Covenant Theology, Dispensationalism, and Stephen Wellum

           In the past couple of years, I have been highly interested in the overall hermeneutic of Scripture. What is a hermeneutic? A hermeneutic, as Webster defines it, is “a method or principle of interpretation.” While evangelical Bible scholars may agree on most of the primary flow of Scripture, there is much disagreement over how to interpret redemption history within itself.

           

The two dominating biblical hermeneutics are referred to as Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. First, it needs to be said that these two camps agree on more than on which they disagree, though the disagreements are not inconsequential. Secondly, there disagreements are not as simple and straightforward as people usually think they are. Covenant Theologians break the Bible into dispensations (though not the same ones) and Dispensationalists see covenants as important to the unfolding of Scripture. There primary difference between the two is their views on the church and Israel, but even that difference isn’t quite as glaring in contemporary discussion as many make it out to be.

           

In the little bit of free reading that I do outside of my school work, I have been picking up whatever I can to help me understand these two systems of thought, only to find myself more perplexed the more I read the Bible. I haven’t been able to settle into either system comfortably. While I’m far more drawn to Covenant theology, I am hesitant to embrace certain elements of is ecclesiology. I see the Dispensationalists’ distinctiveness of Israel as a nation apart from the church (esp. Rom. 9-11), yet there still remains a disunity in their thinking that I cannot embrace (although I understand that Progressive Dispensationalism is beginning to bridge some of those gaps).

           

A little while ago I read an article by a theologian named Stephen Wellum called “Baptism and the Relationship between the Covenants” in an excellent book called Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (a must read for those interested in the baptism debate!). In it, Wellum points out that Reformed paedobaptists’ baptismal beliefs ultimately root back to their understanding of the “Covenant of Grace,” a theological category that he believes constrains Scripture in ways that is less than helpful (I think I agree). As Wellum began to explain his understanding of the continuity and, yet, discontinuity of the covenants of Scripture, I found myself nearly standing up and yelling, “Yes! Yes! That makes so much sense!” He was filling gaps in my thinking that I didn’t know how to fill. I had to find what else he has written.

Thanks to my good friend Mark Dickson, I stumbled across a book that he co-authored with Steve Gentry, call Kingdom through Covenant. It is a breakdown of their alternative hermeneutic to the classical dispensational and covenant theologies. I am quite excited to read it!

Thy Will Be Done: Sanctification in the Christian Life

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” –Matthew 5:3

                I would argue that what a Christian becomes is more important than what a Christian does. Deeds are important. They are so important that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). However, one’s deeds are an overflow of faith and faith is a disposition. I am not talking here about Christian Existentialism, because the becoming of a Christian is far more than a becoming of the mind. It is a justified, sanctified, and, ultimately, resurrected and glorified self. Good works can only follow from this scheme and a concern for the future must begin with a concern for one’s own soul.

                Romans 8:28 is a passage that is often quoted in regard to God’s will for the future. When one considers the next verse (8:29), however, it seems more concerned about Christian growth than circumstantial providence. Or, it is probably better to say that the goal of God’s circumstantial providence is a great deal about personal growth.

                Romans 8:28-29 (ESV) says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

                It is clear that the “all things” in the passage is speaking of God’s plan for the future, but it is also clear that the “all things” are as they are in order that the Christian will be “conformed to the image of his Son.” In other words, God is more concerned that you become Christ-like than that you have a prosperous and successful future.

                In fact, Paul does enlighten his readers to some of the details about God’s will for the believer and they all have to do with being conformed to his Son. His plan for the believer in Christ is justification and sanctification leading to glorification (Rom. 8:29-30).

                It should also be noted that this plan of sanctification that Paul lays out is not without its fair share of trials. In fact, the trials are promised. Paul explains that we will become heirs of Christ “provided we suffer with him.” Being a Christian means guaranteed suffering with Christ. He also explains our present condition of this earth as likened to a woman in labor and that the whole earth is groaning for our redemption (8:22). After 8:28-30, Paul explains our assurance in Christ, but it is in the midst of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword (8:35).

                Then, what sets Christians apart in this world, according to Paul, is not their circumstances, but their disposition about their circumstances.

                This has changed my life in the past few months. I tend to fall into anxiety at times over whether all of my circumstances are working out in such a way that I can be a pastor or missionary in the future and whether I will be able to go to seminary to prepare for that. My anxiety is such that I am sometimes tempted to compromise my moral judgment in situations to insure a certain outcome. What distrust in the sovereignty of God I sometimes have!

                What we often need is a healthy dose of perspective. We need a goal change. Yes, it is good to have goals, but our individual goals must never supersede our primary goal: loving God. Sometimes that lifestyle of loving God may have more to do with us being faithful or us being sanctified than it does with our future plans.

                I believe that this (accompanied by God’s effective grace, of course) is one of the keys to glorying in God in all circumstances.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” –Philippians 1:6

The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
    Lies in the choice of pyre of pyre-
    To be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
    We only live, only suspire
    Consumed by either fire or fire.

