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EXPLAINING BIBLICAL THEOLOGY:
GOD’S GLORY IN SALVATION THROUGH JUDGMENT
Timothy George begins his book, Amazing Grace, with the question, “If you
were asked to sum up the entire message of the Bible in just one word, which word would
you choose?”1 Theologians have answered this question with words such as kingdom,
covenant, grace, law, holiness, love, redemption and Jesus, to name a few.2 For decades,
biblical theologians have had a lengthy and lively discussion regarding the central focus
and unifying thread driving the biblical storyline.3 In 2010, James Hamilton added his
voice to the conversation suggesting the Bibles central theme is, “God’s glory in
salvation through judgment.”4 This resource will explain biblical theology and explore
implications for leaders based on Hamilton’s central theme of Scripture.
What is Biblical Theology?
James Hamilton defines biblical theology as that which “seeks to understand
the Bible in its own terms, in its own chronology, as reflected in its canonical form. One
1 Timothy George, Amazing Grace: God’s Pursuit, Our Response, 2
nd ed. (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2011), 15.
2 See Central Themes in Biblical Theology: Mapping Unity in Diversity, Eds. Scott J. Hafeman
& Paul R. House (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007). Also see Horizons in Biblical Theology
(HBT). A resource devoted to providing the latest research on biblical theology with over 25 volumes to
date. D.A. Carson is the editor of a helpful series entitled New Studies in Biblical Theology.
3 For an evangelical overview see Chapter 4 by Graeme Goldsworthy in Christ-Centered
Biblical Theology and a liberal overview see Chapter 2 by James Mead in Biblical Theology.
4 James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010).
2
of the key tasks of biblical theology is to trace the connections between themes and show
the relationships between them.”5 Hamilton continues, “The great challenge in biblical
theology is to hold together everything the Bible says so that nothing is nullified, negated,
or neglected.”6 This is a helpful approach to biblical theology as we want the Bible to
speak for itself and avoid imposing our own view on the Bible. There are many themes
that run cover-to-cover throughout the Bible, but do not sufficiently summarize every
book of the Bible and all its parts into one unifying whole.
The grandfather of biblical theology, Geerhardus Vos, defines biblical
theology as “that branch of exegetical theology which deals with the process of the self-
revelation of God deposited in the Bible.”7 According to Vos, biblical theology focuses
on the divine activity of God as it unfolds through history as recorded in the sixty-six
books of the Bible. Vos’ definition helps us understand one of the principles of biblical
theology; it is historical and moves from seed to tree.
D.A. Carson states that biblical theology “seeks to uncover and articulate the
unity of all the biblical texts taken together, resorting primarily to the categories of those
texts themselves.”8 Biblical theology attempts to explain the meaning of the story in the
terms of the story itself. James Mead defines biblical theology as that which “seeks to
identify and understand the Bible’s theological message, that is, what the Bible says
5 Ibid., 45.
6 Ibid., 47.
7 Vern Poythress, “Kinds of Biblical Theology,” Westminster Journal of Theology 70 (2008):
130.
8 D.A. Carson, “Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology,” in New Dictionary of Biblical
Theology (Downers Grove, MI: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 100.
3
about God and God’s relation to all creation, especially to mankind.”9 Mead’s definition
suggests that biblical theology explores what the Bible says about God and how it says
these things. Steve Wellum suggests that biblical theology, “not only provides the basis
for understanding how texts in one part of Scripture relate to all other texts, but it also
serves as the basis and underpinning for all theologizing.”10
These various definitions of
biblical theology provide a helpful starting point and general guidelines to assess views
and evaluate interpretations.
Issues in Biblical Theology
James Mead believes there are two major issues related to the topic of biblical
theology. These are issues that church leaders must address in order to faithfully preach
the word and shepherd God’s flock. The two issues are (1) The relationship of the Old
and New Testaments and (2) The debate over the legitimate subject matter of biblical
theology.11
Relationship of the Old and New Testaments
The relationship between the two testaments is perhaps “the” pressing issue of
biblical theology.12
It is an important subject because it deals with the doctrine of
Scripture and the person and work of Jesus Christ. In a post-modern, science-driven,
9 James K. Mead, Biblical Theology: Issues, Methods, and Themes (Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 241.
