Welcome Home!
The only place devoted to the Biblical Reformed teaching of Covenant Succession, where the children are loved, nurtured, instructed, and fed in the Church – in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
The Bible consistently, emphatically, and systematically teaches that God’s people “shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them.” (Isa. 65:22-23) God commands his households to righteousness, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” (Col. 3:18-24) Fathers are told not to provoke their children, but to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4) To do this we are told that we “must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb. 11:6) The Lord God tells his covenant people that he will take us by the hand and tells us to, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you." (Isa. 41:13) He encourages us to, "not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal. 6:9)
Christian's: Do You Believe? Do you believe that God has covenantally promised to save you and your children? If not, I would like to humbly challenge you to search the Scriptures. If you already believe, I would simply ask, on what basis is your hope and assurance of obtaining this glorious promise from God?
The Lord God tells us to love and to be faithful to our wife by covenant because he is seeking godly offspring. (Mal. 2:10-15) Husbands and wives are told that they must live in the fear of God, that their offspring may be a godly offspring. The Lord tells his covenant people that they can have confidence through Christ toward God, but this is not because we are sufficient in ourselves, "but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent." (2Cor. 3:5) We are given the glorious promise that God will “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” (Mal. 4:6) And this promise, just as all of God's promises, is obtained by God's grace through faith – which is a complete and unmerited gift from God. (Eph. 2:8) For God has promised you, just as he did Abraham, to be God to you and your children, if you believe.
"And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your
offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." – Genesis 17:7
The biblical doctrine of Covenant Succession teaches that God promises to bless the children of his faithful covenant people with eternal life. "This is the natural and straightforward understanding of Scripture when viewed through the lens of the covenant of grace. The doctrine of the covenant recognizes the sovereignty of God in his creation, providence, and grace; it teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit harmoniously and cooperatively work in unity to save God's chosen people, bringing them from death to life to share in Christ's glory for eternity." [1] It teaches that when God brings a sinner to faith, it is not on the basis of merit, but by God’s grace alone. This faith is then exhibited by irresistible praise and love for God and others to the glory of God.
This site is devoted to the God's covenant people – to those baptized in the name of the Triune God – to those with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – to those who desire to serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart, for they have been given the glorious covenant promise of succession. More specifically, this site is devoted to the heads of these households, typically the men, since it is their lot that God assigns the duty of shepherding, discipling, training, and leading their covenant households to righteousness.
Covenant Faithfulness:
God has always, since he extended the promise to Abraham and his family, promised and blessed his people with succession – it is the covenant promise and blessing to his faithful covenant people. Solomon, the wisest king in Israel, was teaching God's people about covenant succession when he said, "Train up a child the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6) Ever since the days in the garden, God has used his people as his means to accomplish his purposes, and he continues to do so today. For our Lord has promised that the children of his faithful covenant people will be saved, and in time, profess faith in Christ and bear the fruit of righteousness, as do all of his elect. This, he promises, will occur in faithful homes where covenant children are being trained up and taught to, "be even more diligent to make [their] calling and election sure..." (2Pet. 1:10)
Unfortunately, many of God's people are tempted to shrink back from their covenantal responsibilities – not believing God's promises. "We have become so accustomed to separating what God has joined together: the objective, outward working of his Son and the subjective, inward work of his Spirit... Because of this ignorance and unbelief of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as the power through whom God fulfills the New Covenant promises, we do not really expect them to be made true to us... Let us rest on his unchangeable faithfulness, the surety of the Covenant, and on his almighty power and the Holy Spirit working in us." [2] Scripture is clear, God's people are given the promise of succession and told that the only way to obtain the promise is to believe – to walk by faith – to look to Christ – to "put on" Christ, for he alone is our sufficiency (2Cor. 5:72; 1Pet 2:18-21; Gal. 3:27; Cor. 3:5). It is true, however, that there will be covenant children who do not become believers themselves; however, God did not promise salvation to all of the children of his covenant people, he promises succession only to those who believe - to his faithful people - "to those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
Covenantal Perspective in the Scriptures:
Throughout the Scriptures God deals with his people by Covenant. Our God is a Covenant God. We are told in the gospel of Mark, that when some of God's covenant people brought their children to Jesus, "he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." (Mark 10:16) These believers, we are told, brought their children to the Lord, "not that he might touch and heal them, but that he might touch them and bless them, with the saving strength of his right hand." [3] For God does not promise to bless the children of his unfaithful people. (Rom. 9:6-13) The promise of eternal life is to you and your children – to those who have faith - to those who are faithful. We are not to read this account in Mark only to believe that this was simply a kind gesture. No! This was Christ himself – God the Son – the Mediator of the Covenant of grace – the co-Creator of the universe - demonstrating that God desires to bless and save the children of his faithful people.
