The Real New Testament Church
  • Home
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • Plan
    • Kingdom >
      • Chapter 1 - Beginning
      • Chapter 2 - Errant Reasoning
      • Chapter 3 - Consequence
      • Chapter 4 - Adaptation
      • Chapter 5 - Original Earth
      • Chapter 6 - Renovated Earth
      • Chapter 7 - Degenerated Earth
      • Chapter 8 - Time, Space and Representation
      • Chapter 9 - Early Ages
      • Chapter 10 - Israelite Age
      • Chapter 11 - Gentile Age
      • Chapter 12 - Tribulation
      • Chapter 13 - Regenerated Earth
      • Chapter 14 - New Earth
    • Covenant >
      • Chapter 15 - Covenant
      • Chapter 16 - Major Covenants
      • Chapter 17 - Eternal Covenant
      • Chapter 18 - Renovation Covenant
      • Chapter 19 - Old Covenant for Israel
      • Chapter 20 - New Covenant for Israel
  • Church
    • Preparation >
      • Chapter 21 - Parables
      • Chapter 22 - Kingdom of Heaven Parables
    • Foundation >
      • Chapter 23 - New Testament Church
      • Chapter 24 - Church Covenant
      • Chapter 25 - Eternal or Temporal
      • Chapter 26 - Calling
      • Chapter 27 - Description
    • Legality >
      • Chapter 28 - Law
      • Chapter 29 - Transgression
      • Chapter 30 - Justification
    • Life (zoe) >
      • Chapter 31 - Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 32 - Progression of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 33 - Birth
      • Chapter 34 - Perfect Example
      • Chapter 35 - Church Life
      • Chapter 36 - Sanctification
      • Chapter 37 - Rule of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 38 - Life According to the Spirit
      • Chapter 39 - Return to Law
      • Chapter 40 - Faith
    • Composition >
      • Chapter 41 - Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 42 - New Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 43 - Practical Headship
      • Chapter 44 - Body
      • Chapter 45 - Women
    • Incarnation >
      • Chapter 46 - Function and Form
      • Chapter 47 - Purpose and Mission
      • Chapter 48 - Manifestation
    • Doctrine and Practice >
      • Chapter 49 - Apostolic Teaching
      • Chapter 50 - Apostolic Tradition
    • Apostolic Teaching >
      • Chapter 51 - Values
      • Chapter 52 - Prayer
      • Chapter 53 - Works
      • Chapter 54 - Giving
    • Apostolic Tradition >
      • Chapter 55 - Governance
      • Chapter 56 - Simplicity
      • Chapter 57 - Biblical Gatherings
      • Chapter 58 - Practical Gatherings
      • Chapter 59 - Supper: Celebration and Sign
      • Chapter 60 - Supper: Apostolic Tradition
      • Chapter 61 - Assembling Together
    • Growth >
      • Chapter 62 - Biblical Church Growth
      • Chapter 63 - Practical Church Growth
      • Chapter 64 - Exponential Growth
    • Simulation >
      • Chapter 65 - Temporal Simulation
      • Chapter 66 - Simulated Church History
      • Chapter 67 - Confirmation of Scripture
      • Chapter 68 - Sovereignty of God
    • Warfare >
      • Chapter 69 - Warfare
      • Chapter 70 - Utter Defeat
      • Chapter 71 - Freedom
      • Chapter 72 - Position
      • Chapter 73 - Descriptive Armor
      • Chapter 74 - Cooperative Armor
      • Chapter 75 - Armor Abridged
      • Chapter 76 - Armor Paraphrased
      • Chapter 77 - Armor Appropriated
      • Chapter 78 - Full Armor
      • Chapter 79 - Power of Position
  • Reformation
    • Chapter 80 - Formation, Deformation and Reformation
    • Chapter 81 - Law and Life
    • Chapter 82 - Practice of Law
    • Chapter 83 - Practice of Life
    • Chapter 84 - From Law to Life
    • Chapter 85 - Doctrine, Desire and Dependence
    • Chapter 86 - Design, Decentralization, Demonstration and Divestment
  • Conclusion
    • Chapter 87 - The Real New Testament Church
  • Endnotes
  • About
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Chapter 17 - Eternal Covenant
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(Isaiah 53:10; Acts 2:23-24; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:20-21)

The Eternal Covenant is essential to the redemptive plan of God. Its stipulations provided the foundation for relationship between God and fallen mankind.
    
Conversely, apart from the Eternal Covenant there could have been no interaction between God and fallen mankind. The fallen would have been left forever in a punitive state of separation from God.
    
The Eternal Covenant provided the means for the fulfillment of every other redemptive covenant. Therefore, without it there could be no redemption and thus, no nation of Israel or New Testament church.

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Covenant of Life

The redemptive Eternal Covenant is a covenant of life (zoe). Initiated in eternity and fulfilled in time by the members of the Godhead, the stipulations of the Eternal Covenant included the willing death of the Son and His subsequent resurrection by the Father. The Spirit empowered the earthly ministry and death of the incarnate Son and applied its unconditional benefit to elect human beings.
  
                                      Covenantal Role

The Father is the originator of the Eternal Covenant. He not only sent the Son to earth in human flesh but foreknew; predestined; elected; and called the fallen human beings whom He knew would respond in faith.
    
The Son, Jesus Christ, is the mediator of the Eternal Covenant. “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6) In His role of mediation, He willingly experienced incarnation and sacrificed His life to pay the penalty for all human sin.
    
