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God to Us: Covenant Theology in Scripture
When the Lord becomes our God and we become his people we are in covenant with each other. Covenant theology is the study of God's unchanging purpose to secure a people to Himself for His Son. It's a redeeming purpose that unfolds throughout Divine revelation and redemptive history from the eternal, intra-Trinitarian counsel of the Godhead to its historical consummation in the New Heavens and the New Earth. God to Us explains the purpose and work of the covenant in detail so our knowledge of God may deepen, our relationship with Him become richer as we grow into living as His people. Table of
1. A History of Covenant Theology
2. The Covenant of Works
3. The Counsel of Peace
4. The Covenant of Grace
5. The Covenant of Grace Announced
6. The Noahic Covenant
7. The Abrahamic Covenant
8. The Mosaic Covenant
9. The Mosaic Covenant in the New Testament
10. The Davidic Covenant
11. The New Covenant
12. Covenant Theology in the New Testament
13. Covenant Theology and the Church
1. A History of Covenant Theology
2. The Covenant of Works
3. The Counsel of Peace
4. The Covenant of Grace
5. The Covenant of Grace Announced
6. The Noahic Covenant
7. The Abrahamic Covenant
8. The Mosaic Covenant
9. The Mosaic Covenant in the New Testament
10. The Davidic Covenant
11. The New Covenant
12. Covenant Theology in the New Testament
13. Covenant Theology and the Church
373 pages, Hardcover
Published November 27, 2021
25 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 5, 2022
This is the best book I read in 2022. I rarely read books by living authors, particularly in the category of theological works but this book is excellent and needs to be read by every Christian. If you do not understand or are not familiar with covenant theology this book will serve as an introduction to you. If you think you understand CT, this book will serve to help you understand better and to go deeper. Myers walks readers through the covenant of grace throughout history and throughout the bible. Very helpful book, rich with scripture references, and also devotional too in that I was overwhelmed with how God is a God to His people; He is MY covenant God.
March 5, 2022
A superb piece of work. Myers knows the old literature, but he also knows the new. He knows where there is disagreement and where there is consensus. If the reader would know what Reformed folks mean when we talk about covenant theology, this is the book to get. It is a careful exegetical, theological walk through the Bible, showing the development of the covenant through the breadth of Scripture. highly recommended.
May 28, 2022
Best book on Reformed covenant theology out there.
August 11, 2025
I put off reading this one for a while, since there are so many covenant theology books out right now and I’ve read a good share of them. But hands down this is the best one yet.
August 6, 2023
Myers delivers an accessible and relatively comprehensive portrait of Covenant Theology. Unlike RTS’s recent volume, this book benefits from a greater authorial unity. I think his central definition of covenant and his efforts to show the substantial unity of various administrations of the Covenant of Grace (and thus the continuity of God’s people) are rock solid, even if some of those receive slightly unbalanced attention.
The book is particularly adept at explaining the scope and role of the Mosaic covenant, and is outstanding at addressing the NT discussions of the Mosaic law. I was less satisfied by Myers’s attention to the theology proper dynamics of the Pactum (and there wasn’t much discussion about why so many post Reformation scholars seem to omit the Holy Spirit from the CoR), but his discussion of meritorious v. sequential conditionality was great. He has an irenic takedown of those who split the Noahic covenant into law/gospel (or considering merely a common grace covenant) rather than seeing it as a cohesive. His work on the Davidic covenant was a bit underwhelming compared to other administrations.
I have several issues with his chapter on how the church understands and practices the sacraments, but I don’t consider them irreconcilable to the heart of his thesis about Covenant Theology.
The book is particularly adept at explaining the scope and role of the Mosaic covenant, and is outstanding at addressing the NT discussions of the Mosaic law. I was less satisfied by Myers’s attention to the theology proper dynamics of the Pactum (and there wasn’t much discussion about why so many post Reformation scholars seem to omit the Holy Spirit from the CoR), but his discussion of meritorious v. sequential conditionality was great. He has an irenic takedown of those who split the Noahic covenant into law/gospel (or considering merely a common grace covenant) rather than seeing it as a cohesive. His work on the Davidic covenant was a bit underwhelming compared to other administrations.
I have several issues with his chapter on how the church understands and practices the sacraments, but I don’t consider them irreconcilable to the heart of his thesis about Covenant Theology.
