Journal: Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies
Volume: JIRBS 01:1 (NA 2013)
Article: Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding Of The Covenants, A Review Article
Author: Samuel D. Renihan

JIRBS 1 (2014) p. 153

Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding Of The Covenants,
A Review Article

Samuel Renihan*

*Samuel Renihan, M.Div., is a pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, La Mirada, CA.

Just as the Israelites feared to enter Canaan because there were giants in the land, so also the one who approaches Kingdom through Covenant1 must consider the viability of digesting and interacting with a work of such magnitude. That being said, Gentry and Wellum have produced a book worthy both of digestion and interaction.

From the beginning of the first chapter, Gentry and Wellum are clear in their purposes, which are twofold. “First we want to show how central the concept of ‘covenant’ is to the narrative plot structure of the Bible, and secondly, how a number of crucial theological differences within Christian theology, and the resolution of those differences, are directly tied to one’s understanding of how the biblical covenants unfold and relate to each other” (21). This twofold purpose is then carried through three main sections in the book. The first section (chs. 1–3) deals with the place of covenant theology within biblical and systematic theology, summarizes and briefly interacts with classic covenant theology and dispensationalism, and lays down hermeneutical foundations, especially with regard to typology. The second, and largest, section (chs. 4–15) is comprised of an introduction to the concept of covenant in the Bible and the ancient Near East and subsequent detailed exegesis of “each biblical covenant in its own redemptive-historical context and…in its relationship to the dawning of the new covenant in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ” (26). The third and final section (chs. 16–17) is a systemization of the

JIRBS 1 (2014) p. 154

exegetical section as well as an application of that systemization to a variety of the discrepancies that they find in classical covenant theology and Dispensationalism.

Within these three sections, their twofold purpose is realized. In sum, their first purpose of integrating the role of covenant into the metanarrative of Scripture is seen in that the “backbone” of the narrative plot structure is God’s progressive building of his kingdom of salvation through the covenants of Scripture, all of which culminate in Jesus Christ–hence, “kingdom through covenant.” The second purpose of resolving “numerous theological differences” is the result of what naturally follows from this system.

Summary

In chapter one, the authors argue that the progress of the covenants of Scripture is the key to understanding the meta...