One of the most important questions a Christian can ask is not simply, “What does this verse mean?” but, “How does the whole Bible fit together?”
The Scriptures were not written as sixty-six disconnected books telling unrelated stories. They are one revelation from one God, written through many human authors over many centuries, all pointing toward one great purpose. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a single story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, with Jesus Christ standing at the very center.
The question is how that story should be understood.
Throughout church history, faithful Christians have reached different conclusions regarding the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some understand Scripture through a dispensational framework, emphasizing distinctions between Covenant Theology and seeing different administrations within God’s redemptive plan. Others, including myself, have become convinced that the Bible presents one unified covenantal plan of redemption that progressively unfolds throughout history and reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
This is an important discussion, but it is not one that should divide believers who share the same gospel. Our disagreement is not over the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, or salvation by grace through faith. Rather, it concerns how the various covenants, promises, and prophetic passages relate to one another within the unfolding story of redemption.
For that reason, my purpose in this article is not to criticize those who hold a different view. Many godly men and women have faithfully served Christ while understanding these passages differently. My goal is simply to explain why, after studying the Scriptures, I have concluded that covenant theology best explains the unity of the biblical narrative.
When I read the Bible, I do not see God beginning one plan, setting it aside, and replacing it with another. Instead, I see one eternal purpose unfolding exactly as God intended from the very beginning. The promise given after the Fall, the covenant with Abraham, the giving of the Law through Moses, the kingdom promised to David, the words of the prophets, the coming of Christ, the establishment of the New Covenant, and the final restoration of all things are not separate stories. They are successive chapters of one redemptive story written by the same Author.
This is why Jesus Christ stands at the center of covenant theology.
He is not an interruption in Israel’s story, nor is the church an unexpected parenthesis in God’s plan. Rather, Christ is the fulfillment toward which the entire Old Testament has always pointed. He fulfills the promises, accomplishes the covenants, embodies faithful Israel, and secures the redemption that God promised from the beginning.
As Jesus Himself declared after His resurrection, “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). The Old Testament is not merely background information for the New Testament. It is the foundation that finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
For this reason, I believe the Bible is best understood as one unified story of God’s covenant faithfulness. The same God who made promises in Genesis is the God who fulfills those promises in Christ. The covenants do not compete with one another. They build upon one another until they reach their fulfillment in the New Covenant established through the blood of Jesus Christ.
As we examine covenant theology in the pages that follow, our goal will not be to defend a theological label. Our goal will be to let Scripture explain Scripture, allowing the Bible’s own storyline to shape our understanding. If Jesus Christ is truly the fulfillment of the Law, the Prophets, and the Promises, then He must also be the key that unlocks the unity of the entire Bible.
What Is Covenant Theology?
Covenant theology is simply the conviction that the Bible tells one unified story of God’s redemption, and that every part of that story finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
When people first hear the phrase covenant theology, they often assume it refers to a complicated theological system or a set of traditions developed long after the New Testament. In reality, the question it seeks to answer is one every Christian asks whenever they open their Bible: How do the Old Testament and the New Testament fit together?
The Scriptures were written over the course of many centuries by numerous human authors living in different places and under different circumstances. Yet they never present themselves as separate stories. Instead, they consistently reveal one God carrying out one redemptive purpose from the beginning of history until its glorious conclusion. Although God’s revelation becomes clearer as history unfolds, His purpose never changes.
This progressive revelation can be seen throughout the biblical covenants. God revealed Himself to Adam and Eve after the Fall with the promise that the offspring of the woman would one day crush the serpent. He expanded that promise through Abraham by declaring that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. Through Moses, God gave His Law, revealing His holiness while exposing humanity’s inability to attain righteousness through obedience. Through David, God promised an everlasting King whose kingdom would never end. Finally, through the prophets, God announced a coming New Covenant in which sins would be forgiven, hearts would be transformed, and His Spirit would dwell within His people.
None of these covenants stand in opposition to one another. Each builds upon the one before it, revealing more of God’s eternal purpose until that purpose is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. What begins as a promise in Genesis grows progressively clearer throughout the Old Testament until the New Testament announces that the promised Messiah has come.
This is the way Jesus Himself taught His disciples to read the Scriptures. Following His resurrection, He explained that the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all spoke concerning Him (Luke 24:27, 44). The apostles preached in the same way. Rather than presenting Christ as the beginning of a new story, they proclaimed Him as the fulfillment of the story God had been telling from the beginning.
For that reason, I understand covenant theology to be less about choosing a theological label and more about following the Bible’s own storyline. Scripture continually moves toward Christ. The promises anticipate Him. The sacrifices foreshadow Him. The priesthood points to Him. The kingdom prepares for Him. The prophets proclaim Him. The New Testament reveals Him.
When I read the Bible through that lens, I see remarkable unity. The same God who spoke in Genesis is the God who fulfills His promises in the Gospels. The covenants are not disconnected administrations with unrelated purposes, but successive revelations of one gracious plan that reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. That unity is what I mean when I say I hold to covenant theology.
The Biblical Covenants
One of the reasons I find covenant theology so compelling is that the Bible itself places great emphasis on God’s covenants. Rather than revealing His plan of redemption all at once, God progressively disclosed His purposes through a series of covenants that build upon one another and ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
A covenant, in its simplest sense, is a solemn relationship established by God. Throughout Scripture, God enters into covenant with His people, making promises, defining responsibilities, and revealing more of His redemptive purpose. Each covenant advances the biblical story, adding greater clarity to the promise first announced in the Garden of Eden after humanity’s fall into sin.
The covenant with Noah demonstrates God’s commitment to preserve the world despite humanity’s continued rebellion. Although sin remained, God promised that the regular order of creation would continue until His purposes were fulfilled. This covenant establishes the stage upon which the rest of redemptive history unfolds.
With Abraham, God’s promises become more specific. God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, to give his descendants the land of Canaan, and, most importantly, that through Abraham’s offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed. While these promises certainly had immediate historical significance, the New Testament repeatedly teaches that they ultimately point beyond Abraham himself to Jesus Christ. Paul writes that the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring, “who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). In Christ, the blessing promised to Abraham extends to believing Jews and Gentiles alike.
The covenant made through Moses reveals another essential aspect of God’s plan. By giving Israel His Law, God revealed His holy character while exposing humanity’s inability to attain righteousness through obedience. The sacrificial system, priesthood, tabernacle, and ceremonial regulations were never intended to be permanent ends in themselves. They served as shadows pointing forward to the perfect sacrifice and perfect High Priest who would come in Jesus Christ.
The covenant with David narrows the promise even further. God pledged that one of David’s descendants would reign forever upon an everlasting throne. Although David’s earthly dynasty eventually declined, God’s promise did not fail. The angel announced to Mary that Jesus would receive the throne of His father David and that His kingdom would never end. The everlasting King promised centuries earlier is fulfilled in Christ.
Finally, the prophets looked ahead to a New Covenant unlike the one established through Moses. Jeremiah declared that God would write His law upon the hearts of His people, forgive their sins, and remember their iniquities no more. Ezekiel added that God would give His people a new heart and place His Spirit within them. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus took the cup and declared, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” With those words, He announced that the long-awaited covenant had arrived through His sacrificial death.
When these covenants are read together, they do not appear as separate plans moving in different directions. They unfold as successive stages of one gracious purpose. Each covenant reveals more than the one before it. Each moves the story closer to Christ. Each demonstrates God’s unwavering faithfulness to the promises He made from the beginning.
For that reason, I do not see the biblical covenants as competing with one another but as unfolding chapters in the same story of redemption. Their unity is found not in the covenants themselves but in the Savior to whom they all point. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises, and apart from Him, none of the covenants can be fully understood.
Christ: The Fulfillment of the Covenants
The New Testament repeatedly teaches that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises. This is one of the primary reasons I hold to covenant theology. Rather than presenting Christ as the beginning of an entirely new plan, the apostles consistently proclaim Him as the One toward whom God’s redemptive work had always been moving.
Jesus Himself understood His ministry this way.
In the Sermon on the Mount, He declared,
«“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)»
Those words are foundational. Jesus did not present Himself as standing in opposition to the Old Testament. He came to accomplish everything it anticipated. The Law, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the promises, and the prophets all found their intended fulfillment in Him.
After His resurrection, Jesus reinforced this truth as He walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke records that,
«“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)»
Later that same day He told the disciples,
«“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)»
This is an extraordinary claim. Jesus divided the Hebrew Scriptures into their three traditional sections and declared that every section ultimately pointed to Him. He was not merely found in a handful of isolated prophecies. The entire Old Testament testified to His coming.
The apostles preached with this same understanding.
Peter proclaimed that the promises given through the prophets had been fulfilled in Christ. Paul repeatedly argued that the gospel was “promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2). The writer of Hebrews demonstrates that the priesthood, sacrifices, tabernacle, and ceremonies established under Moses were shadows pointing forward to the greater reality found in Jesus Christ.
