The Relational God - A Study of the Divine Covenants
Read Scripture from Genesis to Revelation through the lens of God's covenants with His people.
Course Description
BIB 221 reads Scripture as a single unfolding story organized around a central thread: the Divine Covenants. Tracing the covenant theme from Genesis through Revelation, the course treats biblical theology — the literary unfolding of a major theme across the whole canon — as its core method.
You'll work through the historical, cultural, theological, and personal contexts of each covenant moment, with apologetic tools and hermeneutical principles built into the journey rather than tacked on. By the end, you'll be able to recognize how the Divine Covenants intersect with contemporary culture and personal life — not just identify them in the text.
This is the first course in ACU's four-part thematic biblical theology sequence, which continues with Image Bearers (BIB 222), Dwelling in God's Presence (BIB 321), and The King and His Kingdom (BIB 322).
Taught By
Offered 2025-2026: Summer 2 · 2026-2027: Fall Traditional · 2026-2027: Fall 2.
Al Fadi, M.S.
Assistant Professor
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Meghan Johnson
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Noah Fulwider
2025-2026: Summer 2 · 2026-2027: Fall 2
Steven Rutt, Ph.D.
Professor
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Prerequisites
- None
Learning Outcomes
Trace the Divine Covenants
Follow the covenant theme from Genesis through Revelation as a unifying biblical thread.
Apply Biblical Theology
Read Scripture as a coherent literary and theological whole, not isolated parts.
Engage Systematic Truths
Connect the covenant theme to the doctrines that flow from it.
Use Apologetic and Hermeneutical Tools
Defend and interpret covenant texts with the methods scholars use.
Connect Theme to Life
Identify how the Divine Covenants intersect with contemporary culture and personal experience.
Biblical Worldview Connection
Reading Scripture as one ongoing covenant story is itself a Biblical Worldview move. It assumes coherence, intentionality, and a God who genuinely binds Himself to people across time rather than a collection of disconnected religious texts. BIB 221 treats that conviction as the working assumption, not the conclusion.
Explore Programs With This Course
BIB 221 opens the first stretch of ACU's thematic biblical theology sequence. Explore the programs that include it.
