When I first started studying Scripture seriously, I knew that God’s covenants were important. What I didn’t realize was just how much weight they carry or how deeply they shape every part of our lives. Reading God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants by Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum opened my eyes to the gravity of what it means to live in covenant with God. But the timing of that realization made it even more powerful, I read it while I was getting married. The covenant theology on marriage is rich.
Understanding Covenant Beyond Paper
As a single mom, I was hesitant to marry again. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of my past or enter another relationship that would end in disappointment. But as I studied what Scripture teaches about covenant, God began to reframe my thinking.
Marriage, I realized, isn’t just a contract between two people. It’s a covenant before God. Gentry and Wellum describe it as “a loyalty agreement formally solemnized by a vow before God.”¹
That definition changed everything for me. I wasn’t being asked to put blind trust in another person; I was being asked to trust God’s design. I didn’t have to believe that my husband would be perfect, I had to believe that God was faithful to the covenant He created.
God’s Design Before the Fall
One thing that stood out to me in the book was that covenants are not a reaction to sin. Gentry and Wellum point out that while “some have argued that covenants are necessary only after the Fall… marriage is a covenant relationship that existed prior to the Fall.”²
That truth stunned me. God’s desire for covenantal relationship existed before sin entered the world. That means covenant isn’t just about redemption, it’s about relationship. It’s about God’s desire to be known and to love His creation through intentional, enduring commitment.
Covenant as Mercy
Growing up, I often saw covenant as something heavy something God held over my head to remind me of my failures. But the more I study, the more I realize that covenant is not a burden; it’s mercy.
It’s mercy that God continued to pursue humanity even after we broke every promise. It’s mercy that He chose to make Himself known to us through covenant after covenant, culminating in Christ.
Understanding this has deepened not only my relationship with God but also with my husband. Covenant reminds me that love isn’t based on performance; it’s based on promise. The more I grasp that truth spiritually, the more freely I can extend grace relationally.
Living Out Covenant Faith
This book reminded me that every part of life, marriage, motherhood, ministry, flows from the reality that I am in covenant with a faithful God.
It’s no longer about trying to earn His approval but about walking in the assurance of His commitment. He doesn’t just call me to be loyal; He shows me what loyalty looks like.
Covenant changes how we read the Bible, how we view our relationships, and how we live out our faith. It’s the thread that runs from Eden to the cross and continues into eternity.
Footnotes
- Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 48.
- Ibid., 270.
