In March, Andy Naselli gave a series of lectures on the Early Keswick Movement at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. The manuscript of these lectuers will be published in the fall 2008 Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal.
Naselli, who is D. A. Carson's Research Assistant at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School,where he is working on his (second!) Ph.D., did his first doctoral dissertation on "Keswick Theology: A Historical and Theological Survey and Analysis of the Doctrine of Sanctification in the Early Keswick Movement, 1875–1920" (Bob Jones University, 2006). Andy was kind enough to send me a copy, which I am currently working through.
This is a topic of special interest to me because as a young Christian I experienced a lot of frustration and disillusionment in my Christian walk due to some faulty teaching on sanctification, holiness, and being filled with the Spirit that had very similar emphases as the Keswick Theology.
John MacArthur's book, Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles (which you can purchase used on Amazon for only $ 0.23!), was the book the Lord initially used to bring me deliverance from this faulty teaching. I still look back to the reading of this important book as a significant turning point in my theological and spiritual formation.
But back to Naselli and Keswick. Detroit Seminary is hosting the following resources from the lecture series:
Handout (five-page PDF)
Power Point presentation as a PDF (eighty slides with lots of pictures) [12.1 MB]
MP3s:
A Historical and Theological Survey of the Early Keswick Movement (1:10:32)
A Theological Analysis of the Early Keswick Movement - Part 1 (57:20)
A Theological Analysis of the Early Keswick Movement - Part 2 (with Q & A) (49:24)
These lectures are academic, but well worth listening to for anyone interested generally in the doctrine of sanctification or more specifically in the early Keswick movement.
Brian G. Hedges | Pastor & Author
Showing posts with label Biblical Theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biblical Theology. Show all posts
The Holy Spirit by Sinclair Ferguson (Book Review)
Book Review: The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology) by Sinclair B. FergusonSinclair Ferguson's biblical-theological treatment on the Holy Spirit is a rich and sumptuous theological feast for any serious-minded believer who wants to know more about the so-called "shy member of the Trinity." In eleven meaty chapters, Ferguson gives a comprehensive, if not exhaustive, biblical overview of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, all along the way drawing on historical theology and charitably interacting with perspectives different from his own.
Chapter one, "The Spirit and His Story" surveys the Old Testament's more shadowy teaching on the Holy Spirit with a careful biblical-theological approach. "The Spirit of Christ" (chapter two) is an exceptionally rich chapter on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus. Christ is seen as the quintessential "Man of the Spirit." Because his entire life was lived in the Spirit's power (Ferguson starts with his conception and moves through the various aspects of Jesus' life all the way to exaltation), Jesus is now the "Lord of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18) - the One who sends the Spirit to his church to reproduce the "human holiness" of which he (Jesus) is the pattern.
This moves into the next two chapters, which focus on "The Gift of the Spirit" and "Pentecost Today?", exploring the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and its significance in redemptive history and for believers today. "The Spirit of Order" (chapter five) discusses the ordo salutis (order of salvation) and how the Spirit applies the redemptive work of Christ to the individual believer. This is an excellent chapter which focuses on union with Christ as the central motif for understanding how the Spirit applies salvation in our lives. Throughout both this chapter and the entire book, Ferguson writes with a solid understanding of the inaugurated eschatology of the New Testament, allowing the "already/not yet" tension to inform his treatment of the various aspects of the ordo salutis (i.e. justification, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, glorification).
"Spiritus Recreator" (chapter six) discusses the Spirit's role in the new creation, while the next chapter, "The Spirit of Holiness," explores his role in sanctification. These were two of the most helpful chapters in the book for me personally. Ferguson maintains the Christ-centeredness with which he began the book as he shows how the Spirit reproduces the image of Christ in believers through his definitive act and progressive work of sanctification. Also very edifying is chapter eight, "The Communion of the Spirit," which deals with the personal ministry of the Spirit in the life of the believer as seal, firstfruits, and earnest/guarantee.
Chapters nine and ten talk about "The Spirit and the Body" and "The Gifts of the Spirit," the former discussing the role of the sacraments under the Spirit in the life of the church and the latter addressing the issue of spiritual gifts - with Ferguson taking a firm, though gentle, cessationist position. His critiques of Wayne Grudem deserve careful reflection from all who hold a continuationist perspective. The final chapter, "The Cosmic Spirit" discusses the Spirit's work in what we might call common grace and points us forward to the eschatological fulfillment of the Spirit's work in the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned much from it. Ferguson's articulation of a Reformed view of the Holy Spirit is intelligent and persuasive. Theologians, biblical scholars, pastors, and serious layreaders would all benefit from this book.
Recent reading
Just a few thoughts on recent books I've been reading . . .
My first book of the year was Malcolm Gladwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, a brilliant and engaging look at how the sub-conscious mind influences judgment calls and decision making. Gladwell may be my favorite secular author.