10
Stephen J. Wellum, “Editorial: Preaching and Teaching the Whole Counsel of God,” The
Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 10 (2006): 2-3.
11
Mead, Biblical Theology, 244-245.
12
Ibid., 244.
4
highly-skeptical age it is doubtful that a coherent and accurate understanding of the
nature of Scripture and how to interpret it can long be sustained where there is not at the
same time a grasp of unity of Scripture and its overall storyline of creation, fall,
redemption, and completion in Christ.13
If the Bible was a random collection of books with limited connection to one
another, there could be no central storyline. The Bible would be reduced to a library of
historical documents describing the religious experiences of ancient people while
providing moral instruction for future generations. What a person believes about the
interconnectedness of individual parts of the Bible to the whole reveals, and likely
influences, their view of the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible. The
relationship between the testaments is not as minor issue as D.A. Carson notes,
Biblical theology forms an organic whole. This means not only that one can
approach any part of the subject by beginning at any other point of the subject
(though some vantage points are certainly more helpful than others), but that to
treat some element of biblical theology as if it existed in splendid isolation
seriously distorts the whole picture.14
The Bible is much more than an “anthology of religious writings put together by the
religious communities of Israel and the church.”15
Scripture is a unified, God-given
revelation. Biblical theology assumes the unity of Scripture as a divine inspiration.
Biblical theology attempts to make sense of the Bible as a whole not just as an
individual collection of books.16
Michael Lawrence captures this thought when he says,
13 D.A. Carson & Andrew David Naselli, Collected Writings on Scripture (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2010), 19.
14
Ibid., 19
15
Peter J. Gentry & Steven J. Wellam, Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological
Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 31.
5
“Biblical theology is about reading the Bible, not as if it’s sixty-six separate books, but a
single book with a single plot – God’s glory displayed through Jesus Christ.”17
Despite
the diversity of Scripture, biblical theology works to discover the unity of the Bible and
the central theme that ties all things together.18
The Old and New Testaments are one story with Jesus at the center. The New
Testament interpretation of the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth makes no sense if
there is no substance to the historical claims of the Old Testament.19
The teaching of the
Old Testament points to Christ and the teaching of Christ is grounded in the Old
Testament. Graeme Goldsworthy refers to this as “progressive, redemptive revelation”
and states,
Jesus Christ is the goal of the Old Testament and provides its true meaning. Any
understanding of, and commentary on, the Old Testament that does not show up
this fact is at best incomplete and at worst un-Christian.20
The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that Jesus fulfills the Old
Testament, which is another way of saying that the Old Testament is about Jesus.21
Christ
interprets the entire Bible. What went before Christ in the Old Testament, as well as what
comes after him, finds its meaning in him.
16
Michael Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 37.
17
Ibid., 15.
18
Ibid., 15.
19
Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible
(Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1991), 52.
20
Ibid., 57; 88.
21
Ibid., 53.
6
One of the clear implications of biblical theology is that the Bible is best
understood as a single historical narrative describing God and his interactions with man.
The story begins at the beginning of time and ends at the end of history. This conviction
requires a person to believe the Old Testament is a story without an ending.
Four major world religions recognize the Old Testament is incomplete on its
own. Judaism eagerly waits for the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, rejecting
Christ as its fulfillment and the teachings of the New Testament. Islam believes the Bible
is corrupt and sees Ishmael, not Isaac, as the central character through which the storyline
of the Bible develops. Islam rejects Jesus Christ as Lord and embraces the prophet
Mohammad’s alternate ending to the story. Mormons claims to accept the Old and New
Testament, but sees God’s revelation contained in the Bible as incomplete. Thus, the
book of Mormon was added to the end of the New Testament in attempts to complete the
story of the Bible. Christianity believes the Bible is God’s full and final revelation; a self-
contained story of redemption history focusing on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
These four views lead to a second implication of biblical theology; worldview.
Ultimately, humans are looking for meaning and purpose in life and want to know how
they fit into the story. The Bible declares what the main events of reality are and tells us
to read ourselves in light of that story.22
All humans ask questions that biblical theology
answers such as, “What is my purpose?” “What went wrong with the world?” And,
“What happens after death?” When a person embraces the wrong story it provides the
wrong answers and leads a person to live in the wrong way. Thus, it is critical for pastors
to correctly understand and communicate the big picture, or metanarrative, of the Bible.
