Covenant Renewal Practice: The Shepherd’s Church Distinctives Part 3
In this series, Pastor Kendall Lankford and Deacon Dan Hult elaborate on the distinctives of The Shepherd’s Church, so everyone who worships with us, visits us, or lands on our webpage will know who we are, how we are, what we are, why we are, and what they can expect.
Before we get started, it bears repeating that this article is for anyone who would like to know more about who we are as a church. You may be a long-time member, a visitor, or thinking about coming to visit The Shepherd's Church. In this series, we want to lay out all the cards on the table so you will know who we are, what we think, what we believe, and what you can expect. The Lord bless you!
INTRODUCTION
When ships of old set out upon the open seas, a vast ocean stretched out before them. There was plenty of potential for adventure and exploration. Still, without a firm anchor and clear nautical charts, the boat could quickly go adrift, swept along by temperamental winds, currents, and streams, misleading the crew and dooming the entire voyage to failure. In the same way, a church must have well-defined, biblically-rooted distinctives that function like our anchor and our charts, keeping us secured to the unshakable truths of Scripture while providing us with a consistent course to guide us through the turbulent waters of culture in our day.
It barely needs to be said that we live in an era where cultural tides continually shift, and many churches drift aimlessly, chasing whatever doctrinal winds are currently blowing. That is not who we are. At The Shepherd's Church, we are committed to being anchored to the Word of God and having our sails filled with the proper understanding of Scripture so that we do not end up off course. From our understanding of Scripture and reformed hermeneutics, one of the most foundational distinctives in the Bible serving as our anchor and guiding us into a proper understanding of Scripture is covenant theology. This critical distinctive provides a comprehensive biblical framework for how we view God's relationship with humanity, interpret Scripture as a whole, and how corporate worship and practices are to be done in the local church.
In what follows, I will discuss a few aspects of how our covenant theology informs our practice.
BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK
Covenant theology provides a comprehensive lens through which we can understand the entire Bible as one unified narrative centered around God's covenantal interactions with humanity. The different covenants God makes with individuals and groups throughout the Bible (such as with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and ultimately the New Covenant in Christ) form the backbone of this overarching story of redemption that unfolds from Genesis to Revelation.
Each covenant reveals more about God's character, promises, and redemptive purposes. They progressively build upon one another, with later covenants shedding light on and fulfilling aspects of the previous ones. This covenantal structure helps us see the coherence and unity that ties the Old and New Testaments together into one harmonious story rather than viewing them as disconnected or contradictory.
Through this covenantal framework, we can trace the unfolding of God's grand redemptive plan throughout history. Key events and figures in the biblical narrative (like the Exodus, the giving of the Law, the establishment of the Davidic kingdom, and ultimately the coming of the Messiah) are understood as pivotal moments in the outworking of God's covenantal promises to His people.
Ultimately, covenant theology helps us recognize that the entire Bible is one cohesive story centered on God's covenantal relationship with humanity. From Eden to Malachi, we see humans failing to live up to the stipulations of the covenant, and instead of living in its blessings, they are suffocated under its cursings. In the New Testament, Christ comes as the only true and faithful covenant head and leads humanity back through all of their failures, redeeming everything that was lost in the Old Testament.
Here is an example of how covenant theology helps us understand Biblical history.
GOD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANITY & ASSURANCE OF SALVATION:
From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God has related to humans through covenants - sacred binding agreements. The Biblical covenants reveal God's loving character and outline the terms of His relationship with us, including His promises and the response He requires from us.
Through the covenants, we see God's unwavering commitment to a relationship with humanity despite our repeated failures to uphold our end of the covenant. Time and again, God remains faithful even when we are unfaithful, demonstrating His steadfast love and grace toward us.
The covenants progressively unfold and build upon one another, preparing the way for the new covenant established by Jesus Christ. In this new covenant, Christ perfectly fulfills God's requirements for us as the true and faithful covenant partner. Through His sacrificial death on the cross, He atones for our inability to keep the covenant, allowing us to be forgiven and brought into a restored covenant relationship with God.
We enter into this new covenant when we put our faith in Christ. Our assurance of salvation rests not on our obedience but on God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. Just as God remained committed to previous covenants despite human failure, so will He remain forever faithful to uphold this new covenant sealed in Christ's blood. Our salvation is secure because it depends on God's unchanging love and commitment to us as His covenant people.
This covenant theology provides us with great comfort and hope. No matter how much we may stumble, our relationship with God depends not on our imperfect performance but on His perfect reliability. We can have confidence that just as He has been faithful to His covenant promises throughout history, He will see His redemptive work through to completion in our lives. Our assurance rests on the unshakable foundation of who God is and what He has done for us in Christ.
