What Is Covenant Theology?: Tracing God's Promises through the Son, the Seed, and the Sacraments

by Ryan M. McGraw

Understanding the Basics and Blessings of Covenant Theology

From animal sacrifice in the Old Testament to baptism and Communion in the New Testament, the Bible can seem like it contains vastly different instructions for how God's people are to worship him through visible means. But Scripture is a complete story of redemption, one that is breathtaking in its unity. By observing how all biblical events connect through God’s covenants with his people, believers can better grasp the beauty of the triune God and the breathtaking unity of Scripture, knowing the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. 

In this practical introduction, professor Ryan McGraw gives readers a framework for understanding the structure of the Bible. Explaining the blessing of covenant theology, he reveals how the sacraments illustrate God’s relationship with his people throughout the ages and help unify all parts of Scripture, from God’s promises in Genesis to their fulfillment in Revelation. Exploring the covenants of redemption, works, and grace, this book will give readers clarity about the gospel, and teach them how to live in fellowship with the triune God and others.

Accessible  Explains the basics and blessings of covenant theology  Illustrates the role of the covenant in the church, families, and everyday life A Great Study  Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter

Genres: Theology, Christian

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2024

About the author

Ryan M. McGraw is the pastor of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Sunnyvale, CA (http://firstopc.org/). He ministered previously to Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Conway, SC. Pastor McGraw is a graduate Cal State Fullerton (B.A.) and of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (MDiv and ThM). He obtained his PhD in historical theology from the University of the Free State (Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa). Ryan is Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and he is a Research Associate for the Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa. He regularly contributes articles and book reviews to numerous publications. He is married to Krista, and they have three sons. You can listen to his sermons at http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_det...

Reviews

[Zach Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan McGraw did a wonderful job in this introductory work. I wish I had this book as a new believer. I greatly appreciated how he addressed a world which would likely be unfamiliar with covenant theology. He does an excellent job of making it both clear and practical.

Now, why four stars? He has a section of questions and answers that was helpful for someone versed in covenant theology; however, it seemed out of place for an introductory work. As practical as his applications were, I would rather have seen these sections expanded.

Regardless, I will keep some in my office to read with new believers.

[Paul Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent! McGraw clearly and concisely weaves together the unity of Scripture through the lens of God’s plan of redemption and covenantal dealings with mankind through history. He brings many fresh and lucid illustrations and proofs that were new to me, even having read several books on this topic. The short chapters, discussion questions, and practical application throughout make this a great tool for group study and for beginners. There are many dense and heady volumes on this subject and McGraw’s book covers a previously neglected area of introductory resources on Covenant Theology—even highlighting important practical matters that may seem less emphasized in larger more theoretical and academic works. The last chapter answers common questions about covenant theology, and while I do not agree with every answer (e.g. on the indwelling of the Spirit in the OT), overall it is very useful to correct many contemporary errors, and distills many complex issues into digestible answers.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Not an in depth introduction to covenant theology, but rather a cursory look at the idea of covenants throughout the Bible and how that impacts believers today. This was particularly helpful to me in the way of learning more about the differences between dispensational theology and covenant theology.

[Jonas Opmeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grew up in the reformed tradition, the terms, “covenant”, “covenant of grace”, and “means of grace (sacraments)” are thrown around quite liberally without explanation. In this introductory work, Dr. McGraw does a good job of explaining the basic terms and their functions, then goes on to explain how to apply covenant theology to the workings of the church and other theological categories.

My broadest summary would be:
For the sake of clarity and categorizing God’s actions, covenant theology identifies three covenants explained throughout scripture. The eternal covenant between the Trinity (covenant of redemption), the original covenant with Adam (covenant of works), and the salvific plan through history (covenant of grace). These are broad terms which you can sort pretty much everything in the Bible into. If it sounds confusing, that’s why an introductory book can be clarifying and helpful. If it strikes you as abstract or unnecessary, I would ask how one is supposed to work out the relationship between the old and new testaments?

If you are getting lost throughout the main section of the book, just hold out until the frequently asked questions chapter at the end, which, to be honest, was the most profitable section by far for me.

