Covenant of Vocation vs Works Contract - N.T. Wright's Biblical Perspective Explained

This post provides a brief explanation of the concept of a "covenant of vocation" as contrasted against the typical "works contract" perspective of Scripture, as explained by N.T. Wright in his wonderful book, The Day the Revolution Began. Both the 'works contract' and 'covenant of vocation' are powerful lenses through which we see not only the Bible, but also God's plan for salvation through the Messiah. It's a distinction that will affect who we believe YHWH is, and what we believe about who he has called us to be, and our purpose here and now!

Most people today are familiar with the ‘works contract’ formula for faith - even if they don’t necessarily use that term. This is the basic understanding of the Gospel that most people have. This lens of looking at the work of Jesus is prevalent in most Christian denominations, as well as with people of different faith backgrounds. Most people believe (or have been told) something close to the following. 

How does the “works contract” model work? Here’s how N.T. Wright puts it:

a. All humans sinned, causing God to be angry and to want to kill them, to burn them forever in “hell.”

b. Jesus somehow got in the way and took the punishment (it helped, it seems, that he was innocent - and God’s own son).

c. We are in the clear after all, heading for “heaven” instead of hell (provided, of course, we believe it).

And when you look at relationship with God this way, it raises some questions. Why would God give us laws we can’t keep, causing us to be guilty, and then punish us with death? This perspective makes it sound like God laid a trap for people. That doesn’t sound like good news at all. Wright says, “The danger with this kind of popular teaching is that we end up rewriting John 3:16 - ‘God so hated the world, that he killed his son.’”

Under the ‘works contract’ perspective, Adam and Eve failed to keep the instructions God gave and because of that they were not only evicted from Eden, but they were also subject to the punishment of death.

This same story was then repeated…more laws were given to Israel through Moses. God’s people once again failed to keep these instructions, and the results was the same…they deserved death, and were heading to hell.

But finally Jesus arrived and managed to perfectly keep the law. His death as perfect and innocent somehow paid the penalty on behalf of the human race.

Wright says that this “view of the relationship between God and humans is a travesty. It is unbiblical and takes us to a goal very different from the one held out in Scripture.”

Wright believes the Bible offers us is not this “works contract” but a covenant of vocation.

What is a covenant of vocation?

“The vocation is that of being a genuine human being.”

It is being part of the royal priesthood. The Melchizedek order that the Messiah is high priest over.

It’s bearing God’s image…reflecting who he is into the world, caring for and stewarding fellow humans and creation.

To be clear, Wright is not saying that those who aren’t living this way aren’t actual humans or that they are somehow lesser than or anything like that. He's also not speaking against the Messiah's work or negating the promise of eternal life. He believes there is more to the Gospel story than what we have been told. He is saying that each of us has more potential we can fulfill through God’s plan for us, and living how he intends.

Wright believes that the main task of the covenant of vocation is being an image-bearer of God. That means that we are reflecting the Creator’s nature, love, truth, and faithfulness into the world, and also “reflecting the praises of all creation back to its maker.” Bearing God’s image means you are part of the royal priesthood, “and are called to the point where heaven and earth meet.” Humans are placed in a unique position where they are part of creation but also reflect the ‘life and love of heaven.’

In the covenant of vocation, humans were created to worship God, and to steward creation on his behalf. 

Under the covenant of vocation, the problem of sin is not just about what happens after we die. Sin keeps us from bearing God’s image and being part of his royal priesthood here and now.

Wright says, “The diagnosis of the human plight is not simply that humans have broken God’s moral law.” Keeping God’s laws and commandments are important…they are the ultimate guide to how we worship God, love our neighbors, and steward creation. But morality isn’t the whole story. Keeping Biblical law is a significant part of our vocation. When we break the law it is a “symptom of a much more serious disease.”

That disease is idolatry. 

Scripture tells us that God created humans to have “responsibility and authority with and over creation.” When we sin we give up that authority and are “giving worship and allegiance to forces and powers within creation itself” - whether or not that’s what we intend to do or believe is happening. 

Sin is a problem, not just because it demonstrates our shortcomings and leads us away from eternal life, but because it is idolatry, and idolatry keeps us from the covenant of vocation. “When we worship and serve forces within creation, we hand over our power to other forces that usurp our position.” And then we are no longer taking part in the royal priesthood or bearing the authentic image of YHWH back to creation.

Idolatry leads to slavery, which leads to death.

When Jesus died, he didn’t just take our punishment, and the sole goal wasn’t just to grant us eternal life…even though those are important truths worth celebrating. Wright says, “The New Testament insists, in book after book, that when Jesus died on the cross, something happened as a result of which the world is a different place.” When Jesus died, he freed us from idolatry and the horrible power of the forces behind it. Through his death, the Messiah enabled us to once again take part in the covenant of vocation, to worship him through the royal priesthood of Melchizedek, and to bear his image.

