I just finished “Merit and Moses,” which is an analysis of the R2K-Klinean Covenant Republication innovation. I am going to post, over the next few days, sundry quotes with some limited analysis.
“In light of the concept of “simple justice,” it is very difficult to see how the Republication Paradigm helps Israel discern the necessity of someone else performing perfect obedience to merit a reward on their behalf. If their imperfect obedience can be constituted as the meritorious ground of reward, where then do we find the ground for the necessity of the absolute perfect obedience of Christ to merit our salvation? By redefining the traditional view of merit, it seems that the Republication Paradigm has actually destroyed a significant portion of the traditional theological basis for the necessity of Christ’s perfect, active obedience.
In the traditional paradigm, the definition of justice and merit absolutely necessitates the perfect obedience of Christ to merit our salvation. In the Republication Paradigm, the definition of justice and merit no longer requires moral perfection. According to this system, Israel is able to truly merit blessing through an obedience that is only relative and imperfect (i. e., sinful). This revised definition of merit no longer absolutely requires perfection to meet the bar of Gods justice, either for Adam, for Israel, or for Christ.”
I post this quote first because it cuts the legs out from under the premise of the need for this Westminster West innovation. A large part of the whole idea of Republication was arrived at because the thought was that by providing innovation on the Mosaic Covenant one could more securely protect Justification. The thought by the Westminster West mavens was that other lesser forms of the Reformed movement were surrendering Justification. The innovators of Klinean covenant recapitulation thought they could rescue Justification from the clutches of their terrible opponents.
And yet we see by the above quote that the whole idea of Christ’s active obedience imputed to us in Justification is called into question by this covenantal innovation. In the words of the Authors of “Merit and Moses,” “Ironically, the republication teaching which was intended to preserve and protect the doctrine of justification, may (when consistently worked out) actually undercut this doctrine by which the church stands or falls.”
