2000 Issue 3 - Covenant Child Rearing 1 - The Context of the Covenant - Counsel of Chalcedon

8/12/2019 2000 Issue 3 - Covenant Child Rearing 1 - The Context of the Covenant - Counsel of Chalcedon

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Covenant h i l d ~ R e a r i n g #1:

he

Context of

he

Covenant

by

Steve Wilkins

Introduction

By now you ve heard it more times than you

can count, but still it bears repeating: The family is .

one of he primary institutions of society. t is the

societal building block. Because

of

his reality,

long-term reformation ofa culture

is

impossible

if

the families which make up the culture are not

growing in conformity to God's Word. Let us be

clear however: I am not saying that the family is

the only institution necessary for reformation (as

some apparently believe today).

yourself told The family desperately needs society

(for protection and provision) and it is really and

truly dependent upon the Church (for salvation and

sanctification). God says so and that should settle

it.

We

mustnot embrace an unbiblical extreme in

our effort to avoid the corruption and heresies

of

the world.

But

having noted this, it is still true to say that

the family is essential to covenant society and to a

biblical church. Inde ed there can be no faithful

church or godly society

if

we

db

not have faithful,

godly families. Surely, the covenant shows s this.

t is vital then in such a day as this when the family

is being attacked on all sides, that Christians be

"Indeed there can be no faithful

church or godly society if we do not

have faithful, godly families."

Whenever a culture sustains an attack upon a well acquainted with what the Bible teaches

Chri ft

concemlng how we are to

II've

as "athers, mothers,

divinely ordained institution, .stians en react

i

by going to the opposite extreme and almost and children. Thus, this study is a most important

become guilty of

idolizmg the institution. This has

one-not

only for each

of

us individually or for our

been the

~ a s e

in recent years in regard to the families , but for the future of our nation and the

family. Back in the 70s it came to light that we kingdom

of

Christ in this country.

were approaching a

di

vorce rate equal to the rate The Covenant and the Family

of

marriage. This sent an alarm through the When

we

look at the covenant as it is revealed

Christian community (as well

it

Should have) and in Scripture, we see that it is inherently

familial-

produced all manner

of

marriage .seminars, i.e:

itis

inextricably tied In the"family.Another .

courses, books, and expert counselors. All

ofa

way

of

saying this is that the covenant is organic:

sudden, we found ourselves "up to here" in the

God created Adam

to

be the fountainhead of

"Total Woman" and "The Godly Husband" aI/mankind After the initial creation

of

Adam

The same has now happened with the family. and Eve, the Lord ceased creating men from the

The world has so despised it that an alarm has dust

of

the earth and women from ribs. Instead,

again sounded in the Christian community and now He gave Adam a wife and co=anded them

to

be

we are in danger of viewing the family as if it is fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. This means that

the only important institution. Thus, we have . there is an organic unity

to

mankind.

We

all de- ..

families moving offintothe wilderness so that they . scended from mothers and fathers, who were

will

not

have any contact with others and thereby descended from other mothers and fathers, who

enjoy the pure family ex

perience-they

need

no

descended from the first mother and father.

co=unity,

they jus t need each other.

We

also The covenant recognizes this unity and

have families who have decided they do not need operates in terms of

it

God blesses and curseS

the Church. They have formed a family church along family lines. And normally, salvation is

who needs the fellowship

of

the saints or the granted along family lines. The ordinary way in

corporate worship

of

God? The family

of

itself is which God's purposes

of

salvation are brought to

s e l f ~ s u f f i c i e n t pass is by fathers teaching their Children. One

Do we need to be told that these reactions are generation is

to

teach the next (see Psalm 78:1-7

fooliSh 'and are in fact departures from the teach- and note that there the psalmist mentions four

ing of the Scriptures? If so, there it is, consider . . generations).

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The covenant thus, does not sever the natu-

ral bond that binds parents to children.

