What Is Repentance unto Life?

The eighty-seventh question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, "What is repentance unto life?" It answers, "Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience." 

Repentance ought to be preached as part of the gospel proclamation (Luke 24:47). “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Along with faith, repentance ought to be our response to the gospel of Christ. While our repentance does not earn salvation or pardon (Christ does), nor is it a means by which we receive Christ (faith alone is), yet it is a condition of the gospel, of the covenant of grace, as something that is inseparable from saving faith and which prepares us for the enjoyment of glory. No one can expect pardon without it (WCF 15.3). “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3). “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19, cp. 2:38).

Where does repentance unto life come from? 

It comes from God. He works it in our hearts by the word and Spirit. “And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18, see also Ezekiel 36:26-32). It is something that man does, as God works within him to produce it (Phil. 2:13). 

What knowledge leads to repentance unto life?

Repentance begins with a true sense of your sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ (Ezek. 36:31, Acts 2:36-38, Joel 2:12-13, Is. 55:7). If you do not think you are a sinner, there is no reason to repent. Likewise, if there is no mercy for repentant sinners in God, then there is no hope in turning to God, but only despair. So Scripture exhorts people to repent by revealing the truth about their sin (in the light of God’s righteousness, God’s law, and God’s goodness) and the truth of God’s mercy in Christ.

Is a conviction of sin repentance? 

No, a conviction of sin is not in itself repentance. Someone like Judas can be convicted that he did wrong, and even be distressed and seek to do something about it, and yet not repent and turn to God. There is a worldly grief that leads to death rather than salvation (a conviction that causes despair as in Judas or that passes away as in King Saul). A mere conviction of sin is not repentance unto life, but it can lead to it when combined with an apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ.

What attitude and action does this knowledge of your sin and God’s mercy lead to? 

With this understanding, a repentant person grieves for his sin and hates his sin. With that grief and hatred, he therefore turns from sin unto God (Joel 2:12-13, Acts 26:18, 20). He confesses his sin, he grieves for his sin, and he turns from his sin to God. Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret (2 Cor. 7:8-11). Repentance is fundamentally a turning, a return to God from the heart, a conversion. It involves repudiating the ways of sin which we formerly practiced and devoting ourselves to the Lord.

What purpose and endeavor forms part of repentance? 

A purpose of new obedience and an endeavor after new obedience. Those who turn from sin to God will sincerely purpose and endeavor to obey all the commandments of God. “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules” (Ps. 119:106). “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:7). 

How is obedience and good works related to repentance? 

Obedience and good works are the fruits of repentance. “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8, see also 3:10-14). “... that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20).

Should we seek to make satisfaction for our sins? 

We should seek to give restitution to our neighbor and to repair the damage caused by our sins when possible (Lev. 6:2-5, Luke 19:8), confessing and declaring our repentance to those whom we have offended (Luke 17:3-4, Matt. 5:23-24), but before God we confess our sins to him and rest in and appeal to the satisfaction of Christ as we repent of and forsake our sins (1 John 1:7-9).

Is repentance done only once in the Christian life? 

No, while repentance forms an essential part of the beginning of the Christian life, to which we ought to conform, repentance is to be practiced throughout life as we turn from particular sins and in general put to death the deeds of the body and strive after holiness (Col. 3:5ff). Repentance is the human side of sanctification, which has a decisive beginning and continual progress to the end of this life.

What Is Faith in Jesus Christ?

The eighty-sixth question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, "What is faith in Jesus Christ?" It answers, "Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel."

What is the object of saving faith? 

Saving faith is faith in Jesus Christ. It is not a mere sense of dependance or optimism. It is not faith in just anything. The object of our faith matters greatly. Those who place their faith in false gods, money, or themselves will be disappointed and put to shame. Those who believe in Jesus Christ shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

What is faith?

Faith in its fullest sense, as in saving faith, is knowledge, assent, and trust. Saving faith is not a mere awareness of Christ and his claims about himself. Nor is it merely assenting to the truth of his claims. The demons admitted that Jesus was the Son of God, and yet they remained his enemies. Saving faith is not only knowledge and assent, but also trust. A believer not only recognizes that Jesus is Lord and Savior, but receives Jesus as his Lord and Savior and rests upon Jesus for salvation (John 1:12, Acts 10:43). 

Where does God offer Jesus to us? 

In the gospel, in the covenant of grace. In the Old Testament, God presented this Savior to his people by promises, sacrifices, and other types and ceremonies. In the New Testament, the Christ who has come is offered in the gospel and the new covenant sacraments with greater clarity and efficacy to all nations. But in both administrations, sinners have been saved by faith in Christ, by whom they have had full remission of sins and eternal salvation. As Philip Melanchthon wrote,

Accordingly, faith is nothing else than trust in the divine mercy promised in Christ, and it makes no difference with what sign it has been promised. This trust in the goodwill or mercy of God first calms our hearts and then inflames us to give thanks to God for his mercy so that we keep the law gladly and willingly. (Loci Communes (Westminster Press, [1521] 1969), 92.)

Saving faith does not take hold of some invention of the imagination, but it takes hold of Jesus as he is offered to us in the gospel, as God presents him to us. How is Jesus offered to us in the gospel? 

He is held forth to us, (1) freely, (2) as the Son of God who became our redeemer, as prophet, priest, and king, (3) for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” As Petrus van Mastricht wrote,

Yet, the proper object of faith, as it is the faith of a sinner, is Christ the Mediator (Acts 10:43; John 1:11-12; 2:23; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5; etc.) ... and not according to this or that function of his office separately - either as Prophet, Priest, or King only - but as it embraces the threefold office in its entirety. ... Therefore, specifically, he must be received by faith not only as the Redeemer through whom we are freed from the punishments of our sins and eternal destruction, but also as the Lord to whom we offer ourselves obedient in all things. (Theoretical-Practical Theology, vol 2 (Reformation Heritage, [1698] 2019), 11)

More broadly, what else does saving faith receive?

While the principal acts of saving faith are receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation, it also receives God’s word in general. As the Westminster Confession of Faith says,

By this faith a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God himself speaking therein; and acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come. (WCF 14.2) 

We see this in Hebrews 11. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place God would show him (Heb. 11:8). By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. He heeded the warning (Heb. 11:7). By faith the patriarchs, not having received the things promised, yet saw them and greeted them - embraced them - from afar (Heb. 11:13).

And so as Luther says, “what a living, creative, active, powerful thing is faith!” Faith works. Faith produces good works. As Paul says, faith works through love (Gal. 5:6). It is also foundational for our hope and steadfastness. Not only does faith justify us as an instrument by which we receive Christ, but it also sanctifies us. Saving faith sanctifies, not only as a reception of Christ, who is our sanctification, but also as a virtue within us by which we live. We now live by our faith in Jesus Christ, acting upon the God of word by faith. 

