The Whole Bible at a Glance

Virginia Smith hits highlights in both the Old and New Testaments, explaining how “covenant” is the golden thread that’s woven throughout Scripture.

She writes: "The covenant is, first of all, God’s gift of love to us. We can enter a covenant with God only because God lovingly and freely offers it to us. Such a covenant was implied at the creation of humanity. We are invited and enabled to respond lovingly and freely to God’s offer. A covenant cannot be imposed; it must be freely accepted by both parties. God’s proposal of such an agreement, together with his people’s acceptance and subsequent attempt to live it, forms the golden thread that binds all of salvation history—Old Testament and New, 2000 BC and AD 100—and is found wherever the chosen people travel."

Updated in 2019.