Scripture does not treat “covenant” as a vague religious mood. It presents concrete moments where God binds Himself to people with parties, promises, signs, obligations, blessings, warnings, and ongoing continuity. This study codes the major covenant moments—Noah, Abraham, Sinai, David, and the New Covenant, plus key renewals—so readers can see both the unity and the differences without flattening them into one slogan.
Bible readers often hear that God is a covenant-making God. That claim is true and still too broad for careful study. Which covenants are universal, and which are particular? Which are heavily conditional in form, and which stress divine oath more than human leverage? What signs mark them—rainbow, circumcision, Sabbath, throne, blood of Christ? How do later renewals relate to earlier foundations?
This article answers those questions with a transparent coding method applied to the principal covenant texts and selected renewal scenes. The goal is not to settle every systematic debate between theological schools. The goal is to observe what the texts themselves emphasize when lined up in one research dossier.
Important: Christian traditions differ on how to number covenants, how to relate Israel and the church, and how continuity/discontinuity should be weighted. This study uses a widely recognized biblical set (Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic/Sinai, Davidic, New) plus renewals, and codes features textually rather than forcing one confessional system onto every cell of the matrix.
Why Covenant Pattern Analysis Matters
A patterned covenant study helps ordinary readers in three ways.
First, it protects against selective memory. Some Christians speak only of unconditional grace and ignore Sinai’s sanctions. Others speak only of conditionality and miss God’s unilateral oath to Abraham or the “everlasting” language around David’s house. The matrix refuses one-note readings.
Second, it clarifies continuity. The New Covenant does not appear from nowhere. It answers earlier promises (Abraham), earlier failures (Sinai broken), earlier kingship hopes (David), and earlier creational mercy (Noah). Pattern study shows development without pretending every covenant is identical.
Third, it equips teaching. When someone asks, “Is the rainbow a covenant sign?” or “Is circumcision the same kind of sign as baptism?” or “What does ‘I will be their God’ mean across Testaments?” a coded dossier gives evidence before slogans.
Covenant vocabulary also appears in ancient Near Eastern treaty forms that Scripture sometimes echoes—preamble, historical prologue, stipulations, witnesses, blessings and curses. This article does not force every biblical covenant into a Hittite template, but the comparison helps readers see why Sinai looks heavily stipulatory while Noah looks like a royal grant of preservation. Form awareness supports, rather than replaces, close reading of Genesis through Hebrews. Used well, it also explains why “covenant” can mean a preservation pledge in one chapter and a national constitution under oath in another without the word itself becoming meaningless.
References:
- Genesis 9; 15; 17 — Noahic and Abrahamic covenant cores
- Exodus 19–24; Deuteronomy 28–30 — Sinai covenant and sanctions
- 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89 — Davidic covenant
- Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8–10 — New Covenant
Method: How This Study Codes Each Covenant Moment
A pattern claim is only as honest as its categories. Each major moment is coded under six fields.
Field 1: Parties
- God and all living creatures / earth (Noahic breadth)
- God and Abraham / seed / nations blessed through him
- God and Israel as a people at Sinai
- God and David / royal house
- God and His people in the New Covenant (Israel promised; fulfilled in Christ’s blood; expanded in apostolic witness)
Field 2: Initiating Context
- After judgment / flood
- Promise to a sojourner / barren household
- Redemption from Egypt / nation formation
- After kingship established / rest from enemies
- After covenant breach / exile horizon / Messianic fulfillment
Field 3: Central Promise Content
- Preservation of creation order (seasons, no second global flood of that kind)
- Land, seed, blessing to nations
- Treasured people / kingdom of priests / Torah life in the land
- Dynastic throne / enduring house
- Internalized law, forgiven sin, true knowledge of the Lord
Field 4: Sign(s)
- Rainbow
- Circumcision (and related oath ritual in Genesis 15)
- Sabbath / blood of the covenant / tablets (Mosaic cluster of signs and seals)
- Dynastic promise itself often treated as sworn reality; temple/kingship institutions as accompanying markers
- Cup / blood of Christ; Spirit-written law on hearts
Field 5: Conditions and Sanctions Profile
- Unilateral emphasis — God binds Himself with little human leverage language
- Bilateral / stipulatory emphasis — “if you obey…,” blessings and curses
- Mixed — strong divine commitment with human responsibilities still named
Field 6: Continuity Notes
How later Scripture recalls, renews, or fulfills the moment.
