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. They make their approach clear with an overview of how covenantal theology (biblical theology) functioned in the history of the Christian church.