How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?
The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to sinners a Mediator, and life and salvation by him; and requiring faith as the condition to interest them in him, promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his elect, to work in them that faith, with all other saving graces; and to enable them unto all holy obedience, as the evidence of the truth of their faith and thankfulness to God, and as the way which he hath appointed them to salvation.
The covenant of grace was promised before Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Ironically, the promise of redemption was addressed to the serpent in the form of a curse.
This promised Seed of Woman, Christ Jesus, is referred to in Isaiah 42:6. John picks up this theme, connecting the manna from heaven during the wilderness wanderings to Christ as the enduring bread of life.
John is instrumental in identifying Jesus Christ as this promised Seed of Woman, as seen in John 3:16. While this verse is often misused to suggest universal salvation, it nonetheless serves as an important confirmation of the fulfillment of the promise made in the garden.
In a different letter of John, he doubles down on the exclusivity of life residing in Christ alone. In this letter John says, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1 John 5:11–12) Similarly John says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12)
The natural question arises at this point. How is it that man comes to believe? Does he do this himself? Our answer to these questions is highly dependent on what we understand about the condition of mankind in our fallen and corrupt state. This is where Dr. Ridderbos picks up on this topic:
“We come into contact here with the peculiar anthropological concepts and ideas that Paul employs. So far as the death and bondage brought about in man by sin are concerned, one can distinguish two different ideas in particular: first of all, the corruption of sin in the “inward man,” the nous, the “heart,” which from there extends itself in the (sinful acts of the) “outward man,” in his “body,” and in his “members.” In the first case one could speak of the corruption of sin, which asserts itself from within over the whole of human existence; in the second case, of the bondage of sin, which, operating through “the body,” holds the inward man in its grasp as a prisoner.”
– Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An outline of his theology
Calvin distinguishes between intellect and will, defining the intellect as the discerning faculty and the will as the choosing faculty. He emphasizes that originally, both were formed for righteousness, with the intellect able to distinguish good from evil and the will free to choose good.
However, after the fall of mankind, both Augustine and Calvin agree that free will is effectively lost. The term “free will” is seen as misleading, as man is no longer capable of righteous action without divine grace. The will, while free in the sense of choice, is enslaved to sin.
This fallen state is characterized by total corruption and inability to do good. Ezekiel and Paul both emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling righteous living, with Ezekiel highlighting the Spirit’s role in guiding obedience and Paul emphasizing the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of a transformed life.
James, Jesus’ brother, further emphasizes the connection between faith and works, arguing that true faith is demonstrated through action and is perfected by works. Paul echoes this sentiment, stating that the love of Christ motivates believers to live for Him, and that good works are the result of being God’s workmanship in Christ.
What more needs to be said. God does what I, you, we, can not do for ourselves.
That is grace.
That is the gospel.
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