Example 1: Simple coding
Scenario: After the flood, God establishes a covenant with Noah, his offspring, and every living creature, setting the rainbow as a sign (Genesis 9:8–17).
Moment: Noahic Parties: God + Noah’s line + all flesh / earth Sign: Rainbow Promise core: No repeat of flood judgment destroying all flesh that way; creation stability Conditions profile: Strong unilateral divine pledge Continuity: Recalled as creational patience framework (e.g., Isaiah 54:9)
Example 2: More complex coding
Scenario: Genesis 15 shows God alone (in symbolic action) passing between pieces, while Genesis 17 commands circumcision as covenant sign with sanctions for refusal.
Moment: Abrahamic (multi-scene) Parties: God + Abraham and seed Signs: Oath ritual (Gen 15) + circumcision (Gen 17) Promise core: Seed, land, worldwide blessing trajectory Conditions profile: Mixed — divine oath primary; human sign-keeping required Continuity: Rehearsed in Exodus, prophets, Gospels, Paul (Romans 4; Galatians 3)
Abrahamic materials refuse a simplistic “no conditions at all” label while still centering God’s sworn promise.
References:
- Genesis 9:8–17 — Noahic covenant and sign
- Genesis 15; 17 — Abrahamic oath and circumcision
- Isaiah 54:9–10 — Noahic remembrance in prophetic comfort
The Complete Covenant Matrix
The table below is the working dataset for major covenant moments. Renewals appear in a second table.
| Covenant | Key Texts | Parties | Primary Sign(s) | Core Promise | Conditions Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noahic | Gen 6:18; 9:8–17 | God, Noah, offspring, every living creature | Rainbow | Preservation; no flood of that kind again; orderly seasons implied | Unilateral emphasis |
| Abrahamic | Gen 12; 15; 17; 22 | God, Abraham, seed; nations blessed through him | Circumcision; Gen 15 oath ritual | Land, seed, blessing | Mixed (oath + sign obedience) |
| Sinai / Mosaic | Exod 19–24; Deut | God and Israel | Blood of covenant; tablets; Sabbath as sign (Exod 31:13–17) | Holy nation; life under Torah; dwelling with God | Bilateral / stipulatory emphasis |
| Davidic | 2 Sam 7; Ps 89; 132 | God and David’s house | Enduring dynasty / throne promise | Royal house; kingdom stability; sonship language | Mixed (everlasting oath + discipline for sin) |
| New Covenant | Jer 31; Ezek 36; Luke 22; Heb 8–10 | God and His people (promised to house of Israel/Judah; realized in Christ) | Christ’s blood; internalized law; Spirit | Forgiveness; new heart; true knowledge of God | Divine accomplishment emphasized; faith-obedience fruit expected |
Study finding: Across the set, God is always the initiator. Human beings never invent these covenants. What varies is breadth of parties (creational vs national vs royal vs renewed people) and how explicitly blessings/curses are written into the form.
Covenant-by-Covenant Notes
Noahic: Mercy stabilizing a judged world
The Noahic covenant answers catastrophe with preservation. Its parties are unusually wide—humanity and animals. Its sign is public and creational. Its purpose is not to save by rainbow aesthetics but to pledge that the world’s habitability will not again be undone by a flood of that kind. Later prophets can appeal to this as a model of God’s steadfast restraint.
Abrahamic: Promise that opens the nations
Abraham receives promises that become the spine of redemptive history: offspring, land, and blessing that reaches “all families of the earth.” Genesis 15 dramatizes divine self-commitment. Genesis 17 binds the household by circumcision. Genesis 22 confirms the promise with oath after the near-sacrifice of Isaac. Continuity runs through Israel’s story and into the Messiah who is Abraham’s seed in a climactic sense (Galatians 3:16).
Sinai: Redeemed people under sworn stipulations
Sinai follows exodus grace. God has already saved; then He covenants. Israel answers, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Blood is sprinkled. Law is given. Blessings and curses are later expanded with painful clarity in Deuteronomy. Sinai is intensely relational and intensely moral. It creates a holy national vocation and also exposes breach—setting up prophetic hope for a new covenant.
