Religious studies

Book Review Assignment

Summary

A covenant was considered a contract in the early days, while it is now a treaty in the modern world. Each covenant is developed based on conditions, relationships, promises and consequences of the relationship. The book has offered a close understanding of the biblical covenants, which are believed to be the backbone of the Bible. Ideally, God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenant has offered a central theme of the more extensive work: God’s covenant.[1]. The book has been laid out very well such that the reader goes through and understands all covenants and how they are structured in the biblical order.

The first chapter has laid out a foundation of the bible story through tracing God’s Covenants. The second chapter expounds on the covenants concepts in the ancient Near Eastern and biblical thought. The subsequent chapters from three to ten offer extensive detail on how every covenant has built on the latter and its points to the next. The final chapter has summarized the book and showed the reader a significant overview of God’s covenant as the core of biblical theology.

This book has offered a central argument of the author concerning the kingdom through covenant. The book has maintained that God establishes his kingdom through various biblical covenants, focusing on how Jesus Christ fulfils them. Ideally, the biblical covenants have built on each other and moved towards Jesus. The covenants are seen as the backbone for the metanarrative scripture. The authors have examined the significant issues of systematic and biblical theology, exegesis, hermeneutics, all of which are essential to properly understand the importance of the covenants and God’s plan. The development of the covenants offers a good understanding of the scriptures and their relationship to the biblical covenants.

The book has indicated how the covenants are foundational and central to the Bible’s theology and plot. According to the authors and general perception of the book, Jesus Christ fulfils every covenant’s goal.[2]. Additionally, covenants are the backbone of biblical stories. This is because God’s historical covenant-making and activity are significant to the biblical revelations and practical understanding of Christ’s work.  Therefore, since the biblical covenants are substantial to the redemptive history, they must be well interpreted.

Critique

God’s Kingdom through Covenant is a biblical theology under progressive covenantal. Ideally, progressive covenantal is a version of new covenant theology that focuses on the covenant concept through the advanced development of covenants from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The goal of this book was to bring an understanding fr each covenant, how they are linked to each other, and how they inform the canonical narrative. The book has reached its goals since it’s more biblical than alternative interpretations. The book has offered an accurate way of understanding the links of biblical covenants, which brings a better sense of the general presentation of the scripture.

The Kingdom of God is based on promises and contents as well as their fulfilment. The book argued that fulfilment comes through Jesus Christ. Through the progressive development of covenants, the book has clearly shown how Jesus Christ fulfils all biblical covenants. The succession of historical covenants is not new but understanding the successive revelation is difficult. The book has offered details on the subsequent revelation of the covenants in the biblical structure. The book has clearly shown how the covenants relate to each other. Wellum and Gentry have offered an understanding of how the covenants are the foundation of the biblical storyline. They have unpacked every covenant and revealed the progressive development of every covenant from the previous one and how all the covenants have found their terminus, telos and fulfilment to Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the most important things is that the book has successfully demonstrated how foundational and central covenants are the entire narrative plot structure of the Bible. Considerably, one cannot grasp the Bible without understanding all the biblical covenants and correctly drawing the theological conclusions from the covenants. Therefore, the book has asserted that the covenants are the central theme of the scripture.

The most outstanding thing about this book is that it has traced the bible storyline so that it recognizes both the continuity and discontinuity through varying stages of divine revelation. Their approach does not flatten the redemptive history but offers the entire bible theology. Ideally, the Bible is the story of God’s human redemption, which is defined by promises and fulfilment. Therefore, if the promises are solemnized in a succession of historical covenants, then this means that these covenants are the backbone of the biblical story. The book has clearly shown the significance of the biblical covenant in structuring the Bible.

Gentry and Wellum have supported their argument of the covenantal approach of the Bible. This is because they have established their systematic and biblical theology developed to show how them of the covenant is essential in the plot structure of the Bible. Relatively, the book has shown how several vital theological differences within Christian theology and the resolution of those differences are directly connected to the understanding of the biblical covenants.[3]. The book has offered a tremendous exegetical analysis and interacts with different scholarly interpretations of the biblical scriptures and divine covenants. Although people differ on some interpretive conclusions, implications are drawn from them and the broader hermeneutical claims made through the canonical narrative.

However, the book has structural issues since it focused on the biblical-theological reading of scriptures and covenant without directly treating the New Testament. The book lacks New Testament exegesis and argumentation. Rather than the expositions and references, a reader seeking the complete biblical theology might be left wanting. Therefore, the architectural framework for the book handles the Old Testament but is inadequate to handle the full Bible model.

Application

From the beginning of the biblical stories, I now understand that God’s plans to redeem humankind. As a human being created by God, I have failed to live my purpose, fallen, been sinful and unable to live in ways that fulfil the plan of God. Through the covenants, I have found the need to be redeemed to fulfil the will of God. The book shows that God sets specific conditions as demonstrated in various covenants that Christians ought to respect. God promises to bless those that obey these conditions. Therefore, creating and keeping covenants qualifies one to receive blessings that God has promised.

On a personal level, the book has offered a good understanding of the covenants and how it fits together. Ideally, while reading the Bible before, it felt like a daunting task. At times things are confusing while reading the Bible. Understanding the framework of reference for how all the history, laws and stories fit together offers one a bigger picture of how the scripture fits together. The covenant has enabled me to see how God deals with the people and the grand narrative of the scripture. As I move from one covenant to another, I understand how the covenant equips one to see the Bible as a whole message and its progression towards Jesus as the redemptive plan.

The covenants have helped me understand God’s eternal plan and unfold the biblical story progressively. This book has increasingly improved my relationship with God since I have a better understanding of God’s plan. The covenants show the step by step plans and how they build each other to the redemptive plan. The covenants have moved through the Bible Christologically from Adam to Christ. Adam disobeyed, sinned and fail, but Christ came as the redeemer conquered, obeyed and brought all God’s promises to pass. This shows the goodwill of God towards humankind.

My teaching and preaching will centre around redemption to offer discipleship and care to the final covenant as a church member. I believe it’s my role as a church member to teach about God’s redemptive plan, which is to redeem people and restore the fallen creation. As a church leader, the book has taught me that my main aim is to ensure that people are covenant members that need to grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. The principles of this book have influenced my daily life since I am trying to live a redeemed life without any burden of shame. I am living with assurance and walking in peace that comes with a redeemed life. The covenants in the Old Testament and the new covenant with Christ bring the need to live a redeemed life.

References

Blaising, C.A., 2015. A Critique of Gentry and Wellum’s Kingdom through Covenant: A Hermeneutical-Theological Response.”. The Master’s Seminary Journal, 26(1), pp.111-127.

Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. Kingdom through Covenant: A biblical-theological understanding of the covenants. Crossway, 2018.

Vlach, Michael J. “Have They Found a Better Way? An Analysis of Gentry and Wellum’s Kingdom Through Covenant.” Master’s Seminary Journal 24, no. 1 (2013): 5-24.

[1] Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. Kingdom through Covenant: A biblical-theological understanding of the covenants. Crossway, 2018.

[2] Vlach, Michael J. “Have They Found a Better Way? An Analysis of Gentry and Wellum’s Kingdom Through Covenant.” Master’s Seminary Journal 24, no. 1 (2013): 5-24.

[3] Blaising, C.A., 2015. A Critique of Gentry and Wellum’s Kingdom through Covenant: A Hermeneutical-Theological Response.”. The Master’s Seminary Journal, 26(1), pp.111-127.