New Studies in Biblical Theology (34 vols.)

The passion for holiness expressed by writers and preachers in former generations has become a neglected priority throughout the modern church generally. It is a specifically a fading glory in today’s evangelical world. Serious teaching about this theme is rarely heard in churches.

David Peterson challenges the common assumption that the New Testament views sanctification as primarily a process. He argues that its emphasis falls upon sanctification as a definitive event, “God’s way of taking possession of us in Christ, setting us apart to belong to him and to fulfill his purpose for us.” Simply to identify sanctification with growth and holiness, he contends, obscures the emphasis and balance of New Testament teaching and creates unrealistic expectations. Throughout this study, Peterson builds his case on the careful exegesis of relevant passages, with a keen eye for the pastoral implications of his findings.

The Biblical theme of spiritual adultery stands in all its bluntness for a deeply offensive sin—the unfaithfulness of God’s covenant people in departing from Yahweh, their husband, and going after false gods.

Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. shows how the Genesis vision of human marriage provides the logic and coherent network of meanings for the story of Israel’s relationship with Yahweh. He traces the specific theme of marital unfaithfulness, first through the historical books of the Old Testament and then through the prophets, particularly Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Turning to the New Testament, he also shows how the sad story of Israel’s adultery is transcended by the vision of the ultimate reality in Christ and his church—the bridegroom and the bride.

This book was previously published under the title Whoredom.

At the heart of the Christian faith stands a man, Jesus of Nazareth. Few people seriously question whether Jesus existed in history. But many, influenced by the more skeptical scholars, doubt that the Christ of orthodox Christianity is the same as the Jesus of history.

Historian Paul W. Barnett lays these doubts to rest. He uncovers the methodological weaknesses present in some forms of critical scholarship, which demonstrates a failure to account for important early evidence about Jesus. Once the evidence is properly marshalled, a picture of Jesus emerges that fits well with orthodox belief in him.

Even a cursory reading of the book of Proverbs reveals that it is dominated by the subject of education, or personal formation. The voice of the teacher addressing his pupils resounds from its pages. A wide array of topics is presented, and frequent exhortations challenge the learner to hear and heed the teacher’s instruction. This material, however, comes, for the most part, without recognizable order or sequence. Much of Proverbs consists of apparently random collections of maxims. As readers, we see many individual pieces, but the puzzle as a whole remains unclear.

Daniel J. Estes synthesizes the teachings of the first nine chapters of Proverbs into a systematic statement of the theory of education and personal formation that lies behind the text. Working from the Hebrew text and building upon an extensive analysis of exegetical works, he organizes his study of Proverbs 1–9 into seven categories typical of pedagogical discussion: worldview, values for education, goals for education, curriculum for education, the process of instruction, the role of the teacher, and the role of the learner. His work agrees with but also transcends the original purpose of the text by revealing the foundational theory of intellectual and moral formation embedded in this important section of Scripture. It also has valuable things to say about constructing a biblically informed philosophy of education today.

We live in a world shot through with evil. The twentieth century has witnessed suffering and human cruelty on a scale never before imagined. Yet, paradoxically, in recent years the doctrine of original sin has suffered neglect and ridicule.

Henri Blocher offers a robust response in this philosophically sophisticated treatment of the biblical evidence for original sin. Interacting with the best theological thinking on the subject, he shows that while the nature of original sin is a mystery—even a riddle—only belief in it makes sense of evil and wrongdoing. After a general survey of the biblical evidence, he moves on to discuss the two key texts. First, he considers the relation of the Eden story of Genesis 2 and 3 to modern scientific, literary, and theological thinking. Then, he offers a new and groundbreaking interpretation of Romans 5, where Paul discusses Christ and Adam. From this exegetical foundation, he goes on to show how the doctrine of original sin makes sense of the paradoxes of human existence. In the final chapter, he discusses the intellectual difficulties that some feel remain with the doctrine itself.

Though written thousands of years ago, the book of Deuteronomy is unmatched in its relevance for the affluent Western church of today. Moses’ words were meant to equip God’s people for living godly lives in a prosperous, pluralistic world. The cultural changes now taking place in our own social setting make the parallel between Israel and the church—and what Deuteronomy has to say—both pertinent and instructive.

J. Gary Millar explores Deuteronomy’s ethical teaching in the light of its most important theological themes: covenant, journey, law, the nations, and human nature—showing the major contribution that Deuteronomy makes to our understanding of the Bible as a whole. His perceptive analysis reveals the power with which Deuteronomy calls God’s covenant people, from ancient Israelites to modern-day Christians, to hear God’s voice and do his will. He offers a significant study of Deuteronomy that recovers this Scripture’s vibrant message for the contemporary Christian community.