Less engaging, but very practical was Gary McIntosh's Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church. It is what the title says - a practical how-to book about getting people back to your church for a second visit. Honestly, this is not the kind of book I like to read. I've never been real big into church growth techniques. But I've noticed that too many first-time visitors don't show up again and decided it was time to do something about it. If you attend Fulkerson, you'll probably notice some small changes the new few months - some of which may have had their origins in this book.
I hesitate to recommend any book by Brian MacLaren, one of the primary spokesmen from the more radical side of the emerging church movement, but his book More Ready than You Realize: Evangelism and Dance in the Postmodern Matrix was pretty good. In this sense. MacLaren helped me get inside the skin of an unbeliever and see things from her point of view. This book traces the two year conversation between MacLaren and "Alice" (not her real name) - a young non-Christian woman whom MacLaren befriended and who seems to have come to faith in Christ (although this is not real clear). MacLaren is a good writer and this is an engaging read.
What's not good about this book is MacLaren's theology. He appears to be an open theist and an inclusivist and has a very weak view of the atonement. In answer to a question about the purpose of the death of Christ, MacLaren, basically said that Jesus himself didn't know why he had to die (citing the words of Jesus from Gethsemane) and left it at that. This was neither true, nor helpful. MacLaren's grasp of the gospel seems really weak. So, this book on evangelism, helpful in its own way, needs some serious balancing by a book that is solid on the gospel. So, I don't recommend it after all!
J. I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, is almost the perfect opposite to MacLaren's book. Solid theologically, but less in touch with the mindset of today's unbeliever. But Packer's focus is more narrow. His purpose is to explore the relationship between the doctrine of God's sovereignty and the necessity of evangelism. He does that well.
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts is a great (and short) book about the metanarrative of Scripture - the story of redemption. Roberts follows Graeme Goldsworthy's Gospel and Kingdom pretty closely, but is less technical, aiming at a different audience. I liked this book a lot and think it would make a great study for a Sunday School class or small group.
I'm still working on a few other books, and probably should be reading those right now instead of blogging! So, that's all for now!
My first book of the year was Malcolm Gladwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, a brilliant and engaging look at how the sub-conscious mind influences judgment calls and decision making. Gladwell may be my favorite secular author.
Less engaging, but very practical was Gary McIntosh's Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church. It is what the title says - a practical how-to book about getting people back to your church for a second visit. Honestly, this is not the kind of book I like to read. I've never been real big into church growth techniques. But I've noticed that too many first-time visitors don't show up again and decided it was time to do something about it. If you attend Fulkerson, you'll probably notice some small changes the new few months - some of which may have had their origins in this book.
I hesitate to recommend any book by Brian MacLaren, one of the primary spokesmen from the more radical side of the emerging church movement, but his book More Ready than You Realize: Evangelism and Dance in the Postmodern Matrix was pretty good. In this sense. MacLaren helped me get inside the skin of an unbeliever and see things from her point of view. This book traces the two year conversation between MacLaren and "Alice" (not her real name) - a young non-Christian woman whom MacLaren befriended and who seems to have come to faith in Christ (although this is not real clear). MacLaren is a good writer and this is an engaging read.
What's not good about this book is MacLaren's theology. He appears to be an open theist and an inclusivist and has a very weak view of the atonement. In answer to a question about the purpose of the death of Christ, MacLaren, basically said that Jesus himself didn't know why he had to die (citing the words of Jesus from Gethsemane) and left it at that. This was neither true, nor helpful. MacLaren's grasp of the gospel seems really weak. So, this book on evangelism, helpful in its own way, needs some serious balancing by a book that is solid on the gospel. So, I don't recommend it after all!
J. I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, is almost the perfect opposite to MacLaren's book. Solid theologically, but less in touch with the mindset of today's unbeliever. But Packer's focus is more narrow. His purpose is to explore the relationship between the doctrine of God's sovereignty and the necessity of evangelism. He does that well.
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts is a great (and short) book about the metanarrative of Scripture - the story of redemption. Roberts follows Graeme Goldsworthy's Gospel and Kingdom pretty closely, but is less technical, aiming at a different audience. I liked this book a lot and think it would make a great study for a Sunday School class or small group.
I'm still working on a few other books, and probably should be reading those right now instead of blogging! So, that's all for now!
New Covenant Theology
In our Elder's training class this morning we discussed the differences between four theological systems: classical dispensationalism, progressive dispensationalism, new covenant theology, and covenant theology. While I would want to argue that none of these systems are necessarily inimical to the gospel, I find myself leaning more towards New Covenant Theology than the others. New Covenant Theology is a newer and still developing theological system which critiques both dispensationalism and covenant theology. I'm sure I would not agree with everything NTC proponents teach, but I did find this brief summary from In-Depth Studies to resonate with my own understanding of Scripture.
"What is New Covenant Theology?
New Covenant Theology is a particular understanding of how the bible fits together or a system of theology. We can neatly summarize the main lines of New Covenant Theology under seven heading. This is only meant to be a brief overview and if you would like to see these points further defined and defended in Scripture, see our articles page.
