Why I Read Theology: Gentry and Wellum on "Covenant" in the Bible

Reading books on biblical and systematic theology can be a great way to grow in our knowledge of (and love for!) God and His Word.  I was recently reminded of the value of reading these sorts of books, as I dug a bit more deeply into how we should think about "covenants" in the Bible. 

To someone who's new to reading the Bible, the word "covenant" may sound abstract and intimidating.  But that's not the case!  "Covenant" - at a very basic level - refers to a relationship that is forged between two people (or parties).  Covenant is about relationship.  And as we read through the Bible - both Old and New Testaments - covenant language keeps coming up that pushes the storyline along.  God exists in relationship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Even.  God enters into covenantal relationship with Noah, Abraham, Israel (often called the Mosaic Covenant), and David.  The Old Testament looks ahead to a New Covenant, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ (even if the full experience of that New Covenant has elements that remain future).  

​Here's the bottom line.  Covenant is about relationship (in this case, relationship with God!).  And covenant comes up a lot in the Bible.  Both of these things should alert us to the value of having some basic understanding of covenant.  

Enter: Peter Gentry and Robert Wellum, and their recent God's Kingdom through God's Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (Crossway, 2015).

​Here's an excerpt from the book (pp. 255-56) that is saturated with depth, meaning, and implication:

On the one hand, the covenants gloriously unveil the sovereign promise making and covenant keeping God who never fails.  As Creator and Lord, he chooses to enter into relationships with his creatures, and in those relationships he always shows himself to be the faithful partner - true to himself, his own character, and his promises - and as such, he calls us to trust in him completely [see Hebrews 6:17-18].  The  covenants, then, reveal first and foremost our gracious triune God who is the promise maker and promise keeper and who unilaterally guarantees that his promises will never fail.  Whether it is with Adam or with other covenant heads, God's commitment to his image-bearers and creation, tied to his promise in Genesis 3:15, will never fail.  That same promise runs across the entire Canon, and it is ​through the biblical covenants that it takes on greater clarity and expansion until it reaches its crescendo in the person and work of Christ.

"​On the other hand, all the biblical covenants also demand an obedient partner.  God as our Creator and Lord demands from his image-bearers, who were made to know him, complete devotion and obedience.  In this sense, there is a conditional or bilateral element to the covenants.  This is certainly evident with Adam as he is given commands and responsibilities to fulfill, with the expectation that he will do so perfectly.  Furthermore, in the Noahic covenant, obedience is also demanded, which is also true of Abraham, the nation of Israel, David and his sons, and in the greatest way imaginable in the coming of the Son, who obeys perfectly and completely in his entire life and supremely in his death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-11).

"Yet, at the biblical covenants progress through redemptive-history, this tension grows, since it becomes evident that it is only the Lord himself who remains the faithful covenant partner.  From his initial promise in Genesis 3:15 to reverse the effects of sin and death; from his increasingly greater promises made through the covenants; from the beautiful picture of covenantal initiation in Genesis 15, which demonstrates that he takes the covenant obligations solely upon himself; from the provision of a sacrificial system to atone for sin (Lev 17:11); from repeatedly keeping his promises to a rebellious and hard-hearted people, God shows himself, time and time again, to be the faithful covenant partner.  By contrast, all the human covenant mediators - Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, David and his sons - show themselves to be unfaithful, disobedient covenant breakers - some to a greater extent than others.  As a result, there is no faithful, obedient son who fully obeys the demands of the covenant.  Obedience must be rendered, but there is no obedient image-bearer/son to do so.  How, then, can God remain the holy and just God that he is and continue to be present with us in covenantal relationship?  How can he remain in relationship with us unless our disobedience in removed and our sin is paid for in full?  It is through the covenants that this tension increases, and it is through the covenants that only one answer is given: it is only if God himself, as the covenant maker and keeper, unilaterally acts to keep his own promise through the provision of a faithful covenant partner that a new and better covenant can be established.  It is only in the giving of his Son, and through the Son's obedient life and death for us, that our redemption is secured, our sin is paid for, and the inauguration of an unshakable new covenant is established.

"....The storyline of Scripture as told by the covenants leads us to [Christ].  He is the one, as our great prophet, priest, and king, who accomplishes our salvation.  It is in Christ alone, God the Son incarnate, that the covenants find their fulfillment and this built-in tension finds its resolution."

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Interested in other theological resources that are saturated with meaning, and that will help orient you to robust evangelical Christian theology?  Here are eight theological resources I generally point people towards first.  Any one of these can serve you well.