While election stresses the fact that God chose one of twin brothers, Jacob, not Esau (Rom 9:10-12), the doctrine of the covenant stresses the truth that in imparting saving grace to men, God, although not bound by family ties, graciously takes them into account. He established the covenant with Abraham and his seed after him in their generations, to be a God unto him and to his seed after him (Gen. 17:7).
R. B. Kuiper | God Centered Evangelism (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 2018), 50.
RESOURCES
- Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
- Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play
- Heidelminicast: R. B. Kuiper Says That Christians Study Nature In School And Grace In Church
- R. B. Kuiper On The Two Books
- 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
- What Must A Christian Believe?
- Heidelblog Contributors
- Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to
Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Charles Vaughn
Charles lives in San Diego county with his wife and four covenant children. He has a B.A. in Biblical & Theological Studies from Regent University and an M.A. in both Biblical and Theological Studies from Westminster Seminary California. Charles works as a Junior High history teacher at a Christian school in Escondido, CA.
More by Charles Vaughn ›
A fascinating anecdotal observation- there are times I see people in my community come to Christ that I would never expect. I always wonder where they heard the Gospel. Maybe they didn’t finally turn to Christ though family, but it turns out, more often than not, there was a family member of theirs who was a Christian, a family member who they could observe who introduced and witnessed the Christian faith to them. God indeed does seem to work and plant seeds through families.
Since we are all family through Adam, yes.
The covenant flows to all of God’s elect.
Human, biologic families don’t seem to matter too much in these things.
If your (in general) love of God is based on your biological family’s acceptance or rejection of the Gospel, you (in general) may have some repenting to do.
We can so easily make idols out of ‘our blood’ and ‘our kin’.
Mary,
There is an observable promise and pattern in redemptive history and that promise and pattern is to be a God to believers and to their children. God administers his covenant promise through families, in the visible, Christ-confessing covenant community.
After all, God promise to Abraham to be a God to him and to his children. That promise is still in effect. Peter repeated it Pentecost (Acts 2:39).
It’s not magic and God also promise to incorporate the Gentiles, who had not, to that point, been a part of the external administration of the covenant community but once included, the promise include families.
No, we don’t make an idol of families but nor do we ignore God’s promise and pattern.