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8). One of the most difficult questions facing Christians today is that of the proper attitude toward possessions. In wealthy nations such as Britain and the USA, individuals accumulate much and yet are daily exposed to the plight of the poor, whether the homeless on their own city streets or starving children on their TV screens. What action should we take on behalf of the poor? What should we do with our own possessions?

Craig Blomberg asks what the Bible has to say about these issues. Avoiding easy answers, he instead seeks a comprehensive Biblical theology of possessions. And so he begins with the groundwork laid by the Old Testament and the ideas developed in the intertestamental period, then draws out what the whole New Testament has to say on the subject, and finally offers conclusions and applications relevant to our contemporary world. This is one book that all should read who are concerned with issues of poverty and wealth.

The New Testament finds many ways to depict the relationship of Christians and their Lord. They are his disciples, sons, daughters, and friends. But it is perhaps too little recognized that they are also his slaves.

Murray J. Harris sets out to uncover what it means to be a slave of Christ. He begins by assessing the nature of actual slavery in the Greco-Roman world and the New Testament’s attitude towards it. Drawing insights from this, he goes on to unfold the metaphor of slavery to Christ. Among the topics discussed are slavery and spiritual freedom, lordship, ownership, and privilege.

Since the time of the Reformation, considerable attention has been given to the theme of justification in the thought of the apostle Paul. The ground-breaking work of E.P. Sanders in Paul and Palestinian Judaism, published in 1977, introduced the “new perspective on Paul,” provoking an ongoing debate which is now dominated by major protagonists. Foundational theological issues are at stake.

Mark Seifrid offers a comprehensive analysis of Paul’s understanding of justification, in the light of important themes including the righteousness of God, the Old Testament law, faith, and the destiny of Israel. A detailed examination of justification in the letter to the Romans is followed by a survey of the entire Pauline corpus. He incorporates a critical assessment of the “new perspective” by challenging its most basic assumptions. He provides an evaluation of the contribution of recent German scholarship. He reaffirms the “Christ-centered” theology of the Reformers. In this wide-ranging exposition of the biblical message of justification, he provides a fresh, balanced reworking of Pauline theology.

These five Old Testament books, traditionally known simply as “the Scrolls,” are among the most neglected parts of the Christian Bible. In Judaism, the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther were eventually adopted as lectionary readings for five of the major festivals. In Christian tradition, however, no consensus has emerged about their proper use. Each book presents particular difficulties with regard to how it relates to the rest of Scripture, and how it should be understood as the Word of God for us today.

Barry Webb offers a Christian interpretation of these problematic writings. He allows each book to set its own agenda, and then examines each in relation to the wider Old Testament and to the New Testament gospel with its basic structure of promise and fulfillment. In this way, Webb presents fresh and illuminating perspectives on these five “festal garments” of love, kindness, suffering, vexation, and deliverance.

“Now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). Few Biblical texts are more daunting, and yet more fascinating, than the book of Job—and few have been the subject of such diverse interpretation.

For Robert Fyall, the mystery of God’s ways and the appalling evil and suffering in the world are at the heart of Job’s significant contribution to the canon of Scripture. He offers a holistic reading of Job, with particular reference to its depiction of creation and evil, and finds significant clues to its meaning in the striking imagery it uses. He takes seriously the literary and artistic integrity of the book of Job, as well as its theological profundity. He concludes that it is not so much about suffering per se as about creation, providence, and knowing God, and how—in the crucible of suffering—these are to be understood. He encourages us to listen to this remarkable literature, to be moved by it, and to see its progress from shrieking protest to repentance and vision.

“Be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). This is a recurring exhortation in the letters of the apostle Paul. No other New Testament writer gives such a sustained emphasis on thanksgiving—and yet, major modern studies of Paul fail to wrestle with it.

David Pao aims to rehabilitate this theme by showing how, for Paul, thanksgiving is grounded in the covenantal traditions of salvation history. He states that to offer thanks to God is to live a life of worship and to anticipate the future acts of God, all in submission to the lordship of Christ. He makes a claim that ingratitude to God is idolatry. He shows a link between theology, including eschatology, and ethics. Here he provides clear insights into the passion of an apostle who never fails to insist on the significance of both the gospel message and the response this message demands.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language . . . .” (Revelation 7:9). The visions in the book of Revelation give a glimpse of the people of God at the consummation of history—a multiethnic congregation gathered together in worship around God’s throne. Its racial diversity is expressed in a four-fold formula that first appears in Genesis 10.