You

do

not view your children as strangers and aliens

because they are not strangers and aliens, they are

your children You don' t require

them

to give you

their name, rank, and serial number before you

acknowledge tbem as your own. They are God's

heritage io you, His special reward (Psalm

127).

You therefore give them your family name, they

enjoy the privileges which come with being in your

family and are viewed, naturally, as members

of

the family. As members of the family, they are

expected to participate

in

all family activities, and,

preeminently, this means they are to join with the

family in the worship of Jehovah. This order is

God-ordained and holy.

When you think of it, how strange

it

would be

for God to cause His covenant to operate in such a

way that parents had to divorce themselves from

their children at this most important issue

of

whom

they are to worship and serve How could we give

them our names, our food, a room in our homes,

and then view them as aliens and strangers when it

comes

to

our covenant with the Lord? Here we

see the error

of

non-covenantal thinking. What

would you think of a couple that refused to allow

their children to live in their homes and eat their

food until the children could identify themselves

and express thanksgiving for being in the house

hold? We would all conclude that these people

have no understanding .

ofthe

parental obligation.

But I suggest it is far more appalling to give your

children all these secondary privileges and then

treat them as

if

they are spiritual "aliens and

strangers" having no covenant relationship with

God. God said He would be a God to us "and to

our children" after us, and He means it. The

covbnant

S

a blessed reality.

God does not operate His covenant contrary

to His created order. Therefore, Abraham's

children were to be given the sign

of

Abraham's

God. God's covenant promise includes the children

and they are to be cared for precisely because

they belong to Him. The children

of

a Covenant

marriage are children

of

God by virtue

of

His

covenant. Note Psalm

128:1-3-

the children are

like "olive shoots," they bear a clear relation to

their "faithful fatlter who is like an "olive tree"

(Psalm 52:8).

For this reason, the charge against Israel

brought

by

the prophet Ezekiel

when

they engaged

in child sacrifice is most pointed: "Moreover you

took your sons and your daughters, whom

YOll

bore to Me, and these you sacrificed

to them

to

be

devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small

matter, that

YOll

have slain My children and

offered them up to them

by

causing them

to

pass

throngh

the fir

e? (Ezekiel

16:20-21 ).

Is God opposed to destroying His enemies?

Is

He opposed to destroying

the

children of His

enemies? No, He isn't.

In

fact, He often destroys

the children

of

His enemies (Egypt's firstborn,

the

children

of

the Canaanites, etc).

But He

is opposed

to destroying those who belong to

Him by

virtue of

His covenant. Thus, Jesus corrects

and

rebukes

His disciples when they seek to prevent mothers

from bringing children to

Him

because they viewed

them as having no claim upon the Savior. But

the

Lord rebukes them, commands them to allow the

little children to come and explains the permission

by noting,

o/slIch

s

the

kingdom.

(Matthew

19: 13-14). The little ones

of

believing parents are

legitimate members

of

the covenant-kingdom

of

God

The covenant is organic

in

that it recognizes

the created order and operates

in

terms of it.

The sin which disrupted the created order would

have made all children enemies and aliens to their

parents as well as to God. But God, by His gra

cious covenant restores the created order. The

covenant does not sever the bond that God or

dained between you and

your

children,

it conse.

crates it.

The family therefore, plays a vital role

in

bringing

to

pass God's covenant purposes of

redemption and in the establishment of His

kingdom in the earth. This is obvious from the

beginning. Adam and Eve were commanded

to be

fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.

t was God's intention that the earth

be

filled with

faithful children descending from the first Father

and Mother.

This was not changed after the fall.

Of

course, after the fall,

men

must

be

given new

natures, cleansed from sin and forgiven, trans

formed from enemies of God into His friends, all

based upon the redemptive work of Christ. God

blesses and calls His elect to Himself and fills the

earth with His knowledge as the waters cover the

sea-just

as the Lord intended from the beginning .

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Not

only do His covenant purposes remain un

changed,

but

even the method

by

which His

purposes are brought to pass.remains unchanged.