The Cross - By his death on the cross Jesus purchased both complete forgiveness of sins past, present, and future and a changed life or new heart for all those for whom he died. Believers love Christ more than sin and are characterized by obedience and repentance when they sin.
Abrahamic Covenant - This covenant reveals God's plan to save a people and take them into his land. The Old Covenant with the nation of Israel and the promise land is a temporary picture of what is accomplished by the New Covenant where Jesus actually purchased a people and will take them to be with him forever in the new heavens and new earth.
Old Covenant - The Old or Mosaic Covenant is a legal or works covenant that God made with Israel on Mount Sinai that is brought to an end or fulfilled at the cross. It was never intended to save people but instead its purpose was to increase sin and guilt until the coming of the Savior.
New Covenant - This covenant is a gracious covenant in which Jesus purchased a people by his death on the cross so that all those for whom he died will receive full forgiveness of sins and become incurable God-lovers.
Israel - Israel is a temporary unbelieving picture of the people of God. There always existed a remnant of believers within unbelieving Israel.
Law - The version of law in the Old Covenant era was the Mosaic Law, which included the Ten Commandments. The version of law in the New Covenant era is the law of Christ, which includes the commands of Christ that pertain to the New Covenant era and the commands of his Apostles.
Circumcision and Baptism - Circumcision was the physical picture of regeneration. It signified that you were physically born into the unbelieving people of God, Israel. It was given to all Israelites, irrespective of repentance and faith. Baptism is the outward sign that regeneration has occurred. It signifies that you have been spiritually born into the believing people of God, the church. It is given to all those who give evidence of regeneration, which is repentance and faith.”
Why Should Pastors Teach Biblical Theology?
In the latest 9Marks Newsletter, a number of theologians answer this question. Here is Graeme Goldsworthy's answer:
If a pastor does not understand or teach biblical theology, the members of the congregation are likely to suffer thus:
1. Congregations will not understand the unity of the Bible or the progressive nature of revelation. They will fall prey to those proclaiming the disunity of the biblical message; and a fragmented Bible cannot be recognized as the inspired word of God.
2. Congregations will not understand the centrality of Christ for interpreting Scripture and the meaning of life in our world. Recourse to people and events—particularly those of the Old Testament—will be valued mainly for their exemplary lessons, and not for their typological contribution to understanding the person and work of Christ. They will not see that Christ in his gospel is the interpreting principle for scripture and, indeed, for all reality.
3. Grace will be eroded by legalism. Preaching that principally points to the examples of Bible characters leads almost inevitably to legalism since the connection with the gospel of grace will be clouded or even completely lost.
4. The application of Bible texts will often be short-circuited. The Bible is reduced to a lucky-dip of texts all of which are perceived as standing in the same essential relationship to the Christian believer, and the progressive nature of biblical revelation in salvation-history is ignored.
5. The presuppositions of the New Testament in portraying Christ as the fulfiller of the Old Testament will be overlooked so that the fullness of Christ’s person and work is undermined. Teaching from the Old Testament is particularly at risk.
6. The doctrinal formulations of the church will be seen as less important in that their relationship to the progressive revelation of the Bible will not be evident. Biblical theology and doctrine work together for a robust understanding of God and his purposes for his people and the world.
Graeme Goldsworthy is the visiting lecturer in hermeneutics at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of According to Plan (IVP, 1991) and Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture (Eerdmans, 2000).
©9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org. Email: info@9marks.org. Toll Free: (888) 543-1030.
Check out the other answers to this question, as well as other essays on biblical theology.
If a pastor does not understand or teach biblical theology, the members of the congregation are likely to suffer thus:
1. Congregations will not understand the unity of the Bible or the progressive nature of revelation. They will fall prey to those proclaiming the disunity of the biblical message; and a fragmented Bible cannot be recognized as the inspired word of God.
2. Congregations will not understand the centrality of Christ for interpreting Scripture and the meaning of life in our world. Recourse to people and events—particularly those of the Old Testament—will be valued mainly for their exemplary lessons, and not for their typological contribution to understanding the person and work of Christ. They will not see that Christ in his gospel is the interpreting principle for scripture and, indeed, for all reality.
3. Grace will be eroded by legalism. Preaching that principally points to the examples of Bible characters leads almost inevitably to legalism since the connection with the gospel of grace will be clouded or even completely lost.
4. The application of Bible texts will often be short-circuited. The Bible is reduced to a lucky-dip of texts all of which are perceived as standing in the same essential relationship to the Christian believer, and the progressive nature of biblical revelation in salvation-history is ignored.
5. The presuppositions of the New Testament in portraying Christ as the fulfiller of the Old Testament will be overlooked so that the fullness of Christ’s person and work is undermined. Teaching from the Old Testament is particularly at risk.