J. Daniel Hays suggests the theme of race runs throughout Scripture, constantly pointing to the global and multi-ethnic dimensions inherent in the overarching plan of God, in response to the neglect of this theme in much evangelical Biblical scholarship. As well as focusing on texts which have a general bearing on race, he demonstrates that black Africans from Cush (Ethiopia) play an important role in both Old and New Testament history. This careful, nuanced analysis provides a clear theological foundation for life in contemporary multiracial cultures and challenges churches to pursue racial unity in Christ.

Christian theologians rarely study the Old Testament in its final Hebrew canonical form, even though this was very likely the Bible used by Jesus and the early church. However, once read as a whole, the larger structure of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) provides a “wide-angle lens” through which its contents can be viewed.

Stephen G. Dempster argues that, despite its undoubted literary diversity, the Hebrew Bible possesses a remarkable structural and conceptual unity. The various genres and books are placed within a comprehensive narrative framework which provides an overarching literary and historical context. The many texts contribute to this larger text, and find their meaning and significance within its story of “dominion and dynasty,” which ranges from Adam to the Son of Man, from David to the coming Davidic king.

Many discussions of Christian spirituality draw on a range of traditions and “disciplines.” Little attention, however, appears to have been given to the Bible itself for its teaching on this theme or as a source of spirituality. Similarly, it is commonly assumed that, when it comes to spirituality, the evangelical tradition has little to offer.

Peter Adam, in response, urges us to renew our confidence in a Biblical model of spirituality and to test our spirituality by the Bible. Drawing on a selection of Old and New Testament texts, along with significant insights from the Christian tradition (including John Calvin and the Puritans), he expounds the shape and structure of a gospel-centered “spirituality of the Word” through which we know God Himself and receive the life that He gives.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem. . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man’” (Revelation 21:1-3).

G.K. Beale argues that the Old Testament tabernacle and temples were symbolically designed to point to the end-time reality that God’s presence, formerly limited to the Holy of Holies, would be extended throughout the cosmos. Hence, John’s vision in Revelation 21 is best understood as picturing the new heavens and earth as the eschatological temple. His stimulating exposition traces the theme of the tabernacle and temple across the Bible’s story-line, illuminating many texts and closely-related themes along the way. He shows how the significance and symbolism of the temple can be better understood in the context of ancient Near Eastern assumptions. He offers new insights into the meaning of the temple in both Old and New Testaments.

"They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha. . . . And they crucified him. . . . Some women were watching from a distance" (Mark 15:22, 24, 40). At the climax of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus of Nazareth is put to death on a Roman cross. The text tells us, in that lonely hour, that a group of women were watching the crucifixion “from a distance.” In a sense, they are given a stance toward the cross that we can share.

Peter G. Bolt explores why the cross is so prominent in Mark’s Gospel. He asks what contribution Mark’s teaching can make to our understanding of the atonement. He shows how this teaching can inform, correct, and enrich our own preaching of the gospel in the contemporary world. He helps us to stand in wonder before God who has come close to us in the cross of Jesus Christ and to live in hope for the better things to come.

One of humanity’s most basic and common practices—eating meals—was transformed by Jesus into an occasion of divine encounter. In sharing food and drink with His companions, He invited them to share in the grace of God. He revealed His redemptive mission while eating with sinners, repentant and unrepentant alike. Jesus’ “table fellowship” with sinners in the Gospels has been widely agreed to be historically reliable. This consensus, however, has recently been challenged, for example, by the claim that the meals in which Jesus participated took the form of Greco-Roman symposia—or that the “sinners” involved were the most flagrantly wicked within Israel’s society, not merely the ritually impure or those who did not satisfy strict Pharisaic standards of holiness.

Craig L. Blomberg engages with the debate and opens up the significance of the topic. He surveys meals in the Old Testament and the intertestamental period. He then examines all the Gospel texts relevant to Jesus’ eating with sinners. He concludes with contemporary applications.

This book was honored in 2006 as a “Year’s Best Book for Preachers” by Preaching Magazine.

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15). Most of Israel’s pastoral imagery is grounded in two traditions: Moses as God’s under-shepherd and David as shepherd-king.

