The Gospel from a Covenant Perspective
The Bible is covenantal – that is to say, the structure of the biblical narrative is based on covenants. These covenants function as the ‘spine’ on which the story hinges. We often speak of the Gospel as if it was set of ‘spiritual laws’ or simple, disjointed truths. But what if we described the gospel in terms of the story of the Bible? Here is my humble attempt to do just that: to present the gospel as the outworking of a story, a story of God’s involvement in the world.
In the beginning, man was created within a covenant relationship with God. As the viceroy of the Almighty and the bearer of his image, man was the pinnacle of terrestrial creation. He was placed in a unique position to fellowship with his Creator and to exercise loving stewardship over the rest of the created order.
Yet by questioning and ultimately disobeying God, mankind (represented by Adam) broke the covenant and deeply marred the divine image. Exiled from the Garden of Eden, the sacred space where he was in intimate relationship with his Creator, mankind headed east, barred from relationship by angels with flaming swords. Outside the Covenant, mankind was in a place of hopelessness and despair.
Eventually, mankind’s wickedness increased to the point that God determined to destroy them. However, by rescuing Noah’s family and reaffirming the covenant with them, God showed that he was willing to start anew. Noah’s family begins a new stage in history, as they repopulate a new creation order. God binds himself by laying down his Bow of Vengeance in a worldwide promise of mercy. Man now has an opportunity to reform, given a second chance by God. Here is hope for the world.
Yet the takeaway of the Noahic Covenant is that something is deeply wrong with mankind. The heart of man is unchanged, pervaded by wickedness. Even in a new creation, washed of previous generations, mankind still turns from God to idols. Within a few generations, the world is once again engulfed in wickedness and God is forgotten. Something more is needed.
The Abrahamic Covenant marks a new beginning for mankind. Rather than destroying humanity, God creates a bridgehead – a sort of ‘outpost of truth’ – in a world of error. Abraham and his family serve this unique function, as God marks Abraham as the means by which God’s blessing will invade the world. The Abrahamic covenant forms a sort of ‘capsule’ in which God’s loyal love and faithfulness (‘emeth and chesed) will operate. With the sign of circumcision, God indicates that Abraham’s descendants will be a kingdom of priests, serving him and propagating the knowledge of God in a world of pagans. The nation of Israel functions as God’s son who will represent his character to the world at large.
God strengthens his relationship with the nation of Israel by forming a further covenant, the Mosaic. Through a multitude of laws and regulations, encapsulated in ten formative Words, God marks Israel as a separate and special people. The regulations of the Mosaic Covenant remind the people constantly of their unique duties to God. These spiritual laws show the character of God and are so glorious as to draw attention from the pagan world. Here, indeed, is a kingdom of priests, blessed with a special relationship to God and the most spiritual laws of any nation on earth.
Yet even with such profound privileges, the nation of Israel strays repeatedly. In fact, the exalted and spiritual law does exactly what Paul will later observe: aggravate, rather than curb, sinfulness. Clearly, something more is needed than a unique relationship, a covenant of loyal love and faithfulness, and spiritual laws. The heart of man still needs reformation.
God continues his divine plan by selecting David to be the ‘Son of God’ and federal head for the nation. In the Davidic Covenant, the descendants of David enflesh the nation and function as representatives of God for the people. Far from living up to this role, the descendants fail to fulfill this exalted calling. Even with a federal head, something more is needed: God must provide a descendant who can live up to the noble ideal.
Although God has been working for generations with the nation of Israel, the gentile world is left to its own devices, ‘having no hope, and without God in the world.’ The message of Jesus bursts onto the scene with the startling announcement that ‘The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ The time fulfillment has arrived, and the loose strings are going to be tied up. ‘Covenant’ still remains the vehicle by which God will dispense loyal love and faithfulness – but now we see that all are invited into this New Covenant. The blessing of the Abraham Covenant has arrived. Heart change, so desperately needed within the Mosaic Covenant, occurs because God does spiritual heart surgery on all the members of the covenant. The Davidic Covenant is fulfilled as God provides Jesus Christ, his own Son, to be the perfect Davidic descendant. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, sinners have the opportunity to be united to Christ, justified through his perfect life. Just as Adam was the federal head for his people, so Jesus is the federal head for his, representing them to God in perfection.
Jesus’ return to heaven is only temporary. As his people spread the Abrahamic blessing through the earth, they await his return to establish the consummated kingdom. The devil has already been defeated at the cross, and this will become undeniable at Jesus’ return. Then, in a restored earth, humanity will once again function as the priests of God, bearing his image and exercising stewardship over a renewed creation.
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