                         - T. S. Elliot, Little Gidding IV

Tips I've learned for studying the Bible

1)      Be consistent:

The entire basis of our faith is based on the words of truth in scripture. These truths are worth our consistent devotion. Set an uncompromised time in the day to read. Make it as sure as you waking up in the morning. It takes a little while to form a habit, but it is gratifying when it is formed.

The time that works best for me is the mornings. If I am sure to get ready and make sure reading my Bible is the first thing I do every day, it keeps me from setting it aside. This was very hard for me at first, but once I established it as a habit, I crave it every day.

2)      Develop discipline in your life:

There is no easy way to have a truly edifying study of scripture. It always takes work! Part of the difficulty that we have in studying scripture has to do with a lack of discipline in other areas of our lives (and we all struggle with a lack of discipline somewhere). Learn to love discipline. Discipline is always miserable at first and highly gratifying later.

For example, you may not be a morning person, but know that reading the Bible in the morning would be ideal. Discipline yourself! Set the alarm across the room and fight not to hit snooze. Go to bed earlier. Set your clothes out the night before. Give yourself more time to take a shower and eat breakfast in order to wake up before you study. I have to give myself an hour of getting ready before I can think clearly. It will be grueling at first, but it gets easier if you fight. Trust me!

3)      Have long term vision:

Hard work pays off. Don’t get discouraged if it isn’t an enlightening experience every day. The long term benefits of hard study are much greater than the need for immediate, but shallow satisfaction.

4)      Constantly self -improve:

None of us begin as biblical scholars. We have to struggle and be discouraged sometimes in order to gain ground. There is a lot that you will not understand, but constantly probing a subject builds familiarity and that familiarity is a key to actual retention of information.

5)      Take the time to understand deeply:

I have found that the satisfaction of knowing a book of the Bible by heart is much greater than having read 5 books and hardly remembering what they said.

I first learned this when I decided to study the book of Romans for as long as my heart desired. I began by reading it over and over again without doing anything else. Then I began to read commentaries and memorize sections. After that, I took a class on it. I didn’t get tired of Romans. The opposite happened. I now have more of a desire to understand Romans than ever before.

6)      Seek to see scripture from different lenses:

a)      Salvations history: God works out His plan for salvation in progressive stages. It helps to understand the different covenants that God has established with His people (Noaic, Abrahamic, Davidic, New Covenant).

b)      Within the book

c)       Immediate context

d)      Close, grammatical study

7)      Repetitive reading in different translations:

 If you try to dive into a technical commentary right away, you will be lost and discouraged. Read a book over and over. Take notes and record what you observe to be key theme. You will notice more each time you read it. Then, when you begin to read a commentary, you will be more familiar with what the commentator is referring to.

8)      Take notes:

A good test of understanding is to see if you can explain something in your own words.

9)      Memorize Scripture:

Memorizing Scripture helps to familiarize you with Scriptural truths that will catch you attention when you study other parts of scripture. I have found it most gratifying to memorize key passages of scripture.

I technique I learned to memorizing passages of scripture is to memorize a verse a day. In your daily devotions, go over and memorize one verse. Repeat it, memorize it, pray about it, and continue to repeat it in your mind as your go throughout the day. The next day, learn the next verse. As I drive to work I go back through the verses I have been learning and remember them in the paragraphs that I learned them. If you do it consistently, you will be surprised as how quickly you can memorize whole chapters of scripture!

Books that are worth blogging about...

I always mean to journal about the thing I have been reading that have impacted me. Here is an update on some of those books:

To Kill A Mocking Bird: This is a classic that I somehow worked around reading as a child (probably because I read the cliff-notes). I'm glad I waited this long because I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I do now. The understanding and acceptance of others that Harper Lee helps her readers to see brings good balance to my Reformed thinking on total depravity. Although, it is theologically crucial for us to understand the depravity of human beings to understand redemption, I enjoyed learning, along with Scout Finch, that everyone has a reason for doing what they do and it is worth taking the time to understand them.

The Great Divorce: As a friend of mine put it, this book is paradigm shifting. I wouldn't base my theology on heaven and hell around it, but it did make me think in a new way about these two doctrines that have carried much speculation, but share little explanation in the pages of scripture. Mostly, this book made me think about my own motives and realize the necessity of all action being centralized on Christ. C. S. Lewis perceptively and chillingly shows how the most innocent and even seemingly righteous desires can become gross idolatry.

Practical Christianity: I Found the Joy of Christ on a Monday Morning

I was truly experiencing stress and anxiety this morning. It is rare for me to struggle getting out of bed, but with the mixture of sleep deprivation, a class load I am trying to balance, the need for a job I can't handle, and anxieties about the future, I wasn't exactly enthused about the idea of it.

I found a sanctuary in the shower. As I stood contemplating life (as most of us do in the shower), I thought of Romans 5:3, a verse I had just been writing about in a paper last night. Paul, in the light of the good news of justification in Christ writes, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance." That passage, when compared to other similar language that Paul uses, seems to be inferring not just to exulting in spite of tribulation, but rejoicing about tribulation because it brings more glory to Christ.