In what way is faith unique among Christian virtues? 

It is by faith alone that we receive salvation and are justified. “...yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16; see also Eph. 2:8). Faith alone is the instrument of justification because only faith receives Christ and unites us to him. The saving act of faith is that of receiving Jesus (John 1:11-12, Phil. 3:8-9), for all of salvation is to be found in him.

How does faith save? 

Faith does not save as a virtue. It does not save as a good work. It is a good work and a virtue, but that is not how it saves. Faith saves as an instrument by which we receive Christ. God pardons us and accepts us as righteous in his sight on the basis of Christ's righteousness. Romans 3:24-25 speaks of this, that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

Must faith be a strong faith to be a saving faith? 

No, faith does not save by its virtue or strength, but by its object. Saving faith may be weak or strong, small or great. We pray that God would increase our faith (Mark 9:24), but whether it is weak or strong, this faith is equally precious in its nature, object, and saving efficacy, giving an equal share in Christ and his promises (2 Peter 1:1).

Where does saving faith come from?

Our faith comes from God. We do not boast about our faith because it is a gift that God gives, producing it in our hearts (Eph. 2:8-9). As Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).

What does God use to produce faith in us?

The ordinary means by which God works active faith in the heart is the ministry of the word. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

What does God use to maintain and increase faith in us? 

The ministry of the word, the administration of the sacraments, and prayer (1 Peter 2:2, Rom. 4:11, Luke 17:5).

What Should We Do to Escape God's Wrath and Curse?

"Q. 85. What doth God require of us that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption."
(Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Since every sin deserves God’s wrath and curse, and each of us have sinned, the question that arises is how may we escape from God’s wrath and curse? This is what the people asked the apostles on the day of Pentecost, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Or as the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The answers can be found in Acts 2:38–42 and Acts 16:31–33 and are summarized by this catechism question. Here are a few questions and answers of my own to unfold it:

Is the gospel of salvation unconditional?
No, the gospel is not unconditional. If it was, all people would be saved. Christ and the apostles regularly offer salvation upon conditions. "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19).

The gospel proclaims the saving work of God in Christ. Christ has obtained full redemption for his people through his life, death, and resurrection. The gospel also calls sinners to respond to the message and receive this salvation. Otherwise, it will not benefit them. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God ... Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 5:20, 6:2).

Are these conditions, duties?
Yes, we are commanded to repent (Acts 17:30) and to believe in Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23) and to diligently use the outward means of grace (Ps. 79:6, Prov. 1:24-26). People ought to “obey the gospel” by receiving it in this way (Rom. 10:16, 2 Thess. 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17).

Man’s duty is obedience to God’s revealed will. The rule which God first revealed to man for his obedience is the moral law. But the moral law reveals man’s sin and need for salvation. The second part of his revealed will (and thus, our duty) is what he requires of us that we may escape his wrath and curse. God tells everyone to do these things.

What is the first thing that God requires of us that we may be saved?
Faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31, John 3:16). We must receive and rest upon Christ for salvation, as he is offered in the gospel.

Why is this a condition?
Because by faith in Christ we are linked to him and receive a share in him (John 6:35, Eph. 3:17). By faith, and only by faith, we receive the righteousness of Christ (Rom 3, Phil. 3:9, Eph. 2:8).

What is the second thing that God requires of us that we may be saved?
Repentance unto life (Acts 2:38, 3:19). We must turn from sin unto God, purposing and endeavoring after new obedience.

Why is this a condition?
Because repentance is necessarily joined with saving faith, and also because it befits those who will be saved and the purpose of salvation.

Must we repent before we believe? Or believe before we repent?
No, saving faith and repentance unto life are a united response. Each is inseparable from the other. They are exercised together.

What is the third thing that is required with these other two?
The diligent use of all the outward means by which Christ gives to us the benefits of redemption (1 Peter 2:2, Acts 22:16). We must diligently make use of the preaching and reading of Scripture, the sacraments, and prayer.

Why is this a condition?
Because faith, produced in our hearts by the Spirit, "is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened" (WCF 14.1, see Rom. 10:14, 17, 1 Peter 2:2, Rom. 4:11, Luke 17:5). 

Is the use of the sacraments absolutely necessary for a person to be saved?
No, since they are given to confirm grace and strengthen and exercise faith. Grace and salvation is not so inseparably annexed to the sacraments as that no person can be saved without them (WCF 28:5). Nevertheless, we are told to use the sacraments in order to be saved in places like Acts 2:38 and 22:16 because they are ordinary means by which God sustains and preserves us through faith unto salvation.

Does faith, repentance, and use of outward means satisfy the justice of God or fulfill the penalty of the broken law?
No, they do not. Only the satisfaction and obedience of Christ can satisfy divine justice and fulfill the demands of the law of God. We must not trust in our faith or repentance or use of means, but only in Christ. Yet, as John Thompson wrote, "they are the terms and conditions, by the performance of which, by the gospel promises, we may hope for the benefit of Christ’s obedience, which he performed to the law of God, in behalf of all those, who, by grace and assistance of the Holy Spirit, are enabled truly to perform them. John 3:18, Acts 2:37" (An Explication of the Shorter Catechism).

How are we able to do these things?
Through the power of the Spirit. Faith and repentance are saving graces, produced by God in the hearts of the elect (Eph. 2:8, Acts 11:18). We have nothing to boast of, but give glory to God even for the faith and repentance we exercise.

Do all those who do these things escape God’s wrath and curse?
Yes, there is no condemnation for those who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. They have passed from death into life (John 5:24, Rom. 8:1).

Must we wait until we feel the Spirit moving us before doing these things?
No, we are called to do these things without delay. The Spirit’s work is known after the fact, from the effect of his work. The Spirit works through our mind and will, which we must exercise to embrace Christ (Phil. 2:12-13).

Must we wait until we know we are elect or regenerate before we do these things?
No, we only know if we are regenerate by whether we have done these things. All men everywhere are told to repent and believe, not just the regenerate or the elect. We only know we are regenerate and elect after we have repented and believed.

Is it legalistic to tell the natural man to diligently use the ministry of the word and prayer?
No, Peter exhorted Simon the sorcerer to repent and pray to God (Acts 8:22). It is through the word of God, read and preached, that people are effectually called by God to salvation (1 Cor. 2, Rom. 10).

Ashbel Green and the American Revolution

Rev. Ashbel Green (1762-1848) was a Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, a chaplain of the US Congress from 1792 to 1800, and the president of Princeton College from 1812 to 1822. But when the American Revolution broke out at Lexington and Concord, he was a 12 year old in New Jersey. He later wrote of how at the time, boys of ten to fifteen - too young to join the militia - formed units of their own and trained with fife and drum and wooden guns. Green himself was a leader of one these units.

