David Dickson explains more of the rich blessing of the Covenant of Grace in this updated extract.
1. The Covenant of Grace Runs Through Scripture
Immediately after the breaking of the covenant of works by Adam, it pleased the Lord to lay that new ground of a new covenant of grace in His Son, in that promise in the garden. The seed of the woman shall tread down the serpent (Genesis 3:15). And God renews the promise in form of a formal covenant to Abraham and his seed which is Christ, and all the faithful through Him (Genesis 17:7). The same covenant is repeated in the person of David and his seed (2 Samuel 7:14-15).
This is more fully explained Psalm 89:3-4. Where the Lord swears to the throne and kingdom of Christ who was to come from David unto all generations, and under the type of David and his successors, and his children, that is, all those that believe in Christ:

protection and defence against all evil;
provision of strength for every good employment;
freedom from the voluntary slavery of sin;
turning of everything to our good;
fighting for us, against our foes;
giving us all the good things that He promises to us;
to forgive us our sins;
to make us partakers of His eternal kingdom:
faith itself and the spirit of adoption, whereby we may call God, “Abba Father”. And
last of all, which of all is most wonderful, although the devil had so far prevailed as to make them forsake the law of God, and neglect the commandments, and transgress the statutes and ordinances; yet if you return to the Lord your God, and lay hold on the covenant, you may well be plagued with worldly judgments for your correction, but you shall not be excluded from the mercy of God, and His loving kindness. “If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.” (Psalm 89:30-32). But observe that which follows: “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” (Psalm 89:33-34), etc. O the wonderful love and goodness of our God in His Son Christ towards poor sinners! who, although we change every moment, He never changes.

This is the new covenant which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did preach, and sealed with His blood, and left in legacy to us, under the broad seal of His own sacrament. For the last cup that ever He drank, He took the cup and giving thanks, He gave it to His disciples, saying, “Drink ye all of it: For this is my blood of the new covenant, or new testament which is shed for many, for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). This is the covenant in which all the promises of grace are contained both in the Old and New Testament; for this cause it is called, the New Covenant of promises.
2. The Blessings of the Covenant of Grace
The excellence of it shall appear in considering its properties.(a) It is a new covenant, for that it makes us free from the covenant of works; yea now under the gospel twice, because it makes us free from the ceremonies of Moses’ law, with which the children of God were burdened before the coming of Christ (Hebrews 7:22).
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Written by David T. Crum |
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Since the fall of mankind, the Lord has been carrying out judgment on wickedness, often resulting in death in battle or wars. When disasters occur, or wars start, rest assured that the Lord is at work. It may be humanly impossible for us to ascertain the purpose, but Christians can find solace in knowing God remains in control.

This is a remarkable passage for the purpose of providing the right of the sword; for if the Lord, by arming the magistrate, has also committed to him the use of the sword, whenever he visits the guilty with death, by executing God’s vengeance, he obeys his commands. Contend then do they with God who think it unlawful to shed the blood of wicked men.—John Calvin

It is true that Christians should abhor war. Imitating the teachings of the Lord, believers are called to live a life of peace. A valuable example occurred when Jesus ordered Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26:52). Much the same, Stephen sought prayers for those stoning him to death (Acts 7:60), not vengeance.
However, the concept and call to peace do not negate the fact that warfare is present in this fallen world. And it is clear through war that the Lord’s providence occurs.
Among the great Reformers, John Calvin garnered wide recognition for upholding a reputation of peace. John Knox, famous for carrying the Bible in one hand and a sword in the other, remained a bit fierier than his mentor (Calvin). Luther, like Knox, defended his own movement aggressively. Luther commented on war, “For if the sword were not on guard to preserve peace, everything in the world must go to ruin because of lack of peace. Adding, “When men write about war, then and say that it is a great plague, that is all true; but they should also see how great the plague is that it prevents.”[1]
Luther and Knox had merit for their aggressive response to the Papacy and darkness needing to be confronted by the sword. Calvin frequently discussed war, too. He wrote:
He (God) bids us to live chastely and refrain from all violence. However, when wars break out in the world, when there is bloodshed and countless acts of rape, will we say when these occur that God failed in his counsel to consider what was right? Do we think that he would let fortune prevail, as if he were asleep in heaven, or was enjoying a delightful rest? What a blasphemous idea! It would be like making God into an idol…If God did not determine everything in this world and keep Satan and all his evildoers in check, we would most certainly be doomed to perish a hundred times every minute of the day. Moreover, unless we realize that wars and similar things are judgments which God uses to punish our sins, we would surely not be brought to repentance.[2]
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The overture enables the PCA to speak into an urgent issue, while mitigating the perception that Christians condone or support political violence. And if such acts happen in the future, the Statement will distance the denomination from any violence done in the name of Christ.

