I'm going to try not to take sides in this debate.

I do think that the term "republication" is being used in different senses by different speakers on the topic.

I think that some people are using it simply to speak of the fact that in Moses, it is as if he takes an old book (entitled The Covenant of Works) and "republishes" it. In other words, nothing changes with respect to pagination, the author's name, date of original publication still on the flyleaf.

It's actually more like a "reprinting" of the original standard: except there was never anything that looked exactly like this in the Garden. Because the moral law was internal.

This view is, as far as I can tell, largely unobjectionable, especially if one understands that there is no divine intent to (as Casey put it) to put any who are in the Covenant of Grace "back" under the Law as a Works-covenant.

What demands care in handling is: the moral standard never varies, whether one is pre-Grace or post-Grace. I agree with Casey's pointing to the Covenant of Grace as the foundational context for the Mosaic administration. "I... brought you out" is a statement of gracious salvation. If one really believes in this God, he will be saved, he will live, and he will "do this," imperfectly but honestly. He won't be doing it to earn (or keep!) his salvation.

Now if the "form" of the covenant is outwardly that which resembles the old Covenant of Works, what are they doing who enter into it, having no part in the Covenant of Grace? That is the main question, it seems to me, respecting this question of "republication."

I have objected to too much speech regarding this "form" of Works-covenant in the abstract, such that we end up speaking about the "visible administration" AS IF it is IN FACT a Covenant of Works; that is, I object to giving the "accidents" of this Covenant of Grace administration so much reality that the typological ends up with "its own substance."

So what, indeed, were the unbelievers (those outside the Covenant of Grace) judged for with respect to the Sinai covenant wherein they were outwardly received? Well, I would say they were judged in much the same way as reprobate members of the church today will be judged. They were judged for unbelief in the substance of the covenant they swore to, however ignorantly they swore; they were judged with respect to their vows of obedience and submission they failed to live up to, not having the Mediator for their cause; and they were judged on the basis of the original Covenant of Works, by which they were already condemned in Adam. But it is unnecessary to bring this last point up, since the context of the discussion is this later covenant, which they also broke.

Finally, I agree with armourbearer when he says that the relationship (CoG to CoW in the Sinai covenant) should be spoken of as primary and subordinate. And then one can talk about "republication" all day.

What do you think?

__________________
Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


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