The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption Date: September 10, 2017 Last week we focused on the subject of chapter 2 of our Westminster Confession of Faith, dealing with the fact that there is but one true and living God, who has revealed himself and so worked in chosen men over some 1400 years, to give us that revelation in written form, partly to protect it from corruption and to provide a sure and certain Word to us as the only infallible rule or standard of what we are to believe and how we are to live for his glory. It contains The Heaven Drawn Picture of the True and Living God. So last week we looked at God as the one true and living God, and at attributes that characterize God as God. I. This one true and living God, is Spirit, and is infinite in Being and in his perfections. So we dealt with what it means for God to be Spirit, infinite in being and in his perfections what does that mean? Spirit John 4:24 Infinite in being Almighty omnipotent His knowledge is infinite omniscience Immense omnipresent Eternal and Unchangeable Eternal self existent and self-sufficient Unchangeable or Immutable 3. Infinite in his perfections, which the Confession enumerated as including what we just mentioned, and also that God is... most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty. Today we ll look at the next paragraph of WCF 2, paragraph 3, and another part pertaining to God s plan in chapter 8.1 & 4. WCF 2.3 says: In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost [or Spirit]. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 2 II. This one true and living God exists in three persons There is mystery here that we can t fully grasp, and God has only revealed so much to us. We likely can t fully understand the Trinity. A. The NT Church believed the Trinity from the very beginning, even though it was not until the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) that it was worked out rather definitively in a creed. The earliest Christians were Jewish, who firmly believed there was only one God, and yet they freely acknowledged the Father as God, Jesus as God, and the Holy Spirit as God. Three persons, but one divine being. This is one of the great testimonies to the truthfulness of the Christian Faith. These Christians were compelled by the reality of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit worship God as three in one. One of the greatest testimonies is the apostle Paul... B. But although the early Christian community believed in the Trinity, it was not until such demanded explanation in light of incompatible explanations of HOW one God could exist in three persons, and in light of pagan attacks upon the reasonableness of the doctrine, that the Church was forced to define what was meant by the Trinity, and to hammer it out from all the Biblical givens, the heaven drawn picture of the Living God given us in the Scriptures of the OT and NTs. 1. There is but one God, one divine being, one Spirit, who is infinite in being and perfections, as we spoke of last week, and I just summarized. Each of the persons of the Godhead possesses all of the qualities I mentioned a few moments ago [ rehearse ] They possess those because they are one divine being. The WCF says they are of one substance, power and eternity. One divine being who is spirit, infinite in power, and each of whom is selfexistent, having no beginning, nor shall they have an end each is eternal. 2. But the WCF also indicates that there are three persons in the Godhead, and describes certain attributes or qualities that distinguish the three persons, qualities distinct from those things that characterize the one Being of God.
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 3 They are that the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. Now if you are having trouble understanding precisely what those mean, join the club. I am not sure we can fully understand what those mean. 3. These distinctions are most evident in John s Gospel. John 3:16 & 18 many emphasize today that monogenes means only, unique, and of the same kind, rather than only-begotten. That may be true, but John 1:14 doesn t have son with it, so it stands alone, which makes me wonder if begotten or only-begotten is not necessary there In either case, Jesus stands in relation as Son to Father from all eternity, a quality that distinguishes him from both the Father and the Holy Spirit. There is no other that possesses the quality or characteristic of being the only-begotten or utterly unique Son. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son This comes from the picture in John 15:26 the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and also is sent by Jesus in that same verse. In 20:22 And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit likely anticipating Pentecost. 4..Part of the point is that the persons of the Trinity stand in a certain relation to each other equal with respect to their possessing in common the same attributes that characterize the Being of God they ARE the same Being and yet within that Being are distinguished as three persons. We see them in the announcement regarding Jesus birth Luke 1:35 We see each at Jesus Baptism... John 14-16... Jesus could pray to his Father and say because you loved me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit BGT Matthew 28:19 poreuqe,ntej ou=n maqhteu,sate pa,nta ta. e;qnh( bapti,zontej auvtou.j eivj to. o;noma tou/ patro.j kai. tou/ ui`ou/ kai. tou/ a`gi,ou pneu,matoj
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 4 John could speak of the greatness of the love of the Father for us precisely by speaking of the Father s having given his own Son over to the Cross on our behalf: 1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Paul, the same: Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We ll support some of this more in our Tuesday noontime meeting and Tuesday evening meeting, and it will give you opportunity to clarify and ask questions, and stump the pastor! But suffice it to say for the moment that there are not merely a few texts that distinguish the persons, yet set them side by side, acting together, but in their different distinctive roles; they permeate the entire New Testament. It is the presupposition underlying the whole, and it was embraced freely without compromising belief in only one living and true God, but worshiping and honoring each person freely and naturally. III. This one true and living God, who throughout all eternity has existed in three persons, entered into a Covenant of Redemption between the Father and the Son (and likely the Spirit as well) before the Creation of the World I at least want to introduce this subject at this point, although we ll return to it later as we work through the doctrines of Scripture as summarized in the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, and I ll try to expand on it a little Tuesday. The Confession does not specifically speak of the Covenant of Redemption, and the Scripture does not speak of it specifically as a Covenant either. But it is reflected in things that are spoken of. A. The WCF will speak of a Covenant of Works and a Covenant of Grace, both of which are made between God and Man.
