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Luke 22:28–30
“I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom” (v. 29).
Continuing our study of the systematic theology of Scripture, we now take time to consider salvation and all its benefits. God saves us through several distinct but inseparable movements of the Holy Spirit, who applies the redemptive work of Christ. Because God loves order, He does this in an orderly fashion, and He gives us in His Word the so-called ordo salutis—the logical order in which our Creator saves us (e.g., see Rom. 8:28–30). We will begin our look at salvation, however, with the historia salutis (history of salvation)—the accounting of what God has done in time and space to redeem us.
In our study of the work of Christ, we considered many of the historical events essential to our salvation, including our Savior’s death and resurrection. Yet the saving work of Jesus has an even broader historical context. The acts of Christ save us because of the history of God’s covenantal dealings with humanity.
One key strength of the Reformed tradition of Christian theology is its focus on the covenants in the Bible. In essence, a biblical covenant is an agreement between two or more persons established on a foundation of love wherein each party to the covenant makes promises to the other party. Covenants also have particular duties, curses, and blessings attached to them.
The very first covenant is the covenant of redemption or covenant of peace, which was enacted before the beginning of history, before God created time. God made this covenant within Himself for the sake of His glory and our salvation. The Father covenanted to send the Son, the Son covenanted to purchase redemption for God’s people, and the Holy Spirit covenanted to apply this salvation to us. We find evidence for this covenant in passages such as Luke 22:28–30, wherein Jesus says that the Father “assigned” to Him a kingdom. In Greek, the word translated “assign” is the word for “covenant”; thus, more literally, the Father “covenanted” a kingdom to Jesus.
Since the three persons of the Trinity share the one divine will, the covenant of redemption differs from the covenants that God makes with human beings. In those covenants, two wills—the will of God and the will of the human party—come to terms with one another. Nevertheless, we may properly view God’s plan of salvation as flowing from a covenant between the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Out of love for us and for one another’s glory, the Father, Son, and Spirit freely willed to save us and covenanted to do so.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
J.V. Fesko writes in his book The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption that the covenant of redemption is “an expression of intra-trinitarian love ultimately shared with the elect. God has first loved us that we might love and know His love.” The covenant of redemption helps us better understand and appreciate the love that God has for us. This love motivated every part of our salvation, including the plan behind it.
For further study
- Psalm 110
- Zechariah 6:12–13
- Ephesians 1
- 2 Timothy 1:8–11
The bible in a year
- Psalms 148–150
- 1 Corinthians 12