I have read and studied God’s word for many years. But for most of that time, I only saw the Bible as a wonderful collection of inspired books written by many men of God. I was fully cognizant that, while it had been composed by many different men over many centuries, it was truly a miraculously complete work with all the various themes and narratives flowing together to reveal God’s plan of salvation offered to all mankind. What I had not seen until later years was that the Bible, first and foremost, is the story of God’s covenants with man. Yes, I was aware of the terms “Old and New Covenant,” but actually coming to comprehend all scripture in “covenantal” terms as an interpretive hermeneutic was not an automatic process, at least not for me.
Failing to comprehend the covenantal framework of the Bible is a serious case of missing the forest for the trees. Only when one pans outward from verse, chapter, and book, viewing the Bible as a unified whole, can one finally see the overarching framework of “covenant” as the indispensable fabric of God’s revealed plan. You begin to see the terms “Old and New Covenant” as much more than just title pages separating the two main sections of the Bible for easy reference. Every interaction God has with mankind, whether individually or corporately, is done through the terms of covenant.
So then, what is covenant? Many equate covenant with the idea of a contract. While this is probably a technically correct concept, I see covenant with God as being much more than an impersonal, purely technical contract. I see covenant as defining an intimate relationship between God and man, both individually and corporately. God clearly desires to interact with man and bless him by entering into a beneficial relationship with him on both the corporate and personal one-on-one levels. In order to discern the depth and nature of those benefits, we must learn to interpret holy scripture by applying the concept of covenant as one of several indispensable interpretive hermeneutics in our study of the Bible.
That being the case, I have adopted an overarching “covenantal view” in seeking to understand Biblical doctrines and God’s overall plan for humanity and the universe. This paradigm applies to my understanding of soteriology, protology, cosmology, eschatology, and theology in general. (As well as any other “ologies” I haven’t thought of just yet! 🙂 )
As I post about various Biblical studies and topics, you will begin to see the “filtering lens” of covenant all throughout the content of this blog. You may not agree with everything, or anything, I say. You are free to comment and disagree, but please be sure to base your disagreement on scripture using sound hermeneutics. I welcome all your thoughtful, sincere, and Christ-like comments, criticism, and encouragement as we explore and expound the TRUE Gospel of Yeshuah Messiah together. May the body of Yeshua be forever blessed in HIM and may we arrive at a greater unity and edification in the faith ONCE delivered unto the saints. Amen!
Please begin your journey to a proper understanding of scripture by recognizing some inherent difficulties we have as modern, Grecian thinkers who do not properly perceive the Hebrew mindset by visiting this ARTICLE if you have not already done so.
Thy Kingdom Came... 