Both dispensational and covenant theology are ways in which believers “put together” their Bible. These systems serve as interpretive grid to understand the storyline of Scripture. Chapter 2 compares and contrasts dispensationalism and covenant theology to see how they relate different covenants and to better understand both approaches. Different varieties of dispensationalism and covenant theology are discussed.

The idea of covenant is fundamental to the message of the Bible. The purpose of Chapter 1 is to demonstrate just how central the covenants are. Correctly relating the different covenants is central to doing good theology. The authors deliberately distance themselves from classic Reformed covenantal theology. For them “kingdom through covenant” is the central message of the story of the Bible.