God and humans aren’t strangers to one another, as if their relationship is undefined or their obligations unknown. Instead, God has established covenants in which he defines his relationships with people, makes commitments to them, and demands obedience in return. The Abrahamic covenant with the house of Abraham, the Mosaic covenant with Israel, and the new covenant with the church serve as the Bible’s most prominent examples. Thanks to these covenants, God’s people haven’t had to wonder about the nature of their relationship with him or the terms on which he deals with them.
But what about our political communities and civil governments? How should we understand their relationship with God? This article argues that God also relates to civil governments by way of covenant—specifically, the Noahic covenant he established after the great flood (Gen. 8:21–9:17).[1] This fact has profound implications for defining the importance and legitimacy of civil government as well as its limited authority and modest aspirations.[2]
A FEW BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NOAHIC COVENANT
Before turning to issues of civil government specifically, I explain a few basic characteristics of the Noahic covenant that provide the necessary background for what follows.
Universal
First, the Noahic covenant is universal
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