6. The doctrinal formulations of the church will be seen as less important in that their relationship to the progressive revelation of the Bible will not be evident. Biblical theology and doctrine work together for a robust understanding of God and his purposes for his people and the world.
Graeme Goldsworthy is the visiting lecturer in hermeneutics at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of According to Plan (IVP, 1991) and Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture (Eerdmans, 2000).
©9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org. Email: info@9marks.org. Toll Free: (888) 543-1030.
Check out the other answers to this question, as well as other essays on biblical theology.
A Biblical Theology of Possessions
As I am preparing a message for this Sunday, I am reading Craig Blomberg's excellent book Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions. It is a very helpful survey of what the Scriptures have to say about the issues of material wealth, which pays due attention to matters of historical and theological context, while seeking to give guidance to contemporary Christians in handling wealth.
The final chapter summarizes the main teaching of the book, while providing final conclusions and applications. Here they are in digested form (all these quotations are lifted from pages 241-253).
Blomberg concludes with a somewhat autobiographical (yet not self-serving) description of how he is attempting to flesh out these principles in his own life. I was convicted and challenged by his example, and helped by his exposition of the biblical teaching on possessions. Hopefully this summary will help you as well.
The final chapter summarizes the main teaching of the book, while providing final conclusions and applications. Here they are in digested form (all these quotations are lifted from pages 241-253).
Summary
• In the historical portions of the Pentateuch, the major contribution [is] the goodness of wealth and God’s desire to bless his people with material possessions, especially the land of Canaan and its bounty, through which they could in turn bless all the peoples of the earth.
• The major features of the Law with respect to material resources [are] the restrictions placed on the use and accumulation of property, precisely so that people would remember that God owns it all and wants all people to be able to enjoy some of it.
• The remaining historical books of the Old Testament narrate the fluctuating cycles of Israelite obedience and disobedience to God’s laws and the consequences that followed from their behavior.
• The wisdom and poetry of the Old Testament [hold] in a certain tension two contrasting themes: wealth as a reward for faithfulness and industry, along with warnings against the wicked rich and ill-gotten gain.
• The New Testament [carries] forward the major principles of the Old Testament . . . with one conspicuous omission: never [is] material wealth promised as a guaranteed reward for either spiritual obedience or simple hard work. This omission flows directly from the fact that the people of God are no longer defined as one ethnic group living in one divinely granted piece of geography. This does not mean that Old Testament promises are entirely spiritualized. God’s people from both Old and New Testament ages will one day enjoy all the literal blessings of the land, extended to encompass the entire earth and eventually a renewed cosmos.
• Jesus identifies God and mammon as rival masters; ultimately a person can serve only one of them. The kingdom of God contains a noticeable financial component, centered around almsgiving. Jesus and his disciples voluntarily limited their incomes for the sake of ministry, and the early church in Acts took their principle of a common purse and created the temporary mechanism of communal sharing in Jerusalem that modeled more timeless principles of concern for the poor.
• The writings of Paul and Luke are the best places to turn to see a growing middle-class and even upper-class minority of Christians in the emerging church. Neither writer calls upon well-off believers to change places with the poor; they are merely go give from their surplus, but also to be honest in acknowledging how much is surplus.
Additional Conclusions
1. Material possessions are a good gift from God meant for his people to enjoy.
2. Material possessions are simultaneously one of the primary means of turning human hearts away from God.
3. A necessary sign of life in the process of being redeemed is that of transformation in the area of stewardship.
4. There are certain extremes of wealth and poverty which are in and of themselves
intolerable.
5. Above all, the Bible’s teachings about material possessions is inextricably intertwined with more ‘spiritual’ matters.
Applications
1. If wealth is inherently good, Christians should try to gain it.
2. If wealth is seductive, giving away some of our surplus is a good strategy for resisting the temptation to overvalue it.
3. If stewardship is a sign of a redeemed life, then Christians will, by their new natures, want to give.
4. If certain extremes of wealth and poverty are inherently intolerable, those of us with excess income will work hard to help at least a few desperately needy people in our world.
5. If holistic salvation represents the ultimate good God wants all to receive, then our charitable giving should be directed to individuals, churches, and organizations who minister holistically, caring for people’s bodies as well as their souls, addressing their physical as well as their spiritual circumstances.
Blomberg concludes with a somewhat autobiographical (yet not self-serving) description of how he is attempting to flesh out these principles in his own life. I was convicted and challenged by his example, and helped by his exposition of the biblical teaching on possessions. Hopefully this summary will help you as well.
Best book on OT theology I've read so far . . .
I just finished Stephen G. Dempster's Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible (link to the right), and it is without doubt the best book on Old Testament theology that I have yet read. I don't have time for a full review, but in brief, Dempster traces the twin themes of geneology and geography (seed and land/dynasty and dominion) throughout the Old Testament Hebrew canon (the order of the books in Hebrew is different from our English canon) and shows them to be the unifying themes of the Old Testament.
