Gordon J. Spykman
Front Cover of Reformational Theology (1992)
1. The Reformed or Calvinistic theological tradition in North America is consisted of two main streams:
(a) Scottish Presbyterianism; and
(b) Dutch Calvinism.
There are other streams, of course.
One thinks of Reformed Anglicanism represented by James I. Packer and Alister McGrath, German Reformed represented by Philip Schaff, and many Reformed Baptists.
2. Reformational Theology: A New Paradigm for Doing Dogmatics (1992) by the late Gordon J. Spykman (1926 - 1993) stands squarely in the Dutch Calvinistic tradition.
In one of the publisher blurbs on the book's back cover, James I. Packer is quoted: "This rigorous neo-Kuyperian rethink of how theology should be done is a milestone in Reformed exposition. It is the most stimulating systematics that I have read for a long time."
3. The purpose of this blog post is to comment on how Spykman view Kingdom of God and Covenant in the following paragraph in Reformational Theology (1992); (Spykman 1992, 11-12):
"In all these valuable insights, reemphasized by much of recent biblical scholarship, we can discern a golden thread weaving its way through the total fabric of biblical revelation, lending it a coherent perspective on life. Perhaps for Reformed dogmatics it can be captured most succinctly in the pervasive biblical teaching on covenant and kingdom. Covenant and kingdom are like two sides of a single coin. Accordingly, we may say that in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence. After the fall, God renewed the covenant with a view toward the coming of his kingdom. The ultimate goal is the restoration of all creation in the renewed earth. Thus, the original covenant stands forever as the abiding foundation and norm for life in God's world. Similarly, in the beginning God created his kingdom - "the heaven and the earth," the realm over which he rules. Mankind, then, as servants of the King, rebelled; but God came back, renewing the kingdom in a proleptic way through Israel, and then reestablished it decisively with the coming of King Jesus. The kingdom, therefore, now stands as a settled reality securely anchored in God's past act of salvation ("the kingdom is at hand"), as an abiding, present, coming reality (the redemptive "already" in Christ), and as an assured hope based on the promise of a future fully restored reality (the eschatological "not yet" on the way to its consummation). In this sense, covenant and kingdom are two ways of viewing the one all-embracing reality of God's way with his world. Covenant is kingdom looking back to its original and abiding charter given with the creation. Kingdom is covenant looking forward programmatically toward its promised goal of perfect renewal. Along the way this vision gives meaning and hope to our common call to covenant faithfulness and kingdom service."
4. My interest is in these two sentences of Spykman's: "Covenant and kingdom are like two sides of a single coin. Accordingly, we may say that in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence."
Agreeing with Spykman that the Kingdom of God "is the realm over which he rules", then what is meant by "in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence"?
Who did God covenanted with such that "God covenanted his kingdom into existence"?
And what is the covenant God made such that "God covenanted his kingdom into existence"?
My sense is that Spykman has the Covenant of Works in mind when he wrote: "God covenanted his kingdom into existence".
5. In covenant theology, there are three main covenants:
(a) Covenant of Redemption (or the Eternal Covenant) "refers to the covenant within the Trinity which established the plan of salvation, i.e. the agreement within the Godhead that the Father would appoint the Son to give up his life for mankind and that Jesus would do so (cf. Titus 1:1-3)." ("Covenant of Redemption", Theopedia.)
(b) Covenant of Works "is that pre-Fall agreement between God and Adam in which Adam was promised blessing and life upon obedience to the terms of the covenant and cursing and death should he disobey the terms of the covenant." ("Covenant of Works", Theopedia.)
(c) Covenant of Grace "promised eternal blessing for belief in Christ and obedience to God's word. It is seen as the basis for all biblical covenants that God made individually with Noah, Abraham, and David, nationally with O.T. Israel as a people, and universally with man in the New Covenant." ("Covenant of Grace", Theopedia.)
6. In creating, God was executing his eternal plan for creation.
The covenant involves in creation cannot be the Covenant of Works or the Covenant of Grace because neither Adam nor his progeny were in existence.
To make sense, the covenant refers to by "in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence" can only be the eternal Covenant of Redemption.
7. Consider the following counterfactual scenarios:
(a) If God's eternal plan for creation does not consist of the creation of man but only of angels and that none of the angels fell into sin, then would there be a Kingdom of God?
Under this scenario, there will be no Covenant of Redemption.
If the Kingdom of God is the realm over which God rules, then under this scenario there will be a Kingdom of God.
(b) If God's eternal plan for creation does consist of the creation of man but does not consist of the fall of man, then would there be a Kingdom of God?
Under this scenario, there will be no Covenant of Redemption.
If the Kingdom of God is the realm over which God rules, then under this scenario there will be a Kingdom of God.
Under this scenario, man did not fell and they obey God.
(c) If God's eternal plan for creation does consist of the creation of man but the fall took place not with Adam but with one of his descendants and further there is a modified Covenant of Redemption that applies to these fallen descendants of Adam, then would there be a Kingdom of God?
Under this scenario, there will be a modified Covenant of Redemption.
If the Kingdom of God is the realm over which God rules, then under this scenario there will also be a Kingdom of God.
Under this scenario, only part of the human race fell and the part that did not fell belongs to the Kingdom of God.
(d) If God's eternal plan for creation consists of the creation of man and angel but man fell and none of the angels did, further there is no provision for the redemption of man, then would there be a Kingdom of God?
Under this scenario, there will be no Covenant of Redemption.
If the Kingdom of God is the realm over which God rules, then under this scenario there will be a Kingdom of God.
Under this scenario, the Kingdom of God consists of the unfallen angels.
8. Considering more scenarios along these lines suggest the following:
(a) If there is a covenant of redemption of some sort, then there will be a kingdom of God. (Some or all will be saved even if they fell into sin.)
(b) If there is no covenant of redemption, then there might or might not be a kingdom of God. (If some does not fell, then there will be a Kingdom of God. If all fell, there will be no Kingdom of God.)
(c) If there is a kingdom of God, then there might or might not be a covenant of redemption.
(d) If there is no kingdom of God, then there could not be a covenant of redemption of some sort.
9. Two concepts are logically independent of each other if neither their affirmation nor denial can be deduced one from the other.
Covenant and Kingdom of God are logically independent of each other if:
(a) There is no covenant of redemption, or
(b) There is a kingdom of God.
Covenant and Kingdom of God are not logically independent of each other if:
(a) There is a covenant of redemption, or
(b) There is no kingdom of God.
10. If the above analysis is correct, then:
(a) The statement "[c]ovenant and kingdom are like two sides of a single coin" is false.
(b) The statement "[a]ccordingly, we may say that in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence" is partially right.
The covenant in question will be some sort of Covenant of Redemption.
The existence of a Covenant of Redemption is a sufficient but not a necessary condition for the existence of the Kingdom of God.
But saying "in creation God covenanted his kingdom into existence" is not a good way of stating the point because the covenant is prior to the creating.
My view is that:
Covenant is one way, and not the only way, God structured his kingdom.
(i.e. Covenant is a structural element of the Kingdom of God.)
In creating, God is executing his eternal plan (or Eternal Decrees).
References:
Spykman, Gordon J. 1992. Reformational Theology: A New Paradigm for Doing Dogmatics. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
"Covenant of Grace", Theopedia,
http://www.theopedia.com/Covenant_of_Grace
(accessed 2013-08-06).
"Covenant of Redemption", Theopedia,
http://www.theopedia.com/Covenant_of_Redemption
(accessed 2013-08-06).
"Covenant of Works", Theopedia,
http://www.theopedia.com/Covenant_of_Works
(accessed 2013-08-06).
End.
