introduces a framework shaped by human patterns of thought. MPJ