In recent weeks I have been using some theological categories (to help explain God’s Word in the book of Titus) that may be new to many people in the study. For one, I have been introducing covenant theology. So far we have considered at a basic level God’s covenant of redemption (from eternity past), God’s covenant of works with Adam at creation, God’s common grace covenant with Noah (Genesis 9), God’s covenant of grace or promise with Abraham (Genesis 15), God’s covenant with Moses at Sinai (Exodus 20) and the New Covenant inaugurated by Christ.
I have also introduced the idea that we as believers live out the Christian life as participants in God’s two kingdoms: the kingdom of Christ, which finds its institutional expression in the church only, and the common (civil) kingdom, which includes all those institutions outside of the church (like the state, family and commerce) common to all of humanity. I have argued that God’s two kingdoms find formal establishment in two covenants that God made in Genesis. Life in God’s common kingdom corresponds to the covenant with Noah and life in Christ’s redemptive kingdom corresponds to the Abrahamic covenant (of grace).
While I intend of spending plenty of time explaining these biblical and Reformed teachings in more detail in the future, I thought that in the meantime you might benefit from some resources on the subjects.
On covenant theology:
- You can find a diagram (thanks to Rev Shane Lems) of the various covenants throughout redemptive history here: Covenant Time
- Introducing Covenant Theology by Michael Horton
- Covenant Theology Explored by Mike Brown and Zach Keele
- Audio from Westminster Seminary Office Hours (a great resource in general)
- The Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Report on Justification
On the doctrine of two kingdoms:
- Living in God’s Two Kingdoms by David VanDrunen (I have copies)
- Interview with VanDrunen on his book
- With Reverence and Awe (Reformed worship) by Darryl Hart (I have copies)
- Interview with Hart on the regulative principle of worship