The Scriptures also teach us that faithful parents are not the ground of their children's salvation; faithful parents are simply an ordained instrument of a sovereign and gracious Lord, who through the faith of his covenant people accomplishes his will. Covenant succession is an unmerited gift of God – just as saving faith is. For if God has graciously and lovingly ordained eternal life for children, how better than to place them in a home with faithful parents, and how better to bless the faithful parents than by giving them faithful children – to establish or continue a legacy of faith– for his names sake. We serve a mighty God who is worthy to be praised. (Psalm 18:3)
Again, our children, are not saved because of anything we do, just as they are not saved because of anything we did not do. Covenant succession is accomplished by God's grace through our faith, which is always a complete and unmerited gift from God (Eph. 2:8). God emphatically tells us that they are not our works, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) We should not depend on ourselves, we should rely on our Lord Jesus Christ alone. As Joel Beeke rightly reminds us in his book Parenting By God's Promises, "Sometimes the Lord makes us realize our own insufficiency so that we learn to rest completely on the trustworthiness of his covenant and on the character of God himself as the author of it." [4] For God alone is faithful and God alone get's the glory.
As the Reformer John Calvin once said, "the covenant is the spring and the source of salvation." Jesus teaches this glorious truth during a divine appointment with a man named Zacchaeus. After Zacchaeus repented and expressed his faith, Jesus points him back to the covenant promise made to Abraham, saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:9) Jesus was establishing, once again, the ancient truth that he taught through his servant Moses, "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." (Gen. 17:7) It is by God's sovereign grace, that he elects individuals, families, and nations – and his grace has always included the children of his covenant people.
This site prayerfully endeavors to:
I believe that the proper understanding and practice of the doctrine of covenant succession is vital to the spiritual health and well-being of us individually, but is also essential to the faithfulness of our families, church, and nation. God works through faith, he always has and he always will – he does not bless unfaithfulness. But we should take heart because our Father in Heaven is the giver of good gifts, he is the lover of our souls and we can depend on his faithfulness to accomplish his will, for he alone will bring his people to an obedient faith. (John 15:16; 2Thess. 2:13; Luke 18:6,7; Eph. 1:11-12; 1Cor. 1:27-29; 1Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:5; Eph. 2:10; Heb 12:5-10) Our God is a gracious and merciful God whose grace always expresses itself through faith – through the faithfulness of his covenant people.
Remember, the Lord tells us to, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32; 18:16; Acts 2:39) As it was written, "the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9)
Dear Father, on behalf of your covenant people, forgive us our sins and the sins of our fathers. Lord, we acknowledge and confess our sin - our unfaithfulness. We repent of our cowardice and for following the world and for our own selfish desires – for refusing to believe your promises and follow your ways.
"I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord,
the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love
with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned
and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from
your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants
the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and
our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs
righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah,
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near
and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven
them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.
To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to
our fathers, because we have sinned against you." – Daniel 4:8
Merciful Father, grant us the grace of repentance for refusing to believe your covenant truth. Dear Lord, teach us to lead our families to righteousness and to pass on your grace to those you have sovereignly entrusted to us. Amen.
Christian's: Do You Believe? Do you believe that God has covenantally promised to save you and your children? If not, I would like to humbly challenge you to search the Scriptures. If you already believe, I would simply ask, on what basis is your hope and assurance of obtaining this glorious promise from God?
