There are passages in Scripture such as Psalm 110, Hebrews 7, and John chapter 17 that reflect something of the eternal relationship between the persons of the Trinity and especially between the Father and the Son. In the Reformation some of our writers began reflecting on these passages and others. In post-Reformation Reformed theology our theologians wrote about the eternal “covenant of redemption” (pactum salutis or consilum pacis) between the Father and the Son, in which the Father gave to the Son a people and he agreed to become their substitute and Savior. That covenant is prior to the covenants of works and grace that we see worked out in Scripture in the covenant with Adam before the fall and the covenant with Adam, Noah, and Abraham after the fall. In modern reflections on covenant theology, however, the doctrine of the covenant of redemption has either been neglected or rejected as unbiblical and damaging to the doctrine of the Trinity. John Fesko joins us for a two-part episode to discuss this important aspect of covenant theology. For an introduction to this topic see also the chapter “The Covenant Before The Covenants” in Covenant, Justification, And Pastoral Ministry. This is part two of the episode.
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