Digital Logos Edition
Throughout the Bible, God has related to his people through covenants. It is through these covenant relationships, which collectively serve as the foundation for God’s promise to bring redemption to his people, that we can understand the advancement of his kingdom. This book walks through six covenants from Genesis to Revelation, helping us grasp the overarching narrative of Scripture and see the salvation God has planned for us since the beginning of time—bolstering our faith in God and giving us hope for the future.
“First, the word covenant doesn’t have to be present for a covenant to exist” (Page 20)
“The promises can be divided into three parts: offspring, land, and universal blessing” (Page 43)
“The new covenant represents the fulfillment of God’s covenants with his people.” (Page 89)
“I prefer ‘covenant of creation’ because it fits with an overarching view of redemptive history, enabling us to see how this covenant integrates with other covenants. In other words, God inaugurated history with creation and will consummate it with the new creation, and thus the old creation anticipates and points forward to the new creation.” (Page 20)
“the covenants are the backbone of the storyline of the Bible; they help us to unfold the biblical narrative.” (Page 12)
As one of the preeminent biblical scholars of our day, Thomas Schreiner is well qualified to write on the critically important biblical theme of covenant. This short volume is a clear, concise, biblically grounded, and balanced presentation of the biblical covenants, ideal as a resource for both the church and academy.
—Mark L. Strauss, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary
Simply brilliant! Thomas Schreiner manages to capture both the fine detail and the broad sweep of the covenantal shape of the Bible concisely, faithfully, and irenically. This book may be short, but it is fresh and deeply profound. I know of no better introduction to this vital area of biblical theology. There are, of course, specific areas where readers may disagree with his conclusions, but that doesn’t detract from the unique usefulness of this book.
—Gary Millar, Principal, Queensland Theological College, Australia; author, Calling on the Name of the Lord and Now Choose Life; coauthor, Saving Eutychus
There is nothing like an understanding of the covenants that God makes with his people to open one’s eyes to the way God deals with his image bearers. It at once unlocks the whole Bible and makes plain God’s way of salvation. Thomas Schreiner brings his theological and biblical acumen to bear upon this topic with the precision of an expert. The result is a fresh and stimulating study of this all-important subject. If you want to grow in faith as you face the future in God’s world, then put on your thinking cap and read this book!
—Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church; Chancellor, African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia