So You’re A Christian…Really?

So You’re A Christian…Really? 

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI 

Biblical Authority Ministries, January 30, 2026 (Donate) 

Introduction 

Many people today call themselves “Christians”. In fact, an atheistic evolutionist named Anders Breivik, hailed himself as a Christian on a website before he went on an island in Norway and murdered a bunch of kids. Upon research one finds that he viewed Europe as “culturally Christian”, as opposed to “culturally Islamic” and his Christianity had nothing to do with Christ or God.[1] 

Leading atheist Richard Dawkins also identifies himself as a cultural Christian, and even a cultural Anglican![2] Former President Obama and other leading officials also repeatedly calls themselves Christians and then supports the murder of the unborn, sodomy, and other sinful behavior forbidden by Christ in His Word. I’ve seen people call themselves Christians and then their actions are grossly unchristian.  

Actions speak louder than words; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Such ordeals stain the name Christian as people look on and say “that’s a Christian…well then, I don’t want to be a Christian.” Obviously such things reveal that people, who claim to be Christians, and yet promote such sin, are in denial of the Bible, as the authority in their lives.  

At what point should a Christian say “enough is enough” and start judging a tree by its fruit. Christians are to have a righteous judgment (John 7:24) and are commanded to judge those who are within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12). We are commanded to put away the evil person who tries to infiltrate the church (1 Corinthians 5:13).  

How To Recognize A Christian…According To The Bible 

In brief, a Christian is a repentant believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came in the flesh, died, and resurrected. The Bible speaks extensively about fruits of a Christian. Instantly, what comes to mind are the fruits of the spirit: 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24, NKJV) 

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. (Ephesians 5:1-12, NKJV) 

Walking in these “fruits” are often a telltale sign that people are living out their Christian lives as a tribute to the Lord who redeemed them from sin and death. But even so, identifying a Christian (godly believers) was still difficult, even for 1^st century believers! 

The book of 1 John speaks extensively about this and how to identify those unbelievers. Essentially, it is those who walk in darkness (evil) even though they claim to follow God (Christ). Some of the identifying marks of false believers are tabulated below: 

	Identifiers	Reference
1	Walks/practices darkness (sin)/practices lawlessness	1 John 1:6-7; 1 John 3:3-4
2	Doesn’t obey Christ’s commands (to love God and love other Christians)	1 John 2:4-6; 1 John 3:23-24; 1 John 5:1-3
3	Hates brothers (fellow Christians)	1 John 2:8-11; 1 John 3:14-17; 1 John 4:20-21
4	Loves the “world and the things of the world” (e.g., worldly pleasures and ideas as opposed to those of God)	1 John 2:15-16; 1 John 4:4-5; 1 John 5:4-5
5	Doesn’t do the will of God	1 John 2:17; 1 John 5:14
6	Walks away from the faith/doesn’t continue with Christ	1 John 2:18-19; 1 John 5:13
7	Doesn’t confess the Son (Jesus Christ)	1 John 2:21-24; 1 John 4:14-15
8	Doesn’t abide in the Son (Jesus Christ)	1 John 2:24-25; 1 John 4:13, 16
9	Doesn’t practice righteousness	1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:7-10
10	Doesn’t believe the testimony of God (i.e., His Word)	1 John 5:1; 1 John 5:10-12

Reasons People May Not Display The Fruits Of The Spirit 

So why is it that many people today, who claim to be Christians, often still have some identifiers of false belief? I can think of two common reasons.  

1.     They simply don’t know enough on the subject. For example, some new or immature Christians may still continue in a sin that they didn’t know was a sin. This is where teaching and getting in to the Word of God really helps.  Keep in mind that no one is perfect and Christians can still sin, but upon knowledge of that sin, they need to repent and strive to avoid such sin. In other words, avoid and do not practice sin and unrighteousness.

2.     The other reason is that they are simply false teachers calling themselves Christians for their own selfish desires (personal gain)—in some instances to subtly attack and undermine God’s people from within.  

Being Called A “Christian” Is A Good Thing! 

Many want to associate themselves with Christians due to the good name it has. It is good to be called a Christian. Sadly, people take advantage of that. They try to call themselves Christians for selfish financial gain by get business from them. In other cases, people call themselves Christians to get votes from the Christian crowd! In other cases they simply call themselves that to appease their parents or grandparents, all the while their hearts are far from God.   

The Bible warns of false teachers who infiltrate the church and teach false doctrines that contradict the Bible (2 Corinthians 11:13, 1 Peter 2:1). Should it be a surprise? Even Judas, among Jesus’s disciples, betrayed Christ. 

Final Remarks 

Though much more could be said on this subject, I’m merely scratching the surface. I do want to leave us with some final thoughts.  Only God is the final judge of someone’s heart; but in correcting or challenging anyone, it should be done with gentleness and respect (Ephesians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 4:21, 1 Peter 3:15).  Our heart should be one to call people to repentance in Christ if at all possible (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). 

Christians should be quick to point out that when those who claim to be Christians do things that are not Christian like and hence, oppose the Bible, then we need to point it out the error and correct the brother…or if we need to….point out that they are no brother at all after seeing their fruits and checking for identifying marks of unbelief.  

There is a time when false believers should be removed or avoided so they are no longer stumbling blocks to Christians (e.g., some biblical examples 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6 and14, Matthew 18:15-20, Romans 16:17, 2 John 1:9-10, Titus 3:9-10).  

The old phrases “actions speak louder than words” or “you can tell a tree by its fruit” is not without warrant. This biblical principle comes from Christ Himself: 

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. (Luke 6:43-44, NKJV) 

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields. Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited; Republished by permission. 

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[1] http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v7/n1/terrorist

[2] http://www.christianpost.com/news/richard-dawkins-i-guess-im-a-cultural-christian-91312/

Three Methods of Making Rapid Coal (Semi-Technical)

Three Methods of Making Rapid Coal (Semi-Technical)

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, January 29, 2026 (Donate)

Introduction

Coal doesn’t require millions of years to form, yet we are often bombarded with that idea that it takes long ages to convert. I previously published on rapid coal formation here.[1] The great thing about science is that more research has been done, and the results are exciting.

Examples are becoming more readily available for methods of coal formation that takes short periods of time—often rapid, which mimics catastrophic conditions like those present during the global Flood of Noah’s day.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, by Underwood & Underwood, 1906, Public Domain

The Three Methods

I wanted to outline a few methods of rapid carbonization which is the underlying process of coal formation. The first is the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biomass. It takes hours to form—less than a day.  

In more technical terms, the method utilizes wet plant material which is then heated in subcritical water (often ~180–350 °C) in a sealed reactor, causing it to generate its own pressure. In hours, dehydration, decarboxylation, and polymerization/aromatization concentrate carbon and form a coal-like solid (“hydrochar”) that is commonly described as resembling low-rank coal (lignite/brown coal) regarding fuel behavior and elemental ratios.[2]

The second method uses high-temperature, high-pressure “artificial maturation/coalification” experiments. It can convert in minutes but can take days or weeks depending on the pressure and temperature.

In more technical terms, the method takes organic matter (e.g., lignite/vitrinite-rich material) is heated at elevated temperatures (hundreds of °C) under confining pressure in sealed systems (piston-cylinder, autoclaves). This accelerates the same maturation/coalification reactions used in basin models (aromatization and loss of O- and H-bearing functional groups). In the studies, it measured coal-rank proxies such as vitrinite reflectance after run times ranging from very short to days (and longer in some designs), demonstrating rapid rank advancement under controlled lab conditions.[3]

The third method takes lower grade coal and increases its rank to a better coal rapidly. So although it doesn't generate new coal, it is a process that makes it higher quality. 

Technically, the method uses rapid thermal upgrading of coal kind of like igneous intrusion/contact metamorphism (rapid heating during sill/dike emplacement). In other words, the method uses pre-existing coal seams that when heated intensely mimics when magma intrudes nearby (sills/dikes). The heating event can be geologically brief, yet it can drive fast devolatilization, coking textures, and rank jumps to better and higher quality coal concentrated near the intrusion. The “rapid” aspect here is the short-lived, high-temperature pulse associated with emplacement and cooling.[4]

Conclusion

Coal doesn’t require millions of years to form—in fact, it has never been observed to form over long ages—that is just speculation based on a secular worldview. Yet, we have a couple of examples where it doesn’t require long ages to form the basis of coal and another method to advance its rank.

These methods mimic conditions that would have been present during the Flood of Noah and are feasible for rapid formation on a larger scale.

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

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[1] B. Hodge, “Coal—A Renewable Resource?”, Biblical Authority Ministries, April 11, (2024).

[2] C. Liu et al., “Efficient Low Temperature Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biomass…” Energies (2017); M. Aliyu et al., “Improvement of the fuel properties of dairy manure by hydrothermal carbonization…” PLOS ONE (2022).

[3] R. Le Bayon et al., maturation experiments with run lengths up to ~25 days using high-pressure apparatus (vitrinite reflectance focus), International Journal of Coal Geology (2012); W.-L. Huang, “Experimental study of vitrinite maturation…” artificial maturation of lignite over 250–450 °C (time-dependent rank changes), Organic Geochemistry (1996).

[4] S. M. Rimmer et al., “Contact metamorphism of coals…” (documents petrographic/geochemical changes from heating by sills, including coking evidence), International Journal of Coal Geology (2025); N. Wang et al., intrusion metamorphism converting coal to natural coke and higher-rank products, International Journal of Coal Geology (2024).

What About Extra-Biblical Tables Of Nations And Genealogies That Go Back To Noah?

What About Extra-Biblical Tables Of Nations And Genealogies That Go Back To Noah?

 Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, January 28, 2026 (Donate) 

Genesis 10 gives an outline of family groups that left Babel. These people moved throughout the world and populated virtually every continent. (Was Antarctica ever settled in the past? At this point, I am unaware.) Here is the Table of Nations from the Bible: 

Table 1 Bible’s Table of Nations

Historians such as Josephus (1^st century), Snorri Sturlusonor (13^th century), James Anderson (1732), Nennius (9^th century), and many others have commented on various cultures and their genealogical records in the past and the origins of various peoples.^[1] 

Though there are many to pick from, a few examples of tables of nations should show that historians, especially prior to evolutionary re-writing of history which is common in the past 150 years, even unbeknownst to themselves sometimes, were offering a great confirmation of Genesis.  

Josephus, who was surely drawing from Genesis, completed his table nations nearly 2,000 years ago. A discussion of this is detailed in Chapter 17, but here it is in graphic form. So, let’s start here: 

Table 2 Josephus’ Table of Nations 

Some genealogies connect prominent modern houses and royal lines with the Table of Nations listed in the Bible.^[2] Anglo-Saxon chronologies feature six royal houses that go back to Noah.^[3] In these genealogies, Noah is found on the top of the lists in many of these documents, some of which feature variant spellings such as Noe or Noa. 

One historian discovered a relationship between the ancient name of Sceaf (Seskef, Scef) and the biblical Japheth.^[4] This seems reasonable, as Japheth has traditionally been seen as the ancestor of the European nations—and many people came out of Babel with multiple names due to multiple languages. Some of the European genealogies researched have a variant of Sceaf with the exception of Irish genealogies, which still used the name Japheth.^[5] One table of European nations by historian Nennius is given below:

Table 4 Nennius’s Table of Nations; Permission granted from New Wine Press. 

An eighth century Roman historian, Nennius, developed a table of nations of the lineages of many of the European people groups from Noah’s son Japheth: Gauls, Goths, Bavarians, Saxons, and Romans. Nennius’s table of nations is reproduced in Table 3.^[6] 

Though it repeats the Goths in two different areas, Nennius’s chart bears strong similarities to the history that Josephus recorded, as well as the Bible’s Table of Nations. However, there are clearly enough differences to show that it was neither a copy from the biblical text nor from the Jewish historian Josephus.^[7] 

Chinese records also describe Nuah with three sons, Lo Han, Lo Shen, and Jahphu, according to the Miautso people of China.^[8] Although original documents of ancient sources sometimes no longer exist and one has to rely on quotes from other ancient books, it is interesting how in many places we find similarities to the Table of Nations given in the Bible. 

Another questionable table of nations appears in the book of Jasher (or Jashar). For those familiar with the book of Jasher, it is mentioned twice in the Old Testament.  

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day (Joshua 10:13). 

And he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher (2 Samuel 1:18).

It was assumed that this book has been lost to history. Yet, there are three copies floating around today. So what is the story? 

As it turns out, these copies are later books, not the one that is mentioned in Scripture. One book is a collection of legends from creation to the conquest of Joshua (and was written in Hebrew). It is believed by most scholars that this book did not exist until about 1625. 

