Progressive Covenantalism is a biblical-theological system that seek to understand how God’s entire plan of redemption unfolds from creation to Christ. Specifically, they seek to understand how God’s one, eternal plan is progressively unveiled and revealed through the biblical covenants, and how all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ, applied to the church as God’s new covenant people, thus allowing us to draw right theological conclusions from Scripture for God’s glory and our good.
Many consider the covenant concept as “the single most overriding theme in the Bible”. The “divine-human covenants” are “foundational for the revelation that unfolds in the rest of the Bible”. Progressive Covenantalism argues that the covenants are more than a unifying theme of Scripture; instead, they are revelatory of God’s plan, prophetic in their anticipation of Christ, and theologically significant as they function as the backbone to Scripture’s story-line.
Most Christians agree that “covenants” are central to the Bible’s story and that God’s redemptive plan unfolds over time reaching its fulfillment in Christ.
Many theologies see God’s command in Gen 2:16-17 as the foundation for God’s covenant revelations in Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
This commandment is called by many the “Adamic Covenant” and is known as the “Covenant of Works”.
Then in chapter 3 after Adam and Eve violate that commandment of God, God reveals additional covenant information that is referred to many as the “Covenant of Grace”. This is the promise of the SEED and SACRIFICE (Christ & Crucifixion) as substitution for His death requirement of sinful mankind.
Seed-Christ: Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Skins-Crucifixion: Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
The “Adamic “and “Edenic” revelations are the basis for all the subsequent covenants in the Bible. Sometimes the “Edenic” Covenant includes the “Adamic” also. Because these special agreements are explicitly described in Scripture, they are called “biblical covenants”. Though they are distinct from one another, they are tightly interrelated.
Indeed, all these covenants operate under the premise that the redeemed are to submit to God’s rule and live in accordance with His moral law. Such a faith-stance is in response to God’s grace. It is never regarded as a way to earn God’s acceptance or merit His favor.
The phrase “Everlasting Covenant” (or “perpetual covenant”) is used no less than 16 times in (kjv) the Old Testament plus once in the New Testament. It always refers to a covenant promise of God to Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses (Israel), David and Christ as an “Everlasting Covenant“, singular (one covenant). [Gen 9:16, Gen 17:7, Lev 24:8, 2 Sam 23:5, Hbr 13:20]
Below is an “e-book” that I wrote which discusses the relationship of all the Biblical revelations of “God’s Covenant” relationship with mankind, specifically the concept of “God’s Covenant” being ONE Everlasting (Eternal) Covenant. The concept of ONE “Everlasting Covenant” has a lot in common with theological concepts such as
Link to: God’s Enteral Covenant
Link to: Hebrew Study
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