When I Was A Dispy No More

FIDE-O ^ | July 25, 2006 | Jason Robertson

[Alex Murphy]

THEN

I have always been a Southern Baptist. I was saved in a SBC church and surrendered to God's call to preach in that same church five years later. Later, I attended Liberty Univ. and graduated from an SBC college and from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I was a defender of Progressive Dispensationalism and a confused 4 point Calvinist.

I actually preached a stronger Calvinistic message than most SBC churches were accustomed to hearing. And unlike most SBC preachers, I never really preached on the end times much. In fact, when I preached through the Book of Revelation I always preached just one sermon that would cover chapters 6 through 19. Hey, I believed in a pre-trib rapture so why bother with the details of the Tribulation!

Through the years, the more I studied and the more I expounded the Word of God, the more Calvinistic I became. It has never caused me a problem in my SBC circles, and those of you who know me know that I am not ashamed to be a known as a Calvinist. I am a church-planting, evangelistic, pastor-theologian 5-point-plus Calvinist who wishes everybody was one.

NOW

But let me tell you about something that happened to me in the recent past. As I studied church history and historical orthodox Christianity, I found the rumors about Dispensationalism being a recent phenomenon to be true. Not only that, I realized how that Dispensationalism had entirely skewed my theology too many ways to count. I discovered Covenant theology and began to marvel at its comprehensiveness. I virtually devoured it, spending untold hours reading everything I could from men that I respected and trusted. I had always read books about CT and various Millennial views,but those books were usually written by men who were Dispensational. I had never really taken the time to let Covenant theologians speak for themselves. Although I wasn't convinced at first glance, every new understanding led to new questions. I became a practical Pan-Millennialist for a while -- the only thing I knew for sure was that it would all pan out!

Finally, when I emerged from my studies, I had went from being a Reformed Baptist who was a Pre-tribulational-Rapture Progressive-Dispensational theologian to being a Reformed Baptist who is an Amillennial Covenant theologian. I know that is a radical change, but trust me it wasn’t hard. It hurt somewhat -- all those years, all those sermons. (I will discuss my amillennial views in a later post.)

But now so much of what I had once just chalked up as "mystery" now made theological sense. I understood the Tribulation to have literally happened in the first century as Daniel, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John had prophesied. I understood the kingdom to have come spiritually in the hearts of God’s people as He saves the elect, Jew and Gentile from the “four winds of the earth.” I understood Satan’s power to be bound in submission to the authority of the church, unable to prevail against the Gospel's progress. I understood the “rapture” and “second coming” to be the same second and final advent of our Lord who will at that time complete the Redemption story and judge everyone once and for all "according to the books" and create a new heaven and earth. I understood all the covenants of the Old Testament and their continuity and unity. But what caught me off guard the most is the realization that all God has ever promised to His children is for me – not some future geo-political ethnic group on the other side of the world. My prayer for the Jews is that they get saved and thus enter into this spiritual kingdom that I am living in now. I now understand what I have always expected to be true – God doesn’t have two sets of children; there is one set of children, one set of saints, one body, one bride, one elect. Oh! the beauty of God’s plan of Redemption!

For me Covenant theology is an hermeneutic, an approach to understanding the Scripture—an approach that attempts to biblically explain the unity of biblical revelation. Covenant theology is both a biblical and systematic theology.

COVENANT THEOLOGY DEFINED
Covenant theology is the Gospel set in the context of God’s eternal plan of communion with his people, and its historical outworking in the covenants of works and grace (as well as in the various progressive stages of the covenant of grace). Covenant theology explains the meaning of the death of Christ in light of the fullness of the biblical teaching on the divine covenants, undergirds our understanding of the nature and use of the sacraments, and provides the fullest possible explanation of the grounds of our assurance.

To put it another way, Covenant theology is the Bible’s way of explaining and deepening our understanding of:
(1) the atonement [the meaning of the death of Christ];
(2) assurance [the basis of our confidence of communion with God and enjoyment of his promises];
(3) the sacraments [signs and seals of God’s covenant promises — what they are and how they work];
(4) the continuity of redemptive history [the unified plan of God’s salvation].

