New Covenant Theology


It’s all about Jesus!

It has been said that there is no square inch in the entire universe about which Jesus does not say, “Mine!” NCST believes that, so we challenge our students to study accordingly. Learning is not the goal – it is the means to knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, and serving Jesus.

[I]f you and I do anything for any other purpose than to expressly glorify Jesus, we are missing its point. There is only one way to glorify God in life, by living for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in marriage, by loving for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in careers, by working for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in the Church, by worshipping Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in missions, by proclaiming Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in politics, by governing according to the commands of Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in parenting, by teaching children to glorify Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in art, by creating for the praise of Jesus. Jesus is the reason for everything.

Exalted: Putting Jesus In His Place by Douglas Goodin

Now don’t get the wrong idea. Our students don’t just sit around chanting Jesus! Jesus! and feeling the love. They study. They work hard to know the Scriptures and sound doctrine. But their goal is to love (1 Tim. 1:6), to live godly lives (1 Tim. 4:6-8), and to protect God’s people (Titus 1:7-16). NCST takes seriously the warning against useless and harmful academia which leads people to unprofitable abstractions and disputes (2 Tim. 2:14-18). We simply want to train shepherds to know, believe, and apply God’s Word for the glory of His Son Jesus Christ.

Here is a brief example of what we mean. Our students learn the importance of justification by faith alone (even in its theological Latin sola fide), not so we can preserve some precious religious heritage, but so that we can preserve the biblical gospel. Doctrinal differences are worth sorting out because of their potential impact on our understanding of Jesus, the gospel, who God is, and what He is doing in the world. Yet learners must always be wary of the temptation to straining gnats while swallowing camels. At NCST, we strive to major on the majors.

Our Theological Tribe

Theologically and hermeneutically, we embrace New Covenant Theology (NCT), which is neither new nor a branch of Covenant Theology (CT), nor is it a spin-off of Dispensational Theology (DT). It’s a new label for the old understanding that the Bible is preeminently about Jesus. God’s primary passion is neither to unfold the Covenant of Grace (as CT believes) nor to (re-)establish the nation of Israel (as DT believes). His primary passion is to exalt His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to expand His kingdom throughout the world. That is NCT’s passion also.*

Simply put, we want students to become intentionally Christ-obsessed in all things so that they can help others give Him first place in everything, too (Col. 1:18).

For more on NCT, see our FAQs page and this article by A. Blake White. Or to really dig in, watch The Glory of the New Covenant video series by Douglas Goodin.)