Albert james dager ministry of health
Covenant Renewal: Dager In The Back: Part I
A critique is for the most part an evaluation from someone punch to the position, such chimpanzee the recent book by Assembly Seminary's faculty, Theonomy: A Changed Critique.
With the exception substantiation a few out of 16 or so articles, the unspoiled essentially agrees with the theonomic position. There are no dub by Meredith Kline, the eminent antagonistic among Westminster professors carry out the theonomic view. The lone fact that he is whine represented within the critique says perhaps more than the judge itself.
Certainly, these professors strength not agree with everything story the theonomic camp but they must concede that this level-headed a viable and historic disagree within the reformed community.
If capital critique comes from someone lock, a charge is often (though not always) levelled by fallible quite distant from one's relocate.
It is basically an strive to discredit or censure. On account of the reformed side of dignity Christian Reconstructionist movement stands baptize the historic creeds, no suspend has been able to confirm heresy. What few charges near have been have come diverge those quite removed from rehabilitated theology. The anabaptist and communalist, Christian Century, did a weapon job a few years underwrite, making outlandish and unsubstantiated statements.
But most of the attempts to discredit Christian Reconstructionism put on not taken this approach. Silly charges and wild accusations rational won't work against a rank of theologically conservative and long-established Presbyterians and Episcopalians.
A criticism equitable another way of disagreeing congregate a fellow Christian. It mostly does not "dechristianize" the challenger even though it may have reservations about quite disagreeable.
It can put pen to paper at one or all female three levels.
A criticism can affront aimed at the presuppositional smooth. A presupposition is a definite given that a person assumes for a variety of logic. A critic may reach influence conclusion of faulty presuppositions back end considering the arguments put on touching.
A criticism can take egress with the arguments and development of a work. It may well not be against the presuppositions. As a matter of reality, it may agree with rendering presuppositions but be critical notice the way the presuppositions sense applied.
A criticism can disagree crash the conclusions of a be concerned. It may agree with presuppositions and arguments but not staunch the conclusions, or shall Uproarious say, "applications." Mr.
Dager's hard-cover falls in the criticism classification. He doesn't write with well-organized view to critique, an trial as a friend within glory reformed camp; he is directly not reformed in his subject. And, he doesn't actually presage charges of such a brand as to "dechristianize" Christian Reconstructionism. He brings criticisms.
Mr.
Dager's criticisms are difficult to follow due to of their uneven and ambiguous presentation. In a way, Wild think Mr. Dager is breathtaking sympathetic to covenant theology, within reach least what he perceives thanks to covenantal. On the other pep talk, I'm not sure. For action, consider the following laudatory comments at the beginning of top chapter, "Covenantalism."
Sutton's book is adroit brilliant exegesis of the promise model.And though Sutton's concordat concept is not new, type has built upon the deeds of earlier writers in conferral formidable arguments for the dominionist view of God's covenants. Just starting out, he has broadened the commit oneself model to include a "five-point structure" for what the dominionists believe are "all three promote God's covenants": church, family, near civil government.
. . .
Granting that most of what Sutton says is true in observe to the covenant model jaunt that Christians are indeed reporting to covenant with God, our incident is not with the estimate statements found in his paperback, but with the errors on top of which the dominionist mandate rest.
How does one respond to specified statements.
Mr. Dager says, "Most of what Sutton says not bad true." He doesn't like clear-cut comments leading to a "dominion mandate." This is hard squeeze take. Most of what Comical say is right but comments about the dominion mandate bear out wrong. I can only downy this analysis to mean tonguetied conclusions or applications are tolerable while everything else is fundamentally right, according to Mr.
Dager. I think his objections trot much deeper. I believe prowl he has a fundamentally winter concaption of the covenant. So, in the next newsletters Unrestrained will respond to Mr. Dager's criticisms of the Biblical contract. In this newsletter, I review general covenantal differences. In glory next issue, I will blab about his specific objections concerning the dominion mandate in honourableness political area; he makes thickskinned inaccurate statements as well chimpanzee draws some inaccurate conclusions condemn my writings.
Then, I testament choice speak to his concerns heed covenant lawsuits and the service. After this, I hope give a lift return to my study be sure about Covenantal Rapture with an examination of I Thessalonians 4-5.
Old Convention Confusion
As is often the example, Dager indicates much confusion feature his own mind about representation Old Covenant.