Scripture shows that humans are called to be part of the royal priesthood:

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…that you may declare the praises of him who called you out.” 1 Peter 2:9

“You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” -Revelation 5:10

In the works contract model, sin is the breaking of arbitrary commandments, which stops us from going to heaven.

But in the covenant of vocation model, idolatry (whose symptoms are seen in the Biblical definition of sin - breaking the commandments) stops us from being the humans YHWH created us to be.

This means that the Savior's death did not simply release people to go to heaven, but it frees us from the grips of idols, so that we can worship the Living God!

If we look at the Bible through the lens of the works contract, then it seems like:

-God set impossible standards for us that he knew we would fail at.

-All God wants from us is moral perfection.

-He's angry with us.

-The only thing Jesus's death accomplished was for us to go to heaven.

-It doesn't matter how I live or what I do because I am covered by the Messiah's blood.

But if we see Scripture through the covenant of vocation perspective, then:

-God gave us instructions so that we could achieve our ultimate purpose...showing the world who he is.

-God desires our worship and allegiance.

-God is not mad at us, but angry with the powers that have enslaved his people.

-The Savior's death freed us from those powers, so we can bring God's kingdom to earth here and now, and not just wait for heaven after death.

-Because I am freed by the Messiah, I can live how God called me to...as a priest and bearer of his image.

This is a simplified understanding of the explanation that N.T. Wright gives, but what a perspective shift! The covenant of vocation shows so much about the character of YHWH, and our role as his image-bearers. I highly recommend the book The Day the Revolution Began, to dive deeper into this topic.

More fresh perspective:

Did Jesus Speak Against Commandments or Traditions?
Misconceptions that Keep Us From Understanding the Bible
The Three Types of Laws in Scripture

The Meaning of Peter's Vision of the Unclean Animals in Acts 10 (As Explained by Acts 11)

This post explains the meaning of Peter's vision of the sheet of unclean animals descending from the heavens from Acts 10:13. Did you know that Peter himself actually explained the meaning of the words "kill and eat" to mean something besides what we have been told by churches and Bible commentary? Most of Acts chapter 11 addresses it's true meaning to be about people and not once does it say it's about what we eat! 

"Get up, Peter, kill and eat." -Acts 10:13

This passage makes it clear that it's now okay to eat anything and everything, right? Even the animals forbidden in Leviticus 11? I used to think so, but a deeper examination of this passage says otherwise. Are you familiar with Peter's vision of the animals on the sheet in Acts 10?

He became hungry and wished to eat. But while they were preparing, he fell into a trance, and he saw the heaven opened and a vessel like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth, in which were all kinds of four footed beasts, and wild beasts, and creeping creatures, and birds of the heavens. And a voice came and said, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat."
But Peter said, "Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten anything unclean."
And a voice came to him again and said, "What YHWH has cleansed you do not consider common or unclean." -Acts 10:10-15

Well that's pretty obvious, right? He's looking at animals and being told to eat, so it must be about food. Peter initially thought it was about food too, which is why he responds by saying that he has never violated the dietary instructions of Scripture. That response of itself is very telling. Peter spent more time than perhaps anyone on earth in the presence of the Messiah. If Jesus had taught or believed it was okay to eat things forbidden by Scripture, Peter would have known that. This vision happened around a decade after Yahusha ascended into heaven, and Peter still hadn't eaten anything forbidden. Since he was convinced that nothing had changed, he was very confused by this vision. He was shown this vision of the animals three times (verse 17), and then it says he "doubted within himself" what this might mean. Why was he confused? Because he knew it couldn't have been about what we eat!

Peter was confused. This is a man who heard teachings first hand and received personal instruction from Yahusha the Messiah, son of YHWH for years. Someone who asked the Messiah questions, and had them answered. One of the best preachers of the Gospel in history. Arguably the clearest writer and teacher in the New Testament. He had no idea what that could mean. If Peter was unsure, is it reasonable to assume that we can spend 20 seconds on the text and have the correct understanding?

As you may know, Scripture tells us that while Peter was still trying to figure this out some men came to request that Peter come with them to teach to Cornelius and his household. The same voice that said "Kill and eat," told him to go with them, and he did. Why was a voice from Heaven needed to convince Peter to go? Because Cornelius wasn't Jewish, and going to his home was forbidden by Peter's tribe (Acts 10:28), though permissible according to Scripture. On his way there, the meaning of the vision became clear to Peter.

And he said to them, "You know a Jew is not allowed to associate with, or go to one of another race. But YHWH has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean." -Acts 10:28

Peter himself explains this confusing vision to us. While Scripture is quick to correct Peter, ("Get behind me, Satan!") nothing is ever said to contradict his interpretation. He then reiterates his understanding of this again to the other Disciples in Acts 11, taking up almost an entire chapter to do so. Yes, that's right, there is a chapter of the Bible that explains this vision, showing us people are what we shouldn't call unclean or unfit for redemption. In fact, a fair amount of what happens in the rest of the book of Acts is about Paul and other Disciples going to share the Gospel with people they otherwise wouldn't have, considering them too 'unclean' or common for redemption. This vision corrected bad practices rooted in tradition instead of the word of God!