An unnecessary addition (meaning this is personal and not really pertaining to the book) from me would be a slight frustration with the reformed tendency to use ambiguous language when talking about the sacraments. What I’ve noticed growing up in an evangelical reformed church is an unwillingness to define what the purposes are of the sacraments in a **practical** sense. It seems Reformed scholastics are unwilling to say that the sacraments are “just symbols”, but they are also unwilling to say that they are “effectual means of salvation” because as the Bible clearly teaches, salvation is by faith alone. By denying both of these clauses, you are sort of left scratching your head: “so the sacraments aren’t just symbols, but they also don’t work towards our salvation?”. The resulting language remains ambiguous and mysterious.

Some examples from the book are:
“Obedience is not a condition of the covenant because we receive Christ by faith and not by works. Yet the Holy Spirit produces other **saving graces** in us through union with Christ” (p. 106).

“[covenant children] are heirs of **the promises**, not heirs of regeneration and union with Christ” (p. 120)”

“Baptism initiates church membership and **urges** Christian faith and life, while the Lords Supper **nourishes active faith** in those of age, though we can’t set an appropriate age at which children publicly profess faith in obedience to Christ” (p. 121).

And lastly:

“Sacraments and church membership are not grounds or substitutes for salvation in Christ, but covenant promises and signs are **vehicles to daw us to the father**, through the Son, by the Spirit. While we should never replace Christ with the Church or the sacraments, we should expect to **meet Christ** under the means of grace and in fellowship with the church” (p. 123)

With all this said, I’m totally okay with just saying “they aren’t salvific, but they actually have a positive effect towards our sanctification in some mysterious sense”. Perhaps this is the actual position of reformed thinkers, but I haven’t encountered it. I’m okay with mystery, and holding to what the Bible teaches, which is why I am a paedobaptist, and I believe baptism actually does something, I just don’t mind leaning into mystery which historically is not a reformed trait.

Hopefully this critique has been legible, and honestly, I could be totally mistaken and would love some clarification on this.

This book was helpful, and I would recommend it to all Christian’s who want to understand God’s actions in eternity and through human history.

[Andrew Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I primarily read this to preview it as a potential book to recommend to those seeking to understand covenant theology (CT) better. Overall, it's a solid book and McGraw has a gift for writing with a biblical, confessional orthodoxy all while being accessible for lay people. In fact, I'd say lay folk are McGraw's target audience as the book is written on maybe a middle/high school level so very easy to understand. No, scholars will likely not mine any new gold from this book, but again it's an excellent introduction for anyone new to CT, reformed theology, or even Christianity in general. I still think the best modern book on CT is Myers' "God to Us" (which McGraw recommends in his Recommended Resources list at the end of the book with several other excellent options). This was a short and really easy read all while maintaining biblical truth so for those reasons it will probably be my go to recommendation to those needing a first introduction to covenant theology.

[Colton Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought it on a whim since it was on sale. Happy I did. Really good overview. I'm using it for some brush up, but I could see it as a good intro to people first trying to understand the topic. The Q&A chapter cut right to the point with some common objections and concerns I hear about CT.

[Zach Nakhla · Rating 4 out of 5]

After stepping on relatively few toes through 84 pages, McGraw abruptly turns and unloads his entire clip on page 85:

“The covenantal context of the church and its sacraments should make many things horribly unthinkable and other things indescribably great. Treating baptism primarily as a personal profession of faith should be unthinkable; regarding it as a sign of God's covenant promises to the church is great beyond measure. Taking the Lord's Supper in private, or making it exclusive to a bride and groom at a wedding, should repel us; observing it as a sign of Chris's union with believers and our union with Christ and his church should attract us. We should never want to receive baptism or the Lord's Supper alone. While the church, and the covenant on which it is founded, includes us, it is not primarily about us.”

On the second to last page (124) there is a hidden gem talking about how preaching should always hit these 4 things (apparently called the “quadriga”):

1. Explain Scripture
2. Point people to Christ
3. Tell them what God requires of them
4. Point to heaven

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

-Seems to tell more than show
-Lacks clarity
-I didn’t always follow his logic.
-This wouldn’t be the resource I would pass to someone who wants to know the basics of covenant theology.