Paul also explains that,
«“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)»
That single sentence captures the heart of covenant theology. God’s promises do not fail. Neither are they abandoned. They reach their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Everything God promised throughout redemptive history finds its completion in His Son.
This does not mean the Old Testament loses its value.
Quite the opposite.
Because Christ fulfills the Old Testament, we can finally understand it as God intended. The Passover points us to Christ, our Passover Lamb. The priesthood points us to Christ, our Great High Priest. The sacrifices point us to Christ’s once-for-all atoning death. The temple points us to Christ, in whom God dwells with His people. The throne of David points us to Christ, the everlasting King.
The New Testament does not replace the Old Testament.
It reveals its fulfillment.
For that reason, I believe the safest way to interpret Scripture is to allow the New Testament to explain the Old Testament. The apostles consistently interpreted the promises, types, and shadows through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Rather than looking for their ultimate fulfillment apart from Him, they proclaimed that God’s covenant purposes had reached their climax in the Messiah.
This conviction shapes the way I read the entire Bible. Every page contributes to one unfolding story of redemption, and every major theme ultimately leads to Jesus Christ. He is not simply one part of the biblical story. He is the One in whom the whole story finds its meaning and fulfillment.
Israel and the Church
One of the most significant differences between covenant theology and dispensational theology concerns the relationship between Israel and the Church. This question affects how we understand God’s promises, the covenants, the kingdom of God, and many prophetic passages throughout Scripture.
After studying the Scriptures, I have become convinced that the New Testament presents the Church not as a parenthesis in God’s plan, but as the continuation and fulfillment of God’s covenant people in Jesus Christ.
This does not mean that the Church has replaced Israel in the sense that God abandoned one people and chose another.
Rather, it means that God’s people have always been identified by faith rather than by ethnicity alone.
Even in the Old Testament, membership among God’s people was never merely a matter of physical descent. Israel certainly existed as a physical nation, but the Scriptures repeatedly distinguish between those who belonged to Israel outwardly and those who truly belonged to God by faith. Moses called Israel to circumcise their hearts. The prophets continually rebuked the nation for possessing the outward sign of the covenant while lacking genuine faith and obedience.
The New Testament develops this principle even further.
Paul writes,
«“For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” (Romans 9:6)»
Later he explains,
«“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” (Galatians 3:7)»
These statements do not deny Israel’s historical identity. Rather, they explain that God’s covenant promises have always been received through faith. Physical descent alone has never guaranteed participation in God’s saving promises.
This becomes even clearer as the gospel spreads beyond the nation of Israel. Gentiles who were once strangers to the covenants are now brought near through the blood of Christ. Paul explains that believing Gentiles have been grafted into the same olive tree rather than planted into an entirely separate one (Romans 11). Likewise, he tells the believers in Ephesus that Christ has broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating “one new man” in place of the two (Ephesians 2:15).
The emphasis throughout the New Testament is not upon two redeemed peoples with separate destinies, but upon one redeemed people united through faith in one Messiah.
This understanding also explains why the New Testament repeatedly applies Old Testament covenant language to the Church. Peter describes believers as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9), language originally spoken concerning Israel. He is not inventing a new identity for the Church. He is showing that the covenant promises find their fulfillment in the people united to Christ.
For that reason, I believe the Church should not be understood as God’s alternative plan after Israel rejected the Messiah. The Church exists because the Messiah came exactly as God promised. Through Him, believing Jews and believing Gentiles have been brought together into one body, sharing together in the blessings of the New Covenant.
This understanding does not diminish God’s faithfulness to Israel.
It magnifies it.
God has kept His promises exactly as He said He would—through Jesus Christ. The true Seed of Abraham has come. The Son of David now reigns. The New Covenant has been established. The blessing promised to all nations is now being proclaimed throughout the world.
When I read the New Testament, I do not see God managing two separate covenant peoples with two separate redemptive destinies. I see one Shepherd gathering one flock, one Savior redeeming one people, and one covenant fulfilled through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why I Hold This View
My conviction regarding covenant theology did not develop because I was looking for a particular theological system. It developed because I wanted to understand how the New Testament itself interprets the Old Testament. The question that continually returned to my mind was not, “Which system is correct?” but rather, “How did Jesus and His apostles understand the Scriptures they were reading?”
That question changed the way I approached the Bible.
As I worked through the Gospels and the Epistles, I noticed that the New Testament authors consistently interpreted the Old Testament in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ. When they preached from the Law, they preached Christ. When they explained the prophets, they preached Christ. When they wrote about the temple, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the kingdom, and the promises made to Abraham and David, they continually showed how those things found their fulfillment in Him.
