For the church, the Bible provides the normative witness for our understanding of how God relates to all the peoples of the earth, and how we are called to enter into relationships with each other. All covenant relationships are rooted in God’s prior acts of deliverance, promises for the future, and desire for the flourishing of all people and all creation. For example, God promises to bless Abraham as a covenant partner in order that, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
In Jesus Christ, the church finds the ultimate expression of God’s covenant to give us not what we deserve in life, but the forgiving and renewing grace we desperately need to be fully alive. As the apostle Paul claims, “God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5).