Timothy S. Laniak explains these traditions provided prototypes for leaders that followed. He forms the background for the ministry of Jesus, the good shepherd. He argues the pastoral role was central to the ongoing life of local churches in the Christian movement, and today’s pastors are still called to be shepherds after God’s own heart to lead his people, living on the margins of settled society, to their eternal home. He draws on a wide range of Old and New Testament texts to develop the Biblical theology of “shepherd” imagery. He concludes with some principles and implications for contemporary pastoral ministry.

By almost any measure, a bold and confident use of the Bible is a hallmark of Christianity. Underlying such use are a number of assumptions about the origin, nature, and form of the Biblical literature concerning its authority, diversity, and message. However, a lack of confidence in the clarity or perspicuity of Scripture is apparent in Western Christianity. Despite recent, sophisticated analyses, the doctrine is ignored or derided by many. While there is a contemporary feel to these responses, the debate itself is not new.

Mark Thompson surveys past and present objections to the clarity of Scripture. He expounds the living God as the Guarantor of his accessible, written Word. He engages with the hermeneutical challenges and restates the doctrine for today.

The relationship between God and his people is understood in various ways by the biblical writers, and it is arguably the apostle Paul who uses the richest vocabulary. Unique to Paul’s writings is the term huiothesia, the process or act of being “adopted as son(s).” It occurs five times in three of his letters, where it functions as a key theological metaphor.

Trevor Burke argues that huiothesia has been misunderstood, misrepresented, or neglected through scholarly preoccupation with its cultural background. He redresses the balance in this comprehensive study, which discusses metaphor theory. He explores the background to huiothesia. He considers the roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He examines the moral implications of adoption and its relationship with honor. He then concludes with the consequences for Christian believers as they live in the tension between the “now” and the “not yet” of their adoption into God’s new family.

“I will make an everlasting covenant with you . . .” (Isaiah 55:3). “Covenant” is a major theme in the Bible, and many Christian thinkers across the centuries have made it the organizing principle by which they understand the Old and New Testaments. The biblical material is undoubtedly plentiful, but some specific texts are also much disputed.

Paul R. Williamson offers fresh readings of many passages that contribute to the theme of covenant. He highlights its significance for biblical theology. He explores its role within God’s unfolding purpose. He concludes that covenant is essentially “a solemn commitment, guaranteeing promises undertaken by one or both parties, sealed with an oath,” and that its primary function is to advance God’s creative purpose of universal blessing from its inception in the primeval period to its consummation in the new heavens and the new earth. He is not afraid to challenge established positions. One example is his dual-covenant approach to God’s dealings with Abraham.

From the patristic period until today, John’s Gospel has served as a major source for the church’s knowledge, doctrine, and worship of the triune God. Among all New Testament documents, the Fourth Gospel provides not only the most raw material for the doctrine of the Trinity, but also the most highly developed patterns of reflection on this material—particularly patterns that seek to account in some way for the distinct personhood and divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit without compromising the unity of God.

Köstenberger and Swain offer a fresh examination of John’s trinitarian vision. While there have been recent, fine studies on aspects of John’s doctrine of God, it is surprising that none summarizes and synthesizes what John has to say about God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In order to fill this gap, they bridge that divide. They situate John’s trinitarian teaching within the context of Second Temple Jewish monotheism. They examine the Gospel narrative in order to trace the characterization of God as Father, Son, and Spirit, followed by a brief synthesis. They deal more fully with major trinitarian themes in the Fourth Gospel, including its account of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and mission. They discuss the significance of John’s Gospel for the church’s doctrine of the Trinity. They conclude with a brief summary of some practical implications.

In the midst of a troubled world, Christians believe in a good God who, as the Creator, has never lost interest in His broken creation. The key evidence for, and the chief symbol of, this divine commitment is the cross of Christ. This God, revealed in Scripture, has a project. Central to the divine strategy is Christ, His coming, and His cross. The troubles and calamities will end. The cross—which has been scandalous from the start—touches the individual, the church, and the wider creation. The cross makes peace, and brings shalom. The canon of Scripture presents a “divine comedy,” where the story of Jesus, His cross and empty tomb, are set in the framework of God’s plan to restore the created order.

Graham Cole takes the broad approach, but not in a way that masks “peace dividend” of the cross works itself out at the personal, corporate, and cosmic levels. He asks how we are to live if these things are really so.

The book of Jonah is arguably just as jarring for us as it was for the ancients. Ninevah’s repentance, Jonah’s estrangement from God and the book’s bracing moral conclusion all pose unsettling questions for today’s readers. For biblical theologians, Jonah also raises tough questions regarding mission and religious conversion.

