November 2007 - Protestant Reformed Churches in America

Protestant Reformed Theological Journal
Vision camps. From the Scriptures
man always involved “two con-
VanDrunen shows the trasting but compatible prin-
need for Christ’s active obedience
ciples of inheritance—namely,
on our behalf; and he ar-
personal merit (i.e., merit
gues that the term “the righteousness
grounded in the heir’s own
of God,” as used by works) and representative merit
Paul, refers to this active obedience
(i.e., merit grounded in
of Christ.
another’s works),” and that
Three essays deal more particularly
“these principles of inheritance
with the doctrine of the have existed side-by-side
covenant, as it underlies the through all of history (pre-fall
doctrine of justification by faith and post-fall) until Christ, with
alone.
the former always subserving
In chapter 5, T. David Gordon
the latter” (pp. 148ff.).
argues that the Auburn Av-
The next chapter contains
enue theology’s covenant view John Bolt’s response to three
is a necessary consequence of men who in their writings have
John Murray’s view that God opposed the traditional notion of
has but one covenant (Murray the covenant of works: John
“rejected the traditional distinction
Stek, Anthony Hoekema, and
between covenant of works Herman Hoeksema. Stek and
and covenant of grace, wishing Hoekema did not want to speak
to construe all covenantal relations
of God’s relationship with Adam
as gracious. He also re-
as a covenant relationship, while
defined covenant as a relationship,
Hoeksema believed this relation-
not a contract or treaty,” ship to be covenantal, but argued
p. 119).
that this relationship was not a
R. Fowler White and E. legal pact, did not allow Adam
Calvin Beisner argue in chapter to merit with God, and could not
7 that opponents of justification have resulted in Adam obtaining
by faith alone do not openly a higher level of glory if he
deny the doctrine, but profess to obeyed. Bolt argues that we
believe it, while redefining its must emphasize both the legal
terms. They do the same regarding
character and the relational charenant.
the doctrine of God’s covacter
of the doctrine of works.
Noting this, White and He claims that those who deny
Beisner endeavor to show that that God and Adam had a covenant
God’s covenant dealings with
relationship are wrong,
106
Vol. 41, No. 1