While it might sound surprising today, many of the early dispensationalists held to some form of the covenant of redemption. In the 1900’s those such as Dwight Pentecost, Lewis Sperry Chafer, R. W. Newell, and even as recently as John Walvoord, all argued for the utility of what is often called the pactum salutis. They were not turned away by its link to covenantal theology, but rather they saw both an exegetical likelihood of such a covenant, as well as a theological utility to it. This paper draws on a J. Montgomery’s 1959 dissertation at Dallas Seminary titled “The Covenant of Redemption in Dispensational Theology.” It uses his research into early dispensationalism to explain why the covenant of redemption was widely accepted by twentieth-century dispensationalists. It will then look at how that doctrine has fallen out of style, and conclude with an argument for its continued utility, particularly in dispensationalism.
Thesis: The covenant of redemption has historically been seen as useful by early dispensationalists, and today’s dispensationalists should continue to leverage it to give their theological vision an eternal continuity.
Outline:
1. The covenant of redemption defined
2. How 1900’s dispensationalists viewed the covenant
3. Where did all the covenants go? How modern dispensationalism lost sight of the pactum
4. Why dispensationalists should continue to embrace the covenant of redemption