Post by TomLine on Nov 11, 2015 19:43:44 GMT -5
COVENANTAL DEISM
by Tom Lineaweaver
by Tom Lineaweaver
For those who do not know what Covenantalism is, it is the belief that the old Covenant has been fulfilled as of 70 AD with the destruction of the temple, which ended the Old Covenant. Deism is the belief that a Creator, most call God, did create the universe as is written in Genesis chapter one (1), and then left creation on it's own. That after creation God never intervened in the affairs of mankind. Well, Covenantal Deism is a combination, or consensus of those two beliefs..
As a Conventalist we believe that all things have happened as the Bible says. God created the heavens and earth, then Adam sinned, and through Adam death came into the world. Then God then made a plan of redemption for mankind which happened through Christ. That plan included his birth, life, death, burial and resurrection, of which the Old Testament prophesies. These prophecies are often called Messianic Prophecies. After the Messianic Prophecies are fulfilled, then what? The Bible doesn't say anything about what happens after all things written are fulfilled. Some might tell you that after the old Covenant and its kingdom came to an end, the new Covenant was established through Christ and the apostles, then we have the kingdom, which I agree. But not all agree that the kingdom is only a spiritual kingdom.
For those of us that believe the kingdom is only a spiritual kingdom, that is our understanding based on 1 Corinthians 15.50 where it is written that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So, there is no flesh and blood in the kingdom of God. These physical bodies we are walking in are not, and will never be, a part of the kingdom of God. Therefore we must understand that God does not intervene in the affairs of mankind physically. But God deals with us only on a spiritual level.
Here are a few other Scriptures for you to consider. See 1 Corinthians 2.6-16. What we find here is that the message, or wisdom that Paul spoke was revealed to him by the spirit of God. And that natural man does not understand the things of the spirit.
Next, see Ephesians 6.10-20. Here Paul describes a spiritual battle fought with spiritual weapons. However, as a Covenantalist, I believe the final battle has been fought, and won by the spirits of the faithful. Today, God does not intervene at all in the affairs of flesh and blood. God only deals with the faithful, the true Israel, spiritually. But, those of the faithful who are still in the flesh will be obedient to the decrees of the king in the spiritual kingdom. And those decrees include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing those that have no clothing, etc. We see that in Matthew 25.31-46.
So, does God influence the world? Yes, through those of us who are both citizen of God's kingdom and in this world, we should never shirk our responsibility to help people of this world. As Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." But he sure came into this world to influence it. And we have the same responsibility that he had. We are not to be conformed to this world, Romans 12.2, but we must do all we can to help this world, even if it means running for public office.
Well, there you have it. My explanation of what Covenantal Deism is, and it's affect in the world. To say that God no longer intervenes in the affairs of mankind does not mean his kingdom subjects should not. How else can we bring others into the kingdom?
That's my take, what's your's?