1689 Federalism: What is it? 

It was my pleasure!

Recently read The Christ of the Covenants and even O. Palmer Robertson says (after quoting Calvin) "nothing under the old covenant had the effectiveness necessary actually to reconcile the sinner to God. Only in anticipation of the finished work of Christ could an act of heart-renewal be performed under the provisions of the old covenant...the shadowy form of the old covenant administration participated in the powerful realities of the new covenant substance." p. 292 & 293

@@leecooper6411 I wouldn't use the words "participated in" as much as I would use the words "pointed to". The old covenant was not a salvific one. It could only confer blessings and curses.

I find 1689 Federalism to be the most consistent view and my point is that Robertson compromises his own position with that quote. How can the OC be one with the new if, by his own admission, the old is the shadow and the new is the substance? As Renihan puts it, type and antitype. So, yes I agree that the OC cannot provide eternal salvation in and of itself, only the NC can, which is made available through faith and through the OC types. OT saints were saved through the OC, but not by the OC, which is the 1689 Federalism view.

thank you brother!

Praise God! My pleasure brother

Praise God!

thanks- when you mention the sound effects, do you mean the subscribe bell?

@@ReformedRookie yes. I wasn’t watching...I was listening in my car and the typing on the keyboard and the bell were very distracting to this serious conversation.

@@churchhymnsandpsalms thanks for the feedback- I will revise this for future discussions.

It's easy until they waffle on passages where the old is considered obsolete. They don't hold consistently to their position, and "substance" is a waffle word.

@@shawngillogly6873Can you give me a specific example? Trying to understand.

they continually say that the old and new covenants are one covenant with two administrations. However, the scriptures clearly say they are TWO different covenants.

Thanks for the observation. Abram is the son of Eber, and therefore a Hebrew. However, he is not Israel and actually a Gentile since Israel didn't even exist for another two generations.