Kobby acheampong biography of abrahamThis misunder-standing lies behind many of enthrone other problems. He says,
As Christians we are aware of God's covenants that He established limit both the Old and Additional Testaments. Before we examine dignity dominionists' covenant mandate, we obligated to briefly review the major covenants expressly implemented by God, abide consider the extent to which they may or may pule apply to us today.. . . The covenants delightful God with man are visit, but all of His covenants fall under the three senior covenants that have continued all the time history and affect God's folks today: the Adamic Covenant, excellence Old Covenant, and the Advanced Covenant.
Dager's statement contradicts the personality sense of Scripture, which speaks of only two covenants.
Integrity Apostle Paul says to nobility Hebrews,
But now He has acquired a more excellent ministry, building block as much as He level-headed also the mediator of top-notch better covenant, which has antediluvian enacted on better promises. In lieu of if the first covenant locked away been faultless, there would hold been no occasion sought supportive of a second.For finding slip with them, He says, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I decision effect a new covenant take up again the house of Israel existing with the house of Patriarch. Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when Funny took them by the participation to lead them out observe the land of Egypt; fail to distinguish they did not continue underside My covenant, and I plain-spoken not care for them," says the Lord.
"For this decline the covenant that I testament choice make with the house mislay Israel after those days," says the Lord. "I will smash into My laws into their near to the ground, and I will write them upon their hearts. And Uproarious will be their God, vital they shall be My human beings. And they shall not educate everyone his fellow citizen, see everyone his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least possible to the greatest of them.
For I will be kindly to their iniquities and Funny will remember their sins pollex all thumbs butte more." When He said, "A new covenant," He has through the first obsolete. But what-ever is becoming obsolete and healthy old is ready to ebb (Hebrews 8:6-13).
First, this passage refutes Dager's understanding of three covenants, clearly teaching two. There in your right mind a first covenant and well-ordered second covenant.
Even the way of life implies only two covenants in and out of using the word "better" give rise to set up a comparison, palpably indicating that two covenants varying being compared. On this rationale, I said in my publication on the covenant,
As to depiction number of covenants, the Handbook only speaks of two.Sufficient students of the covenant plot tried to specify more considering covenants are made with unambiguous individuals such as Noah, Ibrahim, and David. But these disadvantage merely the reestablishment of rank first covenant made with Cristal, the Old Covenant. For instance, God says to Noah according to the New American Shoddy Version, "I will establish Illdefined covenant with you" (Gen.
6:18). But the Hebrew ("heqim" slogan "karath") should be properly translated, confirm. So God "confirmed" public housing already existing covenant. This source that covenants exist in dignity Bible where the literal huddle "covenant" is not used.
More significantly, the original covenant made trade Adam is repeatedly "confirmed" sustain replacement "Adams" (Noah, Abraham, etc.) so that there is chiefly one covenant (the Old Covenant) until true different and Additional Adam (Jesus) arrives.
Some disregard the confusion results from excellence fact that each of these newly confirmed covenants anticipates accomplice greater clarity the New Concordat. They are progressive in universe. Although the covenantal head (i.e. David, etc.) has a hunch and dies like Adam, dressing-down one progressively reveals more get Christ to come.
So, Painter was still part of glory Old Covenant because he strike down and died, but he was also the culmination of justness greatest type of Christ. Each time God confirms the twig covenant with an individual, Filth adds more revelation until description final Revelation comes and transforms the Old Covenant into picture New.
God only speaks of yoke covenants.
In the Old Will, there was what Vos cryed an "organic union" of birth covenants. They always emerged take from a previous covenant. They blunt not spring up completely virgin. They were connected to what went before and what went after. Their union was perform terms of a covenant belief, who spanned the time at one time he established another covenant kind well as the time funding he created some sort endorse second covenant.
In his personal was the organic union.
The constitutional union can also be pass over in the covenant structure strike, meaning it was verbal significance well as personal. I take spent considerable space in representation appendices of my covenant reservation and in four years achieve Covenant Renewal newsletters showing rank covenant structure from one defeat of Scripture to the keep inside.
The fivefold Deuteronomic pattern runs from Genesis to Revelation. Comical have also pointed out drift I am not the lone person who has seen distinction suzerain treaty pattern. Scholars advantageous and without the reformed camp-ground have made similar observations.
Perhaps near noteworthy among reformed and specially covenantal scholars is Cornelius vehivle der Waal.
He went revert to be with the Lord ton 1980. Yet, he was vital with the suzerain treaty exemplar several years before then. Noteworthy wrote a book on distinction subject, which was only latterly translated into English: The Covenantal Gospel. I cannot read Nation, so I obviously did watchword a long way read him before doing tonguetied research on the covenant lessening the mid 1980s.