22 Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 31.
7
The central theme of the Bible explains everything in life and provides Christians with a
framework by which to live.
Central Theme of the Bible
The second matter of dispute is whether there is a single theme that can
function as an organizing principle that does justice to both the unity and the great
diversity of Scripture.23
Charles Scobie who wrote a monumental biblical theology
called, The Ways of Our God, states “If finding one central theme for the Old Testament
and for the New Testament poses difficulties, this is even more the case in relation to one
theme which could serve as an organizing principle for a Biblical Theology.”24
Graeme
Goldsworthy addresses this problem in biblical theology, “The problem for a biblical
theology…is what principle of unity can be focused on to show up the essential
relationships of all parts of the Bible.”25
Naturally, this leads us to ask and answer what is
the central theme of the Bible?
Centered on God’s Glory
The central theme of the Bible, according to James Hamilton, is God’s glory in
salvation through judgment. Hamilton states, “if we will listen carefully to the Bible, it
will proclaim to us the glory of God.”26
This is the ultimate aim of Scripture to which all
23 Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and
Principles (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012), 94.
24
Charles H.H. Scobie, The Ways of God: An Approach to Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 2003), 169.
25
Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 77.
26
Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment, 40.
8
other biblical themes support. Peter Gentry, author of Kingdom Through Covenant, does
not agree with Hamilton. Gentry states
Hamilton correctly emphasizes the unity of the biblical texts and claims a centre
for biblical theology, i.e., that the idea or theme of “salvation through judgment”
is the theme which unites the entirety of Scripture and that the parts or individual
texts of Scripture cannot be understood without reference to it. We agree with the
former but we do not agree with the latter. We do not deny that “salvation through
judgment is a theme of Scripture, even a major one, but we will not defend the
assertion that it is the theme to the neglect of other themes (italics his).27
James Hamilton differentiates between “subordinate ends” and “ultimate ends”
as it relates to biblical theology.28
Hamilton states, “When we examine the explanations
the Bible gives for why God does what he does, we find clearly stated subordinate and
ultimate ends.”29
All that is spoken of in the Bible as the ultimate end of God’s works is
God’s own glory. Thus, according to Hamilton, Biblical covenants are subordinate to the
ultimate end of God’s glory.
Hamilton is not the only scholar to believe God’s glory through salvation in
judgment is the center of biblical theology. Tom Schreiner holds a similar view, and
states in his book New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ, “God works out
his saving plan so that he would be magnified in Christ, so that his name would be
honored.”30
John Piper believes that “God’s greatest love is God, that God’s supreme
goal is his glory, and that God’s ultimate purpose in both creation and re-creation is his
27 Gentry & Wellam, Kingdom Through Covenant, 10.
28
Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment, 48-49.
29
Ibid., 48.
30
Thomas R. Schreiner, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 14.
9
worship and fame.”31
Even practitioners have begun to see this theme as the Bibles
center. Senior Pastor Michael Lawrence states, “The Bible is a single story with God as
its author, its primary actor, its center and the climax of this story is the glory of God is
salvation through judgment.”32
One of the most respected biblical theologians, Graeme
Goldsworthy agrees, “Throughout the Bible salvation and judgment are inseparable and
complementary aspects of the action of God in bringing in his kingdom.”33
God’s covenant promises point to his divine plan to rescue a people for the
praise of his glory. “There is one God and one plan to solve one problem with one
solution.”34
In Genesis 2:17 God promised sin would bring death. God promised to save
the woman and her seed through the sacrificial system as an atoning substitute for their
sin. Throughout scripture, there’s a promise to judge and a promise to save, but to fulfill
these promises God established a pattern of death for sin unless a substitute is offered.35
Eventually, that is fulfilled in Jesus Christ as explained in Hebrews 9.
Since one of the main threads of Scripture is redemption; its easy and
erroneous to believe the center or point of the story is the people being redeemed. That
would be misreading the story. The focal point isn’t humanity. “At its most fundamental
31 John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, 2
nd ed., revised &
expanded (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003), 17.
32
Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 37.
33
Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 109.
34
Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 72.
35
Ibid., 72.
10
level, the subject of biblical theology is the Bible’s understanding of God’s character and
purposes.”36
The center and point of the story is God and his glory.