The Spirit is the facilitator of the Eternal Covenant. He facilitated the incarnation, earthly ministry and sacrificial death of the Son. (Acts 2:23-24; Romans 4:25; 5:8; 8:32; Hebrews 9:14, 9:26; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 4:10) In addition, the Spirit of God applied the benefit of the Eternal Covenant to the elect.
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“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isaiah 42:6-7)
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“But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)

“For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:20-21)

Concordant with the perfections of His nature, God fulfilled the stipulations of the Eternal Covenant exactly as promised. The Father “brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood.” (NLT) (Hebrews 13:20; cf. Acts 13:30; Romans 6:4; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:21)                

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                                    Covenantal Benefit

The essential benefit of the Eternal Covenant is twofold. It graciously provides its beneficiary with new law and new life.
    
The new covenantal law of the Eternal Covenant is the “law of Christ." It is also described in the New Testament as the “law of faith,” the “law of the Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus, the "perfect law” and the “law of liberty” and often referred to in this book as the “rule of life.” (Romans 3:27; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2; James 1:25; 2:12) The law of the Eternal Covenant is often referred to in this book as the "rule of life."
    
The new law of the Eternal Covenant is internal. Written on the heart, the recipient is legally suitable with God and thus, worthy to receive new life.
    
The new covenantal life associated with the Eternal Covenant is life shared with Jesus Christ, the mediator of the covenant. There is no greater privilege.

                                                             
                                 Covenantal Obligations


The obligations of the Godhead in the fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant can be summarized as follows:
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The Father: Covenant Origination
The Father is the originator of the Eternal Covenant. In eternity, He elected and called the fallen human beings whom He foreknew would respond by faith. In the fullness of time, the Father sent the Son to earth to pay the debt for all human sin by His sacrificial death. As promised, the Father resurrected the Son. 
(Isaiah 53:10; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 4:3; 13:20; 1 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 13:8; 17:8; etc.)
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Covenant Obligations:
References:
  • Election
Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:6-7; Isaiah 44:1-2; Matthew 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; John 6:37-39; Acts 4:28; 9:15; 22:14; 26:16; 9:15; Romans 8:29-30; 33; 9:11; 11:5,7, 28; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:4, 5, 11; 2:10; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:2; 2:4, 6, 9; 2 Peter 1:10; Revelation 17:14
  • Call (effectual)
Acts 2:39; Romans 1:6, 7; 8:29-30; 9:11, 24, 11:29;  1 Corinthians 1:2, 9, 24, 26; Galatians 1:6; 15; 5:8, 13; Ephesians 1:18; 4:1; 4; Philippians 3:14; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2:14; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 3:1; 9:15; 11:18; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:9; 21; 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3, 10; Jude 1; Revelation 17:14
  • Commission (sent the Son to earth to fulfill the divine mission)
John 3:17, 34, 5:23-24, 26, 30, 36-38, 6:29, 38-39, 44, 57, 7:16, 28-29, 8:16, 18, 26, 29, 42, 9:4, 10:36, 11:42, 12:44-45, 49, 13:16, 20, 14:24, 15:21,16:5, 28, 17:3, 18:21, 23, 25, 20:21
  • Resurrection
Acts 13:30; Romans 6:4; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; 1 Peter 1:20-21
  • Justification
Romans 3:21-26; 4:25; 8:32; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:13-14
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The Son: Covenant Mediation 
The Son is the mediator of the Eternal Covenant. He willingly went to earth to fulfill a mediatorial role between God and fallen man. For three years, the incarnate Son visibly demonstrated the qualifications necessary to fulfill His stipulated role of mediation. He announced the Good News, spoke the words of God, healed the sick and brokenhearted, released the captives, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, and, subsequently, offered His life as the sacrificial payment for the debt of all human sin. As a consequence, Jesus fully satisfied the covenantal offices of prophet, priest, and king.
(1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24)
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Covenant Obligations:
References:
  • Incarnation
John 1:1-5; 14; 18; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9
Mediation:
 
  • Prophet
Deuteronomy 18:15; Luke 4:18-21; 13:33; Acts 3:22
  • Priest
  1. Sacrifice
  2. Intercede​
Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 53:12; John 17; Acts 2:23-24; Romans 4:25; 5:8; 8:32-34; Hebrews 3:1; 4:14-16; 5:5-6; 6:20; 7:25-26; 8:1; 9:26; 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5; 3:18; 1 John 4:10
  • King
Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalms 2:6; 45:6; 110:1-2; Luke 1:33; John 18:36-37; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 19:16
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The Spirit: Covenant Application
The Spirit is the facilitator of the Eternal Covenant. Ensuring its fulfillment on earth, the Spirit of God facilitated the incarnation of the Son, the satisfaction of His mediatorial covenantal offices, and His sacrificial death. He has also provided for the dissemination of the Good News of the Eternal Covenant on earth and applied it to the elect through conviction, regeneration, sealing, and sanctification. 
(Matthew 1:18, 20; 3:16; 4:1; 12:18; Luke 1:35; 3:21-22; 4:1, 14, 18; 10:21;
Mark 1:10-12; John 3:34; 6:63; Romans 1:4; 5:5; 14:17; 2 Corinthians 3:7-8;
1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 5:6)

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Covenant Obligations:
References
Declaration/Propagation
Matthew 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12; John 7:37-39; 14:16-17; 26; Acts 1:2; 8; 2:4; 17-18; Romans 8:16; 15:18-21; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 10-14; Galatians 5:25; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; 1 Peter 1:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21
Conviction
Zechariah 12:10; John 16:7-11
Regeneration/Spiritual Birth
John 3:3-7; 6:63; 7:37-39; Titus 3:5-6
Seal/Pledge/Guarantee of eternal security
2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14
Sanctification
Romans 15:16; Galatians 3:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2
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With foreknowledge of the fall of mankind, God graciously initiated a redemptive covenant of life (zoe) in eternity. By its fulfillment in time, He paid the ultimate price to vindicate His nature from angelic challenge and restore the fallen to kingdom citizenship. 


© 2023 James Hiatt  
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