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
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