Covenant and Common Grace
Why do we love the stars? What is it about good work that is so satisfying to the soul? Are the gardens we plant “holy”? Why does God so often bless those who hate him? Why are some stories universally appealing, touching Hindu hearts and those of Christians or atheists alike? God’s covenant with Noah helps us answer such questions.
The Noahic Covenant, established in Genesis 9, is a beautiful and foundational theological truth that doesn’t get enough press. It signifies God's commitment to sustaining the created order and preserving humanity despite the pervasive presence of sin and evil. This covenant has significant implications for the doctrine of Common Grace, which refers to the grace of God that extends to all humanity, regardless of their spiritual state. That grace takes many forms, including the necessity and maintenance of social order, cultural development, the restraint of evil, the benefits of natural weather and seasons, and the blessing of gifts, skills, work, and family life.
What’s the Noahic Covenant?
The Noahic Covenant, made after the flood, is a universal covenant between God and all living creatures, symbolized by the rainbow (Genesis 9:8-17). Unlike the covenant of grace, which is particular and redemptive, the Noahic Covenant is universal and preservative. It ensures the stability of the natural order and guarantees that the world will not be destroyed again by a flood, allowing human life to flourish.
Reformed theologians such as John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, and Louis Berkhof have emphasized the distinctiveness of this covenant. Calvin noted that the Noahic Covenant manifests God’s patience and forbearance with humanity despite the ongoing reality of sin. Bavinck considered it a foundation for the cultural mandate given to humanity, enabling human civilization to advance within the constraints of a fallen world. Berkhof, on the other hand, highlighted its role in preserving the natural order, which is essential for the unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes in history.
The Doctrine of Common Grace
“Common Grace” refers to God's unmerited favor that extends to all people, regardless of their spiritual state. This grace is "common" that it is universal, affecting both believers and unbelievers. It is distinct from "special" or "saving" grace, reserved for the elect. Common Grace manifests in various forms, such as the restraint of sin, the endowment of human faculties, and the provision of societal structures that promote peace and order.
Abraham Kuyper, a prominent Reformed theologian, significantly contributed to the development of the doctrine of Common Grace. Kuyper argued that Common Grace serves as the means by which God preserves the world and allows human culture to develop despite the pervasive presence of sin. This grace restrains the full expression of evil, allowing for the existence of justice, morality, and beauty in the world.
The Noahic Covenant as the Foundation of Common Grace
The Noahic Covenant and the doctrine of Common Grace are intimately connected in Reformed theology. The covenant serves as the theological foundation for God's ongoing engagement with a sinful world, providing the framework within which Common Grace operates.
Preservation of the Created Order: The Noahic Covenant ensures the preservation of the natural world (and summons us and all peoples into the good work of exploring and caring for creation rather than exploiting or despoiling it), which is essential for the operation of Common Grace. By promising not to destroy the earth again, God guarantees the stability necessary for human life and culture to flourish. This stability is a manifestation of Common Grace, as it allows for the development of society, arts, sciences, and other cultural endeavors.
Restraint of Sin: The Noahic Covenant also establishes the principle of justice and the right to life (Genesis 9:5-6), which undergirds human governments and societal structures. This legal and moral order is a key aspect of Common Grace, as it restrains the spread of sin and promotes the common good. Reformed theologians like Cornelius Van Til have emphasized that even fallen human governments are instruments of God's Common Grace, maintaining order in a world that would otherwise descend into chaos. Look, as bad as we may think it already is, things could be infinitely worse!
The Cultural Mandate: The continuation of the cultural mandate (Genesis 1:28), reaffirmed in the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:1-7), is another dimension of Common Grace. Despite the fall, humanity retains the calling to cultivate and develop the earth. The Noahic Covenant ensures that this mandate can be carried out within a stable and preserved world. Reformed thinkers such as Kuyper and Bavinck have argued that all human cultural activities, whether explicitly religious or not, are expressions of Common Grace and contribute to the broader purposes of God in history.
Common Grace and Redemptive Grace: While the Noahic Covenant and Common Grace are universal in scope, they ultimately serve the purposes of God's redemptive plan. Reformed theologians have argued that Common Grace provides the context within which redemptive grace operates. Preserving the world and restraining evil creates the conditions necessary for proclaiming the gospel and gathering the elect. Thus, the Noahic Covenant, through its establishment of Common Grace, indirectly supports the work of redemption.
Noah and Abraham
While the Noahic Covenant functions as an extension of the Covenant of Grace in a broad and preservative sense, the Abrahamic Covenant, established later in Genesis 12, 15, and 17, narrows the focus specifically to redemption. The Abrahamic Covenant is explicitly redemptive, promising blessings to Abraham and his descendants, including the land, a great nation, and ultimately, a blessing to all nations through his Seed—a promise that the New Testament identifies as being fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16).
The key difference between the Noahic and Abrahamic Covenants lies in their scope and focus. The Noahic Covenant is universal, applying to all of humanity and the entire creation. It preserves the world so that God's redemptive purposes can be realized within history. The Abrahamic Covenant, however, is particular, focusing on a specific people chosen by God—Abraham's descendants—through whom the Messiah would come. It is not about preservation but is central to God's plan to gather a people for Himself through the redemption offered to us in Jesus.
While the Noahic Covenant ensures the stability of the world and provides a general context for human history, the Abrahamic Covenant zeros in on the particular means by which God will bring His plan of redemption to fulfillment. Both covenants are integral to the Covenant of Grace, yet they serve different purposes: the Noahic Covenant maintains the world in which redemption can occur, while the Abrahamic Covenant establishes the lineage and means by which that redemption will be accomplished.
Theological Implications
The relationship between the Noahic Covenant and Common Grace has profound theological implications, particularly in understanding God's dealings with us and our world. It affirms God's sovereignty and goodness in sustaining a world marred by sin, ensuring that His purposes, both in the natural and redemptive orders, are fulfilled. Moreover, it challenges Christians to engage constructively with the world, recognizing that cultural and societal activities are not devoid of God's grace but are arenas where His Common Grace is at work. Reformed theology, therefore, presents a robust framework for understanding how God governs a fallen world.
Whether we work in medicine, education, music, or home-building, in church, civil government, the military, or finance, we can glorify God in our work as stewards of his common grace, recognizing this same common grace in those around us, whether believers or not. We can offer our work to God as fruitful service in his name, knowing that as we do all things for his glory, he will use our work to help others and hinder evil and its outcomes. We can affirm beauty in this world and rejoice in it, even as we lament the shadows of darkness and the suffering of so many..
Above all, we can give thanks that God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God who watches over his word to perform it. What he promised will surely come to pass, and he now governs all things “for his glory and our good.”