What do we mean when we say "covenantal"? In Scripture God's covenant is his self-giving to his family among humanity. As the means by which he promises salvation and restoration, the covenant is a life-and-death kind of bond signified and sealed by physical symbols. This covenant involves two parties, but it is neither a contract drawn up by nor an agreement reached between two parties. It is sovereignly and unilaterally disposed.
God establishes his covenant with his people. His people receive it, but they do not contribute to its construction. God's covenant is complete as such, prior to any response to it. In this sense God's covenant is unconditional, but this unconditional covenant operates in a carefully conditioned fashion since its grace carries in its wake obligations for the covenanted party.
In the Mosaic covenant Yahweh presents himself as having kept his covenant as the Lord who would bring his people out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 20:2). The people do not complete the covenant by having "no other gods before" the Lord (Exodus 20:3). Rather having no other gods represents one way they are to respond to the already completed covenant - by fulfilling the obligations and implications of this redemptive grace.
The redemptive covenants of Scripture all have this structure. Given to people already under the curse, they offer the blessing of salvation to those who trust and obey. If the people spurn the covenant in unbelief and disobedience, the curse remains. This is the pattern with Noah (Genesis 5:29; 6:13; 8:21), with Abraham (Genesis 15:7-21) and also with Moses (Exodus 6:2-8; 34:10-28; Deuteronomy 28-30). The pattern finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. He enters into humanity's accursed situation and bears the divine anathema so that the blessing promised to Abraham might come to the Gentiles (Galatians 3:13-14; cf. the cry of dereliction Mark 15:34).
Baptism is now the inaugural symbol of what God does in this new covenant in Christ, in which those who are united to the covenant curse-bearing Saviour enter into every spiritual blessing in union to Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Interestingly the two "baptisms" in the Old Testament to which the New Testament makes reference are both water ordeals related to God's forging of a "new" covenant relationship through Noah (ie. the flood, 1 Peter 3:20-21) and Moses (ie. the passage through the Red Sea, 1 Corinthians 10:2). Like Noah and Moses, Jesus Christ had a baptism (water ordeal) to be baptised with to forge his covenant between God and man (Luke 12:50).
- Sinclair B. Ferguson in David F. Wright (ed.), Baptism: Three Views
It could be argued that if grace were resistible, then we would be contributing to our salvation - by choosing to receive or resist grace. Hence, grace must be irresistible for salvation to be by grace alone.
However, the nature of grace is such that the graciousness of grace lies in how grace is given, not in how grace is received. In other words, grace is grace simply and solely because it is graciously given by God. It is not any more if we receive it; nor is it any less if we resist it. Whether we receive or resist grace, grace is still grace! Therefore, grace need not be irresistible for salvation to be by grace alone.
Sinclair B. Ferguson himself writes that 'God establishes his covenant with his people. His people receive it, but they do not contribute to its construction. God's covenant is complete as such, prior to any response to it.' If we do not contribute to the construction of God's covenant by obeying it, how much more do we not contribute to our salvation by receiving (resistible) grace!
Just because God's covenant is unconditionally given does not mean that it is unconditionally received. Rather, God's covenant is unconditionally given (by God) and conditionally received (by us).
Again, just because God's grace is irresistibly given does not mean that it is irresistibly received. Rather, God's grace is irresistibly given (by God) and resistibly received (by us).
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Total Depravity - Yes
Unconditional Election - Unconditionally Given and Conditionally Received
Limited Atonement - Unlimitedly Given and Limitedly Received
Irresistible Grace - Irresistibly Given and Resistibly Received
Perseverance of the Saints - Yes
Link: Baptism and Covenant Theology (14 Aug 10)
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