This training proved to be important, since Green first served in the militia during his fifteenth year on an occasion in which the boys and old men were called out for sentry duty. When Ashbel Green turned 16, he became a regularly enrolled member of the militia and became an orderly sergeant. He was called out several times, including for the battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield in 1780 when he was 17.

Ashbel Green’s father, Jacob Green, was a Presbyterian pastor. While reluctant to leave his pastoral duties for any amount of time, he served as a member of the provincial congress that formed the constitution of New Jersey in 1776 and the chairman of the committee that produced the original draft, having written an anonymous tract arguing for American independence earlier that year. He returned home to his family and flock as soon as the work of the state’s constitution was done.

In 1840, Ashbel Green wrote the following to his son about differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution (I have inserted the paragraph breaks):

“MY DEAR A.—I have always been impatient, not to say vexed, when I have heard our national revolution and that of France, represented as similar. It is doubtless true, that our revolution had an influence, and a powerful one, in producing that of France. But the agencies, and what may be called the materials, of those two revolutions, were as different as can well be imagined. 

The leaders in our revolution were good men, as well as great men. If there were a few infidels among them, as no doubt was the fact, they were obliged to conceal their infidelity, because it was unpopular. Our people, speaking comparatively, were an intelligent, moral and religious people. They had been brought up under free institutions, and had the habits and ideas which are produced by such institutions. My quotation also from Mr. Jefferson, shows, that in Virginia, a day of humiliation, fasting and prayer, was acceptable to the people at large, and highly influential. This was still more, far more the case with the population of the eastern and middle provinces. In the most of these provinces, days of fasting and prayer were no novelty — they had been of frequent occurrence. The influence of the clergy, moreover, both in and out of the pulpit, was great and commanding; and it was all exerted against the unrighteous claims of Britain. It is also well known, that the old Continental Congress recommended days of religious observance, both for fasting and prayer, and for thanksgiving. Our army, too, had chaplains, to whom the commander-in-chief gave every facility which military operations would permit, for performing the duties of their sacred office. After the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, there was a special religious service, for thanksgiving to Almighty God for the success he had granted to the united arms of America and France. On that occasion, General Washington directed that the whole army not on special military service, should attend; and he exhorted them, in general orders, to give their attendance with all the seriousness and devout feelings suited to the solemnity. 

Of all this, there not only was nothing, in the origin and progress of the French revolution, but something infinitely worse than nothing; that is, there was the absence of all good and the presence of much evil. An irruption took place of the most ferocious and infernal passions that human nature has ever exhibited. The leaders of this revolution, with no exception known to me, were destitute of every thing like religion, or genuine morality. They talked, indeed, of morality, but they openly professed to abhor religion; unless, after the extermination of every semblance of Christianity, the worship of a harlot, in the guise of the goddess of reason, might be called their religion. Many of the leaders, as every body knows, were avowed atheists. Mr. William Bradford, the successor of Randolph, as Attorney General of the United States, and who died in 1795, told me, that Mr. Jefferson said in his hearing, that before he left France, atheism was table-talk with the bishops; and this was a considerable time before the evil reached its height. The populace of France, before the revolution, had been greatly oppressed by their superiors, both civil and ecclesiastical; and had grown up in servility, and the most brutish ignorance. Hence, when their former restraints were removed, and their passions became excited, they raged like infuriated demons. Every enormity of revenge, cruelty, murder, and savage barbarity, reigned in triumph. These enormities are of too recent a date to be unknown to the present generation. They have filled volumes; and I only advert to them generally, to show that those who proclaim a similarity between our revolution and that of France, are justly chargeable with an intolerable misrepresentation and absurdity. As to chaplains in the French armies, he who should have mentioned it, would first have been laughed to scorn, and then condemned to the guillotine. Their priests were sacrificed by hecatombs.”

This letter can be found in The Life of Ashbel Green (1849). This book, and other writings by and about Ashbel Green, can be found online here: Ashbel Green (1762-1848). 

Charles Thomson (1729-1824)

Before the full list of signers was published, the only name on published versions of the Declaration of Independence besides John Hancock (the president of the Continental Congress) was that of Charles Thomson (the secretary of the Continental Congress). Thomson was a Presbyterian, like twelve of the signers of the Declaration, and he had a remarkable life story. 

Charles Thomson was born in 1729 in Ireland to Scots-Irish parents. After his mother died, his father brought him and his siblings to America in 1739, although his father died as the ship came within sight of land. He was cared for by a blacksmith, educated at school by Rev. Francis Allison, and became a tutor in Latin.

In 1758, Thomson served as secretary to Teedyuscung, the king of the Delawares, and lived with, wrote a report on, and was adopted by the Delaware tribe, being named “The-man-who-speaks-the-truth,” before returning to Philadelphia. He was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, and was appointed by the synod of New York and Philadelphia to a committee for evangelizing the Indians in 1768.

Thomson was a leading patriot in Philadelphia. John Adams described him as “the Sam. Adams of Phyladelphia—the Life of the Cause of Liberty, they say.” He served as the secretary of the Continental Congress for its whole existence (1774-1789). As such his name appeared on the Declaration of Independence. He helped to design the Great Seal of the USA, adding its Latin phrases Novus ordo seclorum and Annuit cœptis, writing that “The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration: The Eye over it & the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause.”

Later in life, Thomson produced the first published translation of the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament into English, as well as a translation and harmony of the four gospels, showing their consistency. He died on August 16, 1824.

You can begin to read more about Charles Thomson at these links:

Charles Thomson (Declaration Resources Project - Harvard)

Charles Thomson (Wikipedia)

A Testament to Thomson (American Philosophical Society)

A Blessing to Your Land (Part 2)

In my previous post, I drew attention to Proverbs 11:10-11, which teaches that the righteous are a blessing to society. We who are saved by Christ are members of our respective communities and countries, and we ought to seek their welfare with a grateful patriotism, exercising by God's grace a righteousness that is both private and social. Today, let us look at Proverbs 28:1-5, which helps us see how the righteous are a blessing. It describes some of the qualities of the righteous. 

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)

Let us be righteous, that we might be bold. The one who walks in the ways of the Lord can be confident. It is a sure path with no regret. This is not the case with the way of the wicked. 

If you are righteous and are doing what is right, then therefore be bold. You have reason to be bold and confident. A scared righteous man is like a cowardly lion. 

Do not be scared of the wicked, for they flee even when no one pursues. They may look powerful and fearsome, but looks can be deceiving. 

The righteous are a blessing to their city because they provide courage and confidence. Whether that courage is needed in a literal battle or in facing other challenges, it is helpful to have courage in a people, a strength given through the grace of God.

The righteous are also a blessing because they are bold in doing the right thing and in opposing what is wrong. They have a courage that is directed to the right end. They are able to withstand temptation and threats and ridicule, and press on in doing what is right and good. 