Someone recommended that I read Christ of the Covenant and Far as the Curse is Found.

However, I do like the color of the cover!

[Andrew Krom · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGraw's book was a sufficient, brief introduction to Covenant Theology. I disagreed with his comments regarding baptism and church membership (being a Baptist). I found his final chapter with questions and answers about Covenant Theology to be very helpful. These questions also included a discussion question if you were reading this book in a small group.
One thing that I disliked about the book was that he seemed very dismissive of other views (especially dispensationalism generally). At one point the author implies that all people that take the Bible seriously end up with Covenant Theology (pg 99). There are a lot of people that take the Bible very seriously that do not hold to Covenant Theology.
Finally, this book was very recent (2024) and there was no comments on Progressive Covenantalism. I would have appreciated some interaction with this view.

[Nicholas Anctil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of reformed covenant theology

[Rob Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read books that I disagree with, and I enjoy it. Regardless of how the next comments that I have to make sound, I did enjoy this book and it will promptly return to my shelf.

I feel that I have two reviews to make. One regarding his theology, and one stemming from my theology. My rating comes purely from a critique of his theology and writing regardless of my position, as I don't think it's particularly appropriate to rate someone's work on whether or not I end up agreeing with them at the end of the book.

Putting my theology aside, I enjoyed this book. He was concise and to the point. He did his research. He used good illustrations. He explained and defended his position well.

The two main problems that are fresh on my mind come towards the end of the book in his Q&A portion. First of all, he says that covenant theology helps us understand why certain apocryphal writings have been rejected, such as the story of Suzanna and Daniel as it doesn't seem to have any relation to the covenant of grace. Although I agree with his stance on apocryphal writings, I must ask how the story of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Samuel 13 contribute to the covenant of grace but Suzanna is rejected. It seems to me that neither story particularly adds anything to the covenant of grace, although we certainly can draw application from either story. So, although I too reject the apocryphal writings, I don't find that argument to be effective.

Secondly, I must take issue with a comment he makes under how reformed theology and covenant theology relate where he asked why "everyone who takes the Bible seriously ends up covenant." That's a pretty lofty claim. Regardless of my position, there are many serious Bible scholars who end up in very different camps. All that phrase added to this book was an air of pride and arrogance, and dismissal of any other opposing view as unserious Bible study. Ouch.

Now, regarding my theological position, I feel that I should add a thing or two. One, he says that he must confess that he doesn't have a good answer for why the Holy Spirit seems to indwell people in the NT but not in the OT. First off, I admire his honesty. Secondly, he will have a hard time reconciling that because he has already rejected the answer in his first chapter. Dispensationalism. Understanding the difference between saints in the Old Testament and church age saints will help clarify why the different groups will have different benefits.

Secondly, regarding dispensationalism, his big push in this book was the unity of Scripture through the covenant of grace. Yet he struggles to explain why the Law is part of the covenant of grace instead of the covenant of works, or why "the works of the law" refers to the Law of Moses in one passage and the covenant of works in another. I think better unity and consistency can be found in understanding Scripture through a dispensational lense. Salvation by grace through faith has always been God's saving instrumentality, regardless of the dispensation. The code of conduct that He holds man to be accountable to, however, changes from dispensation to dispensation. With that in mind, we don't have to do the same gymnastics to try to explain how we are under parts of the Law while Christ abolished other parts of the Law.

All of that to say, regardless of my comments and the countless evening rants that I would have with my wife while reading this book, I enjoyed it. I learned some new things about covenant theology that I hadn't realized before and am excited to do some more digging to try to wrap my mind around what they believe and why.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new book that simplifies and explains what covenant theology is, also known as reformed theology for those new to the belief or wanting to better understand what it is.

Personally, for me, when I came to understand and read the Bible through this lens, it helped me understand the work of God better and how to read the Bible. It helped me understand the Bible as a whole, tying all Scripture together. The author explains this in great detail, along with how it shows the glory of the triune God and how to live a Christian life. Each chapter provides study questions, so this book would make a great group study book. The last part of the book was my favorite, only because I am familiar already with what covenant theology is. The last part of the book is a question and answer section. These are common questions that come up when people are learning or asking about covenant theology. The author provides great examples and explanations to help you with understanding or explaining it to someone else.