Dempster's book did something more for me than even Graeme Goldsworthy's excellent book Gospel and Kingdom (which hitherto has been my favorite book on the Old Testament). Goldsworthy's book gave me an understandable outline of redemptive history in broad brush strokes. And it was invaluable to me, and really the foundation for understanding Dempster's book. But Dempster added to those broad brush strokes color and texture. Whereas Goldsworthy framed the puzzle for me, Dempster started putting significant pieces into place. So, really the two books complimented one another.
Be warned: Goldsworthy writes for the layman, but Dempster writes on a more academic level. But that doesn't mean his book is boring. Far from it! It really is one of the most compelling books I've ever read. If you want to read a book that will help you make better sense of the Bible and open your eyes to see just how interwoven the tapesty of the Old Testament actually is, get Dempster. It is a great book and one that I am sure I will return to over and over again for many years.
Dempster's book did something more for me than even Graeme Goldsworthy's excellent book Gospel and Kingdom (which hitherto has been my favorite book on the Old Testament). Goldsworthy's book gave me an understandable outline of redemptive history in broad brush strokes. And it was invaluable to me, and really the foundation for understanding Dempster's book. But Dempster added to those broad brush strokes color and texture. Whereas Goldsworthy framed the puzzle for me, Dempster started putting significant pieces into place. So, really the two books complimented one another.
Be warned: Goldsworthy writes for the layman, but Dempster writes on a more academic level. But that doesn't mean his book is boring. Far from it! It really is one of the most compelling books I've ever read. If you want to read a book that will help you make better sense of the Bible and open your eyes to see just how interwoven the tapesty of the Old Testament actually is, get Dempster. It is a great book and one that I am sure I will return to over and over again for many years.
Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture by Graeme Goldsworthy (Book Review)
by Graeme Goldsworthy, an exceptionally well-crafted manual on hermeneutics by Graeme Goldsworthy, a lecturer in Old Testament, biblical theology, and hermeneutics at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. And of the twenty or so books that I have read on preaching, this one is one of the very best and one of the most unique, with its focus on The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching.Goldsworthy’s concern is to help preachers relate all of Scripture to the person and work of Jesus, so as to avoid moralistic applications of Scripture on one hand and fanciful allegorizing of the text on the other. Chief among the culprits offering the kind of preaching which fails to be Christ-centered, are preachers who assume that “the people of the Old Testament primarily function to provide patterns of faith and behavior for us to imitate or, conversely, to avoid” (3). While a series on the triumphs and tragedies of David may appear relevant and helpful at first glance, the dangers of slipping into moralistic, Christ-neglecting applications of the text are great. But Goldsworthy also addresses problems with preaching from the New Testament in ways that abstract the text of Scripture from the gospel. Even pastors committed to expositional preaching risk losing the connection between the grace of the gospel and the application of the gospel to ethics and behavior – especially when preaching a lengthy series of sermons from a Pauline epistle (originally intended to be read as a single letter at one time), where the verse-by-verse pace can lead to fragmentation between Paul’s exposition of the gospel in the first part of the letter and his application of the gospel in the latter half. Preaching which avoids these dangers demands our relentless focus on the centrality of the Gospel and a commitment to an understanding of biblical theology which allows “the Bible to speak as a whole: as the one word of the one God about the one way of salvation” (7). Our message as Christian preachers is “Nothing But Christ and Him Crucified” (chapter one).
To achieve this end, we must first ask, “What is the Bible?” (chapter two). Only when we grasp the unity of God’s written word will we be equipped to relate all texts to Christ. We must understand that “the whole Bible is the context of the text” (16) and we must be convinced that “the center and reference point for the meaning of all Scripture is the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God” (16). Without Christ and his saving work as our center, even New Testament exhortations to holy living (not to mention passages from the Old Testament) become law, not grace. Jesus claimed that all of Scripture witnessed to himself (Jn. 5:39-40; Luke 24:27, 44-45), therefore, “the most challenging question for the preacher’s self-evaluation [is] . . . whether the sermon was a faithful exposition of the way the text testifies to Christ” (21). Biblical theology is the discipline which helps us do that.
But “what is Biblical Theology” (chapter three)? Goldsworthy begins with the definition of Geerhardos Vos, who defined biblical theology as “that branch of exegetical theology which deals with the process of the self-revelation of God deposited in the Bible” (22). This revelation of God is “embedded in history” and by its very nature “tells a story rather than sets out timeless principles in abstract” (22). The author provides a brief history of the discipline of biblical theology, but quickly gets to its heart, reminding us that it “is, at least in part, a descriptive discipline, its method is mainly dictated by the shape of the Bible itself” and that since “the person of Jesus is proclaimed as the final and fullest expression of God’s revelation” our “methodological starting point is the gospel” (25). The aim, then, is to understand “theology as the Bible presents it” (26) and in relation to Christ. Approaching biblical theology with an understanding of “salvation history” (or “the history of redemption”) best accomplishes this task. Salvation history, which moves through the story of Israel to the climatic coming of Jesus Christ, “points us to the three dimensions of the Bible that our preaching needs to take account of: literature, history, and theology” (28). The biblical story unfolds in various strands and genres of literature, which record historical events, which are then interpreted theologically. Biblical theology helps us uncover that story and serves expositors of Scripture well. It is the “neglected handmaid of the preacher” (30) which helps demonstrate how the entire revelation of the Old Testament gives texture and meaning to the revelation of Christ in the New Testament.