When Jesus wanted to explain the significance of His death to His disciples, He went to the doctrine of the covenants (see Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, 1 Corinthians 11). When God wanted to assure Abraham of the certainty of His word of promise, He went to the covenant (Genesis 12, 15, and 17). When God wanted to set apart His people, ingrain His work in their minds, tangibly reveal Himself in love and mercy, and confirm their future inheritance, He gave the covenant signs (Genesis 17, Exodus 12, 17, and 31, Matthew 28, Acts 2, Luke 22). When Luke wanted to show early Christians that Jesus’ life and ministry were the fulfillment of God’s ancient purposes for His chosen people, he went to the covenants and quoted Zacharias’ prophecy which shows that believers in the very earliest days of ‘the Jesus movement’ understood Jesus and His messianic work as a fulfillment (not a ‘Plan B’) of God’s covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72-73). When the Psalmist and the author of Hebrews want to show how God’s redemptive plan is ordered and on what basis it unfolds in history, they went to the covenants (see Psalm 78, 89, Hebrews 6-10).

Covenant theology is not a response to dispensationalism. It existed long before the rudiments of classical dispensationalism were brought together in the nineteenth century. Covenant theology is not an excuse for baptizing children, nor merely a convention to justify a particular approach to the sacraments (modern paedocommunionism and baptismal regenerationism). Covenant theology is not sectarian, but an ecumenical Reformed approach to understanding the Bible, developed in the wake of the magisterial Reformation, but with roots stretching back to the earliest days of catholic Christianity and historically appreciated in all the various branches of the Reformed community (Baptist, Congregationalist, Independent, Presbyterian, Anglican, and Reformed). Covenant theology cannot be reduced to serving merely as the justification for some particular view of children in the covenant (covenant successionism), or for a certain kind of eschatology, or for a specific philosophy of education (whether it be homeschooling or Christian schools or classical schools). Covenant theology is bigger than that. It is more important than that.

“The doctrine of the covenant lies at the root of all true theology. It has been said that he who well understands the distinction between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, is a master of divinity. I am persuaded that most of the mistakes which men make concerning the doctrines of Scripture, are based upon fundamental errors with regard to the covenant of law and of grace. May God grant us now the power to instruct, and you the grace to receive instruction on this vital subject.” Who said this? C.H. Spurgeon — the great English Baptist preacher! Certainly a man beyond our suspicion of secretly purveying a Presbyterian view of the sacraments to the unsuspecting evangelical masses.

Covenant theology flows from the trinitarian life and work of God. God’s covenant communion with us is modeled on and a reflection of the intra-trinitarian relationships. The shared life, the fellowship of the persons of the Holy Trinity, what theologians call perichoresis or circumincessio, is the archetype of the relationship the gracious covenant God shares with His elect and redeemed people. God’s commitments in the eternal covenant of redemptive find space-time realization in the covenant of grace.

J. Ligon Duncan III, PhD, Senior Minister,
First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS.
Posted with the permission of Dr. Duncan.

I agree with S. M. Baugh [1] who said that Covenant theology is "not incidental to Reformed theology -- it is Reformed theology." Baugh also noted, "Covenant is the fabric of the whole Bible. Once this fundamental schema of covenant in the Scriptures comes clear, all the patterns of God's relations with the sons and daughters of Adam unfolds into a rich tapestry unifying the Scriptures. "[1] S.M. Baugh (Ph.D., UC Irvine) is associate professor of NT at Westminster Theological Seminary in California.

Of course, many of my brothers and colleagues are not CT, much less Post-Mill, but these issues are definitely not ones that would cause me to break fellowship. In fact, I have a comprehensive understanding of all the prominent Protestant positions and have respect for them all in different ways. Do you have any idea how many charts I could draw??!!

I am a true Baptist of the Puritan kind. I pray for a revival of Biblical and systematic theology among the SBC pastors due to the inerrancy victories. I am confident in God's providence, joyfully victorious in God's kingdom and optimistic about the future.

I love to be taught God's Word, and I love teaching it to faithful men who will teach it also.

[Quix]

No inconsistency at all.

Quite consistent with God's Word.

Messianic Believers are close to Jesus now. Hallelujah! That's by far the wiser, safer place.

Nevertheless, AS GOD ALMIGHTY ASSERTS . . .

HIS

EVERLASTING PROMISES TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB AND THEIR DESCENDANTS

WILL
NOT
.

