This is a quick essay in my own words.  Criticism, comments, and questions are most welcome. 

In Christ, Marty

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The center of Reformed Theology is the conceptual framework that God relates to His Creation through a series of covenants.  A covenant is a formal agreement memorialized between two or more parties who agree to satisfy certain stipulations in good faith.  Unlike a contract, covenants presume a divine witness who will judge each of the covenant parties and administer blessings or curses based on covenant performance.  Within Reformed Theology, God is the Divine King who initiates, stipulates, witnesses, memorializes, and judges various covenants with his Creation.  Thus, Reformed Theology organizes and interprets the Bible through the lenses of the various biblical covenants found within it.  In so doing, Reformed congregations are distinctly different from other branches of the Church, which interpret the Bible through alternative lenses, which may or may not be biblically sound.

Although not necessarily Reformed Theology, closely related Covenant Theology categorizes the various covenants found in the Bible into one of two covenant frameworks: the so-called Covenants of Works and Grace.  In addition to these two super-covenants, some Covenant Theologians presume the eternal existence of a certain Covenant of Redemption (Psalm 110, Phil 2:5-11), made before the beginning of time between the Persons of God, meaning within the Trinity itself.  The Westminster Confession includes references to the Covenants of Works and Grace based on certain observations of the Adamic (Gen 2:16), Noahic (Gen 9:8-17), Abrahamic[1], Sinai (Exo 20:1-17), and New Covenant.  However, in subtle disagreement to mainstream Covenant Theology, the Westminster Confession recognizes various covenants of works, but only one Covenant of Grace, by the clever use of the indefinite and definite articles respectively.

In general, the Reformers recognized that the pre-eminent biblical covenant is the New Covenant, or the Covenant of Grace.  However, there also exist other biblical covenants, mostly of works, some of which are operative today.  For example, the Bible explicitly mentions the covenants of Marriage (Gen 2:21-25, Mal 2:14), Brotherhood (Gen 4:9, Amos 1:9), and Common Grace (Gen 9:8-17), all of which 1) God instituted, 2) apply to the entire human race, and 3) operate today.  Regarding Marriage and Brotherhood, God, as covenant witness and judge, will hold people accountable for the good and bad works they do (i.e. as spouses and siblings).  As a result, Marriage and Brotherhood should be properly categorized as works covenants.  However, the Noahic covenant, by which God continues to bless the Creation despite the evil that people do is “a” covenant of grace, as God pours out his unmerited grace on the just and unjust.  As strange as it may sound, all unbelievers are in covenant relationships with God, and it is through these covenants, they currently experience both grace and judgment.  The Noahic covenant, which operates even today, will ultimately expire at the return of Christ and is therefore unable to save, so it is a vastly inferior covenant of grace when compared to “the” Covenant of Grace, meaning the New Covenant.  Thus, it is through the various works covenants that God will faithfully execute judgment against all Humanity.  It is through the Covenant of Grace that God will choose His Elect and redeem them.

The Reformers recognized that no one, other than Jesus Christ, had faithfully performed his or her responsibilities and obligations under the various works covenants, despite the overflowing and unmerited love God pours onto all of us through the various grace covenants.  As a result, all Humanity is justly condemned for its sin.  However, Jesus Christ, being human lived in perfect obedience to the various works covenants and being God inaugurated the Covenant of Grace, substituted Himself for the just judgment all Humanity deserved in order to redeem His Elect.  It is through this Covenant of Grace that the Reformed Church operates.

For the Reformed Church, the New Covenant supersedes all other covenants.  It is an everlasting covenant which will continue from the present time into eternity.  None of the other covenants will do that.  The law of the New Covenant is love.  It is through the New Covenant that God sends His Holy Spirit to equip the Elect with all the spiritual gifts required to build up the Covenant Community.  The Holy Spirit is the covenant sign (or engagement ring) of the New Covenant which will ultimately be consummated at the Marriage of the Lamb.  The elders of the Reformed Church are primarily called to be the faithful stewards of God’s covenants, ministering to the Church through the New Covenant, but also the World through God’s other covenants.  Thus, because of its covenantal framework, the Reformed Church is vitally unique amongst the other branches of Christ’s Church.