Have you ever wondered if Covenant
Creation can be demonstrated directly from the text of the New Testament?
One of the neat things about active
ministry in a local congregation is how you will be forced, on a regular basis,
into systematic study of God's Word with its application of the gospel to all of life. I spent
most of my preaching schedule in 2012 at Covenant Community Church working verse by verse through Paul's book of Colossians.
What I learned through that effort took me by complete surprise.
I had no idea that the book of Colossians, as a whole, may constitute the most
profound biblical demonstration of Covenant Creation! Now it is time to share
with you how Paul's theology in Colossians develops directly from the concepts,
mindset, and details described in the Covenant Creation model.
This sermon series is a stand-alone
demonstration of and proof for Covenant Creation. It comes with the practical application
of the gospel to all of life. Please note that these sermons were originally
delivered in a congregational setting. However, the listener will likely
receive the most benefit if they have already read Beyond Creation Science,
examined the Covenant Creation Archive,
and studied the 2009 & 2010 Covenant Creation Conference material.
Below is the link to the set of 17
sermons covering the entire book in the context of congregational preaching at
Covenant Community Church:
Colossians Sermon
Series
Along with the regular tools for
sermon preparation, I relied on these two resources that should be consulted by
those wishing to pursue deeper study.
Feel free to e-mail me any questions or comments you might have while going
through the recorded material.
Tim Martin
BeyondCreationScience.com
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"The conclusion reached is that
Paul departed neither from the Old Testament Scriptures nor the teachings of
Jesus." Holland, Contours, p. 12.
"Paul's thinking is Semitic and
not Hellenistic... By the adaptation of this hymn, Christ is proclaimed as the
unifying principle of creation and, as such, without any rival." Holland, Contours,
pp. 275, 277.
"The influence of the
all-inclusive kosmos from Gen. 2:1 on Paul in 1:6 may well be pointed to
further by the observation that he refers to the original creation in Gen. 1 by
the phrase 'in the heavens [ouranois] and upon the earth [ges]'
in 1:16 ..." Beale, Commentary, p. 843.
"Since Christ is the
'firstborn' of the new creation, those who identify with him also become
subsequently born into the beginning of the new creation. They have been born
through being raised from spiritual death to spiritual life by means of being
identified with Christ's own resurrection (2:12-13). In 3:9-10 Paul explains that this means that they have 'laid aside the old man' (i.e. their identification with the old Adam and the fallen, dead world) and 'have put on the new man' (i.e. become identified with the last Adam and new creation...
Therefore, believers are the
created progeny of the last Adam, who are beginning to fulfill in him the
mandate given to the first Adam." Beale, Commentary, p. 845.
"A number of commentators
rightly understand that the reference to Christ as the 'image of the invisible
God' is, at least in part, an allusion to Gen. 1:27... Thus, Israel was a
corporate Adam figure that was to accomplish the same purposes as Adam, and
1:15 shows Christ summing up the purposes of both OT figures." Beale, Commentary,
pp. 851, 853.
"... John 1 is also tracking Genesis 1. He suggestively says that the
connection between creation and covenant, he says, is 'primarily with
respect to the Sabbath,' but leaves the point undeveloped. It might be
possible to explain the overlap of Genesis and Exodus in John by noting
the more extensive parallels between creation and tabernacle in Exodus.
As a number of commentators have noted,
the tabernacle texts of Exodus 25-31 are organized in seven speeches
that roughly match the days of creation. The sixth speech, for instance,
describes the new 'Adams,' Bezalel and Oholiab, equipped by the Spirit
of Yahweh with skill for making tabernacle furnishings (Exodus 31:1-11).
The sequence ends with a reiteration of the Sabbath command (Exodus
31:12-17). Then Israel turns from Yahweh and worships the golden calf
(Exodus 32), a fall scene that recalls Genesis 3.
In this sequence, the intercession of Moses on Sinai parallels the
protoevangelium of Genesis 3: Despite Adam’s sin, Yahweh promises
deliverance through the seed of the woman; similarly, despite Israel’s
idolatry, Yahweh promises to dwell among them and take them to the land
in fulfillment of His promise. The big difference between the two scenes
is the presence of a mediator: In the garden, Yahweh appears directly
to Adam to judge and promise; in Exodus Moses stands between Yahweh and
the offending 'Adamic' people.
Now, overlay this already complex sequence onto John’s prologue. What
does it tell us? It suggests that the tabernacling of the Word is a 'sabbatical' event. It also suggests that the tabernacling of the Word
involves a renewal of covenant after a fall. As in Genesis 1-3 and
Exodus 33-34, the full realization of the Creator’s presence with His
creation comes after a breach of covenant. In John 1, we’re told that
the Word came to His own, but they do not receive Him. Yet John assures
us that He tabernacles among us in spite of idolatry. He goes up with us
to the promised land, He takes us back into Eden."
"Jesus, Moses, Sinai, and John" by Peter Leithart.
[The reader should note that Paul follows the same "overlay" of Creation and Exodus in the imagery he used in Colossians 1.]