This pattern appears throughout the New Testament. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus explained to His disciples that Moses and all the Prophets spoke concerning Him. Later that same evening, He declared that everything written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. The apostles continued to interpret the Scriptures in exactly the same way. Rather than presenting Christ as beginning an entirely new story, they proclaimed Him as the fulfillment of the story God had been telling from the very beginning.
As I continued studying the Bible, I became convinced that this is the interpretive pattern the Scriptures themselves establish. The Old Testament prepares the way for Christ, while the New Testament explains how those promises have been fulfilled through His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. The later revelation does not contradict the earlier revelation. Instead, it provides the clarity that the earlier revelation anticipated.
This understanding has profoundly affected the way I read the Bible. Rather than approaching the Old and New Testaments as though they describe separate redemptive programs, I have come to see them as successive chapters in the same unfolding story. Every covenant, every promise, every sacrifice, every prophet, and every kingdom expectation contributes to God’s one plan of redemption that reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
I recognize that faithful Christians have reached different conclusions after studying these same passages, and I do not question their love for Christ or their commitment to the authority of Scripture. Nevertheless, after years of studying the biblical text, I have become persuaded that covenant theology best reflects the way Jesus and the apostles read the Old Testament. More importantly, I believe it keeps Christ where the Scriptures consistently place Him—at the center of God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation.
For that reason, covenant theology is not merely the theological position I find most convincing. It is the framework that, in my judgment, best allows the Bible to explain itself. It preserves the unity of Scripture, honors the progressive unfolding of God’s revelation, and continually directs the reader’s attention to Jesus Christ, in whom every promise of God finds its ultimate fulfillment.
Common Objections
One of the reasons this subject deserves careful study is because sincere Christians often read the same passages of Scripture and reach different conclusions. I have benefited from the writings of believers who disagree with me, and I believe it is important to represent their views fairly before explaining why I remain persuaded of covenant theology.
Perhaps the most common objection is that covenant theology “spiritualizes” the promises God made to Israel. Those who raise this concern argue that the promises concerning the land, the kingdom, and the nation of Israel should be fulfilled exactly as they were originally given. They believe that interpreting these promises through the person and work of Christ changes their meaning and fails to honor God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Israel.
I appreciate that concern because I also believe God always keeps His promises. Where I differ is not over whether God fulfills His promises, but over how the New Testament says those promises are fulfilled. Again and again, the apostles interpret the Old Testament through the finished work of Christ. They do not present Jesus as delaying or replacing God’s promises. They present Him as accomplishing them. For that reason, I believe the safest approach is to allow the inspired interpretation of the New Testament to guide our understanding of the Old Testament.
Another objection is that covenant theology confuses Israel and the Church. I do not believe that is an accurate description of the position. Covenant theology fully recognizes that Israel was a real nation with a unique role in redemptive history. The patriarchs, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple, and the promises all belonged to Israel. The question is what those institutions ultimately pointed toward. The New Testament consistently answers that question by directing our attention to Christ, through whom believing Jews and believing Gentiles are brought together into one redeemed people without erasing their individual identities.
Some also object that covenant theology minimizes the future. Because I hold to covenant theology, I am sometimes asked whether I believe God has finished working in history or whether biblical prophecy has no future fulfillment. My answer is no. I believe Jesus Christ will bodily return, the dead will be raised, every person will stand before the final judgment, and God will establish the new heavens and the new earth. Covenant theology does not diminish those future realities. Rather, it understands them as the culmination of the same redemptive plan that began in Genesis and was accomplished through Christ.
Ultimately, these objections bring us back to the same foundational question that has guided this entire article. How do the New Testament writers interpret the Old Testament? In my judgment, that question must govern every discussion about the covenants. If the apostles consistently interpret the promises in light of Christ’s person and work, then I believe we should follow their example. Doing so has not weakened my confidence in God’s promises. On the contrary, it has strengthened my confidence that every promise God has ever made finds its perfect fulfillment in His Son.
Common Objections
One of the reasons this subject deserves careful study is because sincere Christians often read the same passages of Scripture and reach different conclusions. I have benefited from the writings of believers who disagree with me, and I believe it is important to represent their views fairly before explaining why I remain persuaded of covenant theology.
Perhaps the most common objection is that covenant theology “spiritualizes” the promises God made to Israel. Those who raise this concern argue that the promises concerning the land, the kingdom, and the nation of Israel should be fulfilled exactly as they were originally given. They believe that interpreting these promises through the person and work of Christ changes their meaning and fails to honor God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Israel.