Davidic: Royal permanence with fatherly discipline
God promises David a house, a throne, and a line. The covenant can speak of forever and still warn that sinful sons will be chastened. Psalm 89 wrestles with that tension in exile-shaped lament. The New Testament reads Jesus as David’s greater Son, securing the royal hope beyond the failures of intermediate kings.
New Covenant: Forgiveness and internalized belonging
Jeremiah promises a covenant not like the one broken after Egypt—law written on hearts, knowledge of the Lord, forgiven iniquity. Ezekiel accents new heart and Spirit. Jesus identifies His blood as the new covenant at the Last Supper. Hebrews argues that this covenant is better in mediator and in decisive cleansing. Continuity with Abrahamic promise and Davidic kingship remains; discontinuity with Sinai’s broken administration is explicit.
Example 1: Distinguishing Noahic breadth from Abrahamic particularity
Scenario: A reader asks whether every covenant is about salvation in Christ in the same way.
Noahic coding: creational preservation for all flesh Abrahamic coding: redemptive promise through a chosen line to bless nations Pattern conclusion: related in one God’s plan, different in immediate scope and function Teaching tip: do not preach the rainbow as if it were the Lord’s Supper
Example 2: Distinguishing Sinai stipulations from New Covenant internalization
Scenario: A reader wonders why Hebrews says the New Covenant is “not like” the Sinai covenant.
Sinai: external tablets; national vows; breach historically demonstrated New: laws on hearts; forgiveness decisive; mediator Jesus Hebrews emphasis: better priesthood and once-for-all offering Continuity still present: same God, holy people goal, Scripture’s moral grain
References:
- Genesis 12:1–3; 15; 17; 22:15–18 — Abrahamic core
- Exodus 19:4–8; 24:3–8 — Sinai assent and blood
- 2 Samuel 7:8–17 — Davidic promise
- Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6–13 — New Covenant
Renewal Moments: Continuity Without Restarting from Zero
Scripture also records covenant renewals—moments that re-affirm earlier commitments after crisis, transition, or reform. These are not always brand-new covenants; they are recommitments inside an existing story.
| Renewal / related moment | Key Texts | What is reaffirmed | Triggering situation | Continuity note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumcision at Gilgal | Josh 5:2–9 | Abrahamic sign before conquest | Entry into land after wilderness | Sign restored for a new generation |
| Shechem covenant renewal | Josh 24 | Loyalty to the Lord who saved | Settlement / leadership transition | Choice language intensifies; history recited |
| Davidic confirmation to Solomon | 1 Kgs 2; 9; 1 Chr 28 | Throne conditioned by obedience in experience | Succession | Does not erase 2 Sam 7’s larger oath horizon |
| Josiah’s renewal | 2 Kgs 23; 2 Chr 34–35 | Book of the Law / Passover fidelity | Rediscovered Torah; reform | Renewal can be deep and still not cancel coming judgment |
| Ezra–Nehemiah recommitment | Neh 8–10 | Torah life after exile | Return community rebuilding | Post-exilic continuity under Mosaic frame awaiting fuller hope |
| Last Supper / apostolic proclamation | Luke 22; 1 Cor 11; 2 Cor 3 | New Covenant in Christ’s blood | Cross-eve; church meal | Fulfillment center for Jeremiah’s promise |
Study finding: Renewals typically rehearse God’s past acts, restate obligations, and often include public consent. They show that covenant life is historical and communal, not merely private sentiment. They also show that renewal rituals do not automatically produce lasting faithfulness—hence prophetic critique and New Covenant hope.
Blessings, Curses, and the Sanctions Profile
One of the most useful matrix distinctions is how sanctions appear.
Noahic: Sanction already fell; pledge follows
The flood is behind the covenant. The pledge limits a repeat of that judgment mode. Responsibility to fill and not murder remains (Genesis 9), but the rainbow is chiefly God’s reminder to Himself before humanity.
Abrahamic: Promise heavy, sign refusal serious
The land-seed-blessing complex is divine gift. Yet the uncircumcised male is “cut off” (Genesis 17:14). Conditionality appears around covenant sign and loyal walk (“walk before me, and be blameless”), while the sworn future remains God-anchored.