Another book of Jasher is supposed to be an 18^th century translation of a book by Alcuin from the 8^th century. Of course, there is a science fiction book by this title as well. So what we can learn from this book of Jasher is not what is reference material to what is stated in Scripture, but instead what people believed or researched within the past millennium. Essentially, we can only know what the author believed when this was written.  

After researching the book of Jasher from the 17^th century, we find a record of genealogies as well. It is not merely a copy of the Bible or of Josephus or of anything else directly referenced in this volume either. This is known because there is information here not given in any of the other references and vice versa; the other references give information not mentioned here. Here is what we have: 

Table 4 Ham in Jasher  

Table 5 Shem in Jasher 

Table 6 Japheth in Jasher 

Some of this makes sense too. I have been able to trace the Turks in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) to Noah’s great grandson Togarmah’s descendants migrating into part of modern-day Turkey. Later, they conquered the whole of Asia Minor and had the Turkish Empire, which was quite powerful. The Bible simply gives his name (Togarmah), but where did the name “Turk” come from? Was it a variation of Togarmah? If the author of Jasher is somewhat correct, then this is now explained by one of the ten sons of Togarmah (Tugarma). One of his sons was Tarki.  

In some cases, the name of a descendant became the name of a language or people. For example, in the Bible, the Anakim were people named for descendants of Arba through his son Anak, and the Jews (named for Judah) became a name for the Israelites. So Turk may have that same connotation.

The Uzbek Turks (living in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan) may well be named for Zebuc, which sounds strikingly similar to Uzbek, as would the Oguzes or Oguz Turks to Ongal. It is this latter ancestral group that gave rise to Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Turk Empire that lasted for about six centuries (late A.D. 1200s to the 1800s).       

Another example is the names of the children of Asshur. The Bible simply gives the name Asshur (Assyria). Jasher fills in the names of Asshur’s sons. This makes sense since Nimrod conquered and built up four of these places (Genesis 10:11–12) that were in Asshur’s lands (Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen). So did these cities take the names of Asshur’s sons or Nimrod’s sons? In light of the Bible, I would lean in the direction of Nimrod’s sons, but simply that they were in the land allotted for Asshur, but the Scripture is not clear. In this book of Jasher, they attribute them to Asshur.^[9] Regardless, there was a mix of these two people groups in these four places.  

There is much to learn, and it could be a book in and of itself to find and record various Tables of Nations found throughout the world. In truth, the book Royal Genealogies by James Anderson has a number of these tables. The research was done for the Prince of Great Britain, Fredrick Lewis, in 1732. This volume, unlike Jasher, is a much more reliable source. The few listed here and many others that can be tracked down are a great confirmation of the truthfulness of the Scriptures.  

Recommended Reading: 

Tower of Babel 

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.   

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry. 

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields. Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited; Republished by permission. 

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[1] Nennius, Historia Brittonum, edited in the 10th century by Mark the Hermit, with English version by the Rev. W. Gunn, rector of Irstead, Norfolk, printed in London, 1819; Flavius Josephus, The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus the Jewish Historian (~100 A.D.), trans. William Whiston (~1850 A.D.) (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2008).

[2] For a number of these, see Anderson, Royal Genealogies.

[3] Bill Cooper, After the Flood (Chichester, England: New Wine Press, 1995), p. 84–86.

[4] Ibid., p. 92–96.

[5] Ibid., p. 108.

[6] Ibid., p. 49.

[7] Ibid., chapter 3.

[8] Edgar Traux, “Genesis According to the Miao People,” Impact, April 1991; available online at www.icr.org/article/341/.

[9] Some have thought these names attributed to Nimrod in the Table of Nations were not sons at all, but that Nimrod simply built these cities. But then we are stuck with two predicaments. How can a city, which is made up of people, exist without progeny? And how could they come out with a new language as indicated in Genesis 10? It makes sense that these cities were named for sons, which was the common way of doing it.

Doctrine Of The Covenant

Doctrine Of The Covenant

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, January 26, 2026 (Donate)

We’re in a culture where, sadly, covenants aren’t taken very seriously. One just has to look at the marriage covenant and see the failure rate in the Western World. The secularization of the USA and many other nations have eroded good doctrines like the marriage covenant. Yes, marriage is one type of covenant into which a man and woman can enter.