Chapter four asks, “What is Preaching?” This question is important, for as P. T. Forsyth said, “with its preaching Christianity stands and falls” (31). Preaching is not “the giving of opinions,” but the proclamation of the Word of God. Therefore, we need a biblical theology of the Word. Goldsworthy develops such by tracing the role of the word of God in creation, judgment, and salvation in the unfolding of redemptive history. “The word of God by which all things were created is the word that establishes a covenant with a people being redeemed, and that finally bursts into our world as the God-man, Immanuel” (34). So, Jesus is the final word of God. As Hebrews 1:1-3 demonstrate, “Jesus is spoken of as the prophetic word, the creative word, the God-revealing word, the sustaining word, and the redeeming word” (41). Therefore, Jesus is the pattern of all truth. He is the sun around which our exegesis must orbit. Preaching is the proclamation of Christ, the Word.
Chapter five asks yet another question: “Was Jesus a Biblical Theologian?” This chapter looks specifically “at the way Jesus is recorded as engaging the text of the Old Testament and how he related it to himself” (46). As we study the teaching and preaching of Jesus himself, we discover “principles of a theological method that can inform our preaching” (46). Goldsworthy first examines “Jesus View of Himself” as the fulfiller of Scripture and the Son of Man (47-50). Next is “Jesus’ View of Salvation History” where Jesus’ preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is shown to highlight “the fact that the notion of the kingdom of God is a central and ruling theme in the theology of the Old Testament” (51). One of the primary concerns of this chapter is to show how the Gospel functions as the hermeneutical key which unlocks Scripture. Goldsworthy is relentless in his application of this to the pastor-preacher. He exhorts us regarding the necessity of building biblical theology into our Christian education programs in the local church and rebukes seminaries for not requiring courses in biblical theology. “The idea that evangelical pastors can be sent to have ministerial oversight of congregations without first having a solid grounding in biblical theology is one of the scandals of our time,” he writes. “Show me a church without a good appreciation of the Old Testament and biblical theology and I’ll show you a church with a weak understanding of the gospel” (52). Further, he warns preachers that while talk about relevance in preaching can be very seductive, it can be too easily “assessed on purely pragmatic grounds” (61). Preaching on low self-esteem or animal rights or global warming or other felt-needs may seem relevant, “but unless the felt problem is then redefined by the gospel, we are in danger of reducing the Christian message to a pragmatic one of helping us feel better” (62). “The first question we all need to ask is not, ‘Was it relevant?’; ‘Did I find it helpful?’; or ‘Were we blessed?’; but ‘How did the study (the sermon) testify to Christ and his gospel as the power of God for salvation?’” (62).
In the sixth chapter the question is “What Kind of Unity Does the Bible Have?” How do the Old and New Testaments relate to one another? How do the various parts of Scripture relate to the whole? Goldsworthy argues that the basis for unity in Scripture is rooted in the very nature of the God who is one, and makes some interesting connections between “ancient heresies about God and Jesus” which are “transferable to other realities, including the Bible” (67). For example, “a docetic view of Jesus will also translate into a docetic view of the Bible. If Jesus only seemed to be human while being purely divine, the Bible as the word of Christ comes to be seen in the same light. The apparent humanity of the Bible, evident through its human language and its historical narrative about people, is not the reality we seek at all. Behind or beneath these externals lies a hidden divine spiritual meaning that bears little or no relationship to the historical externals” (67). We guard ourselves from such dangers by maintaining both the unity and the distinctions within Scripture. The application of that principle leads us to consider the literary variety of Scripture (68-69) its historical progression (69-72), and progressive revelation (72-76). Finally, direction on preaching the progressive revelation of Scripture is given, in terms of type-antitype (76-78), promise-fulfillment (78-79), and salvation history-eschatological goal (79-80).
