Some thoughts on New Covenant Theology
Folks, please read the following short paper on New Covenant Theology.
http://fbceny.org/audio/cherith/Cherith_documents/FutureofNCT_Trefzger.pdf
New Covenant Theology resonates with me. As it continues to unfold in its developement, and continues to resonate with me, I shall then actively promote it, and vigorously so. In so doing I shall happily draw fire from both dispensationalists as well as covenant theology... Comes with the territory, I guess.
It comes down to the direction of the life and the regenerated nature of the believer. An athlete, one who truely is one to the core, will pursue fitness. It is his nature. Running, weight-lifting, practicing the moves, a careful diet - it is all his lifestyle. To have his routine interupted brings torment to his heart. Training is his life. He longs to be ready for the contest. He simply cannot have it any other way. It is his nature.
Now, think of the Spirit indwelt Christian. The pursuit of holiness is his new nature, as the pursuit of lust and pleasure was a part of the old nature. In his former days sin was what he lived for. Now it is different. Now he is a slave to God (Romans 6). The Spirit communicates all the benefits of Christ's crosswork to him, including writing God's law on the heart. Now the Spirit moves him to walk in God's ways, (Ezek. 36). For a professing Christian to continue to walk in fleshly ways all the time is to contradict the whole born from above experience.
Mark
Labels: New Covenant Theology
posted by mark pierson at 10:12 AM
6 Comments:
Mark,
I am so glad to know that our think tank has profited you. Please fell free to contact me personally (elderjk@fbceny.org) at any time . We plan to do another think tank in 09, probably around last week of July- first week of August.
I will be in the Philippines doing a NCT conference in April. Ed has contributed much to the ongoing discussions. I hope you also were able to listen or read Chad and Moe's presentations. They are excellent IMHO.
Joe Krygier
November 29, 2008 7:49 AM
Mark,
I am going to check out that link. I to have major problems with dispensationalism and problems with CT as well.
I think that CT tends to cause incorrect conclusions in the NT such as the wretched man of Romans 7 being Paul after conversion.
November 29, 2008 9:06 AM
and infant baptism being another.
November 29, 2008 9:07 AM
In reference to romans 7 here is some insight concerning Romans 7 by many who are seriously committed to NCT. This is from our Sound of Grace on line forum.
Sounders,
Just my own personal sorting out here. Please tweak as needed.
5 views of Romans 7 man presented from known commentators plus paper by JGR.
Non-Believer
(Pre-Conversion Paul or Representative Unregenerate)
Most of Early Greek Fathers, Origen,
W.G. Kummel, H.R. Ridderbos,
Douglas Moo, R. Bultmann, John Wesley
"Revivalist"
(Unregenerate Presently
Under Conviction)
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, D.M. Davies,
William Perkins
OT Believer
(Regenerate but not Indwelt)
John Stott
"Carnal" Christian
(Regenerate but Immature)
Arminians, Pelagius, Lewis Sperry Chafer,
Higher Life teachers, Keswick Theology,
Scofield Bible, Campus Crusade for
Christ, Tony Evans, Richard Longenecker,
Popular Evangelicalism
NT Believer
(Post-Conversion Paul or
Mature Believer)
Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin,
Louis Berkhof, FF Bruce, John Knox,
C.E.B. Cranfield, Charles Hodge, John
Murray, Curtis Thomas, John MacArthur,
& Evangelical Creeds [i.e. Belgic Confes-
sion(1561), Heidelberg Catechism (1563),
Westminster Confession (1647
It seems that the most popular views on SOG are in this order:
1. NT believer (prefer NC)
2. OT believer (prefer OC)
3. Non believer
4. Revivlaist
5. Carnal
I see 3 variances of NC believer in the discussions
1. normal Christian experience Rom 7-8 simultaneously = to Gal 5.
2. Christians being warned that Rom 7 is what the law produces in a believer when looking to the Law rather than the Spirit
3. a natural inclination concerning Rom 7 but pursuing the reality of 8 Rom simutaneously
4. A combination of 3& 4
Now, understanding the obvious difficulties that the carnal Christian doctrine brings to many other doctrinal issues,
are there any major difficulties that result if any of the three mentioned above are the view?
I would also include the OC believer view in this although its consequences may be, depending on how one sees it, narrower or broader.
For those who want to.
Put Agreed after one of each of the statements in each of the segments below
If none expresses your view please give a brief statement to what you would offer as a view or variance.
It seems that the most popular views on SOG are in this order:
1. NT believer (prefer NC)
2. OT believer (prefer OC)
3. Non believer
4. Revivlaist
5. Carnal
I see 3 variances of NC believer in the discussions
1. normal Christian experience Rom 7-8 simultaneously = to Gal 5.
2. Christians being warned that Rom 7 is what the law produces in a believer when looking to the Law rather than the Spirit
3. a natural inclination concerning Rom 7 but pursuing the reality of 8 Rom simutaneously
4. A combination of 3& 4
Addtl. view or variance:
Joe
November 29, 2008 12:14 PM
Joseph,
Thank you. It seems to me this passage is a description of pre-conversion Paul attempting to achieve his own righteousness through law keeping and is primarily a message to law keeping jews that they must turn to Christ to save themselves from the body of death that is attempting to do the impossible through the flesh rather than the Spirit.
November 30, 2008 4:48 PM
Jazzycat,
Among the many at the SOG forum, this would be the minority view out of the first three . No one has opted for Revivalist or Carnal. No one with a good view of NCT could opt out for those two IMHO. There are pros and cons within reason for the other three. Of course how one views Romans 7 bears some on how one views Romans 8. And possibly as stated in the post how it links with Gal 5. But most important is that neither of the 3 views interferes with developing other doctrines within a consistent NCT hermeneutic.
Joe
November 30, 2008 5:09 PM
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