It was good to talk with Nick, of the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude podcast about the Mosaic covenant generally and the question of the republication of the covenant of works specifically. This might seem like an impossible topic but it is not if we keep in mind a couple of basic distinctions: first there are two kinds of covenants in history: the covenant of works (“do this and live”) and the covenant of grace (“Christ has done for you”). We may correlate these with the law, “the day you eat thereof you shall surely die,” and the gospel, “the seed of the woman shall crush his head.” If we keep these basic Protestant and Reformed distinctions in mind, the whole question becomes much clearer. In this episode we discuss why people struggle to understand the Mosaic covenant, what we need to remember as we think about the the Mosaic covenant, what it means and does not mean to speak of republication, and how the Mosaic covenant is like the Noahic and the Abrahamic administrations of the covenant of grace and how it is distinct.

Check out the resources for more on covenant theology and specifically on the Mosaic covenant and republication.

Here is the episode on Anchor.

Here is the HB media archive:

RESOURCES

• How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia
• The Heidelblog Resource Page
• How to support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below this post.
• Heidelmedia Resources
• The Ecumenical Creeds
• The Reformed Confessions
• Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008).
• Law, Gospel, And The Three Uses of the Law
• The Three Uses of the Law
• A Brief History Of Covenant Theology
• Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant: The Double Benefit of Christ. Rutherford Studies in Historical Theology, ed. David F. Wright (Edinburgh: Rutherford House, 2005). Reprinted 2008 by Reformation Heritage Books in the Historical-Theological Studies series.
• Covenant, Justification and Pastoral Ministry: Essays by the Faculty of Westminster Seminary California (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2006).
• Johannes Cocceius, Doctrine of The Covenant and Testament of God, trans. Casey Carmichael, Classic Reformed Theology Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016).
• J. H. Heidegger, A Concise Marrow of Christian Theology, trans. Casey Carmichael, Classic Reformed Theology vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2019).
• Robert Rollock, Commentary on Ephesians, trans. Casey Carmichael, Classic Reformed Theology Series vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2021).
• “Christ and Covenant: Federal Theology in Orthodoxy,” in Herman Selderhuis, ed., Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy (Leiden: Brill, 2013).
• Resources On The Republication Of The Covenant Of Works
• Resources On The Unity Of The Covenant Of Grace
• Resources On The Covenant Of Works
• Heidelcast 48: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 1: History
• Heidelcast 49: Making Some Sense of The Republication Debate Pt 2: With Chris Gordon
• Heidelcast 50: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 3: With Chris Gordon

Post authored by:

• R. Scott Clark

  

  R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.

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