“How Does the Gospel Function in the Bible?” (chapter seven) and for that matter, what is the gospel? To the last question, Goldsworthy answers that “there is enough biblical evidence to justify our understanding of the gospel as the event, or the proclaimed message of that event, which is set forth by God as the object of our faith and trust if we are to be saved” (82). Goldsworthy backs into his unfolding of the gospel by taking the proclamation of Jesus in Mark 1:14-15 and showing how the elements of his message “are saturated with the salvation history of the Old Testament message” (82). Again, the gospel is seen to be key to unlocking the meaning of Scripture. “The gospel is the power of God for hermeneutical salvation” (84). At the center of the theology of Scripture is the message of “God as creator and redeemer of the world” (86). This theme is intimately related to the unifying theme of the kingdom of God. “The essence of the kingdom is God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule” (87). That pattern is first revealed in the perfect environment of Eden, which is then disrupted by sin. The rest of Scripture is about God’s undoing of the destruction of sin and the restoration of that kingdom pattern – the pattern which gives shape and structure to the history and eschatology of Israel and reaches its fulfillment in the work of Christ. The gospel of the kingdom is thus seen as the biblical-theological center of Scripture. The chapter concludes with some brief but thought-provoking thoughts on how the understanding this gospel-center affects the various preaching contexts of evangelism, discipleship and ethical issues.
The next chapter continues to build on what has preceded, asking “What is the Structure of Biblical Revelation?” While hints of this structure have already been given, it is here that the pieces of the biblical puzzle really come together. Goldsworthy breaks redemptive history into three large epochs: 1. The kingdom in Israel’s history; 2. The kingdom in prophecy; and 3. The kingdom fulfilled in Christ. This is, of course, the macro-structure, which is further broken down into smaller parts. The point of understanding this structure is to help us interpret texts within their wider redemptive-historical contexts. Preachers must avoid making direct application of individual and unrelated texts to their hearers while ignoring the salvation history structure of revelation (99). Rather, the text is to be placed in its salvation history context, linked theologically to Christ as the focal point of all of Scripture, and only then connected to the life of the believer or hearer (100). This does not justify the use of “wild typology” (110), but when typology is understood to deal with real historical events with which there are real correspondences to the gospel, typology can be a useful tool. Goldsworthy calls this “macro-typology” and views it not so much as scattered examples of persons, events and institutions which correspond to Jesus and the gospel in some far-fetched ways, but as a broad pattern in which whole epochs of revelation reveal the pattern of the kingdom which is finally fulfilled in Christ. This macro-typology has far-reaching implications for preachers. “It underlines the central thesis of this book: all texts in the whole Bible bear a discernible relationship to Christ and are primarily intended as a testimony to Christ” (113). This means that the true pathway for the application of Scripture by preachers to those who hear is via Christ. “The Bible is the word of God by virtue of its relationship to Christ and not by virtue of its spiritual application to our lives” insists the author. And “any attempt to relate a text directly to us or our contemporary hearers without inquiring into its primary relationship to Christ is fraught with danger” (113).
Everything written in the first eight chapters should lead one to ask, “Can I Preach a Christian Sermon without Mentioning Jesus?” This is the focus of chapter nine. Goldsworthy self-consciously tries hard to “avoid simplistic answers” (115).His short answer is “Why would you even want to try to preach a Christian sermon without mentioning Jesus? Is there anywhere else we can look in order to see God? To see true humanity? To see the meaning of anything in creation?” (115). We should want to keep Jesus central in all of our preaching, because when we handle valid biblical truths, but “get them out of perspective and ignore their relationship to the gospel of grace,” we replace grace with law. No punches are held here and there is scarcely a preacher who will not feel the blows. “In practical terms, if we as preachers lay down the marks of the spiritual Christian, or the mature church, or the godly parent, or the obedient child, or the caring pastor, or the responsible elder, or the wise church leader, and if we do this in a way that implies that conformity is simply a matter of understanding and being obedient, then we are being legalists and we risk undoing the very thing we want to build up” (119). So, what does this mean for expository preaching? Well, if expository preaching is first and foremost biblical preaching, then it means that it “involves a great deal more than the exegesis of a biblical passage” (124). Solid exegetical groundwork of the passage must be done, but “the application can only be achieved in terms of the gospel. Thus, a biblical passage explicated and then applied to the hearers does not constitute a biblical sermon if the application is made without reference to the person and work of Christ” (125). Exegesis, “the formal analysis of the passage in which we seek to uncover what the author was saying” (127), must be joined with hermeneutics, the goal of which “is nothing more nor less than to uncover the links between the ancient text and the contemporary hearer (or reader) of the Bible” (127). But “these links are not intuitive, nor are they a matter of some mystical direct communication of the Spirit. They come from the nature of the Bible as a book about Christ” (128).
With the basic questions about the nature of preaching and the essentials of biblical theology answered, part two shifts from foundation to application. What does preaching “Christ in All the Scriptures” (135) look like? For starters, the preacher must take into account the various literary genres (“narrative, prophecy, wisdom, psalm, gospel, epistle, and apocalypse” 137) of Scripture, the historical progression of redemptive history, and the theological epochs inherent within the unfolding historical narrative (135-139).This three-fold consideration serves as a helpful grid for interpreting and preaching from the various parts of the canon.
