Lutherans Struggle With Covenant Theology

We are looking carefully at Hebrews 7 and the writer's discussion of Melchizedek, king of Salem (Hebrew for peace). In the previous post we learned about the Biblical understanding that one person may represent all of those who descend from him. We cited the examples of Adam, the father of all mankind (Rom. 5:12) and Esau, who lost the inheritance promised to his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, the promise that went then to his brother Jacob and his descendants (Gen. 28:1-4). 

The Hebrews writer makes this same point when he says that even Levi, a direct descendant of Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek when in fact it was Abraham who actually paid them. 

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. - Hebrews 7:9-10 ESV

This concept is called Federal headship by many. The concept is spelled out by church fathers such as Irenaeus (Against Heresies) and Augustine of Hippo (City of God). The idea is that Adam was the federal head of mankind in the same way that a federal government like the United States has a president or chief spokesman for the entire nation. Dr. R.C. Sproul has a very detailed and interesting discussion of this concept, alongside a couple others, in his article "Adam's Fall and Mine." You may want to consider it. Federalism is an interpretive framework for understanding the flow of the Bible. It is often called Covenant theology. To get into the details of this understanding of Bible teaching would take us far, far afield. 

We Lutherans struggle with the concepts of Covenant theology, especially since we find that some covenant theology teachers lead us away from the Biblical teaching of grace alone as they pursue it. One recent discussion of this problem can be found in Pastor Jordan Cooper's blog "Lutheranism and Covenant Theology" —not an easy read however. Read his article carefully. You will see how Lutherans see continuity between the Old Testament and New Testament by understanding that the distinction between law and gospel is the fundamental principle of interpreting the Bible. 

I also found another interesting little article about "Why Luther Did Not Speak Much About Covenant" by Martin Yee. Luther's reluctance had to do with his opposition to the Franciscan theologian, William of Ockham and later Dr. Gabriel Biel, who both essentially said, "God helps those who help themselves." He further objected to the Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli whose emphasis on our responsibility in the covenant of grace after the fall made it sound to Luther as if Zwingli agreed with Ockham and company.

I know that I promised to get into a discussion of the importance of the Bible's teaching that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, but that will have to wait until my next post. At that time we'll take a careful look at the question of blood and the fact that our sinful nature is passed on through the blood (Leviticus 17:11). This is related to the fact that blood develops only after the male sperm or seed is united to the female ovum or egg. We need to tread very carefully here. More on this next time. 

The Mystery Of Jesus' Body And Blood

We continue our study of John 6, especially these words of Jesus:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." - Jhn 6:51-58 ESV

The longing for immortality continues. It always will. This longing also serves as a strong entertainment theme. Last year the movie The Immortals was a big hit. Once again Hollywood drew upon Greek mythology to portray a mortal man, Theseus, chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity. 

We who follow Jesus know the true name of the king on a rampage across the planet. He indeed has a weapon that not only can, but is destroying humanity. Satan's weapon is sin. He tempts us all to rebel against our true King. He began to wield his weapon as the first man and first woman appeared in the Garden (Gen. 3:1-27). As a result all of us are denied access to Eden and the tree of life. Our Creator's curse is upon us (Gen. 2:16-17). We all die since we all are descended from Adam and Eve. The Apostle puts it this way,

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1 Cor 15:21-22 ESV

 As in Adam all die . . . What does Paul mean when he says we are all in Adam? Is he saying that we are all descended from this one man? At this point I won't get into any discussion about evolution, etc. I've done that earlier. Indeed, Paul's point is that all men can trace their lineage back to Adam and his wife Eve. In that sense, Christ Jesus is the Second Adam. In speaking about how we will be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit in the resurrection, Paul continues,

Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"(Gen 2:7); the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. - 1 Cor 15:45-49 ESV

We know much about DNA and genetics in our day. Consequently, it is no longer difficult to conceive of a man or woman passing on to his or her descendants various physical characteristics, as well as tendencies to develop various diseases. In that sense, I bear the image of my father. I look very much like him. I also have developed heart disease, just as he and as my maternal grandfather did. So it goes on the physical level. 

Paul writes about another level of human existence, namely the inner life of a man, his soul if you will. We are by nature sinful, inwardly filled with the desire to disobey the commands of God to love only Him and to love others as ourselves (Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Eph 2:1-3). This is the course and direction of the entire world of man. In that sense we all are children of Adam and the curse of death rests upon us as it did upon our father Adam. We bear his image.

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." - Gen 3:19 ESV

Jesus came to change all of this. He is the Bread from heaven and whoever feeds on him will live forever. As he said,

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

What does it possibly mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood? Is this figurative or literal language? My answer is Yes! It is both, for we are dealing with a paradox, a mystery as profound and wondrous as the fact that Jesus is both God and Man! Were he but a man, his sacrificial death would never suffice as payment for the sins of the entire world. Yet Jesus himself said he came to offer his life as the ransom for all men's sins (Matt. 20:28). And Paul concludes

. . . that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. - 2 Cor 5:14-15 ESV

For this to be possible, he must also be God, very God of very God, of one substance with the Father, as the Father himself said: this is my beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5. See the Nicene creed ). He bears the image of his Father (Col. 1:15). Thus he is the Bread that came down from heaven and whoever believes on him will be saved (1 Tim. 4:10). In that sense to believe in him is to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

But there is more to this mystery. Jesus took the bread of the Passover, broke it and give it to his disciples and said,

"Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." - Matt 26:26-28 ESV

Is this also a figure of speech? More on this profound mystery next time.