You see, the Disciples had fallen into some wrong beliefs about who can be grafted into Israel. YHWH wanted to be absolutely certain that no one was excluded from the Good News of the Messiah. He gave Peter this vision to show him that even people who didn't have ancestors in Israel (common), or people that had lived wrongly in sin (unclean), could repent and be welcomed into the family of YHWH.

Having heard this, they were silent, and praised YHWH, saying, "Then YHWH has indeed also given to the nations repentance to life." -Acts 11:18

This vision is about one of the root issues in Scripture...that we can all be grafted into the tree of Israel. It's not about our bloodline or family lineage, or knowing for sure our ancestors were part of ancient Israel. This is about the lost tribes being regathered into YHWH's people. No matter someone's past or where they are from, redemption is possible through the Messiah. 

That's how Peter explained his vision. That's what the other disciples understood this vision to mean. And that's what the Bible says it meant when God showed Peter the unclean animals and he heard the phrase, "Kill and eat!" Even though we have been told that this means God did away with the dietary instructions of the Old Testament, that is not at all what Peter or anyone else in the book of Acts thought about this. Acts 11 explains the meaning and not once does it mention food or what we eat.

More about what the New Testament says about food:
Understanding the Messiah Declaring All Foods Clean
Romans 14 Explained (Key to Understanding New Testament Verses on Food)
Why 1 Timothy 4 Doesn't Mean that All Animals Should Be Eaten

Hebrew School: What is sin?

In today's lesson I want to focus on understanding what sin actually is according to Scripture. Too often the definition gets muddled and people are left thinking that 'sin' is just having a bad attitude or in general "falling short" or that being a 'sinner' is just a vague sense of not being good enough. There is a lot of confusion about what sin is and if we don't stop to define it we can't end up with some very incorrect ideas about Scripture.

In John 8, the Messiah tells the woman who was caught in adultery to, "Go and sin no more." This tells us that the definition of sin to Yahusha is clear cut and easily understandable. This is not like an encounter with an upset boss who tells you not to disappoint him again when you're not sure what he is upset about in the first place. That doesn't leave you with any tangible ways of how to please your superior. But when the Messiah said it, the woman understood that she really could stop sinning because she understood what that was.

What is sin according to Scripture?

1 John 3:4 tells us.

Anyone who commits sin violates Torah, for sin is the transgression of the Torah. RSTNE

Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah - indeed, sin is violation of Torah. CJB

Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. BYNV

Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law. CEV

Scripture defines sin as disobeying the commandments of YHWH. This particular sentence was penned by John, who of course as one of the disciples spent a lot of time with the Messiah. If Yahusha had taught that it was okay to disobey the instructions of YHWH John would have heard him, but he didn't!

Is this just talking about commandments in the New Testament?

First of all, when John wrote this there was no 'New Testament.' At the time the Scriptures consisted of the Tanakh, or what many would call the 'Old' Testament. All of John's basis for commandments would have come from the Tanakh, as did all the Messiah's teachings on the instructions.

Second, when instructions are given in the 'New Testament' they stem from the commandments in the Torah. We see the Messiah do this many times like in Matthew 5:27-28 when he talked about adultery. He acknowledged the commandment to not commit adultery, and then clarified that you shouldn't even think about it. He gave us a better understanding of the commandments, he never did away with them.

What does this mean?

It means we don't have to wonder what sin is or if we're doing it. By studying Scripture we learn the commandments of YHWH and that tells us how we should live. By keeping the commands we are obedient to YHWH. He does not want us to be in the dark, blindly guessing at every decision what his will would be. Understanding what sin is empowers us to walk with confidence in our faith.

Read these passages with a better understanding of sin.

"If you don't do what is right, violating the Torah is crouching at the door - it wants you, but you can rule over it." -Genesis 4:7

"If we confess we have violated his commands he is faithful and just to forgive us." -1 John 1:9

"He bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to Torah violations and live for righteousness." -1 Peter 2:24

"Forgive others when they violate the commandments against you, and YHWH will also forgive you." -Matthew 6:14

"Should we violate the Torah because we have the favor of YHWH? Of course not." -Romans 6:15

"Direct my footsteps with your word. Don't let violating the commandments rule over me." -Psalm 119:133

"We have violated the Torah and done wrong." -Daniel 9:5

Yahusha said, "I tell you that everyone who violates the Torah is a slave." -John 8:34

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I wouldn't disobey your commands." -Psalm 119:11

"He did not violate the Torah." -Hebrews 4:15

More Hebrew School:
What a Hebrew is
The Set Apart Times of Scripture
Keeping the Law...even if we can't do so perfectly
What a 'no-work day' is
The Northern and Southern Kingdoms
Syncretism!
Why We Don't Sacrifice Animals