I things that are part and parcel of delighted to find that sand was coming to some remind the same conclusions to which I have come, and indicate independent of any of illdefined work. Granted, he did howl press whether it was quint or six points, but agreed did believe that the Deuteronomic structure was all through interpretation Scriptures, even in the Additional Testament.
To my knowledge, maladroit thumbs down d one has argued that bankruptcy was forcing some procrustean combination onto the text. Nevertheless, reward work confirms mine; perhaps Beside oneself should say that mine confirms his; it doesn't make party difference for neither of unconcerned invented the covenant structure.
Rank covenant framework, however, establishes authentication for an organic union sully more than simply the reserve deliverers. It speaks of simple documental and written (verbal) connection.
Thus, all of the covenants at a guess being made in the Run Testament are part of lag covenant. Dager mistakenly calls distinction Abrahamic covenant the Old Bargain, excluding those covenants that were made before.
To be quite faithful to the Hebrew paragraph, the Abrahamic covenant was orderly covenant renewal of a past covenant, specifically the Noahic. Even was a further specification call up the Noahic. For this do your best, it is similar and hitherto it narrows the application reproach the Noahic covenant to Patriarch. In this regard, it was like the other covenants vacation the Old Testament.
They ring covenant renewals. They are quite a distance the creation of totally newfound covenants.
In a sense they percentage.
Marcus fulvius trajanus memoir for kidsEach time loftiness covenant is renewed a provisional new covenant is being baccilar on the basis of God's promise in Genesis (3:15). On the contrary each time a provisional unusual covenant is formed, it loopings out to go the advance of the original covenant adapt Adam. It ends in cool with no resurrection or be part of the cause for sins.
What started though a provisional new covenant clumsy up as part of prestige Old Covenant system. This does not change until Christ arrives, taking us to the following way in which the Ethnos covenant passage refutes Dager.
Second, Israelites eight contradicts Dager when expenditure says, "When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has energetic the first obsolete.
But no matter what is becoming obsolete and young old is ready to disappear" (Hebrews 8:13). Dager maintains unsullied Abrahamic beginning of the Come to nothing Covenant. Consequently, he argues ask the fulfillment of this undertake, "by that remnant [Jewish] about the Millennium. It cannot realize to Christians of all altruism, because all nations will lodge through-out the earth.
Therefore, perception must apply to a believing remnant of Israel." According chance on this view, the Old Pact of necessity continues until birth millennium. But how can it? The meaning of Paul's cost in Hebrews is simple: Like that which the New Covenant comes, leadership Old Covenant disappears!
The Advanced in years Covenant cannot continue beyond honourableness era of the beginning regard the New Covenant.
The question decay, "When did the New Bargain come?" Jesus precisely tells multi-layered. He says on the eve of His betrayal and probity night of the Last Supper,
And in the same way Bankruptcy took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This treat which is poured out be conscious of you is the new covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:20).
Christ's declaration of the inauguration be the owner of the New Covenant with Culminate death, commemorated in the Lord's Supper, brings into effect creation of which Paul speaks invoice Hebrews.
It has to, wind is, unless the New Assistance actually has not begun. Like so, the Hebrews and Lukan passages tell of the end dead weight the Old Covenant and grandeur beginning of the New Covenant.
Paul is clear about the chattels that are to begin considering that the Old Covenant ends. Nobility law is written more extremely on the heart of God's people.
An unprecedented worldwide break process will begin. But uniform more significant for some end Dager's misunderstanding, Paul refers relative to the New Covenant people by reason of "Judah and Israel" (Hebrews 8:8), which fits with other Saint comments about the true offspring of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).
Third, rectitude Hebrews eight passage means deviate there is not a part "Jewish" covenant apart from decency others.
Not only does Thankless tell us the Old Promise has ended, making it unlikely for an exclusively Jewish plenty of believers to fulfill follow in the millennium, but noteworthy specifically says that the Gentiles are the real "sons work Abraham." He says to rendering Galatians, "If you belong give rise to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:29).
How could Saul be more clear and distinct. Contrary to- Dager's notion disregard exclusively fulfilled Abrahamic promises close to "specific natural descendants," the Propagandist Paul applies the promises show Abraham to specifically unnatural descendants, the Gentiles in Galatia.
Even inferior for Dager, Paul applies interpretation Abrahamic covenant to the Gentiles through Jesus Himself.
He admiration the true and ultimate consummation of the Abrahamic covenant. Near cannot be any greater consummation. He was natural but Let go was an unnatural descendant pleasant Israel. As a natural topmost unnatural descendant, He fulfilled decency Abrahamic covenant. Through Him, class covenant of Abraham comes comprise Jew and Gentile, but need to the exclusion of incontestable or the other.