February 3, 2023
I’ve read at least 7 (that I recall) treatises on covenant theology (CT), this by far is the best. His historical analysis is excellent. His treatment of the Mosaic law is stellar. But most of all, what I love about this volume is Dr. Myer’s labor in scriptural exegesis as his primary means of demonstrating the validity of CT. It’s wonderful. Take up and read. You will not be disappointed.
Only real weakness was his treatment of the Davidic Covenant. Belcher is better here.
Only real weakness was his treatment of the Davidic Covenant. Belcher is better here.
September 5, 2023
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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DISCLAIMER
Some friends and I read this book at the same time, getting together to talk about it periodically. So it's entirely possible, even likely, that some of what I say in this post is a thought borrowed from someone else. This will particularly be true if I say something insightful or interesting.
WHAT'S GOD TO US ABOUT?
This is, pretty simply, an introduction to Covenant Theology. Myers defines covenant in his introduction (with special focus on the words used, and meanings suggested, in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Septuagint). From there, he gives a brief history of the development of Covenant Theology throughout Church History, which is probably worth a book unto itself—but this chapter serves well enough.
From there he looks at the three predominant covenants in Scripture/Theology—the Covenants of Works, the Counsel of Peace, and the Covenant of Grace. He spends two chapters on the Covenant of Grace—one on understanding the covenant and then one on the circumstances surrounding the announcement of the Covenant and what we can learn from that (and this is one of those chapters worth the purchase price of the book alone). He then looks at the developing covenants that make up the Covenant of Grace—the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. Myers then looks at Covenant Theology in the New Testament and then in The Church. The Mosaic Covenant is another Covenant that gets two chapters (the rest all get one)—the second looks at the ways the New Testament writers think about and use the Mosaic Covenant.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BOOK
I like to focus on one or two chapters that really stand out to me when talking about books like this. Myers made this very difficult for me—I'm tempted to say Chapters 2-12 were highlights, but that seems to be cheating. It's true, though—there's something in each of those chapters that made me sit up and pay attention in a way I didn't expect.
I guess I would have to say that the chapter on the Noahic Covenant was particularly effective—usually, I tend to think (and think I've seen authors treat it this way) about the Noahic Covenant being something covered just to check a box between Adam and Abraham—it's where the word covenant is first used, so we need to look at it, but it's not that big of a deal. Myers won't let you think that way, showing how it's a pivotal step in Redemptive History—and I'll not make that mistake again.
Chapter Nine, "The Mosaic Covenant in the New Testament," is so vital and so important that I have to mention it. Not only does Myers help the reader understand what the NT is doing, but he also helps the reader avoid some of the more popular and prevalent errors regarding this understanding today. The same could be said for Chapter Eleven, "The New Covenant."
And if I'm not careful, I'll list the other chapters, too—so I'm going to move along.
THINGS I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT
I'm not going into details, but Myers uses Gen. 6:18 extensively in his arguments about God establishing covenants in Genesis before the word "covenant" was used. He's not the first to do so—O. Palmer Robertson mentions someone (some people? I don't remember and am not going to go look it up) doing the same in a footnote in his 1987 book, The Christ of the Covenants. It seems to be a perfectly valid argument—but I wonder if Myers relies on it too much. Yes, he uses a multi-pronged argument, and Gen. 6 is just one of them—but it seems to be called to do more than it maybe can.
Secondly, and I know I didn't catch this, that'd be one of the others I read it with. Myers uses the early chapters of Hosea to substantiate his position on what the exiles of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms mean for the Davidic Covenant (and the Covenant of Grace as a whole). There's much to be commended for his position—but a lot of what he says about the early chapters of Hosea seems to differ from what Hosea says later on. Now, if I studied this portion of this book a bit more, I might have an easier time defending Myers's position—but at first and second glance, he seems to stumble a bit here.
Lastly, and this is a very minor problem, the thirteenth chapter, "Covenant Theology and the Church," is a bit of a letdown. Your results may (and likely will) vary. But for me, after twelve chapters with insights that impressed me when they didn't teach me and/or helped me to think about Covenant Theology in a new way, to come across a chapter about the sacraments, Church membership, and related ideas that was as basic and straightforward as this just left me wanting more. I didn't see any problems in what Myers said, but it all seemed a bit too obvious. He's been sailing along
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT GOD TO US?
I loved this book. I've read more books on Covenant Theology than I can easily count, and if this isn't the best, it's so close to it as not to matter. Myers gives his readers a thorough introduction to Covenant Theology as it came to the Protestant Church from the Reformation—particularly the English Reformation and the explanation offered by the Westminster divines and their contemporaries. His introduction is readable, clear, and helpful to the layman willing to put in a little work—but he's not just repeating what the previous generations gave us, he's looking at contemporary theology and insights as well.
