Podcast Summary: "A Covenant Relationship"

Podcast: Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
Host: Tim Keller
Episode Title: A Covenant Relationship
Date: August 25, 2025
Scripture: Deuteronomy 29:18; Genesis 15; Related Passages

Overview

In this episode, Tim Keller explores the biblical concept of a "covenant relationship" with God, drawing on Deuteronomy 29 and other biblical passages. He unpacks what makes this kind of relationship unique, the inherent mystery at its heart regarding law and grace, and ultimately shows how the gospel of Jesus Christ uniquely resolves the tension. Keller urges listeners to consider the implications of covenant theology for their personal faith, obedience, trust, involvement in Christian community, and understanding of God Himself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Uniqueness of the Covenant

[02:21 – 12:56]

• Definition of Covenant:
  Keller stresses that "covenant" is an irreplaceable biblical word with no modern equivalent. Unlike today's relationships, which often focus on self-fulfillment, a covenant is a binding, loving commitment.

  "A covenant is a relationship, but it's a relationship more loving and intimate than a merely legal relationship, yet more binding and enduring and accountable than a merely personal relationship. It's a stunning blend of law and love." – Tim Keller [04:59]

• Law and Love:
  The covenant relationship uses both legal, binding promises and deep personal intimacy—a "category-busting" mixture of law (obligation) and love (affection).
• Contrast with Modern Relationships:
  Modern relationships are transactional, often conditional on the other party's performance. Covenants, in contrast, are a self-giving promise regardless of the other's performance.

  "I will be what I should be whether you are what you should be or not." – Tim Keller [07:36]

• Consumer vs. Covenant Relationships:
  Not every relationship should be covenantal (e.g., with your grocer), but the most profound ones, including with God, must be.
• Modern Spirituality Critique:
  Many want a "personal" but not "covenantal" faith (i.e., "spiritual but not religious"), but Keller says this is impossible:

  "...the Bible says that's impossible. God only relates in terms of covenant." – Tim Keller [10:31]

2. The Mystery of the Covenant

[12:56 – 24:54]

• Conditions and Penalties:
  All covenants have terms—if kept, blessings; if violated, curses or penalties.

  "If you violate the covenant, there are penalties. That's what makes a contract valuable... it's what puts backbone in your commitment." – Tim Keller [13:32]

• Biblical Tension:
  The Bible asserts both that God can't bless disobedient people (justice) and that He'll never forsake His people (faithfulness). This creates an apparent contradiction:

  "This perceivably irreconcilable tension... is the very plot line under all the other plot lines in the Bible." – Tim Keller [14:44]

• Conditional or Unconditional Blessing?
  Are God's blessings received by obedience (conditional) or by unwavering grace (unconditional)? Keller says most people gravitate to one side, missing the balance.

  "Everybody...tends to slide toward relativism or moralism, toward being a Sadducee or being a Pharisee..." – Tim Keller [17:24]

3. The Hero of the Covenant

[18:46 – 24:54]

• God's Oath in Genesis 15:
  Keller narrates the story of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15). In a typical ancient covenant, the weaker party (Abraham) would walk between animal pieces, symbolizing the penalty for breaking the oath. Instead, God alone passes through, taking on Himself the penalty for both parties.

  "God was making the promise for both of them, and he was taking the curse of the covenant on for both of them." – Tim Keller [21:41]

• Fulfillment in Christ:
  This foreshadows Christ on the cross, where Jesus absorbs the curse and fulfills the law’s requirements:

  "Centuries later, darkness came down on Mount Calvary...there was God in the person of Jesus Christ. And he was literally being torn to pieces. Nails, spears, thorns. Why? He was taking the covenant curse. And it's Paul who says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." – Tim Keller [22:31]

• Resolution of Tension:
  The blessings are both conditional and unconditional:

  "Are the blessings of God conditional or unconditional? Yes. Because on the cross Jesus Christ absolutely fulfilled the conditions of the law so that God could love you absolutely unconditionally." – Tim Keller [24:54]

Application: The Gospel Changes Everything

[24:54 – 31:54]

A. Paradoxical Obedience

• Understanding the gospel leads to a balanced obedience: striving to follow God’s law out of gratitude and seriousness (since Jesus died to fulfill it), yet without fear of condemnation for failure.

• "You resist sin like crazy, and you never have a sense of condemnation and despair when you fall into it. Isn't that amazing?" – Tim Keller [26:47]

B. Absolute Trust

• In a human marriage, you can’t be certain if the other will keep their promise. In covenant with Christ, He has already proven His commitment to the ultimate degree.

  "I've already gone to the mat. I've already died for you. Oh, trust him. What more could anyone do than that?" – Tim Keller [28:16]

C. Church Membership & Accountability

• Commitment to a church community flows out of understanding God’s covenant with us.

  "They don't just come to church like a consumer, but they covenant...they join the churches. They don't just come." – Tim Keller [29:31]

D. A “Crunchy” God, Not a Wispy One

• Real covenant theology reveals a true, living, demanding God—not an impersonal force or a God of personal imaginings.

  "But a living God...the hunter, the covenant Lord, the husband. That is quite another matter." – C.S. Lewis (quoted by Keller) [30:55]

Notable Quotes

• Law & Love in Covenant:

  "A covenant is a relationship more loving and intimate than a merely legal relationship, yet more binding and enduring and accountable than a merely personal relationship.” – Tim Keller [04:59]

• The Nature of Modern Spirituality:

  "I want a personal relationship with God, but not a covenantal relationship. But the Bible says that's impossible. God only relates in terms of covenant." – Tim Keller [10:31]

• On the Cross:

  "Jesus Christ fulfilled the conditions of the covenant so that we could be received unconditionally." – Tim Keller [24:54]

• On Law and Gospel Balance:

  “You resist sin like crazy, and you never have a sense of condemnation and despair when you fall into it. Huh? Isn't that amazing? And no one else has that kind of balance.” – Tim Keller [26:47]

• C.S. Lewis on the Reality of God:

  "But a living God pulling at the other end of the cord, approaching at infinite speed, the hunter, the covenant Lord, the husband. That is quite another matter." – C.S. Lewis (quoted by Tim Keller) [30:55]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:21 – Uniqueness of the covenant: definition and implications
• 10:31 – Modern view vs. biblical concept of covenant
• 12:56 – Mystery: conditional vs. unconditional blessings
• 18:46 – Genesis 15: God’s one-sided covenant with Abraham
• 22:31 – Christ fulfills the curse and blessing of the covenant
• 24:54 – Application: paradoxical obedience, trust, church commitment, a real "crunchy" God
• 30:55 – Quoting C.S. Lewis on encountering the living God

Conclusion

Keller closes by inviting listeners to enter into a "serious relationship with a covenant God," highlighting that the gospel's power is found in this unique, costly, and paradoxical relationship established and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

"If you understand the gospel, there's this fascinating balance in your attitude toward the law... I invite you into a serious relationship with a covenant God." – Tim Keller [31:52]

For more resources from Tim Keller, visit gospelinlife.com.