New Covenant Theology

Yesterday I finished reading Tablets of Stone and the History of Redemption by John Reisinger. In some ways, this book is not very well written. Reisinger seems to have quite an attitude towards Covenant Theologians (Why can't they just admit they're wrong and see things my way?! I mean, anyone who reads the Bible would!), and he is incredibly repetitive (he frequently repeats things he just said).

But, overall, his book summarizes something I have been learning over the last year or so (about the nature and function of the Mosaic Law). And if he accurately represents New Covenant Theology, I guess that's my position too. I know I can't say that I am a Dispentationalist or a Covenant Theologian; both have major issues that I don't think are Biblical. But, though I had heard of NCT and thought it sounded pretty good, I never really looked into it deeply. Now, I think it is the most accurate of the 3 positions because it disagrees with the other 2 in just the right places.

I started thinking about the relationship of the law to Christians when I took a Greek class on Galatians at my church. I came to believe that Christ fulfulled and did away with everything in the Sinai Covenant, including the 10 Commandments (which make up the covenant document for the whole thing). Therefore, there is no third use of the law ("moral still applies while civil and ceremonial are over"). The law was a covenant made with Israel consisting of terms that resulted in blessing or cursing dependent on whether or not they were kept. I would even say that Christ's death accomplished something for the Jews that it did not for me. He died for the sins of all the elect, but His death also redeemed Israel from the curse of the law. (I'm still not sure what that is. At first I thought the curse of the law was simply being under it, having to obey it, being subject to all its rules and penalties, etc... Then, maybe it is simply death (physical). Of course people already died before the law, but disobeying the law could hasten that. Another possibility is that the curse is exile. The ultimate result of Israel's lawbreaking was their exile (going into captivity) from the promised land. This position would see Christ's descent into hell as taking the curse of exile, providing for Israel's future re-owning of the land.)

Anyway, I fouond this book by Reisinger and thought, "Whoa! Someone agrees with me!" That's always comforting when you start thinking you might be a heretic. Turns out, this view of the law is a major part of the NCT position. Though NCT has nowhere near the literature and support of the other 2 (well, Dispensationalism not so much), people have defined what it is. I found a NCT Confession which seems really good. I did not read everythng yet, and it may have a few problems (like under "Purpose of Marraige, #4 should definitely be #1), I think I agree with the position it defines.

So, this book helped confirm what I have been thinking, even though it does have some problems. I think he proves his point well about what the 10 Commandments are, what they did, and how they relate (or don't) to Christians today. The Scripture examples he gives are thorough, and of course it is all so clear! Now I need to read a book from the other side...