Sinai: Full blessings-and-curses architecture
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are the classic sanction charters: rain or drought, peace or siege, dwelling or exile. This is why prophets prosecute covenant lawsuit language. Israel’s story becomes intelligible as lived sanctions history, not random politics.
Davidic: Rod of discipline inside forever language
God will not remove His steadfast love as He did from Saul, yet iniquity brings stripes. The matrix must hold both forever and fatherly punishment.
New Covenant: Forgiveness central; holiness still consequential
Jeremiah’s “remember their sin no more” is climactic. Hebrews celebrates decisive cleansing. Yet the same New Testament warns against trampling Christ’s blood and treats perseverance as real. Coding should say: basis and power differ from Sinai’s broken administration; moral seriousness does not evaporate.
Example 1: Reading Deuteronomy 28 with matrix honesty
Scenario: A teacher wants to apply “blessings for obedience” directly to modern personal wealth.
Matrix check: Parties = national Israel under Sinai Sanctions = land/political/agricultural corporate forms Continuity caution = not a personal prosperity formula for every reader Better use = understand Israel’s history and the need for New Covenant mercy
Example 2: Reading Psalm 89 with Davidic coding
Scenario: The psalmist cites God’s oath to David, then laments apparent abandonment.
Coded tension: Forever throne promise vs present ruin Sanctions profile = discipline/distress can be severe Canonical resolution trajectory = hope pushed toward faithful Davidic heir Study value = covenants create theological pressure that Scripture itself voices
References:
- Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28–30 — Mosaic blessings and curses
- Genesis 17:9–14 — circumcision obligation and cutting-off
- 2 Samuel 7:14–16; Psalm 89 — Davidic discipline and oath
- Hebrews 10:11–31 — New Covenant confidence and warning
Continuity Lines: How Later Scripture Remembers Earlier Covenants
Pattern study becomes strongest when continuity citations are traced, not merely asserted.
| Earlier moment | Later remembrance / fulfillment sample | What is carried forward |
|---|---|---|
| Noahic | Isaiah 54:9–10 | Steadfast restraint and compassion likened to days of Noah |
| Abrahamic | Exodus 2:24; Luke 1:72–73; Galatians 3 | God remembers oath; seed/blessing trajectory climaxes in Christ |
| Sinai | Prophetic lawsuits; Hebrews 8 | Breach diagnosed; administration contrasted with new covenant |
| Davidic | Isaiah 9; 11; Luke 1:32–33; Acts 2 | Forever throne hope read through Jesus’ resurrection kingship |
| New Covenant promise | Luke 22; 1 Corinthians 11; Hebrews 8–10 | Blood, forgiveness, internalized belonging enacted and explained |
These remembrance lines show that biblical authors themselves practiced covenant pattern reading. Isaiah can comfort with Noah. Luke can frame John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ births with Abrahamic and Davidic oath language. Paul can argue justification and inclusion of the nations through Abrahamic logic. Hebrews can quote Jeremiah at length. Continuity is a canonical habit, not a modern invention.
Example 1: Abraham remembered in Luke 1
Scenario: Zechariah blesses God for remembering His holy covenant, the oath to Abraham (Luke 1:72–73).
Coded continuity: Source covenant: Abrahamic oath Later setting: Dawn of Messianic fulfillment Carried theme: Rescue to serve God without fear Study point: Gospel opening is covenant-literate, not covenant-forgetful
Example 2: Sinai contrasted in Hebrews 8
Scenario: Hebrews quotes Jeremiah’s new covenant promise and says the first covenant is obsolete as administration.
Coded continuity/discontinuity: Same God; better mediator Former system exposed as insufficient for final cleansing Scripture of Sinai still authoritative as witness Study point: “Obsolete” targets approach-to-God administration, not contempt for Old Testament
Study finding: Continuity in Scripture is usually selective and purposeful: later writers retrieve the strand needed for the argument—oath, kingship, breach, forgiveness—rather than repeating every covenant feature equally.
Working Distinctions That Prevent Category Mistakes
Three distinctions keep covenant teaching clean.
