Biblical Studies / Covenants

  • Blessings Through Christ

    Luke 2:22–38

    Our pluralistic and relativistic society pressures us to deny the exclusivity of Christ. However, we must not cave to the pressure to affirm other roads to salvation outside of conscious faith in Jesus. Consider a time when you had a ...Read More

  • Building David’s House

    2 Samuel 7:1–17

    The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 26, tells us that Christ exercises the office of king “in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.” We do not hope for ...Read More

  • But Once a Year

    Hebrews 9:6–7

    No one intends to rush into sin at first. John Calvin reminds us that “men never deliberately rush headlong into ruin, but being entangled in the deceptions of Satan, they lose the power of judging rightly.” Pray that you would ...Read More

  • Call His Name Isaac

    Genesis 17:18–19

    The principles of how we are to act in certain situations are clearly given in Scripture. Yet, like Abraham, we can be guilty of going our own way. When the Lord plainly makes His intent for us known, we must ...Read More

  • Captivity Promised

    Genesis 15:12–13

    Being a servant in the kingdom of God does not carry with it a life of ease. In His wisdom, the Lord has seen fit to exact His reign through weak disciples in whom His power is made perfect (2 ...Read More

  • Circumcised in the Flesh

    Genesis 17:1–14

    Baptism is the counterpart to circumcision in the new covenant (Col. 2:8–15), and it is therefore a mark of God’s possession of us. We are “branded” by the Lord in our baptism, and every time we witness ...Read More

  • Circumcision and Baptism

    Colossians 2:8–15

    John Calvin writes that baptism does not “intimate that our ablution and salvation are perfected by water, or that [it] possesses in itself the virtue of purifying, regenerating, and renewing.” Neither is it “the cause of salvation, but only that ...Read More

  • Circumcision of the Heart

    Jeremiah 4:1–4

    One commentator has aptly said that the honor of the covenant becomes a nightmare for those who refuse to walk by faith in it. We who have been marked out as the Lord’s by our baptism must forsake all ...Read More

  • Cleansing the Temple

    2 Chronicles 29

    Hezekiah’s sin offerings did not effect the cleansing the people needed, but we can still learn much from his zeal to restore true worship. The most important reformation that ever takes place in the life of the church is ...Read More

  • Covenant Breakers

    Hebrews 3:16–17

    It is a sobering thought that every local church probably has people within it who profess Christ but in reality are far from the kingdom. Though we may not know who those people are, we must remain aware that they ...Read More

  • Covenant Conditionality

    Genesis 17:1-2

    Though we must meet certain covenant conditions, salvation is ultimately all of grace because God elects only some to salvation, giving them the ability to trust Him, which is not ours by nature as Adam’s fallen children. Nevertheless, the ...Read More

  • Covenant Curses

    Leviticus 26:14-39

    Just as the Lord sent covenant curses on the old covenant church to call it to repentance, He will also allow His new covenant church to feel trouble as a means of disciplining us for our sin. We cannot equate ...Read More

  • Covenant of Redemption

    John 6:37

    The covenant of redemption is one of the greatest examples of God’s grace that we have. The Father, Son, and Spirit did not have to pledge to each other that they would bring to us salvation. But when they ...Read More

  • Covenant of Works I

    Genesis 2:15-17

    It is a sobering truth to realize that God still requires perfect obedience from us. His requirements do not change and we have no excuse for disobeying Him. Since we cannot obey God, we must trust in the perfect obedience ...Read More

  • Covenant of Works II

    Genesis 3

    It is in the midst of the curse from Adam’s failure to keep the covenant of works that we first see the covenant of grace announced. God promised to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:14–15 ...Read More