A Way to Read the Bible

There are a couple of lines in today’s Hebrews reading that remind me of something Mike Breen talks about in his book Covenant and Kingdom. Breen is trying to provide for people a simple template by which to read Scripture. I think he may be on to something.

He suggests that we can read any particular passage in light of both covenant and kingdom. While biblically and theologically covenant and kingdom are definitely overlapping realities (and I wouldn’t want to stress the difference between the two nearly as much as Breen does), I think his distinctions can be helpful for us in our personal reading of Scripture.

The word “covenant,” Breen suggests, focuses on our relationships with God and each other, while the word “kingdom” points to the responsibilities we have in representing God’s interests in the world.

Both are referred to in today’s Hebrews reading: “And so [Christ] is mediator of a new covenant….” And then, “But now he has appeared once and for all at the consummation [i.e. coming of the kingdom] of the ages….“

In addition to relationship/responsibility, other words to describe the difference between covenant and kingdom might be:
connection/commission
affection/authority
communion/consummation

Some of us are more naturally bent toward a covenant or relationship emphasis when we read the Bible. Others may tend to zero in on our kingdom responsibilities. By keeping both these words before us, maybe we can strike a better balance in our listening to God and hear more of what he has to say to us.

As biblical people, we need to remember that our relationship with God is always connected to our place in the Story. That’s why covenant and kingdom are two sides of the same coin. So when Jesus called his disciples to live with and learn from him, he also told them that he was going to make them fish for people. Their communion with Jesus was intertwined with their role in the consummation of the age.

Good food for thought, I think, that may help us read Scripture in a more meaningful and fruitful way.

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