Structured by Covenants
The Bible is structured by covenants between God and his chosen people. This
is the conviction of Peter Gentry and Steven Wellam in their massive book Kingdom
through Covenant. They state, “We are not asserting that the covenants are the centre of
biblical theology. Instead, we assert that the covenants form the backbone of the
metanarrative of Scripture and thus it is essential to ‘put them together’ correctly in order
to discern accurately the ‘whole counsel of God.’”37
Graeme Goldsworthy agrees. He
states, “We are justified in referring to the first covenant statement [in Genesis] as a
covenant of salvation,…the first reference to covenant, then, involves God’s commitment
to save Noah and his family from destruction.”38
Covenants are a means of
communicating or structuring the central theme of scripture; God’s glory in salvation
through judgment.
God uses covenants to reveal himself as the great King and to teach his people
they are his vice-regents with covenant stipulations. A covenant is a claim to total
allegiance, loyalty and it is generational. When Israel entered into a covenant with God,
they did so for generations to come. Covenants are not simply contracts or promises, but
relationships under authority with obligations and rewards. One author describes a
covenant with God in the following way:
36 Scott J. Hafeman & Paul House, Central Themes in Biblical Theology: Mapping Unity in
Diversity (Grand Rapids, MI: Intervarsity Press, 2007), 20.
37
Gentry & Wellam, Kingdom Through Covenant, 21.
38
Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 114.
11
The terms and benefits of the relationship are spelled out, and so are the
consequences if the relationship is broken. But what is perhaps most significant
about biblical covenants is that when God enters into a covenant, he must
condescend to initiate it, he sets the terms, he provides the benefits, and he
executes the judgment when the covenant is broken.39
There are seven major covenants of the Bible. (1) The covenant of creation
with Adam in Genesis 2:15-17, (2) The covenant of redemption implied in Genesis 3:15,
(3) The Noahic covenant made with Noah in Genesis 9:8-17, (4) The Abrahamic
covenant of Genesis 15:1-21, (5) The Mosaic covenant in Exodus 20-25, (6) The Davidic
covenant in 2 Samuel 7, and (7) The New covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:27-34 and
Ezekiel 36:24-28 that is fulfilled through Jesus.40
About a King and His Kingdom
To understand biblical theology correctly means we place our lives under the
Lordship of the King. When we understand that the central character of the story of the
Bible is King Jesus we recognize that the story exercises authority over us. The Bible is
about a King who is worthy of all glory, a kingdom that only can be entered through
salvation, and the King’s relationship with his people expressed in covenant promises.
The coming of the kingdom of God is significant as it is the central theme of
Jesus’ message.41
“The fact that Jesus announces the kingdom without explaining what
he means by it suggests that he spoke of an already existing idea in the minds of the
Jews.”42
Jesus speaks about how near the kingdom is and describes what it means for the
39 Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 31-32.
40
Ibid., 59-60.
41
Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 73.
42
Ibid., 73.
12
kingdom to come and emphasizes the subject as one of the most prominent of the gospel
narratives and of the New Testament as a whole.
The Content and Structure of Biblical Theology
The theme of the Bible is God’s glory in salvation through judgment,
structured by covenants, about a King and his kingdom. Without a firm grasp of the big
picture of the Bible individuals will sound like James Mead and believe there is great
“difficulty of organizing the content of the Bible’s theology.”43
Despite the lack of
consensus about the central focus of Scripture, it is safe to say that it is ultimately Christ-
focused and redemption-driven.
How we define biblical theology and develop our practice will largely depend
on the doctrinal assumptions we make about the Bible.44
These become the filter and
framework through which we interpret the Bible. Thus, having correct doctrine through
solid hermeneutics is critical to biblical theology. An inaccurate reading of the Bible
leads to an inaccurate understanding of God and his commands. It is absolutely critical
that we read and interpret the Bible correctly. This leads to the next discussion of
implications for church leaders.
Implications for Church Leaders
Mark Dever believes that sound biblical theology is an essential mark of every
healthy church.45
Michael Lawrence states, “the most important tool we need in ministry,
43 Mead, Biblical Theology, 169.
44
Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology, 38.
45
Mark Dever, What is a Healthy Church? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007), 70.
