What is a Covenantal Biblicist?
Covenantal
To be "covenantal" means that one understands the Bible as teaching what is known as "covenant theology". The observation is that God primarily deals with His people through covenants. This view also stresses that there is significant continuity between the Old and New Testaments, unlike competing ideologies such as dispensationalism or New Covenant theology.
Specifically, the guy who runs this blog holds to the covenant theology as taught in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), but he tries not to be too annoying about it.
Biblicist
The word "biblicist" is often employed as a pejorative term to dismiss people who hold highly to the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura. It is a term often used by hyperconfessionalists for those people, like myself, who are not fully subscribed to every jot and tittle of the 1689 (or whatever confessional standards under discussion), and refuse to use the 1689 itself or the system it defines as a governing hermeneutic. Though intended as a way to denigrate the opposition, I wear the term as a badge of honor. Our hermeneutics should be derived from Scripture, and Scripture should interpret Scripture. Confessions are excellent and useful tools, but they are not holy writ. They are not to be used to interpret Scripture, rather Scripture is to be used to determine whether a confession is or is not legitimate.
What do you mean you don't fully subscribe?
I have these three disagreements with the confession, although I'm not 100% if the second and third ones meet the definition of a "divergence" from the 1689:
- Lord's Day / Sabbath (Chapter 22)
I affirm that one day in seven has been set apart from creation for the worship of God, and that under the New Covenant this day is the first day of the week, the Lord's Day. However, I do not view the Sabbath command as a "creation ordinance" that binds in the strict sense of the Confession, nor do I prefer the language of "Christian Sabbath." I understand it as a creation institution (exemplified in Genesis 2) rather than a commandment imposed at creation. The Fourth Commandment finds its fulfillment and transformation in Christ and the New Covenant, with the Lord's Day observed as a day of worship, rest, and joy, but without the full rigor of the Old Covenant Sabbath. Therefore, I am not a "strict sabbatarian" and adhere more to the so-called continental view of the Lord's Day as opposed to the Puritan view found in the confession. Specifically, in the 8th paragraph of this chapter, I would replace the part "do not only observe a holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy" with something like "do observe a holy rest all day, worshipping the Lord corporately and privately, and engaging in such lawful activities as may promote the enjoyment of the day unto the Lord." I agree with the stance of Legacy that in general Lord's day observance should be a matter of the conscience.
- The Pope of Rome (Chapter 26.4)
I fully affirm that the Christ alone is the head of the church and that the Pope of Rome cannot in any sense be head of the church. I also believe Roman Catholic doctrine contains serious errors incompatible with Scripture. However, I disagree with the language identifying the Pope as "that antichrist, the man of sin, and son of perdition", as it could be understood to be construing the pope as an eschatological antichrist. Additionally, this can be understood as identifying the Pope as the singular final Antichrist of prophecy, which I do not believe is required by Scripture. While this reflected a strong historical Protestant consensus in 1689 amid real conflicts with Rome, I believe the primary fronts of spiritual battle have shifted in the 21st century.
- Covenant Theology and Hermeneutics
I affirm the covenantal framework of the Confession as a helpful and biblical way of understanding redemptive history. However, I stop short of using the covenant theology of the 1689 as a controlling hermeneutic or lens through which Scripture must be read. Scripture alone is the ultimate authority; good systematic tools should be subordinate to the text, not vice versa.
Who is the Covenantal Biblicist?
The Covenantal Biblicist is Jason Reeves, who serves as a church officer at a church that is in substantial agreement with the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689). He may be reached at covenantalbiblicist@unitedentropy.com.