In order to deal with our subject properly, we must come to defining it. A good definition will express, concisely and accurately, just what we are trying to say. Each theologian tends to provide his own definition of the Covenant of Grace and, of course, by so doing, injects his own particular emphases. A few representative definitions follow:
A. Hoekema (1983) - that gracious arrangement which God establishes with believers and their children in which God promises them salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and requires of them a life of faith and obedience. (5)
L. Berkhof (1938) - that gracious agreement between the offended God and the offending but elect sinner, in which God promises salvation through faith in Christ, and the sinner accepts this believingly, promising a life of faith and obedience. (6)
W. W. Heyns (1916) - the Covenant of Grace is that special institution for the salvation of man in which the Triune God binds Himself with a covenant and an oath to believers and their seed, to be their God: their Father, their Redeemer and their Sanctifier, and binds them to Himself to be His own and to serve Him, thus insuring their salvation, unless they break the Covenant by unbelief and disobedience. (7)
M. J. Bosma (1927) - the gracious agreement between God and his people, whereby God promises them complete salvation in the way of faith, and they accept this in faith. (8)
These four men may be considered representative of Christian Reformed theology during this century. Aspects of their definitions show they were strongly influenced by the theology of the 1834 Secession churches. There are, to be sure, other voices which strongly echo the views of Dr. Abraham Kuyper who taught that the Covenant of Grace is established with the elect only. One of these was John Van Lonkhuyzen who in 1916 wrote his book about baptism in which he strongly defends Kuyper's view that the covenant is made with the elect only. (A view which was not original with Kuyper, but which we find already in the seventeenth century.) The response to this by men such as L. J. Hulst, also a CRC minister, who strongly reacted to this and called it a "shift in the doctrine of the covenant", shows clearly that the influence of Kuyper's covenant views was not without opposition.
Covenant theology and definitions were also expounded in other Reformed churches. As stated earlier, the various disruptions which took place in reformed churches during this century were, in almost every case, effected by or, at least, tied in to, divergent covenant views.
H. Hoeksema (Protestant Reformed) It is the relation of the most intimate communion of friendship in which God reflects His own covenant life in His relation to the creature, gives to that creature life, and causes him to taste and acknowledge the highest good and the overflowing fountain of all good. (9)
Rev. Hoeksema was the theologian in the thick of the 1924 controversy regarding the "Common Grace" question which resulted in his ouster from the Christian Reformed Church and the subsequent establishing of the Protestant Reformed Churches.
The debate really started in the Netherlands and we should hear what several theologians there had to say. Some of these men are very well known; others are lesser known but did exert considerable influence on the churches in which they served. We mention:
A. Kuyper - although there is no succinct definition of his hand available, his recorded dogmatics make it clear that he saw the covenant established with the elect only. His covenant views, although not directly instrumental in the formation of the Gereformeerde Kerken van Nederland, did mould those churches in a certain direction and were definitely one of the major causes for not all of the earlier (1834) Secession churches to go along with the Union of 1892. The fact that these views were ratified and made part of recognized church doctrine by the Synod of Utrecht in its "Conclusions" (1905), which conclusions were adopted by the CRC at its synod of Kalamazoo (1908), gave further definition to the differences between various sections of the reformed church world.
G. H. Kersten was the man under whose leadership various small denominations and splinter groups united to form the "Reformed Congregations" in 1908 (Netherlands Reformed Congregations). Generally, these churches were marked by a degree of piety and conservatism which set them off from some of the other denominations, although there was (and still is) considerable overlap between the various grouping. Rev. Kersten also held that this covenant is made with the elect only and was at some pains to point out that the Covenant of Grace is, in essence, the same as the Counsel of Peace, which is the agreement, made in eternity, between the three Persons of the Trinity, in which the subsequent salvation of the elect is determined. In this, Kersten agreed with Kuyper; however, in the practical application of this, they stood poles apart. We will deal with this later.
Also here we must say we cannot find a succinct definition of the Covenant of Grace. Inquiries led to the book Bible Doctrine for Teens and Young Adults (10). Since this book bears the stamp of approval from the following bodies: the Netherlands Reformed Synodical Education Committee, N. R. Book and Publishing Committee, NR. Christian Educators' Association, it may be assumed that it represents official Netherlands Reformed doctrine. In a rather lengthy and detailed section on the Covenant of Grace, we learn not only what their views are but also how they see others. The latter is rather interesting.
As far as their own views are concerned, it is made very clear that the covenant is with the elect only. Interestingly, they refer not only to the Covenant of Redemption and the Covenant of Grace but to these being two aspects of the same covenant. So closely do they identify them that they call the former "The Covenant of Grace from Eternity" the latter, "The Covenant of Grace in time". The former is defined as "...the agreement from eternity with God Himself to save His elect church through Christ its covenant Head. In this agreement, God the Father represented and included the entire Trinity and God the Son represented and included His entire church (all His elect children or true believers)." The latter is then defined in a minor position as "...the performance or execution of this agreement in time; the actual saving of the church through Christ its covenant Head." (11) This definition is followed by the statement, "Being born as children of wrath, God's elect are ingrafted into the covenant of Grace in time by regeneration through which they are adopted to be children of God and actually receive the rich benefits this covenant relationship includes." This is very puzzling, indeed and will be discussed later. For now, we note again that Kuyper and Kersten, although in formal agreement on some aspects of their theology, stood miles apart on the practical issues. Kersten's view led, practically, to the idea that one must know he is elect, a knowledge gained by observing some marks of grace within oneself, before one may deduce real, meaningful covenant membership in which the promises of God may be appropriated.
A mid position was taken by men such as Dr. K. Schilder (Liberated Churches), Rev. J. Woelderink ("Reformed Alliance") and Prof. J. J. Vander Schuit (CGK [Free Reformed])
K. Schilder - again, we have no definition from his hand directly. However, the book The Liberation: Causes and Consequences, copyright by the Senate of the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches, in a lecture by Dr. J. Faber on the doctrinal causes of the 1944 schism, makes it clear that the covenant view held by various men and rejected by the synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken was one in which God is seen as making a promise to believers and all their seed; a promise which requires faith in the response on the part of covenant members in order to have the fulfilment of the promise. (12) It must be remembered that a major reason for the "Liberation of 1944" was synod's decision to demand binding adherence to its pronouncements. Some of these men may have been able to live with the Kuyperian views on the covenant, including presumed regeneration, but they could not live with the idea that they were bound to subscribe to these as their own views.
J. J. Vander Schuit - The Covenant of Grace is that particular form of the administration of salvation in which God, in Christ, gives himself as Mediator to the sinner who, in the way of the Covenant, becomes the possession of God. Here we do have a definition taken from unpublished dogmatics classroom notes: " (13) When Vander Schuit states that the covenant is "that particular form of the administration of salvation" one may rightly asked if this, taken at face value, does not shut one up to the conclusion that it is made with the elect only. This certainly was not Vander Schuit's intention.
You will note that these definitions are all somewhat similar yet contain enough diversity in them that they gave rise to or are indicative of serious controversies. These are lamentable.
We will next consider the Biblical data for the doctrine of the Covenant of Grace.