pilgrim people

What is Covenant Theology and why does it matter? (con't)

Covenant theology is necessary becasue, as I said in the last post, covenant is the whole organizing principle of the Bible. Covenant theology is the organic framework and structure of the Scriptures themselves. The history of special revelation is organized not by a central dogma, but by covenants which God himself ordained and in which he is a member. It's like I always say to our congregation, the Bible is essentially about ONE thing: God redeeming a people for himself through Jesus Christ. And that story unfolds within the framework of covenants in made in history.

Covenant theology helps us to read the Bible as one story, one plot. It amplifies and explains that great promise echoed from Genesis to Revelation: "I will be your God and you shall be my people." While Covenant Theology pays careful attention to the contours and variations of redemptive-history, it nevertheless begins with continuity rather than discontinuity. It helps us to see the basic continuity between the Old and New Testaments in terms of a single covenant of grace running throughout, as well as the discontinuity within the Old Testament, distinguishing between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, for example.

If we do not go with the structure and framework that the Bible itself provides, then we will almost always make a mess of our interpretation of the Bible. We will be given to our own assumptions, whims, and hangups when trying to resolve the complicated questions that inevitably arise from the Bible. The Bible is a big book, sixty-six books in fact. It has several different genres and a lot of diverse teaching. Where do we start and how do we see the Bible internal consistency? Covenant theology provides that. It is the Bible's own framework that keeps us safe when navigating the waters of interpreting redemptive-history. It leads us to the safe harbor of the Person and Work of Christ, which is what the Bible is all about.

More to come...