Chapter ten addresses “Preaching from Old Testament Historical Narrative Texts.” The first consideration when approaching Old Testament narrative is “whether historical texts should be treated mainly for their exemplary value or for their contribution to and place in salvation history” (141). The preacher’s approach to this concern will determine the entire orientation of his message. “In exemplary preaching the characters in the narrative serve as examples of godly or godless living as the case may be” (141). But this approach can lend itself to moralistic preaching without a gospel-center. The salvation history approach, on the other hand, does not necessarily screen out all appeals to biblical characterization. But it does remind us that “the chief character in the unfolding drama of redemption is God himself” (141) and that any individual Old Testament narrative must be interpreted within its larger redemptive-historical context. Goldsworthy then divides Old Testament narrative into two broad epochs. The first epoch, “from Abraham to David, are texts that come under the covenant with Abraham; it is the age of promise” (143). The second epoch, “from Solomon’s apostasy to the end of the Old Testament, fall in the age of prophecy” (143). We only rightly interpret narratives when they are seen in light of the “gospel” thrust embedded in either God’s covenant promises (the first epoch) or Israel’s eschatological hope (the second epoch). Several examples of gospel-centered interpretation of Old Testament narratives follow: 1. The Story of Noah (Genesis 6-9); 2. Ruth; 3. Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6); and 4. Nehemiah Builds the Walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2-6). Each example briefly demonstrates the application of biblical theology to the exegetical process, reminding us that “the theological context of all preaching is . . . creation, fall, and God’s plan of salvation” (143). The chapter concludes with some “Literary and Historical Considerations” – in which Goldsworthy carefully distinguishes preaching from narrative passages from preaching in narrative form (149) – and suggestions for planning sermons on historical narrative texts.
The next consideration is “Preaching from Old Testament Law” (chapter eleven). Goldsworthy begins with an obvious comment about the place of the law in salvation history – namely, that it “was given to a people who had been chosen by grace and already redeemed by grace” and therefore “there can be no question of the law functioning as a way of achieving salvation by works” (152). Several pages continue the discussion of the law-grace question (153-160). Following this are several examples of applying biblical theology when preaching from Old Testament law: 1. The Ten Commandments (Exod. 20); 2. The Tabernacle (Exod. 25-30); 3. Clean and Unclean Foods (Lev. 11); and 4. A Ceremonial Directive (Numb. 10:1-10). Again, the chapter ends with literary and historical considerations and suggestions for planning sermons on the law.
Chapter twelve takes up “Preaching from the Old Testament Prophets.” As in the previous chapters, the salvation-historical context is first established, then examples are given: 1. The Marriage of Hosea (Hos. 1-3); 2. Isaiah’s Missionary Vision (Isa. 2:1-4); 3. Amos’s Vision of the Basket of Fruits (Amos 8:1-14); 4. Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles (Jer. 29:1-14); and 5. The Last Oracle (Mal. 4:1-6), with concluding reflections on literary and historical considerations and sermon planning. This pattern continues throughout the rest of the book as Goldsworthy addresses preaching from Wisdom Literature (chapter thirteen), the Psalms (chapter fourteen), Apocalyptic Texts (chapter fifteen), the Gospels (chapter sixteen), and Acts and the Epistles (chapter seventeen). The final chapter discusses the preaching of biblical theology itself and includes helpful suggestions for how pastors can teach their people the basic principles of Christ-centered interpretation.
The effect that this book (along with Goldsworthy’s other books) has had on me is profound. For years I have felt a nagging uneasiness in attempting to preach from the Old Testament, which means I have generally avoided it. In recent years I’ve even felt uneasy with the Gospels as I’ve wondered just how to bridge the gap between narratives surrounding the ministry of Jesus prior to the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost and the full-orbed gospel-centered teaching of the Christian community in the New Testament epistles. That uneasiness was an indicator of my deficient hermeneutical skills. What is more troubling now is thinking about sermons I preached before I even realized those deficiencies! I wonder just how much of my preaching was moralism and legalism and how much was Christ-centered preaching of good news? Goldsworthy’s book has thus filled a huge, gaping hole in my developing interpretive skills. The Old Testament makes more sense to me now than it ever has (as does the New!). For the first time, I do not feel caught between the rock of fanciful spiritualizing of Old Testament texts (does Rahab’s scarlet cord really represent the blood of Christ?!) and the hard place of a strictly grammatical-historical exegesis of the text that has little relevance to the gospel. As I reflect on the effect this understanding of biblical theology is having on me, I see two things: first, an increasing desire to preach the “whole counsel of God” – in fact, a growing passion to ransack both testaments in order to understand God’s redeeming work through Christ more fully – and second, a deeper caution against misinterpreting and misrepresenting the text of Scripture (whether from the Old Testament or the New, gospels or epistles) in ways that lead people into the bondage of moralism and legalism rather than a deeper dependence upon the grace of God revealed in the gospel of Christ. My hope is that both of these effects will shape my preaching in the years to come, yielding sermons on the full terrain of divine revelation that remain relentlessly focused on the “glorious gospel of the Blessed God.”
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