Consider the boldness of those who have done good to their people through courage. Consider Jonathan, who took on the enemy accompanied only by his armor bearer. Consider David, who took on Goliath. Consider Esther, who approached the king for her people. Consider the boldness of Jesus Christ, who went confidently to his sacrifice, laying down his life, despising the shame.

“When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.” (Proverbs 28:2)

The reference to “many rulers” refers to political instability, whether there are multiple rival rulers at the same time or a quick succession of different rulers or dynasties. You can see this exemplified in the northern kingdom of Israel, with many short reigns and dynasties, in contrast to the kingdom of Judah, which enjoyed longer reigns from the same dynasty.

As the transgressions of a land are judged by and lead to national instability, so the opposite is implied: when a land is righteous, it is stabilized and exalted. In America, it is normal to have multiple people running for office, but I think it is fair to say that people are troubled by an increase in polarization, division, and turmoil in politics. It was a blessing when we had presidents like Washington, who enjoyed widespread support from the country. If America wishes to be blessed and not judged by God, it should turn from transgression unto God and practice righteousness in its government, laws, culture, and common life. America's hardships are from the Lord. America ought to humble itself and repent from sin unto God. 

The first line implies its opposite, but the proverb leaves it merely implied and spends the second line on something additional. It goes on to describe the usefulness of even one individual with knowledge and understanding. It can be discouraging to live in a land where there is so much transgression, but that is not a reason to give up hope of being useful. There are many examples in Scripture where a nation has been blessed and its life extended, or even revived and reformed, by a wise individual, either as a ruler or advisor or official, who had knowledge and understanding. Consider Joseph in Egypt, King Josiah of Judah, Jehoiada the High Priest, Daniel in Babylon, and the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Therefore let a land turn away from transgression, and at the same time, let each of you be and promote individuals of understanding and knowledge who will bless their land. In other words there is a corporate responsibility of a country to be righteous, so that it may be blessed with good rulers, and not with political instability. At the same time there is a responsibility to be or promote wise leaders that will be a blessing to the people. You should not trust in politics alone, apart from the general condition of a country, neither should we only focus on the general condition of the country and neglect the provision of good leadership.

This can apply also to other organizations and businesses. You, if you are wise and understanding, may be a great blessing to your work place or organization, so that its stability long continues.

“A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.” (Proverbs 28:3)

You would think that a poor person would have compassion and other poor people. But that is not always the case. The poor person who oppresses the poor is like a rain, which seems promising, but then disappoints. Such a person neglects the golden rule that Jesus taught us, “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” 

The righteous are a blessing to their land because they will not oppress the people, but have compassion upon them. A righteous magistrate will protect them, look out for them, so that others might not take advantage of them (Ps. 82:3-4). A righteous citizen will treat his neighbor well, dealing generously and fairly with him (Ps. 112:5). 

“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.” (Proverbs 28:4)

Those who forsake the law are set adrift without that anchor and end up praising the wicked. Therefore, be those who keep the law, that you might stand fast against the wicked. Proverbs 25:26 says, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.” Such a righteous man is like a polluted fountain, for just as you expect a fountain to provide refreshing drinking water, but are disappointed to find it polluted, so it is right to expect a righteous man to oppose the wicked, and are disappointed to find them giving way before them. That a righteous man may remain resolute in righteousness, he must attend to and keep the law of God.

Those who are reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ find the law no longer a threat, but a blessed rule of life. Jesus raises his people by the Spirit to new life, writing the law on their hearts. By his grace, through a use of the means he has given us, we can learn and keep the law, more and more.

Those who truly keep the law are not content to let wickedness prosper, but will be active and opposing the wicked. They are active and engaged. They care about others and their society. They are opposed to wickedness from the heart and oppose it by taking action.

This is not limited to politics, but certainly that is one area of conflict. The role of civil government is to strive against wickedness, at least external expressions of it, to be a terror to evildoers and to praise the good (Rom. 13:1-7).

Different people are called to different levels of political involvement. Voting wisely is a basic adult responsibility in American society. You can also write to your legislators. Some will speak with their legislators. Some will donate to candidates and organizations. Some will attend rallies and events. Some will volunteer for campaigns, causes, or organizations that provide education on political issues. Some will run for office. American citizens have a responsibility to strive against wickedness and seek the well-being of their country through politics, and it is those who keep the law who will do this well, although this can look different for each person, since you have different gifts, callings, and stages in life.

Politics is far from being the only area where you must strive against the wicked. Those who keep the law, oppose the wicked in their personal life, resisting temptation. They strive against the wicked by seeking to persuade the wicked to change their ways. They strive against them by counteracting their influence in families, social circles, work places, businesses, and other organizations. They strive against them by arguing against wickedness and for that which is good and right and true.

When John Witherspoon preached on a fast day in the May of 1776, he encouraged his listeners to promote public virtue.

Suffer me to recommend to you an attention to the public interest of religion, or in other words zeal for the glory of God and the good of others. I have already endeavoured to exhort sinners to repentance, what I have here in view is to point out to you the concern which every good man ought to take in the national character and manners, and the means which he ought to use for promoting public virtue, and bearing down impiety and vice. This is a matter of the utmost moment, and which ought to be well understood, both in its nature and principles. Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners makes a people ripe for destruction. A good form of government may hold the rotten materials together for some time, but beyond a certain pitch even the best constitution will be ineffectual, and slavery must ensue. On the other hand, when the manners of a nation are pure, when true religion and internal principles maintain their vigour, the attempts of the most powerful enemies to oppress them are commonly baffled and disappointed.

Sin is social, spreading and corrupting society and custom. But by God’s grace, the righteousness of Christ’s disciples is also social, spreading and reforming society and custom. Both sin and God’s kingdom are compared with leaven. The influence of the wicked must be opposed; and those who keep the law are equipped to do this work.

“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.” (Proverbs 28:5)

Evil men are compromised; their sense of justice is corrupted. Evil men do not understand justice. To understand justice, you should seek the Lord. From the Lord, man is able to gain a right understanding of justice among men. 

Where is God to be found? God is found in his word. Seek God in his word with reverence and teachableness, that you might understand his ways. Scripture shows us the way to God through Christ and Scripture teaches the law of God, which is a joy to those in Christ. Scripture provides a knowledge of justice. As Moses said in Deuteronomy 4:8, “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?”

Seek the Lord and listen to his word. Make his law your meditation day and night. His word is perfect and it speaks to matters of righteousness and obligations and the right reaction of man to man in society. Study his word to gain a true understanding of it. Consider the case laws he gave Israel, for example. They are profitable to direct modern man in our social interactions and our understanding of justice, even though their particular context must be kept in mind (more on that here and here). Consider the book of Proverbs and the prophets and the teachings found in the Gospels, and indeed the whole of Scripture. And pray for an understanding and practice of righteousness, as Solomon did. "Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" (1 Kings 3:9) Seek the Lord in his word and through prayer, that you might understand justice and practice it in your life and society.