I appreciate that concern because I also believe God always keeps His promises. Where I differ is not over whether God fulfills His promises, but over how the New Testament says those promises are fulfilled. Again and again, the apostles interpret the Old Testament through the finished work of Christ. They do not present Jesus as delaying or replacing God’s promises. They present Him as accomplishing them. For that reason, I believe the safest approach is to allow the inspired interpretation of the New Testament to guide our understanding of the Old Testament.
Another objection is that covenant theology confuses Israel and the Church. I do not believe that is an accurate description of the position. Covenant theology fully recognizes that Israel was a real nation with a unique role in redemptive history. The patriarchs, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple, and the promises all belonged to Israel. The question is what those institutions ultimately pointed toward. The New Testament consistently answers that question by directing our attention to Christ, through whom believing Jews and believing Gentiles are brought together into one redeemed people without erasing their individual identities.
Some also object that covenant theology minimizes the future. Because I hold to covenant theology, I am sometimes asked whether I believe God has finished working in history or whether biblical prophecy has no future fulfillment. My answer is no. I believe Jesus Christ will bodily return, the dead will be raised, every person will stand before the final judgment, and God will establish the new heavens and the new earth. Covenant theology does not diminish those future realities. Rather, it understands them as the culmination of the same redemptive plan that began in Genesis and was accomplished through Christ.
Ultimately, these objections bring us back to the same foundational question that has guided this entire article. How do the New Testament writers interpret the Old Testament? In my judgment, that question must govern every discussion about the covenants. If the apostles consistently interpret the promises in light of Christ’s person and work, then I believe we should follow their example. Doing so has not weakened my confidence in God’s promises. On the contrary, it has strengthened my confidence that every promise God has ever made finds its perfect fulfillment in His Son.
Conclusion
Covenant theology has given me a greater appreciation for the unity of Scripture than any other theological framework I have studied. As I read the Bible from beginning to end, I do not see disconnected stories or competing plans of redemption. Instead, I see one faithful God accomplishing one eternal purpose through one Redeemer for one redeemed people.
This conviction is not based upon a desire to fit the Bible into a particular theological system. It is based upon the conviction that the New Testament provides the God-inspired interpretation of the Old Testament. When Jesus explained the Scriptures to His disciples, He showed them that Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all testified concerning Him. The apostles preached with that same understanding, continually proclaiming that the promises of God had reached their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
For that reason, I believe covenant theology provides the most consistent way to read the Bible. It allows each covenant to retain its historical significance while recognizing that every covenant ultimately points beyond itself to the greater work God would accomplish through His Son. The promises made to Abraham, the Law given through Moses, the throne promised to David, and the hope announced by the prophets all find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
This understanding has strengthened my confidence in the faithfulness of God. He has not abandoned His promises, altered His plan, or been surprised by the events of history. From the promise given in the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem described in Revelation, God has been carrying out one glorious purpose according to His perfect wisdom. Every page of Scripture bears witness to His covenant faithfulness, and every chapter moves the story closer to its fulfillment in Christ.
While I recognize that faithful believers continue to disagree on these questions, I remain persuaded that covenant theology best reflects the way the Bible interprets itself. More importantly, it continually directs my attention to Jesus Christ, who stands at the center of God’s redemptive plan and in whom every promise of God finds its perfect fulfillment.
For that reason, I read the Bible with confidence that it tells one unified story. It is the story of a holy God redeeming a sinful people through His covenant faithfulness, ultimately revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures proclaim His glory, and it is through Him that the entire Bible finds its unity, its purpose, and its fulfillment.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving us Your Word and for revealing Your plan of redemption throughout its pages. Thank You that the Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories, but one unified revelation of Your faithfulness and grace culminating in Jesus Christ.
Give us humble hearts as we study the Scriptures. Protect us from reading our own ideas into Your Word, and teach us instead to submit our understanding to what You have revealed. Help us to read the Old Testament as Jesus and His apostles taught us to read it, always seeing how it points to Christ and His finished work.
Increase our confidence in Your faithfulness. As we see You keeping every promise throughout the pages of Scripture, strengthen our trust that You will also fulfill every promise You have made concerning our future. Help us to rest in the certainty that Your purposes cannot fail and that Your covenant mercies endure forever.
May our study of these doctrines never become an exercise in winning arguments or defending theological labels. Instead, let it deepen our love for You, increase our appreciation for the unity of Your Word, and cause us to worship Jesus Christ more fully as the fulfillment of all Your promises.
We thank You that from the beginning You have been carrying out one perfect plan of redemption, and that by Your grace we have been brought into that story through faith in Your Son.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our covenant-keeping Savior,
Amen.