As I contemplated this, without even knowing why, I began to sing the song It is Well with My Soul (at least I sang the tune and the few words I know because I can't really remember the words, but I get the general concept). Then I began to glory that Christ was being made great in the midst of my trials and suffering. In that moment, I was truly experiencing His "easy yoke," and a real "peace of God that surpasses all understanding." There was an overwhelming desire in me to talk about Jesus with someone (which is why I am writing about Him). I greatly wished that every person in the world could feel this surreal peace that I was feeling at 6:30 am on a Monday morning.

I often read about this concept and apply it to how I think I may feel in full time ministry, but this morning I was reminded that Christianity is real and practical in my present reality. I truly was (and still am) experiencing a scriptural concept in my present reality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIdFRe3d2yw

Questionable Cultural Norms: Sports

It is necesarry from time to time for us to take a step back and question the common. In every culture traditions are developed that become commonly acceptable. It is tempting for Christians to see these cultural norms as morally acceptable for this reason. There are many areas in American culture that I believe Christians commonly compromise in.

One that I will raise a question regarding now is competetive athletics, both professional and recreational. I am not attempting to raise an accusation of any essential moral qualms with athletics, only the abuse of them. I will give two examples of common cultural behavior that I have observed and comment on them:

1. A father grows up playing baseball and hopes to pass that passion for the game to his son. The son grows up playing on little league teams and works his way to a college scholarship for baseball.

2. A husband has a devout following of his favorite football team. He finds personal enjoyment in watching games. It gives him rest among the stress of the week. He has formed friendship with other men, with whom he watches games with on a consistent basis.

The first thing I will point out is that neither one of these two things are wrong in themselves. However, both of these can become idolatry. If made idolatry, either situation can be argued by the Christian who is participating just as I stated before, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with either one of these.

There is something that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds however in order to be sure to keep from making sin out of recreation. This is a recognition of Christian virtues. I don't know a Christian who would disagree that the Bible teaches us to be humble and to do our best to keep peace with all people. Are these priorities carefully maintained in our ambitions to be great athletes or in our obsession with great athletes?

In the situation with the son who is raised to be a baseball player, is athletic self-confidence placed at a higher priority and talked about more than Christian humility? Does the father emphasize athletic success more than Christian virtues? If that child were uninterested in baseball and had a Christ-honoring proclivity toward another hobby, would the father be disappointed?

For the husband who has a passion for his favorite team, does he justifiy an obsession just because "that is what guys do?" Does he ignore his wife when the game is on? Does his family feel that they need to leave him alone when his team loses? If so, this is a far cry from Biblical masculinity. It is too often that I have seen a group of middle-aged, church-going men, when either playing or watching sports, act like the boys they were when they began their obsession with sports.

In our culture, we can be blinded to idolatry by normality. A Christian is to carry the name of Jesus Christ primarily. Is it possible that the wearing of athletic jersies in honor of an athlete, the boasting of that athlete among friends, and the heart and passion behind cheering for that athlete in a game situate can become human worship?

Again, I am not finding a problem with athletics. I just think that we should ask ourselves if our hobbies are in healthy perspective.


"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." -1 Cor. 13:11

Missions in the Mundane

I have had many conversations like this following one with many of my Jesus-loving friends (and I have been on both ends of the conversation):

"How was [fill in country of choice]?"


"It was amazing! We went to [fill in place], we did [fill in life-changing experiences], we ate [exotic foods], and I love the people there so much! I don't even want to be here. I wish I could be back there."

I love having those conversations. It refreshes me to see my friends changed and excited from an experience that they had serving our Lord. I brings back memories of past mission trip experiences and adds excitement to my future ambition of serving Christ in the least-reached areas of the world.

The reaction most of us have to being home bothers me though. Why is it that the gospel was so exciting there, yet at home things seems "spiritually dead?" Each of us must search our hearts and ask ourselves if it is really the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is exciting to us or the adventure of going on a mission trip.

Please allow me a moment to clarify before I continue. I am pro-missions. In fact, I plan on devoting most of my life toward that very cause. I am also not saying that everybody who is or wants to be involved in missions fits a certain description or that I don't fall into the very trap that I am about to describe.

With that being said, this is what I have observed time and time again, both in my own experience and the experiences of my friends. S/he spends a year raising funds for a trip. S/he talks to his/her local church, friends, and family. Time is devoted in prayer to this trip. A month is spent in intimate community and evangelism in a foreign culture. It is the most exciting and fulfilling time of that person's life. S/he comes back from the trip and finds it difficult to share Christ at home.

We must never forget that our passion is not founded on missions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missions is simply an outcome of a love for God in reaction to the His Gospel and only exists because the world is temporarily void of that passion. That means that the gospel is just as real and as penetrating in the mundane as it is in a foreign country. And if one can't glory in Christ and share His message of hope at home, how does that same person expect that to change overseas? If someone can't love a person who annoys her/him at home, how will she/he love someone who wants to take her/his life for preaching the gospel?

We must find our excitement and joy in Jesus Christ, who was killed for our transgressions and risen from the dead in order that we may have life in Him. That remains true in every walk of life (yes, even in America).