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c. That He would support Him in the performance of His work, would deliver Him from the
power of death, and would thus enable Him to destroy the dominion of Satan and to establish
the Kingdom of God, Isa. 42:1-7; 49:8; Ps. 16:8-11; Acts 2:25-28.
d. That He would enable Him, as a reward for His accomplished work, to send out the Holy
Spirit for the formation of His spiritual body, and for the instruction, guidance, and protection
of the Church, John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13, 14; Acts 2:33.
e. That He would give unto Him a numerous seed in reward for His accomplished work, a seed
so numerous that it would be a multitude which no man could number, so that ultimately the
Kingdom of the Messiah would embrace the people of all nations and tongues, Ps. 22:27; 72:17.
f. That He would commit to Him all power in heaven and on earth for the government of the
world and of His Church, Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 2:5-9; and would finally
reward Him as Mediator with the glory which He as the Son of God had with the Father before
the world was, John 17:5.
E. THE RELATION OF THIS COVENANT TO THE COVENANT OF GRACE.
The following points indicate the relation in which this covenant stands
to the covenant of grace:
1. The counsel of redemption is the eternal prototype of the historical covenant of grace. This
accounts for the fact that many combine the two into a single covenant. The former is eternal,
that is, from eternity, and the latter, temporal in the sense that it is realized in time. The former
is a compact between the Father and the Son as the Surety and Head of the elect, while the
latter is a compact between the triune God and the elect sinner in the Surety.
2. The counsel of redemption is the firm and eternal foundation of the covenant of grace. If
there had been no eternal counsel of peace between the Father and the Son, there could have
been no agreement between the triune God and sinful men. The counsel of redemption makes
the covenant of grace possible.
3. The counsel of redemption consequently also gives efficacy to the covenant of grace, for in it
the means are provided for the establishment and execution of the latter. It is only by faith that
the sinner can obtain the blessings of the covenant, and in the counsel of redemption the way
of faith is opened. The Holy Spirit, which produces faith in the sinner, was promised to Christ by
the Father, and the acceptance of the way of life through faith was guaranteed by Christ.