Here are some of my highlights:

Covenant theology helps us see the breathtaking unity of Scripture, making all the parts begin to fall into place over time. The best thing is that the more often we read the entire Bible, with covenant theology in hand the better the parts will start explaining each other.
The sacrifices in Leviticus and genealogies in Chronicles tells us more about what God is like and what He is doing after we read Hebrews and Matthew, for example.
In the covenant of redemption, the triune God planned to save elect sinners, and Christ agreed to stand in their place. The covenant of works shows how and why they need to be saved, and the covenant of grace shows how they come to receive Christ for salvation.
We would do well to live up to our privileges by studying the Bible playfully and daily, loving new covenant worship on the Lord’s Day, and by expecting the Spirit to bless our fight against sin and our pursuit of Christ’s character.
Covenant theology can serve as a key to unlock and enjoy the riches stored in every book of Scripture. Reading the Bible while asking what it tells you about God, how it points to Christ, and how you relate to Him in covenant should be radically transformative.
Because Christ and the church are first in God’s plan, we should esteem fellow believers better than ourselves.
Any time baptism and the Lord’s Supper become more about our personal professions of faith than about God’s promises to the church, then something has gone terribly wrong in our understanding of the covenant of grace.
Letting people, whether adults or children, get away with sin without consequences and calling it grace is a sad commentary on our view of the covenant of grace. The grace of God the brings salvation teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age as we look to Christ’s return…ON the other hand, God forgives our sins freely and unreservedly, not holding a grudge against us or calling up our past sins.

[Joel Opificius · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange little book, and I'm not sure who it would be for. It's not exactly for someone seeking a definition of covenant theology. It is missing chapters on key ideas such as the people of God. It also does not provide much substance as to what is distinct about traditional covenant theology compared to other covenantal/dispensational theologies. Many times, McGraw says something along the lines of, "This is why covenant theology is so helpful...," then states things that adherents of progressive covenantalism, progressive dispensationalism, and even traditional dispensationalism also hold to.

Now I'm not a presbyterian. I'm a reformed baptist that holds to progressive dispensationalism. Yet, there is a lot in this book that I would wholeheartedly say "Amen" to, such as the covenant of redemption, a covenant with Adam as the foundation for all other historical covenants, federal headship from both Adam and Christ, and a great degree of unity between the historical covenants.

As a dispensationalist, I think that McGraw often mischaracterized dispensationalism as a monolithic movement, and it seems that McGraw's understanding of modern dispensationalism is more akin to the "classical dispensationalism" of early Scofield or perhaps even pop dispensationalism rather than the modern progressive dispensationalism held by most today. He also does not do justice to baptist theology in general (whether covenantal or dispensational) when he argues against a view of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament that no baptist I know holds.

I really did thoroughly enjoy many parts of this book, such as when McGraw explains the covenantal significance of baptism and the Lord's Supper. That part is gold. I even found his definition of "covenant" to be really simple and helpful. However, I think this book should have gone through more editing to smooth things up before publishing. I often came across typos and clunky writing, making me reread many sentences to understand his syntax.

[Jon Cheek · Rating 2 out of 5]

McGraw writes clearly and is able to engage relatively well with a less academic audience. McGraw
provides a helpful overview of CT and enables readers to understand CT at a basic level. Those who
espouse or hold an affinity toward CT will indeed find it to be an “accessible guide.”

However, McGraw overstates the exclusivity of the benefits and blessings of CT. One noteworthy question McGraw addresses in chapter six is whether a person can still hold to the gospel without CT. McGraw says, “yes, though not as clearly as they could with covenant theology” (p. 97). His
explanation is unconvincing to me. However, this is to be expected, since as a non-adherent of
CT, I would not understand this concept as clearly. CT does not own a monopoly on love and reverence for the Trinity, seeing the unity and big picture of Scripture, or prioritizing the church over the individual.