The Lord God tells us to love and to be faithful to our wife by covenant because he is seeking godly offspring. (Mal. 2:10-15) Husbands and wives are told that they must live in the fear of God, that their offspring may be a godly offspring. The Lord tells his covenant people that they can have confidence through Christ toward God, but this is not because we are sufficient in ourselves, "but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent." (2Cor. 3:5) We are given the glorious promise that God will “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” (Mal. 4:6) And this promise, just as all of God's promises, is obtained by God's grace through faith – which is a complete and unmerited gift from God. (Eph. 2:8) For God has promised you, just as he did Abraham, to be God to you and your children, if you believe.
"And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your
offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." – Genesis 17:7
The biblical doctrine of Covenant Succession teaches that God promises to bless the children of his faithful covenant people with eternal life. "This is the natural and straightforward understanding of Scripture when viewed through the lens of the covenant of grace. The doctrine of the covenant recognizes the sovereignty of God in his creation, providence, and grace; it teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit harmoniously and cooperatively work in unity to save God's chosen people, bringing them from death to life to share in Christ's glory for eternity." [1] It teaches that when God brings a sinner to faith, it is not on the basis of merit, but by God’s grace alone. This faith is then exhibited by irresistible praise and love for God and others to the glory of God.
This site is devoted to the God's covenant people – to those baptized in the name of the Triune God – to those with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – to those who desire to serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart, for they have been given the glorious covenant promise of succession. More specifically, this site is devoted to the heads of these households, typically the men, since it is their lot that God assigns the duty of shepherding, discipling, training, and leading their covenant households to righteousness.
Covenant Faithfulness:
God has always, since he extended the promise to Abraham and his family, promised and blessed his people with succession – it is the covenant promise and blessing to his faithful covenant people. Solomon, the wisest king in Israel, was teaching God's people about covenant succession when he said, "Train up a child the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6) Ever since the days in the garden, God has used his people as his means to accomplish his purposes, and he continues to do so today. For our Lord has promised that the children of his faithful covenant people will be saved, and in time, profess faith in Christ and bear the fruit of righteousness, as do all of his elect. This, he promises, will occur in faithful homes where covenant children are being trained up and taught to, "be even more diligent to make [their] calling and election sure..." (2Pet. 1:10)
Unfortunately, many of God's people are tempted to shrink back from their covenantal responsibilities – not believing God's promises. "We have become so accustomed to separating what God has joined together: the objective, outward working of his Son and the subjective, inward work of his Spirit... Because of this ignorance and unbelief of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as the power through whom God fulfills the New Covenant promises, we do not really expect them to be made true to us... Let us rest on his unchangeable faithfulness, the surety of the Covenant, and on his almighty power and the Holy Spirit working in us." [2] Scripture is clear, God's people are given the promise of succession and told that the only way to obtain the promise is to believe – to walk by faith – to look to Christ – to "put on" Christ, for he alone is our sufficiency (2Cor. 5:72; 1Pet 2:18-21; Gal. 3:27; Cor. 3:5). It is true, however, that there will be covenant children who do not become believers themselves; however, God did not promise salvation to all of the children of his covenant people, he promises succession only to those who believe - to his faithful people - "to those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
Covenantal Perspective in the Scriptures:
Throughout the Scriptures God deals with his people by Covenant. Our God is a Covenant God. We are told in the gospel of Mark, that when some of God's covenant people brought their children to Jesus, "he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." (Mark 10:16) These believers, we are told, brought their children to the Lord, "not that he might touch and heal them, but that he might touch them and bless them, with the saving strength of his right hand." [3] For God does not promise to bless the children of his unfaithful people. (Rom. 9:6-13) The promise of eternal life is to you and your children – to those who have faith - to those who are faithful. We are not to read this account in Mark only to believe that this was simply a kind gesture. No! This was Christ himself – God the Son – the Mediator of the Covenant of grace – the co-Creator of the universe - demonstrating that God desires to bless and save the children of his faithful people.