SALVATION HISTORY & INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE:
When we view the Bible through the lens of covenant theology, we see it as the grand record of God's redemptive actions throughout history. The covenants provide the narrative framework for understanding salvation history.
The biblical accounts show how God's covenants and promises unfold across the ages. Significant events like the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, the establishment of the Davidic kingdom, and, ultimately, the coming of the Messiah are all pivotal moments in the outworking of God's covenantal plan.
This covenantal perspective reveals the coherence and central theme that unifies the Old and New Testaments into one continuous story of redemption. Rather than a disparate collection of books, we recognize the Scripture as documenting the progressive revelation and fulfillment of God's covenant promises to humanity.
Seeing this unifying covenant structure helps us interpret the Bible consistently. We read each passage in the context of the overarching covenant story, and difficult texts become clearer when we understand their place within that covenantal narrative.
For example, laws given to Israel in the Old Testament can be properly understood in light of the covenants they were situated within rather than viewing them as contradictory to New Testament teachings. We see continuity and fulfillment as the New Covenant instituted by Christ brings those laws to their ultimate meaning and purpose.
The covenant theology framework enriches our understanding of Scripture and our faith. We are not disconnected individuals but part of the grand, divine covenant story that has been unfolding since the beginning. This big-picture perspective allows us to better grasp God's eternal plan and our role as His redeemed covenant people.
IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH, MISSION, AND EVANGELISM:
Covenant theology shapes our understanding of the church's identity and purpose. Through the new covenant established by Christ, the church becomes the continuation of the covenant community that began with God's promises to Abraham. We are now part of that same covenant family, united by faith in Jesus.
This gives the church a profound sense of continuity. We are not a new isolated group but part of the one covenant people of God that stretches back thousands of years. The church is the Israel of the new covenant era, with both Jews and Gentiles included through Christ.
As God's present-day covenant community, the church is integral to His ongoing redemptive mission. Our core purpose is to proclaim the gospel, which is how God extends His covenant blessings to all nations.
The Great Commission to make disciples of all peoples flows directly from the original covenant promise to Abraham that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Evangelism is how we fulfill that ancient covenant to bring God's redemption to the world.
This covenant perspective provides the biblical foundation and urgency for the church's evangelistic efforts. We invite all peoples to enter the covenant family through faith in Christ. Our mission is grounded in God's covenant love for humanity and His desire to redeem people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY & WORSHIP:
Our covenant theology deeply informs how we view and practice baptism and the Lord's Supper. We understand these sacraments as visible signs and seals of the covenant relationship between God and His people.
Baptism represents our initiation into the covenant community. Just as circumcision marked entrance into the old covenant, baptism now marks our inclusion in the new covenant established by Christ's blood. It signifies leaving the world and joining God's redeemed covenant family.
The Lord's Supper then serves as a continual renewal and reminder of our covenant union with Christ. When we partake of the bread and cup, we celebrate the new covenant purchased by His broken body and shed blood. We remember and declare God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises through the ultimate covenant sacrifice.
Viewing baptism and the Lord's Supper through this covenantal lens reveals their profound significance. More than mere symbols, they are means of grace that visibly uphold God's covenant commitment to us as His people. They are tangible enactments of His redemptive promises throughout Scripture.
This sacramental theology extends to how we approach corporate worship. Many Reformed traditions structure their services around the concept of covenant renewal, with elements like the call to worship, confession, assurance of pardon, and more. The entire flow reenacts the rhythm of being restored to our covenant relationship with God.
Ultimately, covenant theology shapes our worship practices to continually remind us of our covenantal identity in Christ. We are the people with whom God has established an unbreakable covenant bond. Our worship renews and celebrates that reality each week, grounding our love and obedience in God's steadfast faithfulness to us.
ETHICS, OBEDIENCE, & UNDERSTANDING OF LAW AND GOSPEL:
Covenant theology provides a biblical framework for Christian ethics and obedience. Through the covenants, God has revealed His character and His will for how we are to live as His covenant people.
The moral laws given in the Old Testament, such as the Ten Commandments, reflect God's holy nature and righteous standards. While certain civil and ceremonial laws were specific to ancient Israel, the moral Law transcends any single covenant and remains authoritative today.
However, our obedience is not an effort to earn God's favor but rather a response to the grace we have already received through Christ's fulfillment of the covenant of works on our behalf. Ethical living flows out of gratitude for our covenant relationship.
This perspective helps reconcile the roles of Law and the Gospel. The gospel does not abolish the moral Law. Still, it allows it to have its full intent by freeing us from the Law's condemnation through Christ's atoning work. Redeemed by His grace, we are now empowered to joyfully obey God's commands as an expression of love for our covenant Lord.
