Perkins, Harrison. Reformed Covenant Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2024.
You know from your own experience that the Christian faith is not merely a religion, it’s a relationship. Specifically, it’s a covenant relationship with the Triune God who has successfully revealed Himself in Scripture. Covenant theology unpacks that relationship in such a way that you are stunned by the beauty of the gospel. Harrison Perkins takes you on a deep dive into what Reformed systematic theologians have said about the covenants. You end up appreciating both the law and the gospel, the importance of the covenant of works made with Adam, why Hosea 6:7 truly is relevant to this subject, and how 1 Corinthians 15 helps you understand Adam’s probation in Eden. But mainly your love for your Saviour grows.
Perkins is a pastor and so his book is full of down to earth illustrations about ice cream, your town’s building codes, the Oscars awards, and the different ways a brother can take on your debt. When he’s not quoting Calvin, Witsius, Bavinck, and Vos, he’s writing quotable lines of his own: “The Ten Commandments are not archaic legislation but a fundamental description of what it means to be human.” He helps you see that the covenant of works (which Adam broke) and the covenant of grace differ in method but have the same ultimate goal. Underneath the covenants in human history is the eternal covenant of redemption in which Christ fulfilled the covenant of works for His people, graciously giving them every benefit He has earned.
As I read this book, I was not only seeing the biblical foundations of covenant theology and the Reformed consensus about these things, I was even gaining a greater appreciation of the persons of the Trinity. Sometimes technical vocabulary opens new doors of understanding: the “distinction between the Son incarnandus (who would become incarnate) and incarnatus (who has become incarnate) provides eternal and temporal perspectives on the Son’s” work as our Saviour.
Have you ever wondered what is at stake for Christians on Judgement Day? Perkins helps you see from Scripture that on that day you will already be glorified, that the holiness which is a prerequisite for seeing the Lord is not your own good works but God’s work of making you holy. He offers a very helpful translation of Philippians 3:9-11, and makes you care more than ever about ethics and growing in godly virtue.
If you have questions about how the law of Moses relates to the Christian life – and which of us honestly is an expert in precisely how the Mosaic covenant is part of the covenant of grace while often sounding a lot like a covenant of works – Perkins’ chapter on this subject will bring much needed clarity. Things I have struggled to grasp for years – how to steer clear of both antinomianism and theonomy, how to treasure the law without being under its thumb – are given solid and nuanced explanation. My students often ask me what exactly is “new” about the new covenant. This book explores that question with helpful summaries of how the new covenant is new in its extent, in its unbreakable nature, and in its direct offer of Christ.
Occasionally Perkins is a bit too sure of his conclusions, as in his interpretation of the counsel of peace in Zechariah 6. But nine times out of ten he is driving home central gospel truths: “The Gospels record, not simply Jesus’ crucifixion with long introductions, but his entire obedient life, itself having significant theological value, not simply as a precursor to his death, but as an integral part of his saving mission.” You owe it to yourself to carve out time to read this book, cover to cover. It unfolds the riches of your Reformed heritage that have been sitting right there in the confessions and creeds all along – their significance too often neglected. Once you sense the weightiness of what Perkins is driving at, you’ll tell yourself, “That will preach!”