A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Michael D. Mock
Thankfully, there has been a surge of books on the topic of covenant theology, and McGraw’s book rises to the top with respect to introductions. The book is short, as introductions tend to be, but biblical, Reformed, and practical. This review has nothing but commendation for McGraw’s contribution to the conversation of covenant theology.
Biblical
McGraw’s laser-focused purpose is to convince the reader of the mutual relationship between Bible basics and blessing. This focus is a blessing to the reader. McGraw’s words are Bible-centric. For McGraw, it was covenant theology that became the blessing he did not know he needed (3), and to convince the reader that it should be his, too, McGraw skillfully connects covenant theology to the Bible. His eyes are on the Bible when he argues for the unity of the Bible through the covenants. That is, it is the covenants that God uses to unite his Word. In the first two chapters, McGraw persuades the open-minded reader in connecting covenantal dots, in drawing covenantal lines, from covenant to covenant. He first defines covenant in such a way that encompasses all covenants in the Bible. By doing this, he boldly parts company with a much-used, much-loved definition of “covenant” in the locus classicus of books on the subject (The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson). In my assessment, McGraw serves his readership well by advancing the understanding of covenant laid out in the book.
McGraw demonstrates the Bible’s overarching structure of bicovenantalism: Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace. From Genesis 3:15 onward is one Covenant of Grace with various administrations throughout redemptive history. McGraw deftly draws out the biblical continuities of these administrations, notably in his explanations of the Noahic Covenant and Mosaic Covenant, often understood to be placed outside the Covenant of Grace. The product of proper reflection on the Bible’s unity is threefold: awe and worship of God, glory in the triune God, and learning to live the Christian life (5-7). These three emphases are borne out in the Bible, and McGraw harvests them for the reader.
Reformed
Given the fact of many covenant theologies, it was refreshing to see this book promoting the perspective laid out from the Reformed tradition. That is to say, this book does not offer a summary of various ways of understanding the overarching structure of the Bible. It does not entertain Baptist versions of covenant theology. It presents the covenant theology that has come down from the Reformed tradition and has been expressed in explicitly Presbyterian denominations (e.g., the PCA, OPC, ARP, BPC, and the RPCNA). By approaching the book this way, it distances itself from Dispensationalism as a way of thinking about the Bible. I was thankful to see Crossway publish a book that drew a line in the sand between itself and other ways of understanding the structure of Scripture. Since the argument is to ground the covenants in the Bible, and because this way is how the Reformed see it, the implication is that the Reformed perspective is the Biblical one. For those coming from differing perspectives, they will meet with a unified argument from the Reformed view on how to read the Bible.
Some in the Reformed world, however, are not in complete agreement on certain particulars. For instance, how should we understand the Noahic Covenant? Is it part of the Covenant of Grace, or a kind of neutral covenant by which Christ rules a common kingdom? What about the Mosaic Covenant? Is it a republication of the Covenant of Works, or does it find a place in the home of the Covenant of Grace? And what about the Covenant of Redemption? Is it just another name for the Covenant of Grace, or are there differences? Is the Covenant of Grace entirely unconditional, or is there a sense in which it should be viewed as conditional? These are some of the in-house debates that the Reformed tradition has at its table, and McGraw does offer brief answers to these questions. Personally, a brief interaction with Federal Vision theology would have been appreciated, but its absence from the book is understandable given the introductory nature of this book and considering the spectrum of perspective in the Federal Vision world.
Practical
Bible and Reformed theology are practical. Covenant theology is not something for the head only to the exclusion of the hand. Throughout the book, practical application is on the mind of the author. For instance, a chapter is devoted to the covenantal connections to the application to joyful Bible reading. Moreover, another chapter intentionally applies covenant to the Christian life, with family and marriage especially in focus. Furthermore, the end of each chapter asks several questions for deeper reflection and application. This section of the chapter is useful for the individual and/or small groups to think together about covenant theology and its real-life application. Finally, McGraw devotes his final chapter on answering oft-asked questions related to covenant theology. In it he highlights the blessing that the two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are. This is an important note because of how Christians in general, and even at times Presbyterians in particular, neglect their own denominational emphasis on these means of grace. The unified Bible calls us to worship the triune God, to know him rightly, and to live according to his Word in the church. Ryan McGraw beautifully emphasizes this message of covenant theology. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as an introduction to the subject.
Michael D. Mock