Resolutions Passed of the Bible Presbyterian Church
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Resolution 71:6

The Departure of the Christian Reformed Church from the
Biblical Standard for Church Officers

God’s covenant relation with His people is at the heart of Biblical revelation. Covenant language occurs early in the Bible (e.g. Genesis 6:18) and runs throughout the Old Testament. It is found throughout the New Testament, from the Synoptic Gospels (e.g. Luke 1:72 and Christ’s reference to the “blood of the covenant” at the Last Supper), to its careful development in the Book of Hebrews, to its mention in the final book of the Bible (e.g. Revelation 21:3,7). It is the organizing principle of the Bible.

The main expression of God’s covenant, occurring more than 50 times throughout the Old and New Testaments, is, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” This disclosure by God reveals His purpose for union and communion with His people. From this key purpose flows every Biblical devel- opment and the primary Christian doctrines of kingdom and redemption.

Besides the pervasive presence of covenant terminology throughout the Bible, the importance of God’s covenant with man may be seen especially in the following areas:

1. The covenant is the Biblical framework that helps us understand historical backgrounds and the- ological meanings—it is a grid for interpreting Scripture. At the same time, God’s covenant com- mitment gives believers a full confidence through faith to commune with God and to lay hold of His promises anchored in His covenant. Assurance of salvation through faith is an important implication of the covenant.
2. Covenant theology helps in understanding the importance and method of God’s atonement. At the heart of the Old Testament covenant making were sacrifices and ritual meals that involved blood-letting and the dissection of the appointed sacrifices. In the New Testament, Jesus shed His blood and offered His broken body on the cross, but first He explained His death at the Last Supper as a covenant sacrifice in the offering of His broken body along with His “blood of the new covenant.” Having fulfilled the terms of the “covenant of works” through His active obedi- ence to the Father, the God-man offers Himself as the surety of the new covenant in bringing many sons to glory (Romans 5:19, Hebrews 2:10).
3. Aknowledge of the historical background of covenants helps us understand the full significance of the Christian sacraments. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are Christ-appointed ordinances that seal God’s promises to His people and which publicly bind these people to God. An understand- ing of covenant-making helps avoid the dual misconceptions either of minimizing the sacraments as sentimental observances or else of escalating the sacraments to a level of having efficacious powers.
4. Finally, God’s covenant provides the basis for the unity and continuity of redemptive history through Biblical times. God’s purposes and covenant promises were the same for His people in both the Old and New Testament periods, and will remain the same until the consummation of the age. Covenant theology understands one Saviour, and “one purpose, one plan, one people.”

The 71st General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church, meeting in Cape Canaveral, Florida, August 2-7, 2007, encourages its officers and members to be familiar with the terminology, arrange- ments, and promises of God’s covenant as taught in the Westminster Standards and other Reformed Creeds, and we call upon them to ensure that this rich heritage is taught to our covenant children at church and in the home.

Adopted by the 71th General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church,
meeting in Cape Canaveral, FL, August 2-7, 2007.