Daniel Timmer embarks on a new reading of Jonah in order to secure its ongoing relevance for biblical theology. After an examination of the book’s historical backgrounds in both Israel and Assyria, he discusses the biblical text in detail, paying special attention to redemptive history and its Christocentric orientation. He then explores the relationship between Israel and the nations—including the question of mission—and the nature of religious conversion and spirituality in the Old Testament. He concludes with an injunction for scholars and lay readers to approach Jonah as a book written to facilitate spiritual change in the reader.

When the book of Acts is mentioned, a cluster of issues spring to mind, including speaking in tongues and baptism with the Holy Spirit, church government and practice, and missionary methods and strategies. At the popular level, Acts is more often mined for answers to contemporary debates than heard for its natural inflections.

Alan Thompson argues that Acts is an account of the “continuing story” of God's saving purposes. Instead of using Acts as a proof-text, he brings a biblical-theological framework to the account to expose Luke’s major themes as they relate to the book as a whole. Consequently, we find that Luke wants to be read in light of the Old Testament promises and the continuing reign of Christ in the inaugurated kingdom. Read in this way as a snapshot of God’s dynamic, unfolding kingdom, the book of Acts begins to regain the deep relevance it had in the first century.

The Lord’s commitment to make Himself known throughout the nations is the overarching missionary theme of the Bible and the central theological concern of Exodus.

Ross Blackburn counters scholarly tendencies to fragment the text over theological difficulties by contending that Exodus should be read as a unified whole, and that an appreciation of its missionary theme in its canonical context is of great help in dealing with the difficulties that the book poses. For example, how is Exodus 6:3 best understood? Is there a tension between law and gospel, or mercy and judgment? How should we understand the painstaking detail of the tabernacle chapters? From a careful examination of Exodus, he demonstrates that the Lord humbled Pharaoh so the world would know that only God can save, that the Lord gave Israel the law so that its people might display His goodness to the nations by living in a state of order and blessing, and that the Lord dealt with Israel’s idolatry severely, yet mercifully, for His goodness cannot be known if His glory is compromised. In the end, Exodus not only sheds important light on the church’s mission, but also reveals what kind of God the Lord is, one who pursues His glory and our good, ultimately realizing both as He makes himself known in Christ Jesus.

“I am putting my words as a fire in your mouth; these people are tinder and it will consume them” (Jeremiah 5:14). In the book of Jeremiah, not only is the vocabulary of “word” and “words” uniquely prevalent, but formulae marking divine speech also play an unprecedented role in giving the book’s final form its narrative and theological shape. Indeed, “the word of the Lord” is arguably the main character and a theology that is both distinctive and powerful which can be seen to emerge from the unfolding narrative.

Andrew Shead examines Jeremiah’s use of “word” language. He sees the prophet’s formation as an embodiment of the word of God. A Mouth Full of Fire examines Jeremiah’s covenant preaching and the crisis it precipitates concerning the recognition of true prophecy. Shead shows, in the “oracles of hope,” how the power of the word of God is finally made manifest. He forces this reading of Jeremiah to bear on some issues in contemporary theology, including the problem of divine agency and the doctrine of Scripture. He then engages Jeremiah’s doctrine of the Word of God in conversation with Karl Barth, and concludes that the prophet’s major contribution emerges from his careful differentiation of “word” and “words.”

Is incarnation an anomaly? Was incarnation part of the hope of Israel?

Graham Cole addresses these questions. He begins by exploring the purpose of creation in terms of God fashioning a palace-temple for dwelling with the creature made in the divine image. He follows God’s acts in Israel’s history to redeem a people of His own among whom He can dwell. He examines theophanic language: God is presented as a person who speaks, acts, and feels as though embodied. He considers Israel’s messianic hope and the testimony of the New Testament, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), in the person of Jesus Christ. Cole also addresses the question raised by Anselm–“Why did God become man?”, and finds abundant New Testament answers to Anselm’s question. He concludes with a consideration of the theological and existential significance of the incarnation.

This book was listed as one of “The Preacher’s Guide to the Best in Bibles and Bible Reference for 2014” in the theology category by Preaching Magazine.

“For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19). The apostle Paul’s relationship to the Law of Moses is notoriously complex and much studied. Difficulties begin with questions of definition (of the extent of Paul’s corpus and the meanings of “the law”) and are exacerbated by numerous problems of interpretation of the key texts. Major positions are entrenched, yet none of them seems to know what to do with all the pieces of the puzzle.