13
is biblical theology…it’s vital to your work as a pastor or church leader. It shapes your
preaching, your counseling, your evangelizing, your ability to engage wisely with
culture.46
Everything in the life and ministry of the local church is affected by a proper
use of biblical theology.47
A correct biblical theology affects ones philosophy of
leadership and is critical for fruitful and faithful church oversight. This section will
explore three implications of biblical theology for leadership in the church. (1) An
accurate biblical theology informs an accurate anthropology. (2) It leads to truthfulness in
preaching and teaching. (3) Correct biblical theology leads to a sound interpretation of
the Bible.
Accurate Anthropology
How one approaches all these leadership issues depends largely on ones
anthropology. If that anthropology is divorced from the storyline of scripture ones
response to counseling needs or the poor will be very different from one that directly
flows from a basic biblical understanding of what human beings are, what their problem
is, and how the Bible responds to those problems.
A biblical anthropology begins with humans beings created in God’s image to
rule over the earth and worship him ultimately for his glory. This image was distorted in
the fall so that humans freely worship the creature rather than the creator. Human beings
favorite creature to worship is himself. Thus, the Bible doesn’t define anthropology in
terms of behavior, but by whom a person worships. Humanity’s problem is idolatry,
46 Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 15.
47
Ibid., 199.
14
disordered worship. This is the message of Romans 1; leading to the consequences of
blindness, death, slavery to sin, and the wrath of God.48
Good church leadership begins with good biblical anthropology. Correct
biblical anthropology sees people as the Bible describes them. Unregenerate individuals
are rebellious and enemies of God. They are under the condemnation of God and await
future judgment. The Bible states that God not only hates the sin, but also the sinner.49
Unregenerate individuals are in desperate need of the gospel and God’s saving grace.
Regenerate individuals are adopted sons of God, heirs to the throne, who
receive all the benefits and blessings of being in the family of God. Even though a
regenerate person’s position is secure in Christ and God sees that person as pure and
spotless, the sinful nature still remains. Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, and it is his
exact image that the Christian is conformed into through the work of the Spirit. The
Christian is commanded to be holy as God is holy and is in the process of being
sanctified. One day Christ will return and the Christian will see him as he truly is and will
fully be made into his image.
A basic biblical understanding of what human beings are, what their problem
is, and how the Bible responds to this problem will equip a leader to properly handle
counseling situations, value missions, and minister to children. Counseling informed by
biblical theology is not satisfied with merely fixing behavior.50
It is not satisfied because
it knows this is not the root problem, nor will it work. Rather, biblical counseling aims at
48 See Ephesians 2:1-3.
49
See Psalm 5:5
50 Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 203.
15
the heart, the place of worship. The pastor who is serious about biblical theology is not
content with behavior change. Real change occurs through the gospel as one repents,
believes, and places faith in God.
Biblical theology also informs missionary endeavors. Then need for missions
is a reminder that there is a sin problem in the world. Just as God sent Christ into the
world to make his redeeming presence known so he sends the church to be a redeeming
presence to others around the world. A biblical theology of missions includes God’s call
to be separate from the world in order to display the holiness of God so as not to conform
to the world. The church is given a mission to make disciples by baptizing and teaching
obedience to God’s commands. The church is a witness to Jesus Christ and proclaims the
gospel message of salvation and judgment.
Biblical theology informs ministry to children. Children are not born as blank
slates or morally neutral. Rather, the Bible teaches that children are born fallen beings.
Their primary problem is not disobedience, but an unregenerate heart. From an early age
children need to hear the gospel. Children should be taught the truths and big picture of
the Bible in accordance with age rather than a reductionistic form of moralistic teachings.
Graeme Goldsworthy asks, “How do I tell a Bible story?” He answers his question by
stating, “Biblical theology is a means of looking at one particular event in relation to the
total picture.”51
A helpful children’s teacher will show a child the relationship of all the
parts of the Old Testament to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Biblical theology gives
51 Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 21.
16
the teacher a “bird’s-eye view” to correctly interpret and communicate the meaning of a
text.52
Truthful Preaching and Teaching
Biblical theology is one of the safeguards that prevent pastors from interpreting
individual verses to mean whatever they want them to mean. When preaching and
teaching the pastor should consider how the biblical-theological themes of the text relates
to the ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ, his saving work, and his promised kingdom.
