Covenant Theology 2 Response Paper (Far as the curse is found) Taesoo Kim

Covenant and Mission In the book, Far as the Curse is Found, God does not stop working out his mission to save all people in spite of constant human failures of keeping the covenant. His mission is to transform whole creatures into the original purpose of Gods creation. Especially, God intends that human being, the most superior work made by Creator, are to be the light and blessing to the world as covenantal mediators in order to reveal divine nature. In order to carry out the mission of God, God make a covenant with his chosen people as a channel of blessing. The covenant is his instrument to have an intimate relationship between Creator and a creature. More significantly, it is the fundamental engine not only to drive his blessing to the world, but also to extend the kingdom of God to all nations.1 The story of creation shows that God is the transcendent Creator and sovereign King.2 God has wisdom and power to create whole universe through his word. In Genesis 1, the author of this book proclaims how awesome God is because he makes all creatures with his word. Among them, God makes the first human being, Adam in his own image. He gives Adam not only a role of representative for the sake of every living creature, but also a ruling authority over them. Dr. Williams describes that Man is called to be Gods agent, the mediator of Gods covenant with creation.3 By making the covenant with the first man, God intends to reign over the world through Adam. Gods sovereignty opens the covenantal relationship with Adam, and he accepts the divine calling. Williams expounds that Because Gods own character is relational, he has created man for companionship and covenantal
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Michael D. Williams, Far as the curse is found (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005). P. 45 Ibid P. 52 Ibid, p. 60
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relationship with him.4As God initiates the covenant of creation, and human beings have the responsibility to obey his order. On the contrast of Gods expectation, Adam and Eve fail to keep his order. They disobediently sin because they break not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Nevertheless, God graciously promises a restoration in Genesis 3:15. God redeems sinners from Satan and sin through the Adams offspring. Like the promise of recovering Adams failure, God also rescues Noahs family from the flood. Because of mens corruption and disobedience, God awfully wipes out all living things except Noahs household. The reason, which God saves them, is to preserve the seed which, means he protects his covenantal mediator in the midst of flood. According to Williams opinion, Noah and his family are saved so that they could be Gods agents for the fulfillment of his promise.5 By showing the rainbow after the judgment, God promises him and his descendents divine redemptive grace. God chooses one peculiar person, Abraham, to redeem the world. The missional purpose of Gods covenant is performed by Abraham and his offspring.6 Divine election is not from Abrahams righteousness, but from Gods sovereign choice. Abraham is not deserved to achieve divine favor. It is totally from Gods grace. In Genesis 12, God pledges him three things such as seed, land, and blessing. Williams says Three promises are Gods enabling provision for Abraham that equip him for his mission to be a blessing.7 The plan of Gods salvation for all people is focused on the particular person in order to bring the redemptive blessing to the world. In other words, God makes Abrahams children become the

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Michael D. Williams, Far as the curse is found (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005) p.60 Ibid, p. 90 Ibid, p. 108 Ibid, p. 108
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great nation so that they are able to take charge of the role of a missionary nation8. Israel keeps failing to be a channel of the redemptive blessing in spite of Gods promise. In Williams view, he points out that Repeatedly throughout its history, Israel forgot or ignored its covenant heritage and failed in its mission to be a light to the world.9 In Exodus 19, God calls Israel to become a treasured possession, a kingdom of priest, and a holy nation so that Israel can be the channel of Gods blessing; however, they neglect to obey the mission to bring the redemptive story to the world as Gods messengers; rather, they betray their husband, God, breaking the covenant and forgetting his tremendous grace. Moreover, they not only make idols but even worship foreign gods. It is an obvious apostasy against divine authority as well as a treasonous challenging against the rule of God. Despite Israels betrayal behaviors, God never forget and forsake the covenant being connected with his chosen people such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Williams mentions that Israels history has been one of continuous failure of Gods covenant people to live according to the terms of the covenant.10 God sends a lot of prophets in order for the Israelites to repent their sins and to come back to him; however, they are totally reluctant to listen to the prophets crying. In fact, they deserve to go out of existence; rather, God mercifully promises a restoration of Israel from being a captive. Just as the warnings of God prophets, so Israel is destroyed by other countries as the divine judgment. However, it is not true that there is no more hope to Israel because it is impossible for God to give up the covenant and mission, which means Israel will be a redemptive blessing for every living creature. In Williams perspective, he argues that When God rebuilds Israel, he will return it to its mission in the world as priest of Yahweh (Isa. 61: 6,

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Michael D. Williams, Far as the curse is found (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005) p. 117 Ibid, p. 122 10 Ibid, p. 206
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9) so that the righteousness and praise of God will spring up before all nations (Isa. 61:11).11That is why God not only leads Israel to return to the Promised Land, but also gives them the new covenant by divine grace. The new covenant is different from the Mosaic covenant. The former is an unconditional promise about a full forgiveness of sins.12On the other hand, the latter is a conditional one based on the fact about whether Israel people keep the covenantal intimacy with God or not. In Israel history, it is proved that they cannot keep the covenant. In spite of Israels failure, According to the new covenant, God says For I will forgive their wickedness and I will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31: 34). Through Gods perfect pardon of human transgression, Gods mission keeps going to the world beyond Israel. The new covenant surpasses the boundary of Israel and spreads out to the end of the earth. More importantly, the new covenant indicates that Jesus is coming as a new covenantal mediator. Williams comments that Not only will the new covenant age bring about a consummation of creation (Isa.11:6-9), but also the covenant will be fulfilled and consummated by the promised descendant of Judah, the shoot and branch of David (Isa. 11:1).13 According to Scripture, the death of Jesus is a climax of the plan of Gods salvation for whole world. Gods mission is already fulfilled by Jesus first- coming, but it is not completely finished yet. It is still carried out by the church, the body of Jesus until Christs second-coming. Williams expounds God calls the church, as he did Israel, to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation, to mediate the blessing of the covenant to a world estranged from God, to proclaim and live out the word of God, to be a mission nation.14The mission of

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Michael D. Williams, Far as the curse is found (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005) p. 209 Ibid, p. 214 Ibid, p. 216 Ibid, p. 256
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the church is to become the channel of the covenantal blessing in order to extend the kingdom of God dynamically. In short, God uses his people to perform his mission through the covenant. Despite of Israels failures of keeping the covenant, God does not stop working out his mission to the world. The new covenant enables Israel people to see the hope of coming Jesus as the new covenantal mediator. After ascending to heaven, Jesus sends his spirit to the earth. The Holy Spirit empowers the church, the body of Jesus, to be the redemptive mediator and the covenantal blessing to save the whole world until the consummation comes in the day of Jesus second-coming.