Brian Rosner argues that Paul undertakes a polemical re-evaluation of the Law of Moses, which involves not only its repudiation as law-covenant and its replacement by other things but also its wholehearted re-appropriation as prophecy (with reference to the gospel) and as wisdom (for Christian living). Inextricably linked to Paul’s view of the law is his teaching concerning salvation history, Israel, the church, anthropology, ethics, and eschatology. Understanding this book is critical to the study of the New Testament, because it touches on the perennial question of the relationship between the grace of God in the gift of salvation and the demand of God in the call for holy living. Misunderstanding can lead to distortions of one or both. This book is something of a breakthrough, bringing neglected evidence to the discussion and asking different questions of the material, while also building on the work of others.

“And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.” (Daniel 7:13-14).

James Hamilton perceives a hole in evangelical biblical theology that should be filled with a robust treatment of the book of Daniel. He takes this chance to delve into the book’s rich contribution to the Bible’s unfolding redemptive-historical storyline. By setting Daniel in the broader context of biblical theology, he helps move us toward a clearer understanding of how we should live today in response to its message. First, he shows how the book’s literary structure contributes to its meaning. He then addresses key questions and issues. He concludes by examining typological patterns. He argues that the four kingdoms prophesied by Daniel are both historical and symbolic—that the “one like a son of man” seen by Daniel is identified with and distinguished from the Ancient of Days in such a way that would be mysterious until Jesus came as both the Son of David and God incarnate. He elaborates that the interpretations of Daniel in early Jewish literature attest to strategies similar to those employed by New Testament authors. He shows those authors provide a Spirit-inspired interpretation of Daniel that was learned from Jesus. He highlights how the book of Revelation uses Daniel’s language, imitates his structure, points to the fulfillment of his prophecies, and clarifies the meaning of his “seventieth week.”

The heirs of the Protestant Reformation have emphasized salvation by grace in general and sola fide (“by faith alone”) in particular. It was important for the church to recover the central biblical truth that we are justified by God, that this is an act of God’s grace, and that faith–apart from works–is the means by which we are justified. A related issue is the nature of works–obedience or faithfulness–in the Christian life. Evangelicals generally agree that a person enters into a covenant relationship with God by grace (even solely by grace) apart from works, but there is often much disagreement over how to construe the nature of works, or obedience, inside this covenantal relationship.

Bradley Green shows, from a close study of key Old and New Testament texts and interaction with historical and contemporary theologians, that in the new covenant, works–or obedience–will be a real and necessary God-elicited part of the Christian life. In short, “works” are “necessary” for salvation, because part of the “newness” of the new covenant is real, grace-induced, and grace-elicited obedience by its true members.

Just as the Old Testament book of Genesis begins with creation, where humans live in the presence of their Lord, so the New Testament book of Revelation ends with an even more glorious new creation where all of the redeemed dwell with the Lord and his Christ. The historical development between the beginning and the end is crucial, for the journey from Eden to the new Jerusalem proceeds through the land promised to Abraham. The Promised Land is the place where God’s people will once again live under His lordship and experience His blessed presence.

Oren Martin demonstrates, within the redemptive-historical framework of God’s unfolding plan, how the land promise advances the place of the kingdom that was lost in Eden. This promise also serves as a type throughout Israel’s history that anticipates the even greater land, prepared for all of God’s people, that will result from the person and work of Christ and that will be enjoyed in the new creation for eternity.

“Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3). Repentance concerns the repair of a relationship with God disrupted by human sin. All the major phases of church history have seen diversity and controversy over the doctrine of repentance. The first of Luther’s famous ninety-five theses nailed to the church door in Wittenburg in 1517 stated that “the entire life of believers should be one of repentance.” In recent times, two divisive debates within evangelicalism over “lordship salvation” and “hypergrace” have had repentance at their core. The theme of repentance is evident in almost every Old and New Testament corpus. However, it has received little sustained attention over the past half-century of scholarship, which has been largely restricted to word studies or focused on a particular text or genre. Studies of the overall theology of the Bible have typically given the theme only passing mention.

Mark Boda, in response, offers a comprehensive overview of the theological witness of Scripture to the theme of repentance. The key to understanding is not simply to be found in word studies, but also in the broader meaning of texts as these communicate through a variety of words, images, and stories. The importance of repentance in redemptive history is emphasized. It is fundamentally a return to intimate fellowship with the triune God, our Creator and Redeemer. This relational return arises from the human heart, and impacts attitudes, words, and actions.