Is it perfect? Nope. Are there more problems with it than those I mentioned above? Almost certainly. But it's just so good that the flaws are forgivable. I learned a lot—even if it was just a better way to state what I'd already believed and understood—but I got much more than that from the book. It's such a helpful work.
More than that—as all good theology should, it led me to doxology. That our Lord would condescend to His people in covenant is mind-blowingly gracious in the first place—that He does so to rebels in order that he could win them to Himself? That should drive us to worship. And the more we understand the gracious and remarkable nature of these covenants, the more we should be driven to it. Myers brings his readers to this point repeatedly—sometimes just by explaining something clearly—sometimes by applying his explanation to the reader to help us understand how it should make us reflect in worship.
I've tried to keep this brief and to resist the urge to dive deeply into some of the areas of the book that I would want to if this was the place for deep dives into Theology. But this is about books, so I'm not going to. I cannot say enough good things about God to Us. It's just great. I've given it as a gift already, I will do so in the future as well as recommend it to anyone who asks for a good intro to the topic. Also, I commend it to whoever reads this post.
---
DISCLAIMER
Some friends and I read this book at the same time, getting together to talk about it periodically. So it's entirely possible, even likely, that some of what I say in this post is a thought borrowed from someone else. This will particularly be true if I say something insightful or interesting.
WHAT'S GOD TO US ABOUT?
This is, pretty simply, an introduction to Covenant Theology. Myers defines covenant in his introduction (with special focus on the words used, and meanings suggested, in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Septuagint). From there, he gives a brief history of the development of Covenant Theology throughout Church History, which is probably worth a book unto itself—but this chapter serves well enough.
From there he looks at the three predominant covenants in Scripture/Theology—the Covenants of Works, the Counsel of Peace, and the Covenant of Grace. He spends two chapters on the Covenant of Grace—one on understanding the covenant and then one on the circumstances surrounding the announcement of the Covenant and what we can learn from that (and this is one of those chapters worth the purchase price of the book alone). He then looks at the developing covenants that make up the Covenant of Grace—the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. Myers then looks at Covenant Theology in the New Testament and then in The Church. The Mosaic Covenant is another Covenant that gets two chapters (the rest all get one)—the second looks at the ways the New Testament writers think about and use the Mosaic Covenant.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BOOK
I like to focus on one or two chapters that really stand out to me when talking about books like this. Myers made this very difficult for me—I'm tempted to say Chapters 2-12 were highlights, but that seems to be cheating. It's true, though—there's something in each of those chapters that made me sit up and pay attention in a way I didn't expect.
I guess I would have to say that the chapter on the Noahic Covenant was particularly effective—usually, I tend to think (and think I've seen authors treat it this way) about the Noahic Covenant being something covered just to check a box between Adam and Abraham—it's where the word covenant is first used, so we need to look at it, but it's not that big of a deal. Myers won't let you think that way, showing how it's a pivotal step in Redemptive History—and I'll not make that mistake again.
Chapter Nine, "The Mosaic Covenant in the New Testament," is so vital and so important that I have to mention it. Not only does Myers help the reader understand what the NT is doing, but he also helps the reader avoid some of the more popular and prevalent errors regarding this understanding today. The same could be said for Chapter Eleven, "The New Covenant."
And if I'm not careful, I'll list the other chapters, too—so I'm going to move along.
THINGS I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT
I'm not going into details, but Myers uses Gen. 6:18 extensively in his arguments about God establishing covenants in Genesis before the word "covenant" was used. He's not the first to do so—O. Palmer Robertson mentions someone (some people? I don't remember and am not going to go look it up) doing the same in a footnote in his 1987 book, The Christ of the Covenants. It seems to be a perfectly valid argument—but I wonder if Myers relies on it too much. Yes, he uses a multi-pronged argument, and Gen. 6 is just one of them—but it seems to be called to do more than it maybe can.
Secondly, and I know I didn't catch this, that'd be one of the others I read it with. Myers uses the early chapters of Hosea to substantiate his position on what the exiles of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms mean for the Davidic Covenant (and the Covenant of Grace as a whole). There's much to be commended for his position—but a lot of what he says about the early chapters of Hosea seems to differ from what Hosea says later on. Now, if I studied this portion of this book a bit more, I might have an easier time defending Myers's position—but at first and second glance, he seems to stumble a bit here.