The Scriptures also teach us that faithful parents are not the ground of their children's salvation; faithful parents are simply an ordained instrument of a sovereign and gracious Lord, who through the faith of his covenant people accomplishes his will. Covenant succession is an unmerited gift of God – just as saving faith is. For if God has graciously and lovingly ordained eternal life for children, how better than to place them in a home with faithful parents, and how better to bless the faithful parents than by giving them faithful children – to establish or continue a legacy of faith– for his names sake. We serve a mighty God who is worthy to be praised. (Psalm 18:3)
Again, our children, are not saved because of anything we do, just as they are not saved because of anything we did not do. Covenant succession is accomplished by God's grace through our faith, which is always a complete and unmerited gift from God (Eph. 2:8). God emphatically tells us that they are not our works, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) We should not depend on ourselves, we should rely on our Lord Jesus Christ alone. As Joel Beeke rightly reminds us in his book Parenting By God's Promises, "Sometimes the Lord makes us realize our own insufficiency so that we learn to rest completely on the trustworthiness of his covenant and on the character of God himself as the author of it." [4] For God alone is faithful and God alone get's the glory.
As the Reformer John Calvin once said, "the covenant is the spring and the source of salvation." Jesus teaches this glorious truth during a divine appointment with a man named Zacchaeus. After Zacchaeus repented and expressed his faith, Jesus points him back to the covenant promise made to Abraham, saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:9) Jesus was establishing, once again, the ancient truth that he taught through his servant Moses, "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." (Gen. 17:7) It is by God's sovereign grace, that he elects individuals, families, and nations – and his grace has always included the children of his covenant people.
This site prayerfully endeavors to:
- Teach the biblical doctrine of covenant succession through the lens of the eternal covenant of grace;
- Encourage you to believe God’s promises and obey his commands – depending on his Son Christ Jesus, who is our sufficiency and our only hope of salvation.
I believe that the proper understanding and practice of the doctrine of covenant succession is vital to the spiritual health and well-being of us individually, but is also essential to the faithfulness of our families, church, and nation. God works through faith, he always has and he always will – he does not bless unfaithfulness. But we should take heart because our Father in Heaven is the giver of good gifts, he is the lover of our souls and we can depend on his faithfulness to accomplish his will, for he alone will bring his people to an obedient faith. (John 15:16; 2Thess. 2:13; Luke 18:6,7; Eph. 1:11-12; 1Cor. 1:27-29; 1Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:5; Eph. 2:10; Heb 12:5-10) Our God is a gracious and merciful God whose grace always expresses itself through faith – through the faithfulness of his covenant people.
Remember, the Lord tells us to, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32; 18:16; Acts 2:39) As it was written, "the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9)
Dear Father, on behalf of your covenant people, forgive us our sins and the sins of our fathers. Lord, we acknowledge and confess our sin - our unfaithfulness. We repent of our cowardice and for following the world and for our own selfish desires – for refusing to believe your promises and follow your ways.
"I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord,
the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love
with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned
and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from
your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants
the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and
our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs
righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah,
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near
and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven
them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.
To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to
our fathers, because we have sinned against you." – Daniel 4:8
Merciful Father, grant us the grace of repentance for refusing to believe your covenant truth. Dear Lord, teach us to lead our families to righteousness and to pass on your grace to those you have sovereignly entrusted to us. Amen.
[1] The Economy of the Covenants between God and Man: Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity, by Herman Witsius (b. 1636), Introduction on Covenant Theology by J.I Packer (b. 1926), Published by Presbyterian and Reformed, Introduction by Packer.
[2] Covenants and Blessings, by Andrew Murray (b. 1828), published in 1984 by Whitaker House, p. 36-37.
[3] Family Religion , Principles for raising a godly family, by Matthew Henry (b. 1662), published 2008, p. 99.
[4] Parenting by God's Promises, How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace, by Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust Publishing, 2011, p. 5.
[2] Covenants and Blessings, by Andrew Murray (b. 1828), published in 1984 by Whitaker House, p. 36-37.
[3] Family Religion , Principles for raising a godly family, by Matthew Henry (b. 1662), published 2008, p. 99.
[4] Parenting by God's Promises, How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace, by Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust Publishing, 2011, p. 5.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
– Ephesians 2:8
it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
– Ephesians 2:8
Salvation is by:
grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, based on Scripture alone!
grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, based on Scripture alone!
Sola gratia | Sola fide | Solus Christus | Soli Deo gloria | Sola scriptura
