What's the difference between Covenant Theology and Reformed Theology? Often they are considered to be pretty much the same, with maybe just a little bit of difference in perspectives. But there is an important distinction to make between the two.
From the beginning of creation, God has made covenants with man. In Genesis 1:28, Adam was told, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Adam was also instructed in Gen. 2:16-17, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."" The covenant of works was established at the beginning with Adam.
We know that this covenant was broken with the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and then God, in his great mercy, instituted the covenant of grace. We read in Genesis 3:15, that God promises and foretells the coming of the Seed and Savior of man, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring (Seed); he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This is the first declaration of the gospel, the covenant of grace, where the Seed is promised to destroy the enemy and bring redemption to mankind from their sin.
The covenant of grace is developed with Abraham as God promised him in his old age not only a son but a great lineage as we see in Genesis 15:5-6. "And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness." This faith in God and his promises, this faith alone, is at the heart of Covenant Theology as salvation is not from works. It is all of the faith in God and the promise of salvation through his Savior.
God did fulfill the promise to Abraham with a son but it was in the line of Isaac instead of Ishmael that the Messiah would come. In Genesis 17:19 we read, "God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him." God chose Isaac to be the promised son for the inheritance, and this was his sovereign choice. Here we begin to understand God's sovereignty in the covenant of grace as it is developed through the OT.
In the NT the understanding of Covenant Theology finds its culmination in the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. His fulfillment of the covenant of grace is the 'new covenant', as it was through his life and death that the righteous requirements of God were met. Jesus taught that salvation is received through faith and not works, nor in the traditions of men, as no one is able to earn salvation through good works. In Matt 15:1-3 Jesus even spoke against outward religious tradition. "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" Here Jesus clarified that the commandments of God, and thus the covenants of God, are sovereign over the religious traditions of men. In the new covenant, we must seek grace and salvation through Jesus who alone has lived a perfect life and has fulfilled all righteousness.
The new covenant of grace is in Christ alone, extends to all nations as it was promised to Abraham, and also is through God's sovereign grace. Paul describes in Romans 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all." In Romans 9:6-8 Paul also explains the sovereign grace of God just as it was in choosing even the Patriarchs. "But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." So the children of promise and the gift of salvation are given to those who are of the covenant of grace, just as in Isaac.
Paul further describes God's sovereign grace in Jacob's life in Romans 9:10-13. "And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is the election of grace, "in order that God's purpose" may be known. God sovereignly chose Jacob over Esau even before they were born. The covenant of grace therefore does not come from the merits or birth rights of man, it is from the sovereign will of God alone.
This covenant of grace was also rediscovered by the Reformers of the sixteenth century, as they again proclaimed as Jesus did, that the religious traditions of men did not rule over God. They were reminded that the covenant of grace is complete without the works or traditions of men. This can only be through God's sovereign grace, by his hand alone. This transformation in perspective in the gospel from any form of self-righteousness to the sovereign grace of God alone is the great Spiritual 'reformation' which is Reformed Theology. And this is at the heart of the true gospel.
This sovereign grace should reform all of our lives as we need redemption from all forms of sin, traditions, and good works. Yet we inherently want to live autonomous lives before a sovereign God. But God, in his great mercy, grants salvation simply as a gift of his grace. Paul clarifies, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9. And previously in Ephesians 1:4, we see this is an eternal grace, "... just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." God is sovereign throughout all creation and time, and when we understand the magnitude of this majesty, it dispels any form of idolatry and it can only drive us to our knees in prayer for grace and mercy.
Covenant Theology, therefore, is a subset of Reformed Theology, as the first describes the covenant of grace and the second describes the sovereignty of God. Salvation is a free gift to all who will receive it, but ultimately God is sovereign over all things. We must understand the grace of God in our salvation as an immeasurable and eternal gift. We also need to remember the sovereignty of God in our salvation and live for Christ in all our lives, with great humility and praise to God for his sovereign choice.