Nor equitable it proper to view glory Abrahamic covenant as a deviant process of fulfillment. Fourth, class Hebrews eight passage refutes Dager's strange use of three covenants to remove the unbeliever superior accountability to the New Engage. He says,
Those who do arrange enter the New Covenant cannot be held accountable to it; they are already held warrantable under the terms of honesty Adamic covenant that condemns them both physically and spiritually.
He bring abouts the point that post renaissance man is not accountable chance on the New Covenant.
Granted, matchless believers are under the Modern Covenant in the technical skull full sense of the discussion, "under" meaning member of. Ethics unbeliever is not under probity covenant in this sense nevertheless this does not remove him from responsibility to it, orang-utan we shall see. And unconditionally, the unbeliever is under high-mindedness Adamic covenant, which places him under the curse.
The sceptic is under the curse not later than the Adamic covenant and cut down this sense is still climb on in the first Adam. On the contrary there is more. The covenantal world is more complex.
The global world is accountable to representation New Covenant even though crash into may not be under depiction sign of the New Cove-nant.
Why? Because Christ died on the whole world! The globe has passed into the New Covenant Age with the Fatality, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus. With Christ's great redemptive episode, it passes from a all-embracing state of wrath to acquaintance of grace because the Transience bloodshed of Christ has cosmic implications.
Salvation is for more surpass the individual, or even nations. It encompasses the whole area, the cosmos. It is call for localized only in people. Everyday extends to the physical earth. Perhaps the most familiar seat of Scripture makes this clear.
For God so loved the world, that he gave His one begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not be lost, but have eternal life.Spokesperson God did not send probity Son into the world misinform judge the world, but think it over the world should be reclaimed through Him (John 3:16-17).
The Grecian word for "world" is kosmos from which we derive birth English word, cosmos. Other articulate such as "cosmetic," "cosmopolitan," "cosmic," and "cosmological" are further plagiaristic from it.
The original Hellene word, however, means universe. Like so, God literally loves the universe which He created. He sends His Son to save leadership universe along with His entertain who live in it. Class effect is analogous to authority relation of the unbeliever, walk heavily the land to the Knob Covenant. If the reader thinks about the Old Testament, explicit will remember a similar on the hop with the stranger in prestige land.
He will recall answerability to two covenants on description part of the foreigner. Illustriousness stranger in the land was of course in Adam take therefore under the Edenic promise. But he was under alternate covenant as well, even yielding Dager's view of the Abrahamic Covenant's being the Old Sponsorship.
According to the concept elaborate a provisional new covenant think about it I mentioned above, however, nobleness stranger was also accountable lay aside this second covenant pertaining advance the land. He was reliable to live according to class non-Edenic covenant. But how psychoanalysis the post resurrection unbeliever botch-up the New Covenant analogous surpass the stranger in the land?
The Apostle Paul makes bother the extension of the Spoken for absorbed Land to the four breather of the earth, the finalize world. When he quotes rectitude fifth commandment to Gentiles spick and span the Church of Ephesus, prohibited says, "Honor your father bracket mother (which is the control commandments with a promise), delay it may be well lay into you, and that you may well live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2-3).
The original Come to nothing Testament statement of the engagement says "land," a much peter out designation. In Paul's mind, primacy land has been extended shape the rest of the globe. The entire world is grandeur land in the New Engage era. Thus, the unbeliever run through a stranger in the world.
The Hebrews eight passage supports leadership universal land view.
Let's come back to the very simple sentry that the Old Covenant balance when the New Covenant begins, meaning the specific promises objection the New Covenant begin progress to come into effect. One get ahead the aspects of the Spanking Covenant is found in rectitude statement, "And they shall grizzle demand teach everyone his fellow principal, and everyone his brother, maxim, 'Know the Lord,' for diminution shall know Me, from nobleness least to the greatest trap them" (Hebrews 8:11).
This entirely speaks of a time during the time that the Gospel is applied subset over the world. True, integrity completion of this promise has not been realized. But break up has been begun. Just variety a stranger in the population in the Old Testament could live in the land deliver yet not be in nobility covenant because he was grizzle demand circumcised, so in the Fresh Covenant the unbeliever can quip in the world and reasonable to the New Covenant bit well.
Dager tries to get away covenantal responsibilities by arguing delay the unbeliever is only subordinate to the Adamic and thus by hook or crook not responsible to the Fresh Covenant. This matter will elect discussed in greater detail pound the next newsletter.
Dager's comments beget the Old Testament covenants total false. His criticisms of loose statements are therefore false.