Conclusion

Those whom Christ saves from sin, he makes a blessing to their land. Therefore, those who rest upon him for salvation should seek to be a blessing to their land by his grace.

Pursue righteousness, for to this you were called. If you are in Christ, then you have been released from the tyranny of sin. Be therefore righteous, that you might be a blessing to your land. Your community, your neighbors, your country are in need of the righteous. The land rots without the salt of the earth. Be grateful for what you have received in its civic fellowship and come to its aid through the grace of Christ. Go forth this week to work in this world diligently and usefully, not growing weary in doing good, putting forth in action the virtues that God is working within you. Unto him be the glory!

A Blessing to Your Land (Part 1)

Next week we will come to our country’s Independence Day, the 4th of July. While America’s roots go back to the early 1600s, it was 250 years ago on July 4th, 1776, that these United States declared independence from Great Britain and its king. Not only did we successfully maintain our independence in battle, but we have grown and been blessed in many ways since that time. These blessings ought to be ascribed to Almighty God, from whom all blessings flow. A remembrance of our country’s independence should cause you both to be grateful to that founding generation and other generations that have built up what you enjoy today, as well as to give thanks to God and to recall your personal and national obligation to him. As the fourth verse of our national anthem says,

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!

As you reflect upon God’s blessings upon the labors of previous generations, it should also recall you to your calling, that you might preserve and build upon the blessings of the past and seek by God’s grace to improve and pass on a country to your children that will be a blessing to them. Those whom Christ saves from sin, he makes a blessing to their land. Therefore, those who rest upon him for salvation should seek to be a blessing to their land by his grace.

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. (Proverbs 11:10–11) 

Verse 11 makes explicit what is implied in verse 10. The city rejoices when it goes well with the righteous, because the righteous are a blessing to the city. There are shouts of gladness when the wicked perish, because the wicked tear down their city by their mouth. Consider the example found in the book of Esther: when the decree of Haman was published, the city of Susa was thrown into confusion, but when Mordecai received Haman’s position and went out in royal robes and a golden crown, the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

The righteous are a blessing to their city. As John Witherspoon preached in 1776, “it is in the man of piety and inward principle that we may expect to find the uncorrupted patriot, the useful citizen, and the invincible soldier.” God does not call you to a merely private devotion, but to an exercise of righteousness that is also social. Your righteousness must be personal and private, but it must not stop there. In the same Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus teaches us to pray in secret before God, he also teaches us to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven. Your righteousness must be sincere and for God, not hypocritical praise-seeking, but it must also be exercised in the social realm. You must not hide your light under a basket. Jesus has established you all as a city on a hill and as the light of the world. His kingdom is in the world like leaven is in dough - it transforms the whole thing.

“The blessing of the upright” includes prayer for your land and your words and actions in society. The upright bless those around them by their diligence in their work, their honest dealing and faithfulness, and their deeds of mercy. The upright bless others by their wise and righteous use of words - as the mouth of the wicked overthrows the city, so the mouth of the upright is a blessing. May you be upright and exercise that righteousness in your words and deeds, that you might be a blessing.

In Jeremiah 29:7, God told the Jewish exiles in Babylonia, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” If the Jewish exiles were to seek good of the foreign city they lived in for seventy years, how much more should you seek the good of our own city, your own land?

Whether you like it or not, you participate in the well-being of your country. This is all the more the case when when you dwell in your own country, as citizens, not as exiles. In its welfare, you will find your welfare. You are born into a society full of riches you did not work for - institutions, laws, cultural heritage, language, infrastructure, relatives, neighbors, etc. You inherit a place in a commonwealth. This places obligations upon you of filial piety, of reverent gratitude. As R.J. Rushdoony wrote concerning the fifth commandment, 

honor to parents, and to all older than ourselves, is a necessary aspect of the basic law of inheritance. What we inherit from our parents is life itself, and also the wisdom of their faith and experience as they transmit it to us. The continuity of history rests in this honor and inheritance. A revolutionary age breaks with the past and turns on parents with animosity and venom: it disinherits itself. To respect our elders other than our parents is to respect all that is good in our cultural inheritance. The world certainly is not perfect, nor even law-abiding, but, although we come into the world naked, we do not enter an empty world. The houses, orchards, fields, and flocks are all the handiwork of the past, and we are richer for this past and must honor it. (Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 166)

Patriotism is a virtue. Patriotism is an application of the fifth commandment. It is an extension of the command to honor father and mother. You are to honor and make return to your mother country, your patria.

You and I do not have absolute control over whether it will go well with the righteous or not. Ultimately God raises up and casts down. But for our part, may we be among the righteous who are a blessing, so that if we are exalted, it may be a good thing for our society, as when God raised up Joseph and Daniel and Esther. May you be such a person, by God’s grace, that the city rejoices when it goes well with you.

The Armor of God

In Ephesians 6:10-20, the apostle Paul exhorts the saints to be strong in the Lord and to put on the whole armor of God. In verses 11-13, he explains why Christians should do this. We should put on the whole armor of God that we may "be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." We should prepare to withstand them. Paul had already mentioned deceitful schemes in Ephesians 4:14 and the importance of giving no opportunity to the devil in Ephesians 4:27.

You need this armor, because you are engaged in a struggle against spiritual forces of evil. It is not a matter of physical strength or skill with a sword. A literal sword cannot protect you from the devil and his schemes.

Paul contrasts physical warfare (against flesh and blood) and spiritual warfare. The one seeks to kill the body, but the other aims to corrupt and destroy the whole person. The leaders of the other side are the devil and his spiritual forces. They also work with or through sinful men and the remnants of sin that remain in you. The world, the flesh, and the devil seek to destroy your soul (1 Peter 2:11, 4:3-4, 5:8-9). You need God’s strength, God’s spiritual armor, that you might stand firm.

Paul is not insisting on pacifism here, as if it were wrong to engage in all physical conflict. Serving as a soldier is still a godly calling, and war can be waged for just and godly causes. But that is a particular calling and not the war in view here. The most important conflict, and the one that all Christians on earth are engaged in, is this spiritual conflict.

Earlier in Ephesians 4:24, Paul noted that Christians had been taught "to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Here he makes a similar point, but with conflict in mind. What we put on is given to us by God in Christ. 

1. The belt of truth (v. 14)

The belt holds thing together so that a solider is unhindered by his garments, ready to fight. We are to fasten on truth like a belt, that we might be ready for the conflict. 

We are to fasten on the virtue of truth, that is, faithfulness, sincerity, and honesty. In Ephesians 4:25, Paul had said, "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Isaiah 11:5 describes faithfulness as the belt of Christ. 

We are also to fasten on revealed truth, "the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation" (Eph. 1:13, cp. 4:15, 4:21). We must be careful to not be children, "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Eph. 4:14). Rather, we are to receive the ministry of the word, to study the word, and to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:11-16). 