Another major concern from the outset is McGraw’s strawman description of dispensationalism.
McGraw gives the impression that there is only one form of dispensationalism, “which taught
that God had different plans for Jews and for the church, resulting in a disjointed reading of the
Old and New Testaments” (p. 2; also p. 100). He later states, “The main feature of all forms of
dispensationalism is that proponents view Israel and the church as two peoples of God with two
distinct destinies” (p. 103n3). These statements generally represent the traditional view of
dispensationalism, but not the progressive dispensational view, which is well-attested in modern
scholarship.

Additionally, McGraw's discussion of infant baptism seems to be contradictory and does not reflect the NT teaching on baptism.

[Hammer Shalawylo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What is Covenant Theology” is a very enjoyable read. McGraw seeks to show the glory and blessing of covenant theology for the life of an average believer. This is not a polemical book, and he does not spend time analyzing in detail every alternative view. Often times it seems the chief end of doctrine tends to devolve into intellectual debate, but McGraw presents covenant theology with the true telos in mind, the revelation of the triune God and His works, to the praise of His glorious grace.

McGraw argues concisely and clearly for Reformed / Westminsterian covenant theology. He includes a Q&A section in the back with common questions that arise when studying the covenants of scripture and their implications, and provides brief answers. If someone is wondering what the biblical and theological basis is for reformed covenant theology, wondering what difference it makes in their walk with God, or simply wants to grow in their love for the scriptures and the God who gave them, this is a great little book.

You learn to appreciate the covenant faithfulness of God from eternity past, appreciate and learn how to see the promised Seed, Jesus Christ, throughout the pages of the scriptures, and learn the place of sacraments.

McGraw is very good at defining terms in understandable ways and not steamrolling his readers. He writes with a clear pastoral heart. This is a great introductory work.

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Little Book

This is a good book. I learned much and benefited from reading this book about covenant theology. This book is not really introductory, as the title implies, because it assumes too much of the reader for that. Dr. McGraw gives a cursory review of covenant theology in the first couple of chapters, which fine for a refresher, but inadequate if you are new to covenant theology and are expecting this book to teach you about the covenants.
The rest of the book is application of covenant theology to the understanding of other doctrines, and how covenant theology affects church life, and Christian practices like Bible reading.
The last chapter is a series of frequently asked questions about covenant theology. Some answers are good, most are truncated, and a few are disappointingly weak, like the reasons we include infants in baptism but not the Lord’s Supper. I don’t believe in paedo-communion, but the reasons given did not seem to come from the verses he cited.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book, and I would recommend it with the above caveats.

[Corby H · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGraw's book checks the box if you want a description of what covenant theology is. However, if you want to be shown how covenant theology is practical for the Christian life, it's a mixed bag. For bible reading, preaching, discipleship, and other disciplines I gave McGraw's insights a hearty amen. But I found the book to be quite bad in some places, as in the confusion of the divine law with the holy gospel when it comes to the Mosaic Covenant, and the emphasis on sanctions as a primary means perseverance. And this is the book's weakness. Covenant Theology is the product of the law/gospel distinction, how pure can my bible reading, preaching and discipliship be if I'm confusing the law with the gospel the whole time. Reformed covenant theology shouldn't muddy the waters.
As a result, I don't recommend this book as your first read into covenant theology. There are better books with a stronger emphasis on the evangel, one of my favourites to recommend is Brown and Keele's, Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored. So if your looking to dip your toes into covenant theology, McGraw's book can wait, go grab yourself a copy of Sacred Bond.

[Sem · Rating 5 out of 5]

McGraw, in this book, has written a very helpful and applicable introduction on the reformed view of the covenant. After giving a carefully constructed definition of the term “covenant”, McGraw delves into its deeper layers, which are found in Scripture. Looking at the Biblical timeline, the book shows how the covenant between God and Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David has expanded throughout history and how it found its fulfillment in Christ. With advice to how a better perspective on the covenants will lead to more joy in Bible reading, a clearer look on the glory of the triune God, and a deeper form of Christian living, this book itself is a joy to read. Seeing the unified theme throughout Scripture which is summarized in Genesis 3:15, is a big takeaway from this book. The questions and answers at the end of the book are also very helpful.

