Transcendence/Immanence: Creation, Redemption, Revelation
[Five Point] Covenant Theology
Reference: That You May Prosper, Ray Sutton (at https://www.garynorth.com/SuttonCov.pdf)
Here are the five points identified (for an explanation read Sutton's book!).
T - Transcendence/Immanence/Sovereignty
H - Hierarchy/Authority/Legal Representation
E - Ethics/Laws/Obligations
O - Oath/Sanctions/Reward/Punishments
S - Succession/Continuity/Inheritance
Sutton quotes Meredith Kline,
The purpose of the covenantal Preamble is thus to proclaim the lordship of the Great King, declaring transcendence and immanence and making it clear from the outset that his will is to be obeyed by the vassals, his servants. Biblical treaties set forth God's transcendence and immanence by referring to one or more of three activities: creation, redemption, and revelation.
Sutton's footnote citation: "David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Ft. Worth, Texas: Dominion Press, 1987), p. 49. Emphasis in original."
Heidelberg Catechism
Reference at: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds3.iv.vi.html
Part of the discussion of the necessary articles of true Christian belief (i.e., the "Apostle's" Creed) follows.
Question: "How are these articles divided?"
Answer: "Into three parts: The first is of God the Father and our creation; the second, of God the Son and our redemption; the third, of God the Holy Ghost and our sanctification."
My Thoughts
I have previously identified (though it appears I have never written it down) the connection of the five points of the biblical covenant with the three persons of the Trinity in terms of roles(? Help me clarify this connection!). I will outline it here.
T - God the Father
H - God the Son
E - God the Son
O - God the Son
S - God the Holy Spirit
This lends credence to the emphasis on Jesus, but reminds us that we are Trinitarians and why it matters. I will have to write more on the reasons and implications in another post.
The point I am trying to make concerns the three aspects of transcendence/immanence and its explicit-though-not-exclusive relation to the roles of each person of the Trinity (I don't think the Heidelberg Catechism would have intended an exclusive position either. Certainly the Father created, but we know He created through/with/by the Son).
Incidentally, the Heidelberg Catechism identifies two aspects of transcendence/immanence with two persons of the Trinity (i.e., Father and creation; Son and redemption). I am merely proposing identifying the third aspect of transcendence/immanence, Revelation, with the Holy Spirit. Instead of sanctification* we should talk about the work of the Holy Spirit as the work of revelation, specifically general revelation** as realized through the growth/maturity of the church on earth. Or as Jesus said it, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples" (John 13:35, ESV, emphasis mine).
Conclusion
Anyways, getting back to the Heidelberg Catechism, this means that the true articles which must be believed are simply statements concerning God's transcendence/immanence (point 1 of the covenant).
Philosophical Postscript (I'll toss this in here for free!)
We see the full participation of the Trinity in the first point of the covenant. If we looked at each point of the covenant, we would find the same pattern. It is fractal-like. This implies (or maybe I've merely inferred) that as we break down all of reality into its component pieces, we should be able to identify the full participation of the Trinity at each distinctive point.
Footnotes:
*On a side note, sanctification as a theological term may not be enough to quantify the relevant issues (I have previously posted about the weaknesses of the theological terms: justification and sanctification at http://michaelsei.blogspot.com/2015/02/using-bible-to-define-justification-and.html).
**According to Sutton, special revelation aligns with the third point of the covenant, ethics, which I explicitly-though-not-exclusively associate with Jesus. To illustrate this, Sutton, supporting his supposition that "history is covenantal", has a footnote which contains the statement, 'the third point of covenantalism called "ethics," or law, being "special revelation" to man'. This forces me to clarify my association of revelation to the work of the Holy Spirit with the term general revelation. Also implied, is that Redemption, an aspect of transcendence/immanence, through the person of Jesus shares a connection to Hierarchy, Ethics, and Sanctions. To be clear, you are not saved by external observance of God's laws. You are saved by the lawgiver, unto good works (as exemplified by Hierarchy, Ethics, and Sanctions).
