The Blessings & Basics of Covenant Theology // Book Overview, What Is Covenant Theology?

[@TrustworthyExpert]

I thought the Lord's Supper was the sign of the new covenant? keeping of sabbath was the sign of the covenant of the Law, circumcision was the sign for abraham's covenant?

[@Back2theWord]

For Covenant Theology folks as I know it. The Lord’s Supper is the ongoing renewal and sign of the New Covenant. And Baptism is the one time entrance into the New Covenant community of faith. So both are sacraments/signs. Sabbath keeping is part of the eternal Moral law of God, thus not ceremonial or civil law, which is why most strict CT people are sabbatarians. But I don’t remember ever hearing them call it a sign of the covenant. But maybe I am wrong. Regarding Circumcision: Yes it was given to Abraham. But I think they would say it was bigger than just that covenant as it is the sign of entrance into the covenant community in the OT as a whole. And remained such until Christ when that sign of covenant entrance was switched to baptism.

[@joeg9208]

Thanks pastor Joe for these reviews. After your studies, do you think progressive covenentalism or covenant theology fits your theology best?

[@Back2theWord]

Still a work in progress for sure. Still trying to understand a few things, and since Wellum’s stuff on Progressive Covenantalism is still ongoing I am not sure on all fronts. But today if I were to stake a claim, I think Progressive Covenantalism or “New Covenant Theology” which I believe Dr. Jim Hamilton holds to are much closer to how I interpret passages consistently than the polarities and full expressions of either Reformed Covenant Theology or Dispensationalism.

[@Adrian_Mason]

I thought the Ephesians 1:13 Holy Spirit is the Seal and John 13:35 Love one another the Sign? of the New Covenant.

[@Back2theWord]

Good question. This author used signs/seals/sacraments kinda interchangeably in some places and if he said why I missed it or just read it wrong. Straight up biblical data as I read it would say the Holy Spirit is given to us as the seal and the guarantee of the New Covenant. Love one another will be the mark of Christ’s church and how people will know we belong to Christ (but is not a sign or sacrament in my reading). But the entrance into the community of faith under Christ is baptism which is also a sign. So, two sacraments or ordinances in the NT (as I read it with my historically baptistic interpretation): by baptism we enter the community of faith (this is done once), and the Lord’s Supper is the covenant renewal and reminder that looks forward to the marriage supper of the lamb (and is done often by a localized body of Christ when gathered). For full covenant theology folks. The question is how much continuity/connection they draw between the sign of circumcision in the OT and baptism in the NT. Both signs of entrance into the community of faith. The closest thing we have to the Lord’s Supper in the OT is the Passover meal. Which Jesus augments in the upper room with his disciples in the Gospels into a sign/ordinance/sacrament of the New Covenant in his blood.

[@Adrian_Mason]

@@Back2theWord Thank You 🌟