One of the most foundational truths of the Bible is that God relates to His people through covenant. Yet many believers, even those who have followed Jesus for years, don’t fully understand what a covenant is or why it matters.

In God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology, Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum argue that “one cannot fully understand Scripture and correctly draw theological conclusions from it without grasping how all of the biblical covenants unfold across time and find their telos, terminus, and fulfillment in Christ.”¹

That statement alone changes everything about how we read the Bible.

The Bible’s Storyline: Kingdom through Covenant

Gentry and Wellum describe the covenants as the backbone of the Bible’s metanarrative, the thread that ties together God’s plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. They call this view progressive covenantalism: the idea that God’s single plan of salvation unfolds through a series of covenants that find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.²

From Noah to Abraham, from David to the New Covenant in Christ, each agreement reveals another layer of God’s redemptive purpose. Scripture, they explain, is not a random record of divine events but “God’s own authoritative interpretation of his redemptive acts through the agency of human authors.”³

That concept, word-act revelation, stood out to me. What God says and what He does cannot be separated. His Word is as authoritative as His actions, and Scripture itself is part of His redemptive work:

“Scripture is itself a product of God’s own redemptive acts for the purpose of teaching, edification, instruction, and as such is fully authoritative and sufficient for our thinking and lives.”⁴

Understanding that changes how we see both the Old and New Testaments. The Bible isn’t just a collection of spiritual history, it’s a living act of God’s self-revelation.

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Wrestling with Israel and the Promises

While I deeply appreciated Gentry and Wellum’s clarity and structure, one area gave me pause: their treatment of Israel.

They argue that because of Christ, “God has not replaced Israel by the church; instead, he has brought Israel’s role to its fulfillment in Christ and to Christ’s people.”⁵ While I agree that the church is grafted into the promises of Israel, I don’t believe that eliminates the future role of ethnic Israel in God’s plan.

Romans 11:29 says, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” That seems to indicate that God’s promises to Israel still stand. Likewise, Luke 1:33 declares that Jesus “will reign over the house of Jacob forever.” To me, this shows that God’s covenant promises have both a spiritual and physical fulfillment and both matter.

Though Gentry and Wellum acknowledge that Romans 11:25–27 is “a debated passage among Christians,”⁶ they present their view as somewhat settled. But I believe God’s covenant faithfulness is big enough to include the church and Israel, without diminishing either.

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A Covenant God and a Covenant Marriage

When I first started reading this book, I already knew covenant was important. But I didn’t understand its full weight until I found myself reading it while preparing for marriage.

As a single mom, I had been hesitant to remarry. My past made me cautious, even fearful. But through the pages of this book, God gently showed me that marriage isn’t merely a relationship between two people, it’s a covenant before Him.

Gentry and Wellum describe marriage as “a loyalty agreement formally solemnized by a vow before God.”⁷ That hit me deeply. My trust wasn’t supposed to rest in my husband’s perfection, it was meant to rest in God’s faithfulness.

Even more beautiful was the realization that covenants aren’t merely a response to sin. “Some have argued that covenants are necessary only after the Fall,” the authors write, “but marriage is a covenant relationship that existed prior to the Fall.”⁸

That means covenant has always been part of God’s design. It’s not a backup plan for broken people – it’s the framework of divine relationship itself.

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Covenant as Mercy, Not Measurement

Growing up, I viewed “covenant” as something heavy and legalistic, almost like God was keeping score of how many times I messed up. But this book helped me see covenant differently. It’s not about rules, it’s about relationship.

The covenants show that God didn’t stay distant. He came down to us, entering into binding relationship with His creation even after we broke every promise. That’s mercy. That’s grace.

The more I study the covenants, the more I realize they’re not just a theological concept, they’re an invitation. God’s covenants reveal His heart: faithful, pursuing, and unchanging.

And just like in my marriage, that truth reshapes everything.

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Bibliography

Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

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Footnotes

1. Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 17.
2. Ibid., 18–19.
3. Ibid., 29.
4. Ibid., 30.
5. Ibid., 270.
6. Ibid., 229.
7. Ibid., 48.
8. Ibid., 270.