The Heresy of the Conditional Covenant

When Christians speak of salvation, the discussion must include an understanding of God’s covenant. The God of the Bible has revealed Himself, as a covenanting God. Because God is true (Rom 3:4), He assures those who hear His Word that His Word is true (Ps 119:160). When God makes the promise to save His chosen people, from their sins, He makes an oath and establishes a covenant (Gen 17:7; Dt 7:12; Mt 26:28; Heb 9:15).

When God says, “I will be their God and they will be My people (Jer 24:7; 32:38),” the next question is “How?” The false teaching of Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Arminianism, and the Federal Vision (heresy prevalent in Reformed churches) is a message of a conditional covenant.

The Bible clearly reveals something other than a conditional covenant. Simply put, the conditional covenant says, “God has done His part (grace), and now, man must do His part (works of obedience). Our sinful flesh loves this imaginary arrangement. It promotes a system of merit that allows man to glory in his achievements (Eccl 4:4). The conditional covenant is the way of the world. Its end is an elevation of human pride, which must be dealt with by God (Dan 4:37).

Christians are easily lured into any of the aforementioned systems of theology. These systems are all akin to the transaction agreement in the world system. When we have an agreement for an exchange at a restaurant, one party supplies the food and another agrees to pay for goods and services, delivered at the point of sale. Both parties work to facilitate the successful transaction.

In the matter of salvation, the Gospel of grace claims that salvation is entirely a transaction within the Godhead (Ps 3:8; 37:5; Jon 2:9; Rom 11:36; Rev 19:1). Therefore, when God agrees to save His people, the covenant that secures the transaction is said to be “unconditional” at every step in the process. Unconditional means that nothing is required, as a meritorious work of obedience, by men, to glean the benefits of the transaction. The heir, in Christ, receives his or her inheritance without work (Rom 4:5; 8:17).

In Revelation 20:15, we have the simple sum of the matter, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, they were thrown into the lake of fire.” The judgment on the last day is according to deeds, so the natural man is eager to get to work. He is unaware that all of his deeds are already judged by God to be filthy rags (Is 64:6). Thus, if one trusts in his good works, whether those are in a so-called “conditional covenant” or not, then, they fail to make the grade.

The natural man is unable to keep the Law of God (Rom 8:7), and just one point of transgression renders the transgressor guilty of the whole Law (Jas 2:10). This is why the Bible states the obvious: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), which means all people are condemned already from conception (Ps 51:5; Jn 3:18; Rom 5:12–21). Who can deliver us?

Jesus Christ accomplished one hundred percent of what was required to secure the salvation of every elect soul, whose name is written in the Lamb’s book from eternity (Rev 13:8; 17:8; 21:27). God chose a people and gave them to Christ (Eph 1:4–5; Jn 6:37; 17:2, 6, 24). The Son of God then came into the world, to live perfectly under the Law, to fulfill every single required act of obedience (Mt 5:17; Lk 24:44).

Because Jesus Christ is the federal head of God’s holy nation (Rom 5:17), He represents those He bought for a price (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23). These receive the Holy Spirit, as a gift of grace (Rom 5:5, 15). In fact, everything God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit does for God’s saints is called “grace.”

In grace, God elects. God redeems. God applies the merits of Christ’s active and passive works of obedience, unto righteousness (right standing before God the Father). This righteousness is imputed to the ungodly, who are justified by His blood (Rom 5:9), by His grace (Rom 3:24), and by the faith He gives His regenerate ones (Acts 3:16; Rom 12:3; Gal 3:22). God is just and the justifier of those who receive the gift of faith, granted to them (Rom 3:26; Phil 1:29).

Let me illustrate this by highlighting a heretical meme that reads, “Grace did not save Noah…obedience did.” Noah was a type of Christ, who built an ark that saved his family (Gen 6–9). Let it be said that everyone in the Old Testament is saved by the unconditional covenant of grace. God gave them His Word that He would save them, and they believed because God’s Spirit caused them to become people of faith in Yahweh and His covenant promises. His covenant is everlasting (Is 55:3; 61:8).

There is absolutely nothing anyone does, as a conditional requirement, to enter right relationship with God through Christ. Also, there are no conditional additions, in the process of sanctification or glorification that are required for entry into heaven as a “final salvation.”

Accepting the false teachings of Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Arminianism, or Federal Vision is to strip Christ of the honor and glory, for His meritorious works of perfect obedience. Further, faith is a gift of God, not a work of our obedience (Eph 2:8–9).

Those people brought into the ark of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, receive all the spiritual blessings of Christ (Eph 1:3). Good works will manifest (Jas 2:18, 20, 26), as the Spirit of the Lord wills and does His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Therefore, it is prudent for Christians to ascribe all credit, honor, praise, and glory to God for every good work done in them and through them.

Christian, you must be vigilant to learn sound doctrine that teaches the unconditional covenant of grace (1 Tim 4:6; 6:3; 2 Tim 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1). Grace is all of God, who delivers His beloved, giving them faith to believe in all the promises that are “Yes” and “Amen,” in Christ Jesus, alone (2 Cor 1:20).

God requires nothing of you, for you to be saved — a truth succinctly stated by the apostle Paul, “He saved us (Titus 3:5).” Stated simply, salvation is manifest in God’s elect, redeemed, regenerate people, who have the further promise of sanctification and glorification, as works of God’s Spirit (Rom 8:30; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 1:2).

Busy religionists rarely pause from their endless and fruitless labors, in order to hear the preacher of grace, who glorifies God by exalting Christ, in the power of the Spirit, who testifies of the person and work of Jesus Christ, who shows us the Father. Together, Father, Son, and Spirit have done great things…all of them…and none of us (Lk 17:10).

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

August 17, 2022