How the Old Testament affects the New

How sound is Biblical Theology? Is it just another way of reading the Bible - an arbitrary choice between several options - one of which might even be the postmodern approach in which the meaning of the text is found in the reader? Is it one of the more reliable ways of reading the Bible? Or is it actually the only way of correctly reading the Bible, with ultimately other methods only working when they happen to give the same results as Biblical Theology? This is a key question that people who read the Bible need to grapple with - because our definition of what Christianity is depends upon the way in which we interpret what God has revealed. I would argue that the latter option is the correct one; we should understand God as he has spoken, rather than according to the interpretation or structure which we place on his Word.

This essay, on the Between Two Worlds blog, looks (amongst other things) at the fact that Jesus and the apostles built much of their argumentation on Old Testament texts; and that we should follow their exegetical example.

The author writes, with reference to a collection of essays that address this question:

The starting point for much of the discussion is the idea that Jesus and the apostles--like their Jewish contempories--used non-contextual hermeneutical methods. That is to say, Jesus and the apostles (it is argued) interpreted the OT with a method that served their purpose but took those verses out of context. One of the purposes of Beale's essay is to suggest that such an idea is incorrect, and to propose a better alternative in its place.

He argues that "Jesus and the apostles had an unparalleled redemptive-historical perspective on the Old Testament in relation to their own situation". In other words, in effect (and squashing down a much more substantive argument!) they naturally adopted a Biblical Theological perspective to the Old Testament.

Biblical Theology - from other blogs

Celucien Joseph recently posted an extract from a book by B.B.Warfield explaining a little about where Biblical Theology came from.

T. Robert Baylor has posted a review of Graham Goldsworthy's "According to Plan", which is quite often how many people are introduced to Biblical Theology. He also mentions Vos' Biblical Theology. There are various themes that Biblical Theology covers well - particularly such matters as the Kingdom of God, the people of God. In Pursuit of the Truth seeks to apply a Biblical theological approach to everyday parts of our Christian life.

Spanish translation

A Spanish translation of In Pursuit of the Truth is being prepared for publication; it is expected that it will be published in 2007. The title will be En busca de la verdad. It is being published by Publicaciones Andamio - whose website is undergoing development at the moment. This is the publishing wing of GBU - Grupos Bíbilicos Unidos - the Spanish association of Christian Unions, which is affiliated to IFES. The GBU website is also undergoing maintenance at the moment!

Contents

PREFACE: Let truth prevail

Part I First things first: A framework for thinking biblically

Part II By way of application: Some case studies

A. Divine guidance: An impossible dream?
B. The law: Obey it or fulfil it?
C. The Ten Commandments: God's law for today?
D. Work: Delight or drudgery?
E. Money: The answer for everything?

POSTSCRIPT: An open invitation

Scripture index

Book review

For some decades now, reformed evangelical churches in the UK have been moving in the direction of what is called "biblical" theology. It is accepted that the name is not satisfactory; it implies that other forms of theology aren't biblical. The distinction that is made between systematic and biblical theology is that whereas the former seeks to present "a thematic arrangement of biblical truth in the form of basic Christian doctrine", the latter "traces the historical development of God's purposes from Genesis to Revelation." (p.7) Theology is something that we understand as God reveals it, rather than as humans arrange it.

There is no shortage of excellent literature that traces out the structure of biblical theology - from Geerhardus Vos' "Biblical Theology" through Graham Goldsworthy's books right up to Tim Chester's recently published "From Creation to New Creation." The problem up to now is that there has been little to tell us how this theological approach ought to be applied - how we should live in the light of God's unfolding revelation.

"In Pursuit of the Truth" is the first book that I have come across which seeks to correct this omission. The first, and shorter, part of the book is used by Derek Bigg to explain the basics of biblical theology. Although the books mentioned above do the same, the "principles of interpretation" that Derek uses to talk about God's unfolding plan were new and helpful. However, the real focus of Derek's book is the second part. This consists of a series of case studies, taking the principles that have been set out, and applying them to issues that face Christians. The areas which are investigated are: guidance; the role of the law and more specifically the ten commandments; and Christian attitudes to work and money. In many cases, the author argues, despite our stated commitment to sola scriptura,our behaviour as Christians has been shaped not so much by God's Word as by our culture, our traditions, at times even by the songs that we sing! Books that we read are often not informed by a consistent biblical theology, he argues, and he is not afraid to challenge inconsistency from respected teachers, where that is appropriate. So the conclusions that are drawn in this study are at times surprising and biblically radical.

I was entirely happy with these conclusions - though it ought to be said that this theological approach has had a direct impact on my Christian life for some years, so I am likely to be a willing reader! My only reservation about the book is that the helpful illustrations of how biblical theology works take on a life of their own in the book. It is hard to remember at times that the illustrations are derived from the Bible, rather than being ideas that are being imposed on the Bible by the author. This is an important distinction; if the illustrations are man-made, then they are just another way of looking at the text. If the illustrations are genuine reflections of the nature of the Bible (as I believe they are), then they are in a sense the correct way to look at the text.

In a post-script, the author is happy to acknowledge the provisional nature of his conclusions, and invite further discussion. He is raising these issues out of a desire to see ongoing reformation within the church. A growing seriousness about the content of God's Word and its impact on our lives and the lives of our churches is something that we all ought to be looking for. If the author's approach to interpreting the Bible is correct, then this book ought to have a major impact even within evangelical churches committed to the idea of ongoing reform, let alone in less Bible-based congregations. Whether this is so or not, the author's hope - and mine also, having read his book! - is that this book should be a starting point for further serious discussion about the impact of the Bible in the life of Christians.

The author has applied biblical theology to a limited number of areas of Christian life. It is natural to ask what would happen when the same principles are applied to other areas - the nature of the church; the nature of mission; baptism; church leadership; music. All sorts of areas of Christian life have the potential for reformation on the basis of a consistent understanding of God's communication with his people. I look forward to other books with the same theological foundation.

Review from "Beginning With Moses", previously published in "Evangelicals Now".

The Blurb

Why do Christians often receive conflicting advice when wrestling with important decisions?

Why is there so much disagreement among Christans over the Sabbath and Sunday?

Why do some Christians feel obliged to tithe while others see tithing as an inappropriate approach to stewardship?

The commonest and most significant reason for such differences is the absence of a proper biblical framework for our thinking.

This book sets out six principles of interpretation, derived from the Bible itself, which together provide the kind of framework we need. The principles are fully explained, with illustrations, and then brought to bear on several key issues: divine guidance, the law, the Ten Commandments, work and money. Each chapter also includes incisive practical application relevant to the Christian life today.

The Author

Derek Bigg lives in mid-Sussex and is married with three grown-up children. He has divided his working life between the City and Christian ministry. After graduating from the London Bible College (now London School of Theology) he spent some years in Spain as a Bible teacher. He is a member of Haywards Heath Evangelical Free Church, where his chief responsibility in retirement is the training of younger men and women.