David Van Drunen & Scott Clark on the covenant of redemption:In Reformed theology, the pactum salutis has been defined as a pretemporal, intratrinitarian agreement between the Father and Son in which the Father promises to redeem an elect people. In turn the Son volunteers to earn the salvation of his people by becoming incarnate...by acting as surety of the covenant of grace for and as mediator of the covenant of grace to the elect. In his active and passive obedience, Christ fulfills the conditions of the pactum salutis...ratifying the Father's promise, because of which the Father rewards the Son's obedience with the salvation of the elect. And because of this the Holy Spirit applies the Son's work to his people through the means of grace.
Covenant, Justification and Pastoral Ministry, p. 168
1 comment:
The only part I'd quibble with here is:
"...through the means of grace."
Regeneration is effected, when it is effected, by the Word and the Spirit. I experienced it without ever being in a church, but very much having the Word of God first read to me, then read by myself. Now I know R. Scott Clark would include the Word of God as one of the means of grace' but the application of the work of redemption - regeneration, sanctification - by the Holy Spirit is hardly a matter of ritual water baptism and what Protestants call the Lord's Supper.
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