Why is the redemption or reconciliation of humanity with God presented to us in the form of a covenant, indeed a covenant of grace?
A: God compares the means of our salvation to a covenant, indeed an eternal covenant, so that we might be certain and assured that a lasting, eternal peace and friendship between God and us has been made through the sacrifice of His son. After a bitter quarrel, the disputants have peace of mind first and foremost when they commit and bind themselves to each other with a promise and sworn oath that on such-and-such a matter they want peace. God acts in the same way toward us: in order that we might have rest and peace in our consciences, God was willing out of His great goodness and grace, to bind himself to us, His enemies, with His promise and His oath. He promised that He would have his only begotten Son become human and die for us, and that through the sacrifice of his Son He would establish a lasting reconciliation and eternal peace….He would be our God and bless us, that is, forgive our sins and impart to us the Holy Spirit and eternal life—and all this without any merit on our part. All we would have to do is accept the Son—promised and sent—by faith.
Caspar Olevianus, A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism, trans. Lyle D. Bierma, Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought (Carlisle, United Kingdom; Grand Rapids, MI: Paternoster Press; Baker Books, 1995), 5
Resources
- How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia
- The Heidelblog Resource Page
- Heidelmedia Resources
- The Ecumenical Creeds
- The Reformed Confessions
- The Heidelberg Catechism
- Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
- Why I Am A Christian
- Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button
- Caspar Olevian And The Substance Of The Covenant Discounted To $10.00
- Olevianus: The Kingdom And Its Benefits
- The Covenant Of Works Engraven In Man’s Heart
- What Is The Service Of Reconciliation?
- The Abrahamic Covenant Unifies Redemptive History
- Two Covenants in Redemptive History: Grace and Works
- Caspar Olevianus, Firm Foundation (e-book)
- Caspar Olevianus, Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed.
Heidelblog
The Heidelblog has been in publication since 2007. It is devoted to recovering the Reformed confession and to helping others discover Reformed theology, piety, and practice.
More by Heidelblog ›
Has anyone considered a kickstarter approach to getting more primary sources of the reformation translated into English? Also, is there a one stop source catalog on what has already been translated?
Logos is trying to raise money to get Polanus translated.
There’s no comprehensive list. The best way to find out whether something has been translated is to check worldcat.org.
reformation Heritage books has graciously funded the Classic Reformed Theology series. Volume six is scheduled to appear early in 2023. There are other translations coming out of our HB as well.