God in covenant with his people in his creation

I recently finished reading Dr. John McKenna's book, The Great Amen of the Great I-Am (subtitled, "God in Covenant with His People in His Creation"). Though not an easy read, much is gleaned by following John's careful application of Trinitarian, incarnational, Christ-centered theology to understanding the covenanted relationship of our Triune God with all humanity - what John calls the Biblical Covenant Relationship (BCR, for short).

John surveys the Bible with a focus on the Old Testament - Exodus in particular. Like Ray Anderson (click here for my post on Anderson's book, The Soul of Ministry), John sees in Exodus the theological foundation for the Pentateuch (and all the Old Testament) - including the Genesis accounts of Creation and Fall.

John highlights Ex 34:6-7, which he calls The Little Credo of the Great I-AM. Here God, having revealed himself in the gracious, creative act of delivering Israel out of Egypt, declares with words his identity: "the  LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, abounding in love and faithfulness" (34:6b).  This revelation of God as the loving, compassionate God of all grace, comes to Israel at her worst. She has descended into rank idolatry in the incident of the golden calf, yet God will not let her go. Indeed, it is at our worst - in our abject "nothingness" - that God, the compassionate, loving and always faithful one, makes of us, "something out of nothing."  We see God act in this gracious way time and again in Israel's history, and then in the history of the church. Throughout, God works to re-create and thus to save humanity in covenant with himself. God always does what God truly is.

I encourage you to read John's book. It has helped me more deeply understand and appreciate who God is for us, and how the triune God has made with us one covenant. He has worked out this covenant patiently and persistently - always with love and in grace. That work has expressed itself in various ways at various times with various people. But always the one God, who is Father, Son and Spirit, works for the salvation of humankind in covenanted relationship with himself. Thanks John, for this book!