Marriage is a shadow or type of a larger covenant that God has with mankind. The biblical covenant is essential today because it reveals God’s unchanging truth and provide the foundation for understanding His relationship with humanity in a world of shifting and broken morals.

Biblical Covenants; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The covenants of God show that history is not random, but guided by God’s faithful promises culminating in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant. In a culture of broken commitments, covenants remind us of God’s perfect reliability and is our perfect example for how people should live in faithful obedience and hope.

What Is A Covenant?

A covenant in the 66 books of the Bible is a solemn, binding agreement established by God that defines a relationship between Himself and His people. The Hebrew word often translated covenant (berith) carries the idea of a bond or treaty, frequently ratified with blood or sacrifice (Genesis 15; Exodus 24:8). The word covenant or covenants is used in translation in the NKJV 296 times.[1]

Adam transgressed the covenant (Hosea 6:7); Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

In Scripture, covenants are not merely contracts, but divine agreements where God sets terms, promises blessings, and calls for obedience. Covenants structure the Bible’s account of history, from Eden (Hosea 6:7), to God’s covenant with Noah to preserve the earth (Genesis 9), to His covenant with Abraham to bring blessing through his Seed (Genesis 12, 17), to the covenant at Sinai establishing Israel under God’s law (Exodus 19–24), and ultimately the New Covenant in Christ’s eternal blood for forgiveness and a transformed heart (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20).

This final everlasting covenant was anticipated by the Old Testament Scriptures.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:31-33, NKJV)

God continues through Jeremiah:

‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.’ (Jeremiah 32:40, NKJV)

What Are The Various Covenant Listed In The Bible?

1. Edenic or Adamic Covenant (Creation Covenant)
   This covenant was given to Adam in the Garden of Eden. God commanded mankind to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, exercise dominion, and not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It established man’s role and responsibility before the Fall (Genesis 1–2). After the Fall and Adam sin, God pronounced curses on the serpent, the woman, and the man, but also gave the first promise of redemption: the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. This covenant reveals both judgment and hope (Genesis 3:14–19).
2. Noahic Covenant
   God made a covenant with Noah (and all living creatures that survived on Ark with him) after the Flood, promising never again to destroy the entire earth with a flood. The rainbow was assigned as a reminder sign. It reaffirmed human government and the value of life (Genesis 8:20–9:17).
3. Abrahamic Covenant
   God promised Abraham land, descendants, and blessing to all nations through his Seed (who is Christ per Galatians 3). This covenant is foundational to Israel’s identity and points forward to the Messiah (Genesis 12:1–3; 15; 17).
4. Mosaic Covenant (Sinai Covenant or Law)
   Given through Moses at Mount Sinai, this covenant established Israel as a nation under God’s civil law. It included blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, along with sacrificial worship pointing to the need for atonement (Exodus 19–24). This is why the captivity occurred in disobedience to God’s commands and a violation of the covenant.
5. Priestly Covenant (Covenant with Levi)
   God established a covenant of priesthood with Aaron’s line and later confirmed a covenant of peace with Phinehas for his zeal. This covenant set apart the priesthood for service before God (Numbers 25:10–13; Malachi 2:4–5).
6. Davidic Covenant
   God promised David that his throne and kingdom would be established forever through his Offspring/Seed. This covenant ultimately finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the eternal King (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Psalm 89) who sits on the throne of David currently and forever.
7. New Covenant
   Promised through the prophets and inaugurated by Christ, the New Covenant provides forgiveness of sins, a transformed heart, and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus declared His blood to be the blood of the New Covenant, fulfilling what the Old Covenant anticipated (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8).

The covenants of Scripture reveal God’s unfolding plan of redemption, from creation, through Israel’s history, to the ultimate salvation and eternal kingdom found in Jesus Christ.

One Covenant Or Multiple Covenants?

In the Bible, the many covenants are not competing plans. But instead, they are progressive revelations of one overarching redemptive purpose of God. Scripture has God working through history with a single unified goal: to glorify Himself by saving people through the promised Redeemer (Genesis 3:15; Ephesians 1:9–10).

Those in Old Covenant (Old Testament) times looked forward to Christ where those under the New Covenant (New Testament) look back to Christ’s finished work on the cross and resurrection.

This is why theologians often speak of one “overarching covenant” of redemption or “covenant of grace”, even though the Bible records multiple covenant administrations. Each covenant is like a stage or unfolding expression of the same divine promise.