His purpose would still

be

accomplished primarily

through families.

Dr. O .Palmer Robertson points out

that

God

accomplishes His purposes of redemption not by a

method contrary

to

the structures

of

creation,

but by a method in conformity with creation.

(Robertson, The Christ

of

the Covenants, p. 79).

God

In mercy, does not work in redemption con

trary

to

His original created order (which was

perfect), rather,

He

restores the created order by

His grace that

it may

function as He originally

intended

it.

"Redemption has the effect

of

restor

ing the order

of

creation, and the solidarity of the

family is one

of the

lireatest

of

creation's ordi

nances.

The

genealogical character

of

redemption's activity underscores the intention of

God

to work

in

accord rather than in discord with

this creational ordering." (Robertson, p. 41).

Thus, the original promise

is

given in terms

of

the seed (or descendants)

of

the woman.

And

to Abraham the promise is that "al l the

families

of

the earth" shall be blessed (Genesis

12:1-3) through his descendants (Genesis 15:5).

God

even says

that

the reason He has entered into

covenant with Abraham is in order that he might

bring His purposes to pass by means

of

Abraham's

faithful training

of

his children (Genesis

18

:17-19

And

the. Lord said,

Shall

I hi< efromAbraham .

what

I am doing, 18 "since Abraham shall surely

become a great and mighty nation, and all the

nations

o(

the earth shall be blessed in him? 19

For

I have known him,

in

order that

he may

command his children and his household after him,

that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righ

teousness and justice, that the Lord

may

bring to

Abraham what He has spoken to him.")

Note that the language

of

the .promise here is

changed from families to "nations" (which is the

language Jesus uses in the great commission,

Matthew 28:18-20).

But

here we see that the

mtlanS,by which God is going to bring to pass His

c o v e n a ~ t

purpose ofblessing upon the nations and

filling the e rth with His glory js Abraham's

faithful rearing

of

his children in the nurture

and

admonition of Christ.

he

promise attached

to

the fifth command

ment shows us that God normally brings salva-

tion through family (Exodus 20:5-6 "you shall not

bow

down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord

your God, am ajealous God, visiting the iniquity of

the fathers on the children to the third and fourth

generations

of

those who hate Me, 6 but showing.

mercy

to

thousands, to.those who love

Me

and

. keep My commandments.")

This promise is repeated by Moses in Deuter

onomy 7:9 ("Therefore know that the Lord your

God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps

covenant and mercy for a thousand generations

with those who love Him and keep His command

ments.")

After God gave a similar promise toDavid,

he

picks up the theme in the Psalms. The faithful man

is granted a blessed progeny (Psalm 112:1-2

"Praise the Lord Blessed is the man who fears

the Lord, Who delights greatly in His command

ments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on eartll: .

The generation

oftlle

uprigllt will be blessed.") . '

And

note Psalm 103: 17-18 ("But the mercy of'

the

Lord

is from everlasting to everlastiIig On

those who fear

Him,

And His righteousness to

children's children, 18 To such as keep His cov

enant,

And

to those who remember His command

ments

to do them."). The faithful receive the

blessing

of

God throughout their generations.

Throughout the Bible, God gives His people

great and precious promises that they are to

embrace by faith in regard to their

i l d r

God promises blessing upon the children

of

the faithful (Psalm 102:25-28

Of

old You laid the,

foundation of the earth, And the heavens ate ' he

work

of

Your hands. 26 They will perish, but You

will endure; Yes

, they will all grow old like a .

garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And

they will be changed. 27

But

You are the same,

And

Your years will have no end.

28

The children

ofYour servants will continue, And their descen

dants will be established before

You

") Note here

that because God does not change, He can and will

sustain the descendants

of

His faithful servants.