Once pastors identify the key themes or threads that are running through our particular
text, and once they are clear where in redemptive history a text falls, then they are in a
position to trace the theme through the entire Bible.53
The result is that pastors can preach
on a text, “not as if it is a pearl on a string, unrelated to the rest of Scripture, but as it
really is, one section of an entire tapestry that is inextricably and organically connected to
the whole.”54
A solid biblical theology helps prevent pastors from moralizing the Old
Testament, while at the same time giving the proper meaning and weight to every
passage of Scripture. It encourages pastors to look at what God has done in the past and
connect that to what God is doing in the future. It provides pastors with a worldview to
make sense of current events in light of God’s grander story. And most importantly, it
focuses every passage within the grand storyline of the Bible, the story of God’s actions
to redeem a people for himself, through the judgment of his Son, to the praise of his own
glory.
52 Ibid., 23.
53
Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 181.
54
Ibid., 181.
17
Sound Interpretation of the Bible
Christian leaders want to know their faith and commitment to Christ are
soundly based. What should a Christian leader believe and why? How should a Christian
leader live and why?55
How can so many well-intentioned Christian leaders have so many
different interpretations of the Bible? If the Bible can be interpreted soundly then it can
be understood correctly.
Paul uses the word “sound” a number of times in the pastoral letters to
Timothy. It means “reliable,” “accurate,” or “faithful.”56
“Biblically sound theology,
then, is theology that is faithful to the teaching on the entire Bible. It reliably and
accurately interprets the parts in terms of the whole.”57
Paul says that “sound doctrine” is doctrine that “conforms to the…gospel” and
opposes ungodliness and sin (1 Tim. 1:10-11).
Paul contrasts “false doctrines” with “the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus
Christ and…godly teaching” (1 Tim. 6:3).
Paul exhorts Timothy, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound
teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13).
Paul warns Timothy, “the time will come when men will not put up with sound
doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
numbers of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3).
How can a Christian leader know the original intent of a biblical author? A
correct biblical theology helps a leader to properly interpret the Bible. Biblical theology
55 Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 18.
56
Dever, What is a Healthy Church?, 70.
57
Ibid., 70.
18
prevents a leader from attaching their own meaning to a text, a meaning they want or
believe based on their own context. Mark Dever provides the following example:
What do you think these italicized words mean: “But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2)…these
words point to how, at the end of time, the church will purely reflect God’s loving
and holy character apart from the distorting influence of sin. Yet if you were in a
Mormon tabernacle, you would hear that the words “we will be like him” mean
we will all become gods! What’s the difference between these two
interpretations? One is informed by the theology of the whole Bible; the other is
not.58
The big picture of the Bible is necessary so a leader and his followers can
understand its individual parts. Those who do not see a text pointing toward Christ make
the fatal mistake of teaching its content divorced from the whole of biblical context.
Teaching becomes moralistic in nature and is reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts.
“Biblical theology is essential for hermeneutics. The sound interpretation of the Bible
presupposes some kind of biblical-theological understanding.”59
Conclusion
Biblical theology is primarily for the church and to be done in the church. The
primary audience of theology is Christians gathered in the local assembly. The church
must not abandon thinking hard about biblical theology as this is the nerve that gives rich
and profound life to the community and living out the gospel. Michael Lawrence states,
“Without theological vision, a vision that wrestles with what it means to be God’s people,
in God’s world, under God’s rule, the church inevitably loses both its identity as God’s
58 Ibid., 69.
59
Goldsworthy, According to Plan, 24.
19
possession and its purpose as the people and place where God’s glory is displayed in the
gospel and God’s praise is declared.”60
A biblical theology that captures the unity and diversity of Scripture is
essential for an accurate anthropology, truthfulness in preaching and teaching, and a
sound interpretation of the Bible. James Hamilton’s biblical theology of God’s glory in
salvation through judgment is faithful to Scripture and ripe with leadership implications.
60 Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, 110.
20
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carson, D.A. “Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology,” in New Dictionary of
Biblical Theology, Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000.
Carson, D.A. & Naselli, Andrew David. Collected Writings on Scripture, Wheaton:
Crossway, 2010.
Dever, Mark. What is a Healthy Church? Wheaton: Crossway, 2007.
Gentry, Peter J. & Wellam, Steven J., Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-
Theological Understanding of the Covenants, Wheaton: Crossway, 2012.
George, Timothy. Amazing Grace: God’s Pursuit, Our Response, 2nd
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