For example, after the Fall, God’s covenantal dealings immediately include mercy and the promise of the Seed who would defeat the serpent/Satan (Genesis 3:15). The Noahic covenant preserves the world so redemption can continue. The Abrahamic covenant narrows the promise to a chosen family through whom blessing will come to all nations.

God made a covenant with Noah; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (Grok)

God made a covenant with Abraham; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The Mosaic covenant adds law, sacrifices, and national structure, functioning as a tutor pointing forward to Christ (Galatians 3:24). The Davidic covenant focuses the promise further on a royal line, anticipating an eternal King.

God made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (Grok)

God made a covenant with David; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (Grok)

Finally, the New Covenant is not a different salvation, but the fulfillment of what all prior covenants anticipated: forgiveness of sins because Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to cover the infinite and eternal punishment we deserve for those sins. This allows us to be converted and saved by Jesus Christ as His righteousness is imputed (i.e., transferred) to us and our hearts are changed through Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8).

The New Eternal Covenant in Christ; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Thus, the covenants are like chapters in one story. They differ in form and historical context, but they are united in substance: God saving sinners through Jesus Christ. Each covenant builds upon the previous one, progressively clarifying and advancing God’s single plan of redemption.

How Did Church Fathers Understand Covenants?

The church fathers generally understood covenants as God’s unified plan of salvation revealed progressively through history. They, rightly, held that God’s covenants were expressions of His faithfulness and mercy, culminating in Jesus Christ.

Fathers such as Irenaeus spoke of God’s “economy” of redemption, where the covenants prepared humanity for the coming of Christ. Augustine highlighted the continuity between Old and New Testaments, teaching that the Old Covenant contained promises and shadows fulfilled in the New Covenant.

The fathers usually viewed the Mosaic sacrifices and ceremonies as types pointing forward to Christ’s atoning work—animal sacrifices, for instance, was no longer necessary as Christ was the final sacrifice as discussed in the New Testament. Fathers also stressed that believers in Christ inherit the blessings promised through Abraham, not by ethnic identity, but through faith in the Seed, Jesus.

How Did Reformers Understand Covenants?

The Protestant Reformers understood the biblical covenants as God’s unified way of working with humanity through His sovereign promises and redemptive plan. While they recognized several historical covenants in Scripture (such as with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David), they saw that these were not disconnected agreements but progressive revelations of one overarching purpose: salvation by grace through faith in Christ.

Reformers commonly spoke of a “covenant of works” with Adam before the Fall, in which life was promised upon perfect obedience. After sin entered, they highlighted the “covenant of grace,” in which God freely promised redemption through the Messiah. This covenant of grace, they believed, was administered in different forms throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled completely in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.

Images of popular reformers put together by ChatGPT; Image requested by Bodie Hodge

For the Reformers, like Church fathers, the covenants were seen as a continuity between Old and New Testaments. This means that believers in every age are saved the same way—by God’s grace, not by human merit. The covenant framework also shows God’s faithfulness, confirms the authority of Scripture, and keeps Christ central in all of redemptive history. 

The Relationship To Theology?

Using covenants in theology and study is good. For instance, teaching how the Bible’s covenants relate to one another and how they unify Scripture’s message is essential in today’s broken church. Rather than viewing the covenants as disconnected agreements, they should be recognized as progressive stages of God’s single redemptive plan revealed through history.

By examining covenants such as those with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, David, and the New Covenant in Christ, we can observe both continuity and development. The promises of salvation, the need for atonement, and the hope of a coming Redeemer remain consistent, while the outward forms and administrations change across different eras.

This leads to the theological conclusion that God has always dealt with humanity covenantally, and that all covenants ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Earlier covenants contain shadows, types, and preparatory structures, while the New Covenant brings the realities they anticipated (Hebrews 8–10).

Conclusion

Proper theology arises from biblical foundations: tracing the covenants across the whole canon of Scripture, recognizing one unfolding covenant of grace, and understanding how God’s promises, law, sacrifice, kingship, and salvation are unified in Christ.

In short, incorporating covenants while studying theology and history makes for a framework that is the backbone of Scripture’s primary theme. It shows God’s consistent faithfulness (where sinful man often falls short) and His one plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

 

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[1] 275 in the KJV; 299 in the NAS.