This is the reformation that proclaims the glory of God just as the Apostle Paul affirms in Romans 11:36, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."
From the beginning of creation, God has made covenants with man. In Genesis 1:28, Adam was told, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Adam was also instructed in Gen. 2:16-17, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."" The covenant of works was established at the beginning with Adam.
We know that this covenant was broken with the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and then God, in his great mercy, instituted the covenant of grace. We read in Genesis 3:15, that God promises and foretells the coming of the Seed and Savior of man, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring (Seed); he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This is the first declaration of the gospel, the covenant of grace, where the Seed is promised to destroy the enemy and bring redemption to mankind from their sin.
The covenant of grace is developed with Abraham as God promised him in his old age not only a son but a great lineage as we see in Genesis 15:5-6. "And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness." This faith in God and his promises, this faith alone, is at the heart of Covenant Theology as salvation is not from works. It is all of the faith in God and the promise of salvation through his Savior.
God did fulfill the promise to Abraham with a son but it was in the line of Isaac instead of Ishmael that the Messiah would come. In Genesis 17:19 we read, "God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him." God chose Isaac to be the promised son for the inheritance, and this was his sovereign choice. Here we begin to understand God's sovereignty in the covenant of grace as it is developed through the OT.
In the NT the understanding of Covenant Theology finds its culmination in the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. His fulfillment of the covenant of grace is the 'new covenant', as it was through his life and death that the righteous requirements of God were met. Jesus taught that salvation is received through faith and not works, nor in the traditions of men, as no one is able to earn salvation through good works. In Matt 15:1-3 Jesus even spoke against outward religious tradition. "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" Here Jesus clarified that the commandments of God, and thus the covenants of God, are sovereign over the religious traditions of men. In the new covenant, we must seek grace and salvation through Jesus who alone has lived a perfect life and has fulfilled all righteousness.
The new covenant of grace is in Christ alone, extends to all nations as it was promised to Abraham, and also is through God's sovereign grace. Paul describes in Romans 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all." In Romans 9:6-8 Paul also explains the sovereign grace of God just as it was in choosing even the Patriarchs. "But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." So the children of promise and the gift of salvation are given to those who are of the covenant of grace, just as in Isaac.
Paul further describes God's sovereign grace in Jacob's life in Romans 9:10-13. "And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is the election of grace, "in order that God's purpose" may be known. God sovereignly chose Jacob over Esau even before they were born. The covenant of grace therefore does not come from the merits or birth rights of man, it is from the sovereign will of God alone.
This covenant of grace was also rediscovered by the Reformers of the sixteenth century, as they again proclaimed as Jesus did, that the religious traditions of men did not rule over God. They were reminded that the covenant of grace is complete without the works or traditions of men. This can only be through God's sovereign grace, by his hand alone. This transformation in perspective in the gospel from any form of self-righteousness to the sovereign grace of God alone is the great Spiritual 'reformation' which is Reformed Theology. And this is at the heart of the true gospel.
This sovereign grace should reform all of our lives as we need redemption from all forms of sin, traditions, and good works. Yet we inherently want to live autonomous lives before a sovereign God. But God, in his great mercy, grants salvation simply as a gift of his grace. Paul clarifies, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9. And previously in Ephesians 1:4, we see this is an eternal grace, "... just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." God is sovereign throughout all creation and time, and when we understand the magnitude of this majesty, it dispels any form of idolatry and it can only drive us to our knees in prayer for grace and mercy.
Covenant Theology, therefore, is a subset of Reformed Theology, as the first describes the covenant of grace and the second describes the sovereignty of God. Salvation is a free gift to all who will receive it, but ultimately God is sovereign over all things. We must understand the grace of God in our salvation as an immeasurable and eternal gift. We also need to remember the sovereignty of God in our salvation and live for Christ in all our lives, with great humility and praise to God for his sovereign choice.
This is the reformation that proclaims the glory of God just as the Apostle Paul affirms in Romans 11:36, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."