He always keeps covenant with His people and

thus blessing comes to a thousand generations

of

those who honor Him by their obedient covenant

keeping. (Deuteronomy 7:9 "Therefore know that

the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God .

who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand . .,'

generations willi those who love Him and keep

commandments.") . '

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Note thot the promises

o

the covenant are

not unconditional

Some might think in l ight

of

these promises that the salvation of our children is

automatically assured, and that we

don't

have to

worry about it if we have them baptized and bring

them to church. But the Bible teaches that the

blessings of the covenant are granted only to those

who fear the Lord and faithfully keep His com

mandments (Psalm 103:17-18 "Butthe mercy

of

the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On

those who

feal

Him, And His righteousness to

children's children, 18

To

such as keep His cov

enant, And to those who remember His command

ments to do them.")

The blessings of the covenant are not granted

to those who presume upon God's goodness and

refuse to give heed to His Word. The children of

the careless and indifferent will not be blessed

but

will

be

allowed

to

follow out the careless indiffer

ence demonstrated by their parents.

[fyou

break

the covenant yourself, you cannot expect the

blessings God promises to covenant keepers. But

the faithful parent, who sincerely fears God and

seeks faithfully to keep His commandments-living

faithfully himself and teaching andruling over His

children; leading them in the fear

of God--does

not

have any reason to fear that God will be unfaithful

to His Word

of

promise. His righteonsness will

be

granted to their children's children.

"The

faithful parent, who sincerely fears

God and seeks faithfully to keep His

commandments-l iving faithfully

himself and teaching and ruling over

His children, leading them in the fear

of God-does not have any reason to

fear that God will be unfaithful

to

His Word of promise. His

righteousness will be granted

to

their

children's children."

Thus, all our thinking about child-real"ing must

be viewed in the context of the covenant. We

ought to thankfully rejoice that the Lord is faithful

to His promise in the covenant. Even as He has

been faithfnl to His promise to send His Son to

fulfill the demands of the covenant for us, so

He

will be faithful

to

bless all who fear them and be a

God to them and to their children after them. And

with thankfulness for this reality,

we

faithfully, with.

holy confidence, bring

up our

children in the

nurture and admonition ofthe Lord.

We must give all diligence to following God's

Word in this bnsiness

of

rearing

our

children

faithfully. But we labor in this not as the Pharisee,

thinking that if we pay the price" God will have to

give us the product.

That

is

self-righteous

legalism; Nor do we labor with anxiety and fear

or doubt, wondering whether God will remember

His covenant with us.

That

is faithlessness and

. unbelief. We do not sit back and say, "Well the

Lord has promise to save my children, so let's

watch TV " That is presumptiou.

The proper response

to

the covenant is to labor

diligently in the task ofbringing up our children

in

the nurture and admonition

of

he Lord, following

all His commandments, admonishing, chastening,

encouraging, rebuking, beinga faithful example

ourselVeS, praying for His blessing upon

our

children and doing all with holy joy and unshakable

confidence in the faithful God who keeps His

covenant with all those who fear Him. He will

bless our efforts.

Here then is the issue for us.Are you growing

in faithfulness in teaching and training your chil-

dren or are you indifferent to it? Are you

spending

80 hours a week striving for success

at

work,

building up your bankaccount and

savings-but

.

. ignoring the covenanttraining of your children?

What are you thinking? A successful business and .

bags of money will be of no profit to

your

Children

and no comfort to you

if

your children are cov- ..

enant-breakers.

You must love the Lord with all your lieart, soul,

mind, and strength, walk

in ijis

fear all the day .

long, and so be a faithful example of a man who

honors the Lord with all he is and all that he has.

You must give careful attention to

your

highest

earthly calling of being a faithful father to your

sons and daughters. And because of the covenant, .

we can carry tbis heavy burden with a light .

heart-and

we can take np this incredib ly difficult

task with holy confidence. God is faithful andHe .

will not forsake those who love Him. Trust and

obey.

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2000 Issue 3 - Covenant Child Rearing 1 - The Context of the Covenant - Counsel of Chalcedon