Lastly, and this is a very minor problem, the thirteenth chapter, "Covenant Theology and the Church," is a bit of a letdown. Your results may (and likely will) vary. But for me, after twelve chapters with insights that impressed me when they didn't teach me and/or helped me to think about Covenant Theology in a new way, to come across a chapter about the sacraments, Church membership, and related ideas that was as basic and straightforward as this just left me wanting more. I didn't see any problems in what Myers said, but it all seemed a bit too obvious. He's been sailing along
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT GOD TO US?
I loved this book. I've read more books on Covenant Theology than I can easily count, and if this isn't the best, it's so close to it as not to matter. Myers gives his readers a thorough introduction to Covenant Theology as it came to the Protestant Church from the Reformation—particularly the English Reformation and the explanation offered by the Westminster divines and their contemporaries. His introduction is readable, clear, and helpful to the layman willing to put in a little work—but he's not just repeating what the previous generations gave us, he's looking at contemporary theology and insights as well.
Is it perfect? Nope. Are there more problems with it than those I mentioned above? Almost certainly. But it's just so good that the flaws are forgivable. I learned a lot—even if it was just a better way to state what I'd already believed and understood—but I got much more than that from the book. It's such a helpful work.
More than that—as all good theology should, it led me to doxology. That our Lord would condescend to His people in covenant is mind-blowingly gracious in the first place—that He does so to rebels in order that he could win them to Himself? That should drive us to worship. And the more we understand the gracious and remarkable nature of these covenants, the more we should be driven to it. Myers brings his readers to this point repeatedly—sometimes just by explaining something clearly—sometimes by applying his explanation to the reader to help us understand how it should make us reflect in worship.
I've tried to keep this brief and to resist the urge to dive deeply into some of the areas of the book that I would want to if this was the place for deep dives into Theology. But this is about books, so I'm not going to. I cannot say enough good things about God to Us. It's just great. I've given it as a gift already, I will do so in the future as well as recommend it to anyone who asks for a good intro to the topic. Also, I commend it to whoever reads this post.
January 13, 2026
Reading one book on the biblical covenants isn’t going to provide a clear and balanced view, but this is the best one-stop-shop I’ve read —and in around 300 pages.
He covers the history, theological issues, various viewpoints, and relevant scriptures well without overloading the reader with lengthy quotations and rabbit trails or speculative novelties. He doesn’t bring the whole kitchen out, but spends enough time to address each issue without belaboring one point for too long. He demonstrates that we do not need a complex covenant theology to have a coherent biblical viewpoint.
He covers the history, theological issues, various viewpoints, and relevant scriptures well without overloading the reader with lengthy quotations and rabbit trails or speculative novelties. He doesn’t bring the whole kitchen out, but spends enough time to address each issue without belaboring one point for too long. He demonstrates that we do not need a complex covenant theology to have a coherent biblical viewpoint.
August 21, 2022
A very good introduction to covenant theology.
March 19, 2025
great introduction to covenant theology!
August 21, 2024
This was such a clear and readable explanation of covenant theology. While there was a bit of technical detail with Hebrew and Greek words, Myers explained it so well and so clearly that the reader does not get bogged down in it. In fact, those technical details added to the beauty of covenant theology as Myers elucidates it. The conclusion paragraphs at the end of each chapter gave great summaries of what was discussed in each chapter and are extremely helpful. I also appreciated that Myers dealt with alternate views fairly, dispassionately, while giving clear reasons through scripture why they were not right. Most of all, I loved that the tone was personal. Myers always brought it back to why it matters to us. After reading this book I want to glorify and worship God more for His covenantal work of redemption.
February 27, 2024
An excellent book on covenant theology. It is comprehensive in its scope but extremely readable and clearly written. To top it off, the author has included extensive footnotes with references to other works and papers which makes the breadth of the information he covered, breathtaking.
Who would this be for? I don't think I would hand this to someone who was completely new to covenant theology. It's comprehensive, but it's daunting in its size. But for someone who already has at least a cursory familiarity but wants to see the arguments or the continuity throughout Scripture, it would be perfect. Even someone already familiar with covenant theology would benefit, as it is very warmly written and applied to the Christian life and to seeing the plan of salvation. I think it would also make an excellent refresher or reference when looking back at the various covenants and how they fit into the plan of redemption. Highly recommended!
