WHAT PAUL SAYS ABOUT THE COVENANTS IN GALATIANS 3–4

by DONALD E. COBB in Vol. 2 No. 2 / Oct 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35285/ucc2.2.2016.art10



Abstract
The present article explores Paul’s use and meaning of the διαθήκη (diathēkē, “covenant” or “testament”) in Galatians 3–4, as well as the relation between the covenants mentioned or presupposed in these chapters: the Abrahamic promise covenant, the Mosaic law covenant, and the Davidic and eschatological (“new”) covenants. The article first highlights elements that suggest that “covenant” is an important aspect of Paul’s biblical-theological argument in Galatians. Two sections develop the content of these covenants. In the final section, the relation between the covenants is brought to bear upon the covenant and Mosaic law in Reformed theology. A historical-redemptive approach is considered necessary for understanding Paul’s statements on the Mosaic Torah and covenant in Galatians 3–4, as well as in Reformed theology generally.

Download PDF Downloaded 263 times.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Back to Article List Download Journal

Other Articles in
Vol. 2 No. 2 / Oct 2016

Editorial: Freedom of Conscience: The Reformers’ and Ours by PAUL WELLS
An Exhortation to the Diligent Study of Scripture by DESIDERIUS ERASMUS
Erasmus and the Book That Changed the World Five Hundred Years Ago by DANIEL B. WALLACE
Re-Establishment of the Christian Church in Mongolia: The Mongolian Standard Version Translation by National Christians by BAYARJARGAL GARAMTSEREN
Inerrancy Is Not Enough: A Lesson in Epistemology from Clark Pinnock on Scripture by R. CARLTON WYNNE
The “Presentation” of the Infant Jesus in Luke 2:22–24 by MICHAEL C. MULDER
From Ignominy to Glory: Jesus’s Death and Resurrection in Calvin’s Harmony of the Gospels by W. GORDON CAMPBELL
The Holy Spirit in the Gospels by PETER A. LILLBACK
J. Gresham Machen’s The Virgin Birth of Christ: Then and Now by BERNARD AUBERT
Paul’s Preaching and Postmodern Skepticism by VERN S. POYTHRESS
What Paul Says about the Covenants in Galatians 3–4 by DONALD E. COBB
The Fourth Gospel and the Apostolic Mission: John’s Common Evangelical Theology by MATTHEW D. JENSEN
The Power of Literary Art in Revelation 12:1–6 by LEANDRO A. DE LIMA
A Panel on Vatican II by LEONARDO DE CHIRICO, DARIUSZ M. BRYĆKO, AND JOSE DE SEGOVIA
Interview with Dr. Robert George by PETER A. LILLBACK
Paul A. Rainbow. Johannine Theology: The Gospel, The Epistles and The Apocalypse. by GUY PRENTISS WATERS
Michael Bräutigam. Union with Christ: Adolf Schlatter’s Relational Christology. by ROBERT W. YARBROUGH
Martin Wallraff, Silvana Seidel Menchi, and Kaspar von Greyerz, eds. Basel 1516: Erasmus’ Edition of the New Testament. by BERNARD AUBERT
Elizabeth Evenden and Thomas S. Freeman. Religion and the Book in Early Modern England: The Making of John Foxe’s “Book of Martyrs.” Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History. by RYAN M. REEVES
Christopher A. Daily. Robert Morrison and the Protestant Plan for China. by CHAD VAN DIXHOORN
Marilynne Robinson. The Givenness of Things: Essays. by WILLIAM EDGAR