Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

Habakkuk 2:2,3The Covenanter VisionRev. Alvin W. Smith, Sr, D.D.Pastor of the R.P. Church, Mars, PennsylvaniaThe word VISION is a familiar one. In the Bible, Godused visions as means of revelation, of communicationbetween Himself and His servants: servants such as Joseph,Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel, Stephen, Paul and John on Patmos.In the visions conveyed to these various servants, Godportrayed a picture as it were, a situation. The vision becamea guiding, impelling force. Paul said of his experience on theDamascus road and what followed: "Wherefore, I was notdisobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19,20).The Covenanter Vision, therefore, is a compositepicture revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. It is theportrayal of a situation in which the promises of God arefulfilled, or remain to be fulfilled. The better these promisesare known, the clearer the vision.There are various elements in this vision; but at thevery center is the doctrine of the Sovereignty of Jesus Christ.The Bible pictures Him as the Head over all things in Hiskingdom. In this kingdom we commonly think of threedivinely appointed institutions: the home, the church andthe nation.A. The home was set up by the Lord at the verybeginning of the race and God has never surrendered Hisheadship over it. Today, when the home is under bitterattack, we can be sure that Christ who has preserved itthrough centuries of pagan and heathen living in the past,will preserve the home today and in the future, until itspurpose is completely fulfilled.B. The church, composed of all those truly redeemed,was founded long ago. Christ is its Savior and Head. He haspurchased it with His own blood. The Church is His brideand in the end He will present it to Himself a gloriouschurch, not having spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing.The Scriptures give us the vision or picture of theChurch purified, united, and healed of its divisions by theeffect of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:4). Devout servants ofChrist in the various denominations shall have come to seeeye to eye and will march forward in unity, the ChurchMilitant, under the royal banner of the Captain of herSalvation. The Church Militant will become the ChurchTriumphant.C. Jesus Christ is Sovereign over the nations, notmerely as peoples, but as powers, sovereignties (Romans13:1). The rulership exercised by them has been delegatedto them by the Lord. The time will come when these shallhave acknowledged the Lordship of Christ and shall havebrought themselves under His dominion. The name JESUS,^which is now despised by the governments of the world in^rebellion, will be honored as supreme. (Phil. 2:9-11).This vision revealed in the Scriptures shows what theangel proclaimed in the vision accorded to John on Patmos:"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms ofour Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever andever" (Rev. 11:15). The promise in Psalm 2:8 will havebeen fulfilled.Unless the promises of God in His Word are worthlessand empty, this result is bound to come. "The counsel ofthe Lord standeth sure." Taking the two latter elements inthis vision, giving prominence to the church and the nation,it is clear that the lordship of Christ embraces both institutions,as the two arms of the body, separate, yetworking together to carry out the will of the head.The Holy Spirit gave such a vision to the prophetIsaiah in such chapters of his prophecy as chapter 2 andchapter 60 and also in Micah 4:1-4. In each case, thechurch, God's house, represented by Jerusalem, and alsocalled Zion, is pictured as exalted in the earth. She is thesource or channel of light and of law for the nations. Thenations in turn support God's house and contribute theirresources for the glorification and beautification of thechurch.The effect of the influence of God through the churchis a BLESSING TO THE NATIONS: His law will bringabout justice and peace in the earth. War will come to an endand fear shall be taken away. When, you ask. "In the lastdays, .the latter days. " New Testament Dispensation. Inother words, the Covenanter Vision is spiritual because it isScriptural; yet it is tangible; it deals in realities.And it is called COVENANTER for two reasons: firstit originated on the field of history in historic covenants,notably: The National Covenant of 1580, The Covenant of1638, The Solemn League and Covenant of 1643. Second,among denominations the Covenanter Church more thanany other has preached this vision.It was bequeathed to us by the reformers who foresawits ultimate realization, even though they were called homebefore they saw its realization.The following is taken from The Covenanter Vision byDr. R. J. George, pages 338,339: "The historical line ofour Church is thus summarized by Dr. R. M. Sommerville:"The Reformed Presbyterian Church of NorthAmerica is the lineal representative of the Church ofScotland, holding forth the same principles that wereexhibited during the Second Reformation (1638-49)the purest period in its history.""The Reformed Presbyterian Church is not anoffshoot from any other ecclesiastical organization, but|EBRUARY 24, 1971 5