The importance of Francis Roberts’ God’s Covenants

Here are several reasons why Francis Roberts' God's Covenants: The Mystery & Marrow of the Bible is worth its weight in gold:

1. Roberts' work is, I think, the most extensive English-language work ever produced on covenant theology. It originally took up 1700 pages of folio, with very small print. Additionally, Roberts quotes more from Calvin and Augustine than any other English-language work at the time.

2. Indeed, the Scriptural references are vast, as are citations of other works. Volumes 1-3 have over 8,000 footnotes combined. I anticipate that by the end of this project, DV, I may have listed upwards of 15,000 footnotes from Roberts.

3. There's nothing new under the sun, and Roberts deals with errant views of the covenant, such as ideas that the Mosaic Covenant was properly a Covenant of Works, the Noahic Covenant was merely a universal covenant with mankind, ideas that the Covenant of Works wasn't really a covenant, as well as dealing in depth with the Mosaic judicial, moral and ceremonial law, and how the law is and isn't applicable for us today.

4. Although it pre-dated dispensationalism formally, this work is essential in drawing out quotes from the church fathers to show that they had a recognisable covenant theology of their own, and thus covenant theology is not a 16th/17th century innovation, as some like to claim. To prove his point, Roberts draws from Augustine, Lactantius, Clement of Alexandria, and others.

5. Lim Won Taek, in his work on Roberts, called this work "inappropriately neglected." Roberts' work is referenced by Joel Beeke in his book God's Grace Shining Through Law, and I believe also by Ernst Kevan in his book The Grace of the Law.

6. Indeed, there is a whole website dedicated to quoting from Roberts' work, that's been standing for years. In addition, it's frequently discussed on the Puritan Board.

7. This particular volume has a preface from Dr. Todd Ruddell of Whitefield Seminary, which also takes on aberrant modern views of covenant theology.

8. Given the contents and the preface, this work is far more vast than any heterodox approach to covenant theology. So one is able to answer critics in great depth, and provide answers to questions such as why, if the Mosaic covenant is gracious, was the delivery of it at Sinai so terrifying? This kind of depth is essential given the relative shallowness and flippancy of modern thinking.

You may purchase for pre-order now or wait until the official release date on November 15th HERE.