[Quin Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found McGraw hard to track with at times, specifically concerning the role the covenant of grace has in regard to the family unit today. Ambiguous phrases like “Children of believers are heirs of the promises, not of eternal life” threw me off a bit. In general, I found many confusing statements in here, but maybe I’m the problem.

He didn’t address dispensationalism at all, nor did he really build his arguments to any main points. I didn’t feel like I left this book with any better understanding than I had when I started it.

This book approaches covenant theology from a Presbyterian perspective, if you’re not Presbyterian but looking to understand covenant theology, this book may not be the most helpful.

[Randy Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a very thin, very basic introduction to convenient theology. But for me, having read this, i would say I’m still in the market to find a good book on the biblical covenants and covenant theology. I’m not sure if it was the writer’s early flippant and unnecessary (and not wholly accurate) diss of dispensationalism or that I simply did not connect with his writing, but I found the writing to not always be clear or building to a point. If you’re looking for a book on covenant theology, this is okay, but you should know that the writer spends the majority of his time talking up and praising all the benefits of covenant theology and very little time exploring the actually covenants.

[Andy Schreiber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read some of the blurbs from other authors on the inside of the cover, especially that from Mark Jones, I was pretty excited about this book. Having just finished it, I was a bit disappointed.

Not a bad book by any means, and I didn't have any major disagreements with anything he wrote, but it probably won't be my go-to book to recommend to people who want a basic introduction to Covenant Theology. (We have bought a handful of copies to give away at church, for what that's worth.)

P.S. Mark Jones, go ahead and write that book now. I'm sure Ryan won't be offended. :)

[Megan Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all the reflective questions at the end of each chapter to go deeper and to have better understanding of covenant theology. A few of my favorite quotes from the book were “Focusing on our circumstances leads us to selfishness and anger focusing on Christ and covenant leads to self denile and humility”. “We all may have a different experience but we all have the same testimony”! I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is interested in the topic.

[Tanner Baumgart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful overview of Covenant Theology. Though I am not convinced this is the best way to understand the unfolding of the storyline of Scripture (still PC), there were many aspects and comments I appreciated in this work. However, there is a fairly consistent misrepresentation of Baptist ecclesiology, especially in how Progressive Covenantalists explain the purpose and administration of the ordinances.

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan M. McGraw’s What Is Covenant Theology? is a clear, concise introduction to Reformed covenant theology. At ~150 pages, it ties God’s promises to Christ, the seed, and sacraments with scriptural fidelity. Perfect for beginners, though it leaves you wanting deeper historical discussion. Great for students or laypeople!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great introductory book to covenant theology. This book reminded me of Harrison Perkins' recent volume but shortened for the broadest lay audience possible.

I think this book paired with Jonty Rhodes' work Covenants Made Simple could give someone a fantastic overview of the Bible.

[Nick Kinkead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great primer for those new to Covenant theology. McGraw is very brief but gets to the main points with thoroughness. The reflection questions and the Q&A at the end are great. Highly recommend to those especially with a dispensational background wanting to learn more.

[Chloe Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Great intro to covenant theology, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord supper from a covenant perspective. Highly recommend this to anyone wanting to understand the basic of CT, the Presbyterian view of baptism, and understanding of those areas of the Church a bit better.

[Colin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. Helpful to get a better grasp on what covenant theology is and how it can impact the Christian life. That said, it seems that the author presents covenant theology as essential to some of the things he believes and im not sure I’m convinced of that.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wouldn't work as an introduction to covenant theology, but it is a meaningful reflection on what it means for God to be in covenant with his people and to be faithful to that covenant (on both sides). McGraw makes a good case for covenant baptism and shows how it's difficult to conceive of a truly covenantal and continuous relationship between the OT and NT dispensations otherwise.

I'd recommend this book for reflection and for appreciation of Christ and his faithfulness to us.

[Clint Bingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 5, Covenant Theology and the Christian Life, had some good application and provided several productive things to contemplate.

Other parts of the book were confusing.