Creational stability vs redemptive rescue. Noahic preservation explains why the stage of history remains; it does not by itself explain forgiveness of sins. Preachers who turn the rainbow into a full gospel presentation overload the sign.
National stipulations vs personal prosperity formulas. Deuteronomy’s land sanctions are historically concrete for Israel under Torah. They teach God’s moral seriousness and explain exile. They are poor tools for guaranteeing modern individual wealth.
Promise fulfillment vs identical ritual continuity. Circumcision, Sabbath, and sacrificial blood are covenant markers in their administrations. New Covenant fulfillment centers on Christ’s blood and Spirit-written law. Debates about how baptism or Lord’s Day practice relate to older signs should start from this matrix honesty rather than from slogan combat.
References:
- Luke 1:32–33, 72–73 — Davidic and Abrahamic remembrance
- Galatians 3:6–29 — Abrahamic continuity and Christ as seed
- Hebrews 8:6–13 — New Covenant quotation and contrast
- Acts 2:29–36 — Davidic hope and risen Jesus
Cross-Covenant Patterns
Pattern 1: God initiates; humans respond
Whether rainbow, circumcision, national vow, royal grant, or eucharistic cup, the sequence begins with divine speech and action. Human response matters, but it is never the origin.
Pattern 2: Signs are memory technologies
Signs make invisible pledges visible and teachable. Rainbow for God and humanity. Circumcision for Abraham’s household. Sabbath for Israel’s identity. Cup for the church’s remembrance of Christ’s blood. Signs are not magic objects; they are appointed markers.
Pattern 3: Particular election serves wider mercy
Abraham is particular; the goal includes nations. Israel is particular; the vocation is priestly for the world. David is particular; the kingship opens messianic hope for the earth. The New Covenant gathers a people from the nations without erasing the story’s rootedness in Israel’s Scriptures.
Pattern 4: Breach intensifies hope for internalization
Broken Sinai does not end God’s purpose. It drives prophecy toward new heart language. Continuity is purposeful, not accidental.
Pattern 5: Royal and sacrificial threads converge in Christ
Davidic throne hope and sacrificial cleansing hope meet in Jesus. Pattern analysis shows why the New Testament needs both king and priest categories.
| Pattern question | Observed answer |
|---|---|
| Which covenant is broadest in parties? | Noahic (all flesh) |
| Which is most stipulatory in form? | Sinai / Mosaic |
| Which most clearly opens worldwide blessing? | Abrahamic |
| Which centers everlasting kingship? | Davidic |
| Which centers forgiven sin and inscribed law? | New Covenant |
| Do renewals create brand-new parties from scratch? | Usually no; they re-commit within prior story |
Study finding: Continuity across covenants is best described as progressive administration under one God, not as interchangeable copies of the same contract. Same divine faithfulness; different historical instruments and emphases.
A Walkthrough Method for Any Covenant Passage
- Who are the named parties?
- What crisis or gift precedes the covenant speech?
- What does God pledge?
- What, if anything, must the human party do?
- What sign or memorial is appointed?
- What blessings or warnings appear?
- Where is this moment later cited or fulfilled?
Example 1: Applying the method to Exodus 24
Scenario: Blood is sprinkled; people vow obedience; leaders eat before God.
1. Parties: Yahweh and Israel 2. Preceding gift: Exodus redemption 3. Pledge: Covenant words; God takes them as people 4. Human response: “We will do” 5. Sign/act: Blood of the covenant 6. Sanctions: Implied in covenant form; later made explicit in Deut 7. Later echo: Jesus’ covenant blood language at the Supper
Example 2: Applying the method to Jeremiah 31:31–34
Scenario: Promise of a new covenant after breach.
1. Parties: Lord with house of Israel and house of Judah 2. Context: Failure of prior covenant after Egypt 3. Pledge: Internal law; belonging; knowledge; forgiveness 4. Human leverage: Not framed as renegotiated Sinai bargain 5. Sign trajectory: Later tied to Christ’s blood / Spirit 6. Sanctions note: Forgiveness foregrounded 7. Later echo: Hebrews 8 quotes at length
Common Questions About Covenant Continuity
How many covenants are there? Counts vary by theological system. This dossier tracks the major biblical moments most readers meet in Scripture’s storyline, plus renewals. Avoid fighting about labels before reading texts.