Who would this be for? I don't think I would hand this to someone who was completely new to covenant theology. It's comprehensive, but it's daunting in its size. But for someone who already has at least a cursory familiarity but wants to see the arguments or the continuity throughout Scripture, it would be perfect. Even someone already familiar with covenant theology would benefit, as it is very warmly written and applied to the Christian life and to seeing the plan of salvation. I think it would also make an excellent refresher or reference when looking back at the various covenants and how they fit into the plan of redemption. Highly recommended!
May 28, 2025
I have read articles, sections of books, and watched countless videos on covenant theology. This, however, was the first full length treatment in book form that I have read, and it is phenomenal. Dr. Myers is incredibly well read, not just books about Scripture but of the Scriptures themselves. He gives an excellent account of how covenant theology combines Biblical studies, biblical theology, and systematic theology, all the while showing how every step of the book points the reader toward living a faithful life in Christ. Any reader, whether a church member or seminary student, will gain much by reading this work. I truly believe that Dr. Myers has helped me love God more than I did before reading this book.
June 29, 2023
Excelente libro. Una explicación exegéticamente detallada y teológicamente completa de los pactos bíblicos. Desde el pacto de obras con Adán, hasta el pacto de gracia que inició en la eternidad pasada entre las 3 personas de la trinidad para salvar a sus elegidos, que fue administrado de diferentes maneras bajo los pactos con Noé, Abrahám, Israel, David y finalmente el nuevo pacto. Myers muestra la unidad del pacto de gracia, que demuestra la unidad de toda la escritura, desde Genesis 3:15 hasta Apocalipsis, Dios ha realizado su plan de redención atraves de Cristo, administrado en los pactos.
November 14, 2022
This book was excellent! It was so well written that a “layman” such as myself could easily understand it. Myers points out so many connections and ways that the covenantal administrations work together. I learned so much about God and about myself by seeing the way God weaves together His covenantal administrations throughout history. So many things I’d never even thought about! Excellent, excellent book. Highly recommend.
October 24, 2023
The best defense of Westminster Federalism that I’ve read thus far.
However, my normal Baptist objections came to mind. He has a futuristic interpretation of Jeremiah 31, begs the question when it comes to one covenant with multiple administrations, etc.
It is also notable that he has an entire chapter on the New Testament treatment of the Mosaic Covenant that doesn’t touch Galatians 4
Also, I still cannot see the consistency of a non-paedocommunion position
However, my normal Baptist objections came to mind. He has a futuristic interpretation of Jeremiah 31, begs the question when it comes to one covenant with multiple administrations, etc.
It is also notable that he has an entire chapter on the New Testament treatment of the Mosaic Covenant that doesn’t touch Galatians 4
Also, I still cannot see the consistency of a non-paedocommunion position
February 13, 2024
Overall a really great overview of covenant theology.
Strengths: attentive to historical developments in covenant theology and thoroughly exegetical. Wades into academic discussions, but also very pastoral and devotional in places.
Weaknesses: the ecclesiology and sacraments chapter was the weakest part of the book.
Strengths: attentive to historical developments in covenant theology and thoroughly exegetical. Wades into academic discussions, but also very pastoral and devotional in places.
Weaknesses: the ecclesiology and sacraments chapter was the weakest part of the book.
December 11, 2022
Great work. I understand covenant theology much better having read this book. This is the one book I'd recommend to anyone for an intro to covenant theology.
January 18, 2023
Best easy to read treatment on reformed covenant theology.
May 16, 2024
Well-written and easy to understand even when discussing complicated ideas.
Excellent book for an introduction to covenant theology.
Excellent book for an introduction to covenant theology.
December 29, 2024
This book pretty much made me Presbyterian.
September 25, 2025
This book opens the doors wide open. A must read for any student of the Scriptures. I imagine there will be benefits from this book in my thinking and believing for years to come.
November 15, 2022
The best treatment of the subject I have read so far, even in comparison to some of O. Palmer Robertson’s works. Having come from a dispensational background, this book stuck to the text and answered many of the arguments against covenant theology in a simple and exegetical way. The argument for paedobaptism at the end is not the strongest, but as a 1689 Baptist, I’m not too upset about that, and I’m glad it wasn’t made the focus of the whole book. Another positive is that it doesn’t get stuck on tangents on minority views like Klinean republication like some works by popular covenant theology authors like Horton do. I recommend this to anyone looking to for a single volume study of Reformed covenant theology.
November 14, 2025
If you want to understand Covenant Theology, this is the book you need to read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews