COVENANT AND GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE WORLD, by Thomas R. Schreiner (West)

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

by Steve West

 

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 The Covenant of Creation
2 The Covenant with Noah
3 The Covenant with Abraham
4 The Covenant with Israel
5 The Covenant with David
6 The New Covenant

 

Summary

 

Introduction

Although there are many concepts that are of central importance in Scripture, the idea of covenant is one of the most significant. Even though the Bible arguably has many centers, the fact that some theologians have seen covenant as the center of Scripture shows how vital it is in the Bible. We do not have to see covenant as the “key” to biblical and systematic theology, however, to recognize that the plotline of Scripture cannot be properly understood without a proper understanding of the biblical covenants. Without understanding the covenants, we will not fully understand how to live as Christians today. When we study the covenants, we can see how they are interrelated and how God advanced his plan of redemption through them. Covenants provide harmony and unity in the Bible’s unfolding revelation.

“A covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises to each other.” Contracts impose obligations and are not based on relationship, but covenants are based on relational promises. Covenants are chosen relationships amongst people who do not have kinship bonds. They contain binding promises and obligations, and they are mutual. Not all covenants are of exactly the same type, and there can be power asymmetries amongst the parties. Scripture shows us many examples of people entering into various types of covenants with one another, and sometimes it records the negative consequences that came about when those covenants were broken. Often the making of covenants was accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies, and there were sometimes sacrifices.

 

Chapter 1: The Covenant of Creation

Serious debates exist concerning whether or not there is a covenant with creation or covenant with Adam in Genesis 1-3. The word covenant is not found anywhere in those chapters. Nevertheless, the concept of covenant seems to apply. God begins history with creation, and he consummates it with new creation, so the term “covenant of creation” seems the most apposite. It is entirely possible for a concept to be present even when a particular word is not used in a text. Hosea 6:7 is best interpreted as referring to a covenant that God made with Adam—the context indicates that the word “Adam” refers to the historical person, rather than a relatively insignificant place. There are also covenantal elements present: there are two parties, there are stipulations, and there were curses and blessings for obedience or disobedience. John Murray argued that there couldn’t be a covenant of creation because covenants are redemptive, but Scripture is filled with covenants between parties which were not redemptive in nature. In Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that both Christ and Adam are covenant heads. There are also good reasons to believe that the covenant that God established with Noah was a renewal of the covenant with Adam.

Being created in the image and likeness of God established a special relationship between God and Adam and Eve. They were to be his children, ruling over creation on his behalf and imaging him in all that they did. The image of God wasn’t lost in the fall, but it was marred and is restored in Christ. It is clear that the Garden of Eden has numerous connections with the tabernacle and temple, and that Adam and Eve were to function as royal priests, mediating God’s blessing to the world. God was sovereign over them, and the covenant he made with them required perfect obedience; if they failed, the consequence was death. Genesis 3:15 is not part of the covenant with Adam: it is a promise of pure grace that is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. . . . 

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