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 5 It will make the point that the Covenant of Grace unfolded in a series of Covenants, and so we read in the Scriptures of Covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant. We ll speak more of those and their significance for us later. B. But behind these there appears to have been what we are calling the Covenant of Redemption. John Owen, one of the greatest of English theologians said: we must distinguish between the covenant that God made with men concerning Christ, and the covenant that he made with his Son concerning men. It is reflected in WCF 8 Of Christ the Mediator. WCF 8.1 It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man; the Prophet, Priest, and King; the Head and Saviour of His Church; the Heir of all things; and Judge of the world; unto whom He did from all eternity give a people, to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. WCF 8.2 The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fulness of time was come, take upon Him man's nature... WCF 8.3... Which office He took not unto Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father; who put all power and judgment into His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same. WCF 8.4 This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake... 1. The main point is this: that as we speak of the Trinity, one God who exists in three persons, we need to be mindful that before the creation of the world, God had determined to create the world, to allow the Fall of man by man s own will, and to save out of the fallen mass of mankind a multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (Revelation 7:9) to the praise of God s glorious grace. 2. The Triune God, knowing that man, by his fall, would be rendered altogether incapable of remedying his own situation, undertook to accomplish the redemption or deliverance of a people in a manner that was consistent with his nature as most loving, gracious, merciful, long-
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 6 suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty. (WCF 2.1) 3. That plan of redemption included a Covenant between the Father and the Son, and no doubt, the Holy Spirit, by which the persons execute the one will of the Triune God in accord with the particular personal qualities each person possessed. So in accord with the plan conceived, the Father appoints the Son to be the Mediator to reconcile God and man, so that the Son would take to himself a human nature, and undertake to be a Surety, to do for those whom the Father would give him all that man must do to be reconciled to God, but can t, including perfectly keeping the law of God which man had failed to keep, and bearing the punishment due for their sin. The Father promises to give a people unto the Son as his reward, to support him by giving to him the Spirit without measure to enable him to accomplish the saving work, and to deliver him from death upon his completion of that work, and exalt him to his right hand, restoring him to the glory he had shared with the Father and Spirit before the creation of the world. The Son, equal with the Father, gladly undertakes the office of Mediator, which entails submitting himself wholly to his Father s will, in order to accomplish the unified will of the Triune God to save a people for God s own possession to the glory of his grace. So the Father sends the Son, and the Son comes into the world to do the will of his Father, so that he says in John 6:37ff All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.... 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the
05~The Trinity and Covenant of Redemption, p 7 bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. Conclusion: These words seem to anticipate what Jesus would do when he instituted the Lord s Supper. It would signify that Jesus, as our Surety, the one who undertook to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, invites us to remember what he did by his life perfectly lived on our behalf, and his death suffered for our sins, so we will rest upon him and him alone for the nourishment of our lives. It affords assurance to those who genuinely trust in Christ and him alone to save, for it is the will of the Father that he should lose none of those who truly come to him. Behind all of this stands the Covenant of Redemption, in which the Father manifests the greatness of his love towards all those he gives to and draws to Christ, love that would cause him to send forth his Son knowing the sufferings he would undergo in life and especially in his death under the Father s wrath due our sins. But also this Covenant demonstrates the love of Christ, that he would freely undertake the office of Mediator and Surety, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves Paul spoke of Jesus as the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. Such too can be our confidence if by the Spirit we have been brought to repent of our determination to live life however we please and instead, submit to the Lordship of Jesus, entrusting ourselves wholly to him to save us from our sin.