Four days before Christmas of 2021, the adult child of a Loudoun County, Virginia, school board member received an anonymous note saying, “It is too bad that your mama is an ugly communist wh*re. If she doesn’t quit or resign before the end of the year, we will kill her, but first, we will kill you!”
Loudoun County is within the boundaries of the PCA’s Potomac Presbytery, which also includes our nation’s capital. In recent years, Washington D.C. has witnessed various displays of violence, from across the political spectrum. On one end of the divide, rioters vandalized buildings, set cars on fire, and assaulted police. On the other end, rioters also assaulted police to storm the U.S. Capitol and disrupt certification of election results.
But Washington D.C. is hardly alone. Election officials in several states have been threatened. A police precinct building in Portland, Oregon, was set on fire. An actionable plot to kidnap to the governor of Michigan was thwarted by the F.B.I.
And some of these acts of violence and intimidation have been done in the name of Jesus.
Concerned by this downward slide in American political discourse, Chris Hutchinson (pastoring in Blacksburg, VA) and I (pastoring in Arlington, VA) felt it was time for the Church to speak, through a “Statement on Political Violence” calling members of the PCA, the broader Church, and a watching world to peaceful expressions of political objectives. Our initial draft soon became a group effort, representing a broad spectrum of teaching and ruling elders. As a combat veteran, Chris particularly encouraged soliciting input from military veterans, who have thought long and hard about the proper and improper use of force. Once the overture was submitted to Potomac Presbytery in January, the MNA Committee sponsored two forums for members of the presbytery to carefully consider every word and refine the document. The MNA Committee unanimously recommended the overture to Potomac, which approved the Statement by a very large majority.
The Statement asks the General Assembly to approve four resolutions:

To remind the PCA that our highest allegiance is to Jesus Christ
To condemn political violence, especially that which is done in the name of Jesus
To pray for peace in our country during the General Assembly
To encourage the PCA to pursue peace in the public square

Throughout the process of drafting the overture, important questions were raised:

What is the biblical and confessional support for these resolutions?

The overture cites several passages from Scripture and the Westminster Standards, such as Jesus’ command to his followers to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27). How the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians facing opposition in the capital of the Roman empire, “if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18). How the Westminster Larger Catechism states the duties required in the sixth commandment include “peaceable, mild and courteous speeches and behavior, forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil.” (WLC 135).

Why is this overture necessary?

The United States has witnessed a striking increase in political violence and intimidation in recent years, from across the political spectrum, including arson, assaults on government buildings, and a growing number of personal threats to public officials. Why the increase?
Experts who have studied the causes of political violence cite several factors, including polarization, marginalization, and despair. Polarization not only pushes people towards political extremes but also portrays opponents as existential threats. Marginalization occurs when various groups perceive they have lost status or influence. And ultimately, despair sets in when hope in the peaceful political process is lost.
Unfortunately, all such factors are present today, and increasing. The Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other national and state agencies report they are anticipating more acts of political violence.
Recent polls underscore this concern. A January 2022 poll by Quinnipiac University showed that 58% of Americans believe “the nation’s democracy is in danger of collapse.” A November 2021 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute indicated that 18% of all Americans, i.e. members of both major parties and independents, agreed that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save the country.” Pause for a moment to think what that means. Nearly one in five Americans—roughly 52 million adults—think political violence may be necessary. One might be tempted to dismiss such an extraordinarily large number as an exaggeration. But what if merely 1% of those who condone political violence were willing to act on their beliefs? That would mean 500,000 adults would be willing to assault a police officer. 500,000 adults would be willing to vandalize a government building. 500,000 adults might even be willing to assassinate an election official or member of Congress. And even more terrifying, what if the actual percentage were higher than 1%? Clearly, there is reason for concern.

Does this overture call for pacifism?

The Statement rejects acts of violence by private individuals, but it does not advocate pacifism. The overture expressly affirms the Lord has granted the power of the sword to civil governments and honors the service of members of law enforcement and the military. It also cites the Westminster Larger Catechism, which states the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment include “all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense; the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life; sinful anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge; all excessive passions.” (WLC 136).

Does the Statement delegitimize the American Revolution?

Before we put pen to paper, we considered whether a statement rejecting political violence might appear to question the legitimacy of the American Revolution. Ultimately, we chose not to refer to the War of Independence as we weren’t asking the courts of the PCA to render a political judgment on matters that properly belong to individuals and civil magistrates. Instead, we wanted to speak into the situation before us—one in which Americans are condoning or supporting political violence and intimidation.
At the same time, we wanted to avoid language where someone might infer the overture questioned the American Revolution. Thus, the Statement explicitly condemns “unlawful expressions” of political violence. In contrast, the Declaration of Independence was unanimously approved by the Second Continental Congress, which consisted of elected representatives of the 13 states. That same Congress established a Continental army, elected a commander-in-chief of the army, and oversaw the war effort. Such actions are a far cry from the “unlawful expressions” of political violence by unelected, private citizens we see today.

What does the overture actually hope to achieve?

First, the overture enables the PCA to speak into an urgent issue, while mitigating the perception that Christians condone or support political violence. And if such acts happen in the future, the Statement will distance the denomination from any violence done in the name of Christ.
Second, the overture provides guidance to our members how to engage in debates in the public square, namely by rejecting violence and intimidation, and instead, by speaking with wisdom, love and grace. By modeling civility, the Church has an opportunity to be salt and light in our divisive culture.
Third, if the overture prevents even one act of violence, it will be well worth our discussion. We aren’t so naïve as to think an overture from the PCA is going to heal our country. But if the Statement results in one less threatening note, one less assault, one less building vandalized, one less life needlessly ended, the effort would be more than worth it.
And most importantly, we hope to honor Christ by affirming to one another and a watching world that Jesus is worthy of our highest allegiance, and that we trust him as our sovereign and gracious King.
Read Overture 26
Scott Seaton is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of Emmanuel PCA in Alexandria, VA
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