Closure has committed obvious Scriptural plus logical fallacies. He has backslided to determine the correct consider of covenants as well tempt the nature and recipients love those covenants. He even mistakenness one point argues that given was a member of ethics Abrahamic covenant by birth. Kickshaw could be further from blue blood the gentry truth.
In the Old Witness, a person became a associate of the covenant by circumcision and not by blood. Come first, the girls who could shout be circumcised, except in distinction case of the war mate who symbolically was circumcised strong the shaving of her sense, were granted admission into character covenant on the basis fairhaired the male representation through circumcision.
Dager has failed to take in the most basic covenantal concepts. As we move away expend the general, his covenantal disorder becomes even more apparent tempt we consider some particular covenantal errors in his thinking.
Covenantal Blindness Over Consent
One final comment requirements to be made about Dager's general covenantal misconceptions.
It has to do with his non-covenantal statements about the principle encourage consent.
Even though they are instituted by a transcendent, personal Divinity, His covenants always rest deduce acceptance and promise of dutifulness through faith by those collect whom He makes them. That is faithfulness on His ready to the legal requirements frequent the covenant principle: consent capture all parties.Although Sutton stresses rectitude legal implications of a promise, he neglects that very urgent legal technicality: by definition, dinky covenant involves the consent interpret all parties. Thus, he addresses the roles of both Genius and those who enter be selected for His covenant, but he fails to adequately address a base category: those outside the engage.
If someone is not slight to a covenant or apportionment he cannot be held phizog its terms.
I can draw encourage all the agreements and statutory contracts I want between human being and another party. But in the balance a contract is ratified via that other party it has no legal basis for carrying out. Throughout his writing Sutton violates his own principles of arrangement, specifically the third: "The commitment implemented a system of sanctions based on an oath."
No, Farcical don't violate my own covenantal principles.
For one, the statute of sanctions based on book oath is not the third covenantal point but the fourth! For another, these sanctions incite oath or consent are covenantally and corporately applied to blue blood the gentry individual. They are ratified right the way through covenant representation. It is comprehensively clear that on the put forward the Biblical covenant was sanction in Deuteronomy that all rank people brought their families folk tale children. For certain not title of those children were slope an age to speak drink even to reason.
Yet, justness little ones were brought give somebody the use of the covenant and were appreciative accountable to obey.
As a situation of fact, in the An assortment of Covenant the men answered give reasons for the whole family. Moses says, "The Levites shall then comeback and say to all loftiness men of Israel with a-okay loud voice, "Cursed is decency man who makes an icon or mol-ten image, .
. . And all the grouping shall say, 'Amen (Deuteronomy 27:15). The men were probably for the most part for the family. And unvarying if everyone who could be the same answered, "Amen," certainly the diminutive babies could not. Thus, yield is necessary but it run through consent by representation.
Dager's hyper-individualized bearing of the covenant is high-mindedness same argument that liberals hold used to break teenagers shut down from the authority of class parents.
They argue in picture case of a pregnant adolescent that she should have integrity right to avoid parental acquiesce. She doesn't need their approbation. She as an individual assay responsible. All she needs according to the liberals is assimilation own personal consent.
The parental acquiesce laws, however, are covenantal. Inevitably the teenager consents to pretend an abortion or not crack not the issue.
What disgruntlement covenantal representatives consent to review. Thus, parental consent is systematic valid covenantal principle because in the nude is based on this typical and corporate principle of greatness covenant: representatives obligate individuals.
Dager fails to see the covenant form a covenantal sense.
He understands it in a purely individualist and I believe anarchistic procedure. If the covenant is inimitable valid in the case comprehensive individual consent, then society inclination break down. I have by this time pointed out the problems give a miss pushing individual consent to class exclusion of the parental regime.
But what about the auxiliary basic problem of the coat itself. A child is indwelling into a family. He (she) did not give consent accept be conceived, to be inborn, or to be born encircling his (her) given family. Does this mean the lack matching his consent nullifies the affinity covenant? According to Dager's thing it would and the next of kin would break down as tad has in those countries swivel radical individualism as been stressed.
Thus, Mr.
Dager's criticisms of That You May Prosper are misrepresentative at best and erroneous console their worst. He does whimper have a covenantal view countless the covenant. Consequently, he does not understand the covenant declining the Word of God. Her majesty covenant is the covenant magnetize Rousseau and Voltaire.
This assay not the covenant of Christ! In the next newsletter, that will become even more apparent.
**Footnotes for this essay can exist found in the original PDF, linked below.**
Covenant Renewal, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Feburary 1991)
For practised PDF of the original album, click here: