Some Recommended Resources on the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace
As mentioned here previously, I’ve been preaching a series of catechetical sermons on the doctrine of the covenant of grace. Someone asked me to provide a list of recommended resources. First, some caveats. The list is not comprehensive, not by far. These resources are in no particular order. My mentioning them does not mean that I agree with every single detail, term, or formulation in them — indeed, some of them do contradict each other at certain points. In sharing them, all I mean to say is that I have learned something valuable from them and perhaps you can too.
The Covenant of Grace, John Murray (Philippsburg: P&R, 1953, 1988).
This was the very first thing I ever read about covenant theology. It’s a dense little booklet of 32 pages. It’s not included in Murray’s 4 volume Collected Writings.
The Main Points of the Covenant of Grace — Klaas Schilder.
This was a speech delivered by Schilder in 1944. It’s a fairly good summary of his covenant theology. He emphasizes the dynamic and relational nature of the covenant of grace.
Covenant and Election, J. Van Genderen (Neerlandia: Inheritance Publications, 1995).
A good overview of the history of this topic. The author also proposes helpful ways of outlining the similarities and differences between covenant and election. This was one of our textbooks in seminary.
Teaching and Preaching the Word: Studies in Dogmatics and Homiletics, Nicolaas H. Gootjes (Winnipeg: Premier, 2010).
Here I’m thinking especially of chapters 4 (Christ’s Obedience and Covenant Obedience), chapter 8 (Sign and Seal), chapter 9 (The Promises of Baptism) and chapter 17 (Can Parents Be Sure? Background and Meaning of Canons of Dort, I, 17). Dr. Gootjes was my dogmatics professor in seminary and probably the biggest single influence on the way I think about the covenant of grace. I hope that his material on covenant theology in the Reformed confessions will someday yet be published.
Reformed Dogmatics, Herman Bavinck (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006).
Bavinck tackles the covenant of grace in volume 3 and he’s worthy of careful study. In volume 2, he also has a notable discussion of the covenant of works.
An Everlasting Covenant, J. Kamphuis (Launceston: Publication Organisation of the Free Reformed Churches of Australia, 1985).
This is a more technical work which traces some of the finer details in the debates over covenant theology leading up to the Liberation of 1944.
Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry, ed. R. Scott Clark (Phillipsburg: P & R, 2007).
This is a collection of essays by the faculty of Westminster Seminary California. There are some important cautionary notes sounded in this volume directed against the false teachings of Federal Vision theology. In a series of articles in The Outlook, I addressed the question of whether some of the authors mentioned above should be condemned with the Federal Visionists. You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here. It’s also available in Korean here.