Understood through a covenant lens, we see the unified purpose of Law and gospel in God's redemptive plan. The Law exposes our sin, inability to keep the covenant, and need for a Redeemer. The gospel then meets that need, providing atonement and new covenant life through Christ's perfect obedience.
Ethics and obedience are thus bound to the covenant. We strive for holiness, not merely as forced compliance, but as faithful partners in the new covenant, wholeheartedly devoted to the covenant Lord who saved us by His grace.
CHURCH GOVERNMENT & PASTORAL CARE:
The principles of covenant theology have implications for how the church structures its government and provides pastoral care. Scripture outlines a covenantal pattern for church leadership and accountability.
In this model, churches are led by a plurality of elders who together shepherd the local congregation. This reflects how covenant heads like Abraham, Moses, and the kings guided God's covenant people through committed and shared leadership. The elders shepherd the flock not as domineering rulers, but as under-shepherds devoted to Christ as the true Covenant Head. They provide oversight, instruction, and accountability, ensuring the church upholds its covenantal identity and obedience. As Christ's appointed representatives, the elders also have the authority to enact church discipline, which is the application of the covenant's curses for unrepentant sin, as well as the power to forgive sin and extend covenant blessings in Jesus' name. This covenantal polity also informs pastoral care for the congregation. Those in spiritual leadership roles care for the covenant community by grounding their counsel in the unchanging promises of God's covenant.
When believers face struggles or sin, they are reminded of the Gospel, re-oriented to the surety of God's covenantal love, mercy, and faithfulness purchased through Christ's blood. Pastoral care reminds them that no circumstance can sever their covenant bond, as their standing rests on God's commitment, not their own performance. Likewise, pastoral encouragement equips believers for covenant obedience by pointing them to the covenantal resources now available through the indwelling Spirit. Fruitful living flows from conscious reliance on the covenant promises and enablements.
In all its governance and discipleship, the church models the very covenant relationship it bears through Christ. Its structure and care reflect the Shepherd's own oversight and nurturing of His beloved covenant flock.
THEOLOGICAL COHERENCE & CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT:
Covenant theology provides a systematic framework that unifies and coherently explains core Christian doctrines and theological concepts. It situates beliefs like sin, redemption, justification, sanctification, and glorification within the overarching narrative of God's covenantal dealings with humanity throughout history.
This covenantal architecture prevents theology from becoming a disjointed set of abstractions. Instead, it demonstrates how each doctrine is a distinct yet integrated part of the one unified covenant story of God's sovereign love redeeming His people through Christ.
With covenant theology as an interpretive lens, all areas of theology come into focus as coherent, refined expressions of the covenantal relationship between the Creator and His creation.
Moreover, covenant theology equips believers to engage the world and culture around them from a biblical, covenantal perspective. It reminds us that God's sovereign lordship extends over all spheres of life - nothing lies outside of His covenantal governance.
As the covenant people, the church is tasked with the cultural mandate of bringing that divine covenantal order to bear on every aspect of society. We are called to be self-consciously covenantal in our approach to ethics, arts, sciences, government, and all cultural activities.
This identity shapes how we navigate complex cultural issues and moral quandaries. We evaluate all things through the overarching covenantal worldview revealed in Scripture—God's covenants set the plumb line for discerning truth from error and light from darkness.
Ultimately, the covenant theology framework positions the church as a countercultural force, pioneering the coming of God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Rooted in covenantal doctrine, we become covenant-renewing agents in a covenant-breaking world.
By equipping believers with this comprehensive covenantal perspective, we are trained for holistic cultural engagement that steadily advances the outworking of God's promises until their glorious consummation when Christ returns.
CONCLUSION
At The Shepherd's Church, covenant theology is not merely an academic exercise but a comprehensive biblical worldview that shapes every aspect of our identity and mission. From our understanding of salvation and the grand story of Scripture to how we approach corporate worship, ethics, church leadership, and engaging culture - all is grounded in this covenantal framework.
Anchored to the unshakable promises of God's covenants, we find profound assurance, clarity of purpose, and continuity with the one covenant people of God across all ages. The covenants provide the nautical charts that guide us through the shifting tides of our times, ensuring we remain steadfastly secured to God's unchanging truth.
As a church, our passion is to live out this covenantal vision with joyful obedience and unwavering devotion to our covenant Lord, Jesus Christ. Rooted in His new covenant accomplishments, we boldly proclaim and embody His promises until they reach consummation at His glorious return.
We invite you to explore this covenant theology in greater depth and to prayerfully consider partnering with us in this covenantal mission. For it is in the covenant relationship that we find our identity, our story, our purpose, and our eternal hope through God's grace.
