1. We affirm that in addition to the covenant of works made with Adam, God made a covenant of grace with Christ as the second Adam and all the elect in him as his seed in order to deliver the elect out of a state of misery and bring them into an estate of salvation (L 30-31).
2. We affirm that in this covenant of grace God not only offers to sinners salvation and life by faith in Jesus Christ, but also promises to give unto all the elect the Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to believe (C 8.2).
3. Consequently, we deny any definition of the covenant of grace that would make it apply equally to the elect and reprobate.
To say it does not apply “equally” makes all of the above perfectly fine for anyone in the PCA. If the “equally” is a throwaway word and what is intended is to deny that non-elect church members are within the covenant of grace at all, then I think the statement is counter-confessional. To wit:
Q. 162. What is a sacrament?
A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without.
Q. 163. What are the parts of a sacrament?
A. The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ’s own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified.
Q. 164. How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New Testament?
A. Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s supper.
Q. 165. What is baptism?
A. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to be a sign and seal of ingrafting into himself, of remission of sins by his blood, and regeneration by his Spirit; of adoption, and resurrection unto everlasting life; and whereby the parties baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church, and enter into an open and professed engagement to be wholly and only the Lord’s.
Q. 166. Unto whom is baptism to be administered?
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized.
Q. 101. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?
A. The preface to the Ten Commandments is contained in these words, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Wherein God manifesteth his sovereignty, as being JEHOVAH, the eternal, immutable, and almighty God; having his being in and of himself, and giving being to all his words and works: and that he is a God in covenant, as with Israel of old, so with all his people; who, as he brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, so he delivereth us from our spiritual thraldom; and that therefore we are bound to take him for our God alone, and to keep all his commandments.
There is some sense in which members of the visible Church are in the covenant of grace, even though the promise of the Holy Spirit to enable belief only applies to the elect. This conclusion is backed up by a comparison with the description of the administration of the Covenant of Grace and the description of the visible Church.
Again, if the “equally” in point 3 above is taken seriously, then there is no real problem.