Is the Body of Christ in a Covenant relationship with God?

There is a doctrine referred to as “the covenant of grace,” originally put forth in the 16th century by theologian/reformer John Calvin, which claims, in a nutshell, that every true believer, from Genesis to Revelation, has always been “saved by grace;”  that “works,” which cancel out grace, have never justified anyone. The following is an explanation taken from Wikipedia   of this doctrine from the mouth of covenant theologians:

“The covenant of grace promises eternal life for all people who have faith in Christ. He also promises the Holy Spirit to the elect to give them the willingness and ability to believe.^[10] Christ is the substitutionary covenantal representative fulfilling the covenant of works on their behalf, in both the positive requirements of righteousness and its negative penal consequences (commonly described as his active and passive obedience). It is the historical expression of the eternal covenant of redemption. Genesis 3:15, with the promise of a “seed” of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head, is usually identified as the historical inauguration for the covenant of grace.

The covenant of grace runs through the Old and New Testaments and is the same in substance under both the law and gospel, though there is some difference in the administration. Under the law, the sacrifices, prophesies, and other types and ordinances of the Jews signified Christ, and men were justified by their faith in him just as they would be under the gospel. These were done away with the coming of Christ, and replaced with the much simpler sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.^[11]

The covenant of grace became the basis for all future covenants that God made with mankind such as with Noah (Genesis 6, 9), with Abraham (Genesis 12, 15, 17), with Moses (Exodus19-24), with David (2 Samuel 7), and finally in the New Covenant founded and fulfilled in Christ. These individual covenants are called the biblical covenants because they are explicitly described in the Bible. Under the covenantal overview of the Bible, submission to God’s rule and living in accordance with his moral law (expressed concisely in the Ten Commandments) is a response to grace – never something which can earn God’s acceptance (legalism). Even in his giving of the Ten Commandments, God introduces his law by reminding the Israelites that he is the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt.

Save for neo-Pentecostalism, aka “Armenianism,” (a label given to those followers of 18th-century Calvinist theologian Jacob Armenius, who opposed Calvin’s doctrine of divine election) all protestant theology has its basis in the Calvinist doctrine of the covenant of grace. ( There are exceptions to this rule, of course, as some of the more liberal divisions of Protestantism have adopted the position that the old testament part of the Bible is a myth.)

In contrast to covenant theology stands dispensational theology. The basic difference between the two is that the former only sees differences between the old and new covenants, but as it stipulates above, views all of God’s covenants with mankind, including the Mosiac “law covenant” with Israel, as being undergirded by the covenant of grace, which was initiated by God with the fall of mankind in Genesis chapter 3 (“the lapse”).  In other words, God had every right to destroy the creature he had created (Adam), who had disobeyed the only commandment God had given him, but instead, extended his grace to him (and his mate), sacrificing an animal to cover their sin. Since then, according to the covenant of grace, all true believers, or “the elect,” have been saved by grace, wholly apart from any works. (for further elaboration on Calvin’s doctrine of divine election, please read the article on this site entitled, Does God choose us, or do we choose Him?)

As is the practice on this site when considering any theological position, I will use the Scriptures, (the King James Bible) in accord with the apostle Paul’s admonition to rightly divide them, (2 Tim. 2:15) to see if this doctrine passes muster. (ref. Acts 17:11

To begin with, let’s consider the first “book” in the new testament section of the Bible, the gospel of Matthew,  then, the second book in what is known as “the Hebrew epistles,” the letter of James’,  and its treatment of father Abraham in chapter 2. In the very first chapter of Matthew, after the genealogy of Christ, beginning with Abraham, we read:

Matt 1:18-21
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The last verse is the critical one, as it reveals who he came for, and why: the “who” is “his people,” and the “why” is to save them “from their sins.”  In chapter 15, verse 23, he reveals to a Gentile woman these people for whom he said he came to save:

Matt 15:22-24
2 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  KJV

“The lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  That is not you and I, folks.   In fact, he refers to her (and us) as a “dog,” and says it’s not fit to give the dogs (Gentiles) the “children’s (Israel) bread.”

However, because she agrees with him about this, he commends her for her faith and grants her request.

What can we Gentiles, living in the present dispensation, take away from this encounter?  That this changed the program, and that Gentiles have now been placed on equal ground with Jews (Israel)? Or, what Jesus is showing us here in this action is that there was never, really, any distinction between Jews and Gentiles, all are under the covenant of grace. and therefore revealing that the grace of God is now extended to all people, without distinction,  was the true purpose of his earthly sojourn?

The answer to these questions is no, and no.  First of all, the word “grace” only shows up in the four gospel accounts five times; once in Luke, and four times in John ( Lk. 2:40; Jn 1:14,16,17), and in every one of these instances it is applied, solely,  as an attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ, never as an olive branch, freely extended to anyone else. There is a very good reason for this: Nobody in those four accounts is “under grace.”  (Ref. Romans 6:14)  They are all very much under the law of commandments, and keeping the commandments is a requirement for inclusion and discipleship. Consider the following words of the Lord in Matthew’s account:

Matt 5:17-19
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 19:16-17
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
KJV

It is obvious from these passages that followers of Jesus are under the law, and thus commanded to keep it.

Furthermore, following this directive to keep the commandments, he tells this man that he must “sell all” (verse 21) if he wishes to be included as a disciple/follower of Jesus.  (Ref. Matt. 10 to see that disavowing oneself of all material possessions was required for discipleship under this program)

Did any of this change after the Lord’s death, resurrection and departure from the Earth?  Nope. As we can see in the first part of the Acts ministry of the 12, confining the message to Israel and selling out was in order, and the James’ letter, addressed to “the twelve tribes, scattered abroad,” written sometime after this, proves that works righteousness and keeping the law had not ceased to be required as validation of one’s faith:

James 2:10. 18-26
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

With grace and works it is an either or proposition. This is established by the apostle Paul in the following verse:

Rom 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
KJV

Claiming that the people being addressed in Matthew and James are under a covenant of grace, gives the lie to this universal truth.

Moreover, “this grace” that Paul proclaims to the Gentile church in his epistles, has nothing to do with a covenant because if it did, it wouldn’t be grace. A covenant is, by definition, a contract between two or more parties. If one or more of the parties to the contract fails to uphold their end, it is invalidated. For example, Israel’s failure to uphold her end of the law (old) covenant invalidated it. ( It did not invalidate the law itself, just the contractual agreement. Ref. Romans 7:12)

Paul’s “this grace wherein we stand,” (Rom. 5:2) is a unilateral promise/gift from God to those who receive it. There is no performance demanded from the receiver.

Some will say, “Ah, yes, that’s the very essence of the new covenant.”

But is this true? No. New testament saints are just as much under the law as the old testament ones were, the difference being that the NT saints will keep it this time around.  (Ref. Heb. 8:8-13; 1 Jn. 3:1-9)  In John’s gospel, which is written to the NT saints, it says:

John 1:11-12
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (my emphasis)

In 1 John 2 and 3, it puts a label on the source of this power, and stipulates what the result will be in the behavior of these “elect” NT saints:

1 John 2:20, 27

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
KJV

1 John 3:4-9

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (my emphasis)
KJV

The good news for you and I is, we aren’t part of either the old or the new covenants; we are–if we’re saved–part of what Paul referred to as “the dispensation of the grace of God,” (Eph. 3:2) in which there is no performance (works) demanded from our side of the equation in order to be saved or stay saved. Therefore, we are not in, indeed cannot be in,  a covenant relationship with God. as so many in Christendom claim we are, and it is a good thing because we don’t get “the anointing” which the NT saints get, therefore, we can’t keep the law as they will.

Thus, We are not bound to a contractual agreement with God. On the contrary, we are the recipients of a set of unilateral, divine promises/blessings, which are articulated/enumerated in the following passages:

Rom 8:29-32
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
KJV

Eph 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
KJV

Col 2:10-14
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
KJV

What we need to take away from these verses is this:  If we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., believed that he, God come in the flesh, died for our sins, and was raised again the third day, then all the above promises are our possessions, and nothing that we do or fail to do can cause God to take them away from us.

Related Articles: Why Paul?; Amazing Grace; The Mystery; Are Members of Christ’s Body Part of a “Priesthood?”: From Which “Plan” Shall We Build?; Is the Body of Christ one and the same as the New Covenant Church?;

Post Script:

Are you saved? Jesus Christ—“who knew no sin”—and his sacrificial death on the Cross, has made the way for “everyone that believeth…to be reconciled to God.  History has shown that whatever peace man has achieved in the world can only be temporary.  The Bible says that individual men and women can know, beyond a doubt, that they are saved and bound for heaven, and therefore have absolute and permanent peace, regardless of what is going on in the world, by trusting Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for their eternal salvation.  “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures….for our justification….believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”²⁶   Have you done this? If not, why not now?