20 May
By
On
In Covenant Theology

Law and Righteousness in Scripture and Confession Address as Incoming Moderator of the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia 7 May 2007 by Rev Dr Rowland S. Ward 1. Consensus It is obvious but often overlooked that the Westminster Standards, intended for the Christian Church in England, Scotland and Ireland, are very much consensus statements. That is, they endeavour to avoid deciding between different schools of thought which fall within the acceptable bounds of the Reformed faith, and they are often content to agree in practical conclusions even if there are different theoretical underpinnings. Let me give you some examples: (1) In framingRead More →

23 December
By
On
In Book Reviews, Covenant Theology

REVIEW: Lewis Bevans Schenck, The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant (Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing 2003). lge. pbk., xx + 188 pp.   Reviewed by Rev Dr Rowland S. Ward, minister of Knox Presbyterian Church, Melbourne, Australia. This review appeared in the Confessional Presbyterian, Vol 2 (2006) pp 181-184   The republication of this historical study of the significance of infant baptism in the Presbyterian Church should be welcomed by conservative Presbyterians even if they find cause to disagree with some of the author’s arguments, and are less than satisfied by aspects of his historical reconstruction and arrangement. The modern introduction by FrankRead More →

12 December
By
On
In Covenant Theology

God’s Covenant Unfolded: Creation to New Creation   Rowland S. Ward   Adam was made a king or ruler of the earth under God, and placed in a central sanctuary garden reminiscent of later priestly sanctuaries in Israel. Since the moment of Adam’s disobedience restoration to God’s fellowship by our obedience is impossible; we are shut up to reliance on another, Jesus Christ. He is in fact called the Last Adam (1 Cor 15:45) as well as ‘the first born from the dead and the Ruler of the kings of the earth’ (Rev 1:5). This is as much as to say that there have beenRead More →

12 December
By
On
In Covenant Theology

Creation & Covenant: Covenant Theology in Outline   Rowland S Ward The Presbyterian Banner, October 2002. Covenant theology in outline The Bible is a covenant book, and its two parts could be better described as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The intended contrast is between the covenant with Moses at Sinai and the covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ 1500 years later, which the old covenant foreshadowed. However, there are other covenant arrangements in the Bible to be considered as well. Covenant theology understands that God’s relationship with humanity always involved a personal, loving, covenant bond, and that God’s intention in creation was theRead More →

12 December
By
On
In Covenant Theology

SOME THOUGHTS ON COVENANT THEOLOGY AND ON JUSTIFICATION #3 N.T.Wright and the ‘new perspective’ on Paul Rowland S. Ward   One of our younger adult members/readers asked for something on a matter of current discussion in Anglican circles in Sydney and which will have its impact on everyone in due time. Here’s my effort to explain the issues in brief. ‘Justification is an act of God’s free grace in which he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight for the sake of the righteousness of Christ alone, which is credited to us and received by faith alone’ (Shorter Catechism, 33).Read More →

12 December
By
On
In Covenant Theology

SOME THOUGHTS ON COVENANT THEOLOGY AND ON JUSTIFICATION #2 Rowland S. Ward   The Presbyterian Banner – April 2002 In the previous issue I outlined the concept of a covenant with Adam requiring obedience to the obtaining of eternal life. Adam’s failure in this covenant plunged the race into ruin, but through the obedience of the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, salvation is achieved. In justification we are not simply treated as if we had never sinned but as if Adam had fully obeyed. The Adamic covenant and merit It is common to describe Christ, the last Adam, as ‘meriting’ our salvation by his obedience. TheRead More →

12 December
By
On
In Covenant Theology

SOME THOUGHTS ON COVENANT THEOLOGY AND ON JUSTIFICATION #1   Rowland S. Ward   The Presbyterian Benner – March 2002   The origins of the doctrine of the Adamic covenant In the early years the Reformation the relationship of God to Adam was not developed in terms of the covenant idea. It was recognised that through Adam sin and death had entered the world and that death had passed on all men since all had sinned (Romans 5:12). However, this was not understood at first to have involved a breaking of a pre-fall covenant in Eden but to have been a natural transmission to Adam’sRead More →