Did you know that a poison is literally too much of a good thing? Any good thing when taken in too high a dose can become a poison. Many poisons are in fact used in trace elements as medicines. It is the overdose that proves to do the harm. With some things, only a little bit becomes an overdose.

The same holds true in theology. There are many precious themes in Scripture. All of them are profitable (2 Tim 3:16). Each of them when isolated from other themes can become a theological overdose. The focus of this article is on what happens when you overdose on a certain part of the covenant.

So which precious, beautiful biblical themes does a pessimistic covenant view overdose on? It begins with the doctrine of election by God in eternity of whom to save. Salvation does not come ultimately due to human faith, choices, or actions. It is God who gives the gift of faith and of spiritual life. Therefore covenant children must also be born again. We cannot assume that their hearts are renewed or that they savingly believe in Jesus Christ. Covenant children must be converted by sovereign grace.

The pessimistic covenant view also stresses human sin and inability. If God must choose and change us in order for us to be saved, then we are helpless and dead in sin in and of ourselves. All of these things are true, and vital for covenant children to learn. The doctrine of God's sovereignty in salvation is a beautiful necessary doctrine. So far we agree. Having said this, where the pessimistic covenant view goes wrong is in an overdose of these themes, which cut them loose from the context God Himself has put them in.

First of all, this covenant view guts the covenant of its force and appeal. For you are told, you are only under the covenant, not in the covenant. You do not know if the covenant promises are really for you unless and until you know you are elect. So the first step in salvation is learning whether or not you are elect. Many never get beyond this point.

Now it is true of course that they are not all Israel who are of Israel (Romans 9:1-8). But it is equally true that to all physical covenant children pertain the adoption, the glory, and the covenants, the service of God, and the promises (Romans 9:4). The question then is, in what order do we need to learn these themes? What is their relationship to each other?

We see this graphically illustrated in the case of Jacob and Esau. We know that God chose Jacob not just to bear the Messiah, but unto salvation. We know that God rejected Esau for both of these things as well. And yet we read that Esau despised 'his' birthright (Hebrews 12:14-17). The pessimistic covenant view says, it was never his, he was only under the covenant. He only heard the truth, but it was never for him. This is why they argue from Hebrews 12, Esau was not allowed to repent, even though he tried to do so carefully with tears. This is simply not true. Esau's repentance was selfish regret, not godly sorrow.

God calls it his birthright because of the covenant of grace. God does not lie to us. When He refers to all physical children of the covenant in terms of the promise and adoption, He is not speaking potentially, but actually. To all such children pertain the promises. Yes they must be embraced by faith, they must be applied by the Holy Spirit. They are in that sense conditional. That is, God includes in the promise also the directions on how they are to be fulfilled. Just like a check with your name on it is yours, even though its riches are not enjoyed till you cash it at the bank. Ultimately God fulfills the conditions in His sovereign grace, so that these are conditions not of works but of grace. But that does not call into question the reality of those promises made to all physical covenant children.

The biblical order is different. God begins Himself to plan in eternity. But He teaches us as creatures of time beginning in history. The Bible does not begin with election. It begins with creation. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He did not begin with election. God called Abraham from Ur, and Abraham believed. This is credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was then told to circumcise all his physical children and household as sign and seal of the covenant. Only later do we learn in the case of Jacob and Esau that there is an election of grace.

There are so many other consequences to a pessimistic covenant view. It decides how you see the promises of God. You are told they are not yours promises. This is to make God insincere in His covenant language! The door of the promises is not locked but open (Canons of Dordt head I articles 1-3).

It affects everything. Baptism services become about what has not happened (being born again), rather than about what God has promised. The Lord's Supper rather than being for the weak and struggling as God designed, becomes only for the select few. The presumption of 'easy believism' is condemned. But the presumption of covenant unbelief is actually praised as spiritual discernment. Preaching is primarily about sin and misery, and on the need to be born again, as well as on warning that most will not be born again. People become spiritually paralyzed, not daring to believe what God has said. Each of these themes deserves a whole article of its own.

Covenant view is like the locomotive on a long train. It makes every car in church life go. How vital to have a clear biblical view of the covenant! So that rather than overdosing on a few select truths, you see each truth in its context.