By holding fast to the truth and being truthful and faithful, we avoid the deceptive schemes of the devil, the liar and the father of lies.

2. The breastplate of righteousness (v. 14)

The breastplate is a piece of armor that guards the vitals against blows. We are to put on righteousness as a breastplate. 

We are to put on the "true righteousness" that reflects God’s righteousness (Eph. 4:24). We have put on the new man and are being renewed after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Righteousness is to be written on the heart and practiced in the life. This is strength.

True righteousness is in accord with the word of God, the infallible and sufficient rule of righteousness. True righteousness is also not hypocritical, not done for the praise of man, not merely done externally, but is a righteousness rooted in the heart that extends to right motive, intention, and deed.

Righteousness is the alternative to sin. The devil wants us to sin. Let righteousness become your breastplate, a cherish habit and virtue, ready to repel temptations to go astray. We receive from Christ both an imputed righteousness to save us from condemnation and an inward work of grace that renews us to righteousness more and more. The imputed righteousness supports us against the demoralizing accusations of the devil (cp. Zech. 3), and the imparted righteousness supports us against his temptations to sin against our God. 

3. As shoes, the readiness given by the gospel of peace (v. 15)

Shoes give the solider not only mobility when needed, but also a firm place to stand. As shoes provide a foundation for us to "stand firm," so the gospel gives us stability and readiness.

The gospel of peace gives us a place to rest and a firm foundation. Our faith clings to it. Its promises give us hope. It proclaims reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ and the hope of glory with him. 

This phrase is probably an allusion to Isaiah 52:7. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" The gospel is a gospel of peace. It proclaims that God is at peace with his people through Christ. As Paul said in Ephesians 2:17, Jesus "came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near."

4. The shield of faith (v. 16)

The shield is an important piece of protection that can be moved to protect against various weapons, including "flaming darts." We are to take up the shield of faith. 

Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith in "all circumstances." Faith is to be continually exercised. Having believed, we are also to walk by faith (Col. 2:6, Heb. 11). 

Paul had stressed the importance and uniqueness of faith earlier in this letter. We are saved through faith (Eph. 2:8) and Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:17) and we share with the saints “one faith” (Eph. 4:5). 

The quality and object of faith are both important. Saving faith is not mere knowledge and assent, but also trust. Our faith is to be in God and his word, and especially in the Savior he holds forth to us. We are to receive and rest upon Jesus Christ for salvation. By this faith, we are united to Christ and freely receive a share in the benefits of his redemptive work. And by this faith, "a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God himself speaking therein; and acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come" (Westminster Confession of Faith, 14.2).  

The devil seeks to open the way for his temptations by causing us to doubt God and his word. He did this with Eve (Gen. 3). But with the shield of faith you can protect yourself and extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. 

5. The helmet of salvation (v. 17)

The helmet gives important protection to the head. Paul tells us to take the helmet of salvation. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, he similarly speaks of having put on "for a helmet the hope of salvation." It is especially the future aspect of salvation that seems to be meant, the hope of deliverance and exaltation in the day of judgment. 

So take heart in your expectation of salvation. Reflect on the complete reliability of God’s promises to those who believe in Christ and reflect on your saving faith in Christ. All those who believe in the Lord Jesus shall be saved. If you, then, truly believe in the Lord Jesus, you shall be saved. It is good for people to consider this matter, so that those who believe might have a confident expectation of their personal salvation. This assurance is not essential to saving faith - a person must believe before they know they believe - but it is a great blessing and strength. The hope and confidence that flows from faith is like a helmet. John wrote 1 John so that believers might have this hope and confidence, this knowledge that they have eternal life. 

6. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v. 17).

The sword is a deadly weapon used to destroy the enemy. It is an offensive weapon. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is used to destroy strongholds, to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-6).

The word of God is given by the Spirit and it is effectual through the Spirit’s power as he enlightens our minds and renews our wills (1 Cor. 2:9-16). The Holy Scriptures are the word of God, given by inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16). The human authors were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). 

The word of God is powerful. It destroys and builds, its refutes and converts, its sanctifies and comforts. It is the weapon Jesus used in the temptation (Matt. 4). It is the sword that comes from his mouth (Is. 49:2, Rev. 1:16). 

7. Praying in the Spirit, watching and praying for all the saints and for preachers (v. 18-20)

Prayer is not given a particular weapon to represent it, perhaps because it is so closely connected with the sword of the Spirit. As you wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, you should be praying in the Spirit as well. The Word of God is closely associated with prayer, and both of them with the Holy Spirit. Both of them are means of grace, and we pray for God's blessing upon the word. Especially in view here are prayers of supplication for all the saints and prayers for preachers like Paul, that the gospel might be proclaimed boldly and clearly.

Prayer is part of our readiness for conflict, our readiness to overcome the schemes of the devil. Even Paul requested prayer that he might be bold, that he might stand boldly and not be tripped up by the devil's schemes. So let us also pray in the Spirit, praying at all times with all prayer and supplication, keeping alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Conclusion

In these ways, be strong in the Lord, putting on the armor that he supplies, the whole armor of God. In this way, stand firm. Fight against the spiritual forces of evil with the armor of God, giving all glory and praise to him.

Christ has crushed the devil under his feet, and "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). As John Ball put it, "Christ hath bruised the Serpent's head by his own power: but the faithful overcome by the power of Christ." Christ makes them more than conquerors. He answers his people's prayers. Christ leads his people to victory.

To Remember His Holy Covenant (Part 3): You and the Covenant

In part one and part two of this series on Luke 1:67-79, we looked at "his holy covenant" and how God remembered it by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, the redeemer. Now consider how you are related to this covenant. Not only has God remembered his holy covenant and raised up a Savior in David’s house, but he also makes known his covenant so that people might enter into it and benefit from it.

Zechariah not only spoke of the coming of Christ, but he also spoke of his own son, John the Baptizer. John would be the “prophet of the Most High” to “go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77). John’s message of repentance and forgiveness would also be proclaimed by the apostles and by all who proclaim the apostolic gospel, the difference being that John spoke of the coming Christ and the apostles proclaimed the Christ who had come. At the end of Luke 24, Jesus told his apostles, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46–47).

As God raised up John the Baptist, so God still works through the preaching of the word today, to give the knowledge of salvation, to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name. This is given to all nations. Believing Gentiles are grafted on to the people of God (Rom. 11:17-20).

This covenant of grace is held forth for the salvation of sinners. It is sure and steady. God is faithful to it forever. The covenant stands upon the solid foundation of Christ and his redemptive work.

How then should we respond? Everyone should respond by entering the covenant and keeping the covenant and praising God for his faithfulness and mercy. Christ came to redeem God’s covenant people, and we call everyone to enter into this covenant with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Within the covenant is safety and blessing through Christ.