FAIL!

[at least] as long as there are stars, sun, moon . . .

THANKFULLY, IN GOD'S
UNrubberized dictionary,
EVERLASTING = EVERLASTING!
FAITHFUL PROMISE = FAITHFUL PROMISE
NOT FAIL = NOT FAIL

I didn't realize that REPLACEMENTARIANS, A-mils, Preterists, Post-mils and run-of-the-mils beleive that the stars, sun, & moon ceased to exist in 70 A.D.

NO WONDER
they sound
so much
in the
dark!

[Quix]

WHAT A WONDERFUL REPLY!

[Quix]

Obviously, in the

REPLACEMENTARIAN RUBBER BIBLE,

1,000 years

can mean anything from 70 years to infinity.

Quite convenient, that.

Allows for all kinds of mental mess to be mushed into things.

[boatbums]

E.T.’s??? Hmmm...I've been posting to an E.T. on this thread....
Don't get yer knickers in a knot, Petronski. Rest assured I don't believe in space visitors drawing on cornfields just for the fun of it.

But just out of curiosity, how could a world-ruler explain the sudden disappearance of hundreds of millions of people? Could an alien abduction be believable when people are literally freaking out? I've often wondered about that.

[Petronski]

Says your posting history.

[Marysecretary]

S. Y.

[Petronski]

Says your posting history.

[editor-surveyor]

"the DEVIL is NOT in the Pit but is acting out with increasing fury right before our eyes....for those that care to see and hear."

One would think that would go without speaking it, with Obama in the White House. Clearly he is indwelt by Satan.

[Marysecretary]

Your paranoia amazes me. I said nothing about the Pope not being Christian. I said SHE was. Back to your meds...

[Marysecretary]

I’ve always believed that God warns His prophets and his people about upcoming events and I believe those of us who have received His Son as Lord and Saviour will know shortly before the actual time. The indwelling HS will clue us in.

[Petronski]

You drew a contrast between being a pope and being a Christian:

She’s no Pope, Sir. She’s a Christian.

Your posting history is immutable.

[editor-surveyor]

"one who cannot profess the Creeds is not Christian."

One who has Christ has no need of creeds. Creeds are part of the mental drubbing of Nicolaitanism.

[editor-surveyor]

"St. Peter was given the keys to Heaven and has passed them to each of his successors."

I, and my brothers and sisters in Christ, have the keys, and we do not have 'successors.'

[editor-surveyor]

"The Romish theory is that the complete rule of faith and practice consists of Scripture and tradition, or the oral teaching of Christ and his apostles, handed down through the Church. Tradition they hold to be necessary, 1st, to teach additional truth not contained in the Scriptures; and, 2nd, to interpret Scripture."

Pretty much the same as the 'Mormon theory' then, huh?

[editor-surveyor]

"We’ll find out if the Temple is ever rebuilt, I guess."

The Kabbalists, Jewish, Islamic, and Masonic, will build a temple. This is the base from which Antichrist will rise to power. Messiach's temple will come after man's temple is crushed, physically and spiritually.

[Marysecretary]

I have nothing against the Pope. I believe He is a Godly man. You have a tendency to read into things what YOU want to believe. Fine. Doesn’t faze me at all. It’s not my problem, it’s yours.

[Quix]

New Agers and others have talked for a long time about how “Space Brothers” are going to come

and relieve the world of the terrible burden of the horrible Christians who are holding the world back from advancing to the new ‘vibrational level’ and hindering the flowering transition to the NEW AGE and the NEW WORLD ORDER.

Some claim the Christians will be carted away in huge mother ships to a penal planet somewhere to be “re-educated.”

Boy are the NEW AGERS in for some very startling awakenings.

Some Christians think that will be satan’s explanation for the RAPTURE.

[Religion Moderator]

You have a tendency to read into things what YOU want to believe.

Reading the mind of another Freeper is "making it personal."

Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.

[boatbums]

Not only the ‘new-agers’ - though you don't hear that term tossed out that much anymore - but everybody left behind. The world is going to see what it's like without Christians and also what it's like without the influence of the Holy Spirit. I imagine something far worse that Hitler's Germany.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Yep. All error ends up in the same place — denying the sovereignty of the Triune God.