Covenant and election

Before writing on 'the new perspective on Paul and his view of justification', it seemed good to me to look at two important perspectives from which we can view and describe the process of salvation.

Covenant

In the Word, God reveals himself to his covenant community. He sets them apart from ‘the world’, and He reveals to them his power and his love. He promises them his blessings, as He seeks to build them into his Kingdom, his Royal Priesthood.  Although these promises are unconditional for the covenant community as a whole, yet for every (mature) member of it, there is an obligation to obey God and to trust in him- in fact to effectively put God at the very center of their lives.  For those who (used to) belong to this covenant community, yet persistently refuse to walk with God, there will not be a blessed destiny; they will certainly not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Election

From eternity God has made his plans, and the fact that He is (and remains) the Sovereign Lord of all must imply that God is in full control of all events.  Although it is hard for the human mind to embrace simultaneously God’s Sovereignty (full control of all aspects of history) and the reality of human responsibility (obligation, implying true choices), yet the Bible teaches both and we will end up in trouble if we dismiss one of these realities in our efforts to secure the other.  Therefore, we must acknowledge that God has predestined some of humankind to receive and to embrace the Good News after a real sense of their personal sin and guilt before Holy God.  These people can only come to this realization through the regenerating work of God, the Spirit.  Having seen their total inadequacy for any saving (read: God-pleasing) good works, the regenerated person embraces Christ as Savior and consequently he/she is transformed by the (indwelling) Spirit in all their walk and talk.  In their transformed lives they demonstrate that they truly are disciples of Christ, the Son of God.

The form for (infant) baptism in the reformed churches is stated in terms of the covenant, as it lists first God’s promises and then the believer’s obligations.  God gives his amazing promises to the church, and so everyone in it (hearing his Word and experiencing his power and love) is called to walk with God in faithfulness and growing godliness.  Those who (in later life) refuse to do so will not forfeit the covenant blessing.

If we –in our desire to have assurance and comfort for ourselves and for our children- confuse covenant and election, we build a false theology, which leads to a false assurance.  If we confuse God’s grace, received by all who are baptized, with the irresistible grace (as described in the Canons of Dort), and if we assume that all members in the (reformed) church are saints, who therefore will persevere in true faith, producing fruit, then we build a church on the wrong foundation.