You who have visibly entered into this covenant, being marked by baptism, are bound by the covenant to believe in Jesus Christ, that you might be saved, and to turn from sin and obey the God who has redeemed you, according to his commandments.

While both faith in Christ and repentance unto new obedience are conditions of the covenant of grace, required of sinners, yet they are not conditions in the same way. (1) Neither one is a condition in the sense of being the basis for our salvation - that is to be found in Christ alone. He obtained the blessings of the covenant by his life, death, and resurrection. (2) Faith alone is a condition in the sense of being a instrumental cause of the good promised to us. That is, only by faith do we receive Christ, and in him, all the blessings of the covenant. (3) Repentance unto new obedience is a condition, not as a satisfaction, nor as an instrument by which we are united to Christ, but as something that God requires of us if we would be saved. Repentance unto life and saving faith are inseparable, and so both are required of us. The Bible says things like “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19), and “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). As the Westminster Confession of Faith says, you must not rest in your repentance as a satisfaction or any cause of pardon; yet it is of such necessity to all sinners that no one may expect pardon without it (WCF 15.3).

So respond with faith and repentance. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. He is the mediator of the covenant. Therefore, if you wish to be in this covenant and blessed, receive him as your redeemer. The way by which someone participates in this covenant is through union with Christ through faith. In Romans 11, Paul describes the visible covenant people as an olive tree. He wrote that some of the natural branches (some of the Jews) were broken off, but others (some of the Gentiles) were grafted in. Why? Paul said, “They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith” (Rom. 11:20). Those who reject the Savior through unbelief shall be cursed, but those who hold fast to him by faith shall be blessed forever.

Christ is willing to receive those who receive him. Even those who were broken off, if they do not continue in their unbelief, but believe, shall be grafted in (Rom. 11:23). Receive the Lord Jesus as he is freely offered in the gospel, as your redeemer, as your prophet, priest, and king. As a wife receives her husband as her husband, giving herself as a wife, so receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, giving yourself to him. Continue to exercise this faith in Christ, resting upon him your whole life. Hold fast to this horn of salvation that God raised up in the house of David.

And repent from your sins unto God. God in Christ calls us away from bondage to sin and Satan, unto his blessed service. Those who would have God to be their God must turn their back on rebellion, renouncing the world, the flesh, and the devil, and turn to God. God delivers his people through Christ so that they might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all their days. What is repentance unto life? “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience” (WSC 87). Thus, when God’s people make or renew their covenant with God, they promise, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:7) and “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). As we say in Psalm 119:106, “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.”

God’s law is given not only to convict us of sin, driving us to Christ, and to restrain sin in society, but it is also given to direct his covenant people how to serve him in holiness and righteousness. This was the context of the Ten Commandments. They were given by God to his covenant people. In them, he declared himself to be their God and redeemer and told them how to live as his people. God’s covenant of grace further obligates us to obey his universally binding moral law. It also provides in Christ the grace of sanctification, enabling us to obey, and it motivates us to do so in gratitude to the rock of our salvation. This obedience is not yet perfect — we still sin and rest on Christ for salvation — but it is sincere and increasing as we continue to repent, putting to death the deeds of the flesh and walking in newness of life in Christ. This path of repentance is the way God has appointed us to salvation, leading to glory (Rom. 4:13, 2 Peter 1:3-11, Eph. 2:10; see also WLC 32).

We are taught to "keep" God’s covenant in Scripture (Ps. 103:18, Ex. 19:5, Gen. 17:9), not in the sense of providing its basis, but in the sense of observing its obligations, living in accord with it through faith and repentance. As the OPC Directory for Public Worship says, “In our baptism, the Lord puts his name on us, claims us as his own, and summons us to assume the obligations of the covenant. He calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, to renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to walk humbly with our God in devotion to his commandments.” May all of us, young and old, be covenant keepers who embrace the promises and obligations sealed in our baptism. For as Psalm 25:10 says, “All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

Do not be like the generation who experienced the Exodus but perished in the wilderness because they broke the covenant by rebelling against the Lord in unbelief. Do not despise the Savior and turn back to bondage and death. Forsake the darkness, and walk in his light, for he will guide our feet into the way of peace.

Praise the Lord for his grace and mercy! Give thanks to God for his holy covenant! God did not have to enter into this covenant of grace. God did not have to bind himself to save any sinner, who was but justly receiving what he deserved. Even God’s initial covenant of works was voluntary on his part, and man broke it. But out of his tender mercy, God chose to save a people from sin and misery and entered into this covenant to accomplish this even through the incarnation, obedience, and cursed death of the eternal Son of God. The triune God is faithful, and he keeps covenant forever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has visited and redeemed his people. Blessed be his name.

To Remember His Holy Covenant (Part 2): Christ and the Covenant

In part one of this series on Luke 1:67-79, we saw how God first published the covenant of grace in Genesis 3:15 and how he continued to renew and reveal it from that point onward. When Zechariah rejoiced in the birth of Jesus, he praised God for remembering "his holy covenant." Jesus came to provide the promised basis for this covenant. Vital to God’s holy covenant is the redeemer, the mediator of the covenant.

An important difference between the covenant of grace and the covenant of works is that the covenant of works provided no redeemer since man did not need one. But God entered into the covenant of grace to deliver his elect out of their sin and misery by a redeemer, by that promised offspring who would bruise the head of the serpent and save God’s people. And who is the redeemer of God’s elect? As the Shorter Catechism says, “The only redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.”

Ultimately, "the covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed" (Larger Catechism, 31). For Christ's part, he would satisfy divine justice and obtain salvation and an everlasting inheritance for those whom the Father had given him by his perfect obedience and his sacrifice of himself. He accordingly took the form of a servant and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, and therefore was highly exalted. All those who receive Christ freely receive all the benefits of his redemptive work. "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11–12).  

All along, the promise of salvation had been based upon the promise of the Christ and his redemptive work. A thousand years after King David, God had not forgotten his covenant, nor had his promised mercy come to an end. In order to keep his holy covenant and to practice his promised mercy, the Father sent his only-begotten Son, God of God, to take on human nature and be born the promised heir of David.

Just as God had visited his people in Egypt and delivered them from bondage (Gen. 50:24, Ex. 3:7-8, 16-17), so now God “visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68). Just as God had delivered Israel from Egypt because of his covenant promise to their fathers, so now he delivered his people through the birth of Jesus because of his covenant promise to their fathers (Luke 1:72).

God fulfilled his oath by raising up “a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:69). A “horn” was symbol of power. A “horn of salvation” is a Savior. And this Savior was raised up in the house of David, as the heir of David, a king to deliver and shepherd God’s people forever. This king would deliver them by giving them the forgiveness of their sins and by guiding their feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:77-79).