Is the Abrahamic covenant unconditional? It is oath-anchored and God-driven, yet includes sign obligations and calls to walk blamelessly. “Unconditional” as a slogan often oversimplifies a mixed textual profile.
Did the New Covenant cancel the Old? Hebrews speaks of a new covenant making the former obsolete as covenant administration for approaching God. The Old Testament remains Scripture, and earlier promises remain meaningful in Christ. Continuity and discontinuity must both be stated.
Are covenant signs the same as sacraments in every tradition? Not identically mapped across churches. What the matrix can say safely: God appoints visible signs to mark belonging and memory. Exact sacramental theology requires further doctrinal work beyond this coding paper.
What about a covenant with Adam? Some theological systems speak of a covenant of works/creation with Adam. Genesis does not use the word “covenant” in the opening chapters in most translations (Hosea 6:7 is debated). This article focuses on explicitly developed covenant moments in the narrative-prophetic canon.
Important: Do not use covenant matrices to win internet arguments while ignoring the ethical grain of the covenants themselves—justice, loyalty, mercy, faithfulness, and worship of the Lord alone.
Implications for Bible Reading Today
First, read big promises in their party-scope. A word to David’s house is not automatically a private guarantee about your career. A word about creation stability is not the same as justification by faith.
Second, let signs teach. When Scripture appoints a memorial, ask what reality it points to and who is meant to remember.
Third, hold grace and obligation together as the text does. Divine initiative does not make human response imaginary. Human response does not make God a junior partner.
Fourth, follow continuity into Christ without erasing Israel’s Scriptures. The New Covenant is new, and it is scriptural.
Fifth, use renewals as mirrors. Public recommitment is biblical. So is the warning that ceremony without heart will not heal breach.
Sixth, teach children and new believers the storyline shape: God preserves a world (Noah), promises a family blessing for the nations (Abraham), forms a redeemed people under His word (Sinai), pledges a king forever (David), and brings forgiveness written on the heart through Christ (New Covenant). That sequence is simple enough for a household and rich enough for a lifetime of study.
Seventh, when debates arise about law and gospel, Israel and church, or old and new, return to the matrix fields before choosing a team jersey. Ask what parties the text names, what sign it appoints, what conditions it states, and what later Scripture does with it. Many arguments cool down when the passage is allowed to speak in its own covenant register.
Conclusion
Covenant moments across Scripture form a patterned yet progressive series: creational preservation after judgment, promissory blessing through Abraham, national vocation at Sinai, royal permanence for David, and internalized forgiveness in the New Covenant—reaffirmed along the way by renewals that remember and recommit.
The strongest overall pattern is steadfast divine initiative joined to historically specific instruments. Parties change in breadth. Signs change in form. Conditions profiles shift. Continuity remains because the same Lord keeps faith with His plan to have a people and to bless.
If you continue this research, build your own matrix from Genesis to Hebrews with the seven walkthrough questions. Compare your coding with the tables above. Where you disagree, return to the passage. Text first, categories second—that is how covenant study stays rigorous and useful.
A durable study habit is to read one covenant moment slowly each week for five weeks (Noah, Abraham, Sinai, David, New), then spend a sixth week only on renewals. By the end, most readers can explain—without notes—who the parties are, what sign marks the moment, whether sanctions are heavy or light in the text, and how the New Testament remembers that strand. That is more valuable than memorizing a polemical chart from a theological camp.
Complete reference list:
- Genesis 6:18; 9:8–17 — Noahic covenant
- Genesis 12; 15; 17; 22 — Abrahamic promise complex
- Exodus 19–24; 31:13–17; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28–30 — Sinai covenant and sanctions
- Joshua 5; 24 — renewal scenes
- 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; 132 — Davidic covenant
- 2 Kings 23; Nehemiah 8–10 — later renewals
- Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:22–28 — New Covenant promise
- Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3; Hebrews 8–10 — New Covenant fulfillment and exposition
Disclaimer: Theological systems differ in covenant counting and in Israel–church relations. This article offers a transparent textual matrix of parties, signs, conditions, and continuity for major biblical covenant moments, not a claim that one confessional covenant scheme is the only valid synthesis.