What Should I Read to Learn About Covenant Theology

If you have wondered about "covenant theology," and want an introduction to how the Reformed understand the course of redemptive history (the plan of redemption), then this is the place to begin.  This is a very important book to read for anyone who is interested in Reformed theology and who comes from a dispensational background.

You can find it at Mongerism.com (Monergism.com Books) or at Amazon (Sacred Bond)

I am thrilled to see this remarkable volume now available in print. I was privileged to read a draft copy of the manuscript and found it both comprehensive and well-written. Dr. Perkins is one of the rising, young, scholar-pastors in the Reformed tradition, and it is my hope that this volume introduces him to a wide audience. This is a book which belongs on your bookshelf, but only after it is thoroughly dog-eared and heavily highlighted. This is good stuff.

Reformed scholarship in the field of biblical theology (Vos, Kline, Horton, Gaffin, Beale, etc.,) has done great work in advancing our understanding of the nature of covenants in the ancient world, as well as explain how these breakthroughs ought to inform the way we read and understand our bibles in light of the broad course of redemptive history. For some time, the Reformed scholarly pendulum has swung in the direction of biblical theology, but with this volume we may begin to see the pendulum swing back in the direction of a more systematic approach, hopefully to a place of balanced equilibrium.

Perkins incorporates this rich data (biblical theology) into a comprehensive survey of Reformed covenant theology, treating in order the covenant of works, the covenant of redemption, the covenant of grace, and the administration of the covenant of grace in light of God’s covenant with Moses. On each of these topics, Perkins brings to bear biblical, systematic, historical, and confessional concerns in a thoughtful, wise, and lucid way.

This just may be one of the best theological treatises on Reformed covenant theology since Herman Witsius’s two-volume, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man (1677).

Dr. Perkins writes as a pastor, so those who might be worried that this is but another meaty theological tome written for pointy-headed academics will find their own heads much better rounded after reading it.

You can order Dr. Perkin’s Reformed Covenant Theology here.

This is one of the first books you should read if you are investigating this subject. How is Christ revealed in all the Bible?

Clowney: The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament

Mike Horton's God of Promise is another important introduction to covenant theology. Not a primer, God of Promise makes a substantial contribution to the Reformed understanding of the way in which covenants provide the internal biblical architecture for reading and understanding the whole of Scripture. How does one determine whether a covenant is a "covenant of works" or a "covenant of grace"? How do ancient Near-Eastern treaties help us understand the Bible? Covenant or Testament? This is a good follow-up to Sacred Bond.

This is the classic statement of the Reformed doctrine of the covenant or works and the covenant of grace.  Not an easy read, but a very important book, and well-worth tackling.  Witsius -- The Economy of the Covenants

Also highly recommended is Geerhardus Vos' essay, "The Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology" (The Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology)

Vos’s Biblical Theology is one of the first things you should read early-on if you are investigating covenant theology. It is also a book that all those who claim to be “covenantal” ought to read at some point. Vos gives the reader a sense of the big picture of the nature and history of the covenant of grace as it unfolds in Scripture. You can find it here: Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments. Here’s a very helpful Outline of Vos's Biblical Theology.

I highly recommend Michael Horton’s presentation of covenant theology and his response to several forms of dispensational theology. It is a healthy exercise to read four capable theologians interact (charitably) with one another on the question of “how do we read and understand the Bible?” Horton carries the day and his presentation is a clear and concise statement about Scripture’s own organizing principle—the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. You can find it here: Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies Compared

J. V. Fesko’s Last Things First is a book I put in my “must read” pile a while back, but a gazillion other things got in the way before I could get to it. Now that I am retired, I am going through my pile of books and getting to some gems that I simply didn’t have time to read. One of these is Fesko’s very helpful book on “Protology.” Protology (not to be confused with proctology) deals with first things, in this case the relationship between Genesis 1-3 in light of Christology and eschatology. Fesko tackles a number of subjects—including the imago Dei, the purpose and role of Eden, the covenant of works, the relationship between the first and second Adam, and the importance of the Sabbath. He notes that “the opening chapters of the Bible are not about science, rather they find their meaning and significance in light of the second Adam, Jesus” (205).

For those who have tackled (or tried to tackle) Meredith Kline’s Kingdom Prologue and found it tough going, this book will be of great help to you. It is a solid work of biblical theology surveying the first three chapters of Genesis from the vantage point of Christ’s person and work. Fesko sets out a number of important biblical-theological connections that are easy to miss. But once pointed out to you, you’ll see the creation account in an entirely different light. This is a profound and not overly technical book. It is a real gem and highly recommended. You can purchase Last Things First here.