Thus, Jesus was born to fulfill God's covenant oath "to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days" (Luke 1:73-75). Jesus was born to save all those who trust in him from Satan’s power and might. 

The devil had led mankind into death by leading them into condemnation. Jesus came to save his people from condemnation and death, bearing and dying for their sins and providing them with his righteousness. God delivers us the domain of the evil one and transfers us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13). As Hebrews 2:14–15 says of the Son, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” We are delivered into a kingdom that is forever, in which we shall be blessed in the presence of the Lord all our days.

The devil had led mankind into rebellion and moral corruption. Jesus not only provides forgiveness, but he also renews his people more and more to a practice of holiness and righteousness as God’s children. As 1 John 3:8–9 says, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

The Redeemer was born in weakness and humility, sharing in our infirmities, yet without sin. He came to save us, not through human might, but through human weakness and divine power. He would endure trials, resist temptation, and offer himself a perfect sacrifice for sin in our nature. Therefore, he rose from the dead on the third day, exalted by the Father. He now reigns over all creation and administers the covenant from the right hand of the Father in a new and glorious way to all nations. The sunrise has visited us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Luke 1:78b-79a).

To Remember His Holy Covenant (Part 1): God's Covenant of Grace

In Luke 1:67-79, Zechariah the priest responded to the coming birth of the Lord with praise. He praised God for redeeming his people in faithfulness to his holy covenant. God's covenant faithfulness and mercy was shown in the coming of the Lord Jesus. The birth and work of the Lord Jesus is properly understood in light of God’s promise, his oath, his holy covenant.

What is this covenant God made? How is the coming of Christ related to it? And how are you related to it? Those are the questions I want to address in a series of three articles based on a sermon I gave on this passage: (1) God’s covenant of grace, (2) Christ and the covenant, and (3) you and the covenant.

Zechariah said that God raised up this Savior “to remember his holy covenant.” What is a covenant? A covenant is a bond between two parties that establishes a relationship between them and defines the nature and obligations of the relationship, binding them together. A covenant typically states the parties to the covenant and its basis, promises, conditions, obligations, sanctions, and seals.

Some examples of covenants between humans are those made between kings and their vassals, between friends (like David and Jonathan) or peoples (like the Israelites and the Gibeonites), and the marriage covenant between husband and wife (see Malachi 2:14 - “she is your companion and your wife by covenant”). When God makes a covenant with people, he establishes a mutual bond of fellowship with them, takes them under his special care, and promises them eternal life and blessing.

The first covenant that God made with man is commonly called the covenant of works. He did not need to do it, but he voluntarily drew near to man, making a covenant with him. This is recounted in Genesis 2. As the Shorter Catechism says, “When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death” (WSC 12). As the Larger Catechism further explains, the tree of life was a pledge of this covenant and its promise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a commandment given in addition to the moral law to demonstrate the condition of the covenant: personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience to God (WLC 20). But the covenant of works was soon broken by the sin of our first parents. Unless redeemed by God, all the heirs of Adam are condemned as treacherous covenant-breakers. Fellowship with God was lost.

As early as Genesis 3:15, God published another covenant, a covenant upon different terms. This second covenant was made with sinners in need of salvation. God declared that he would put enmity between his people and the serpent and would raise up the offspring of the woman to crush the serpent’s head. We call this covenant his covenant of grace. We might also call it his covenant of mercy, "the mercy that he promised to our fathers" (Luke 1:72), for God entered into it out of his tender mercy, beholding us in our misery. 

The covenant of grace is the abiding covenant God continued to renew with his people from generation to generation and which Zechariah mentions in his hymn. In the covenant of grace, God promises salvation to sinners on the basis of the obedience and sacrifice of Christ. In it, God requires that we believe in Christ and repent, faith in Christ being the only means by which we have a share in Christ’s mediation. Salvation and the everlasting inheritance is obtained by Christ and shared with those who are united to him. In this covenant of grace, sinners are saved by God to be his people, that they might glorify and enjoy him forever.

Thus, it is the case that the coming of Christ had been spoken of by the holy prophets from of old (Luke 1:70). Faith in God’s provision of Christ has been the only way of salvation for every generation. This was the covenant that God established with Noah and his household, saving them from judgment. As much of humanity wandered back into apostasy, this covenant was established with Abraham and made more fully known in his household. And thus Zechariah goes on to explain God’s holy covenant in terms of its administration to Abraham.

Zechariah gives an excellent description of God’s holy covenant. He says that God’s holy covenant was “the oath that he swore to our father Abraham.” What did God swear to Abraham? God swore “to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:73-75). This is a summery of the covenant promises God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 22. This is a reversal of man’s fall. Through sin, we fell into the hand of our enemies, oppressed by the devil through fear of death, living in impurity and unrighteousness, separated from God’s fellowship, all our days. But God swore an oath, establishing a covenant, to deliver a people from this misery unto himself, making reconciliation, forgiving their sins, renewing them unto righteousness, that they might glorify and enjoy him forever.

God continued to renew this covenant with Abraham's descendants, with Isaac (Gen. 26:2-5) and Jacob (Gen. 28:13-15). Most dramatically, God renewed this covenant with the children of Israel in the days of Moses.

In those days, according to his covenant promise to Abraham, God delivered Israel from the hand of their enemies (i.e. Pharaoh) so that they might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all their days (Exod. 4:22-23, 6:2-8, Deut. 7:7-11). They were brought out of Egypt to serve the Lord as his people. The Passover, Exodus, and coming to Sinai to worship God were expressions of the covenant and a type of what more was promised, their ultimate hope: salvation from sin unto God through Jesus Christ.

This covenant was formally renewed with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 20-24) and again in Moab (Deut. 29-30), and again in the promised land under Joshua, at the beginning and end of the conquest (Josh. 8:30-35, 24:1-28). The covenant was externally administered differently before Christ than it is now. Then, God called his people to faith in Christ through promises, sacrifices, circumcision, passover, and other symbols and ceremonies foretelling the Christ to come. This administration of the covenant is called the old covenant. The covenant of grace is now administered more simply and powerfully in light of the Christ who has come, through the ministry of the Word, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. This administration is called the new covenant. The difference between the old and the new is in the externals, not the substance. It is the same bond, the same principles, the same way of salvation - not two parallel covenants, but the same covenant for two different eras.

After Israel had settled down in the promised land, God made it clear that a greater fulfillment of this covenant would be brought about through the king of Israel, specifically, through King David and his heirs (2 Sam. 7, Ps. 72, 89, Is. 9:1-7). It would be from the line of David that the promised one would arise who would deliver God's people from their enemies and lead them in righteousness and peace forever, bringing all the nations under his blessed reign. This continued to be the prophetic hope even after the monarchy fell and Israel was scattered and began to return.

And so, God’s holy covenant, which Zechariah refers to, is his covenant of grace, “the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:73-75).