Excerpts from Ray R. Sutton’s That You May Prosper: Dominion by Covenant.

How do we discover the covenant? We have to be convinced that it is the central organizing principle of the Bible. The only way to come to this conclusion is to understand the covenant itself. If we do not know what a covenant consists of, we will never be able to see it in all the segments of the Bible. Then, after we know the meaning of a covenant, we can consider how it works.

So, That You May Prosper has two parts: covenant and dominion. My primary purpose in the “covenant” section is to define the covenant. The Book of Deuteronomy is a model, a place where all of its parts can clearly be seen. Deuteronomy is to the covenant what Romans is to systematic theology. But how do we know Deuteronomy is a covenant? Moses says, “He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments [Words]” (Deut. 4:13). Deuteronomy is the second giving of the Ten Commandments, a “new” covenant so to speak. Moses says of the book as a whole, “Keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do” (Deut. 29:9). Deuteronomy is definitely a covenant document (pp. 14-15).

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The Biblical covenant in Deuteronomy has five parts….Therefore, let us briefly overview the five points of covenantalism (p. 16).

Sutton’s list, summarized:

1) True Transcendence — God is distinct (Deut. 1:1-5).

2) Hierarchy — God is sovereign in relation to his people and utilizes representatives, e.g., Levites, Priesthood (Deut. 1:6-4:49).

3) Ethics — stipulations for the law at the heart of God’s covenant (Deut. 5-26).

4) Sanctions — lists of blessings and curses/rewards and punishments attached to covenant (Deut. 27-30).

5) Continuity — answers the questions “Who is in the covenant and has the Spirit (who empowers them to obey) and takes dominion?” (Deut. 31-34).

Here we see Sutton is echoing and unpackaging Westminster Confession of Faith, “Of God’s Covenant with Man” (VII.I.), which teaches that the Triune Lord relates to creation and has chosen to self-disclose knowledge of God to man by mode of covenant.

The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part, which He has been pleased to express by way of covenant.