The key to the Puritan view of the Bible and of themselves lies in their understanding of that fundamental biblical concept called “covenant.” The Puritans, like the ancient Hebrews, believed that “spiritual contracts” existed between God and men. The most fundamental was the covenant of grace. This was the “spiritual contract” by which true Christians were bound to God. While they believed that God sovereignly elected men to salvation, they also held that anyone by personal faith in Jesus Christ could be added to the covenanted company. By grace believers became God’s people and he their God.
