Author: Matt Capps

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. [1]

“The figure of Abraham, or Abram as he is initially known, dominates the book of Genesis and casts a shadow that extends across the whole Bible.”[2] In fact, after chapter 11 the rest of Genesis deals with four generations of one family: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. As we will see, the members of this lineage had a significant role in the plan of God for human redemption.

God progresses his purposes of redemption in “his call of Abraham to found a new nation.”[3] In fact, “all of world history is related to the promises that God makes to Abraham. “The prime motive behind the call of Abraham is God’s intention to bless humanity and reverse the disastrous consequences of Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden.”[4] The final meaning of history will be found in the person of Jesus, a descendant of Abraham.”[5]

Abraham

First and foremost we must establish a foundational understanding of how God chooses to work. God does not begin with working on Abraham as if he were a ‘subject for reform.’ He begins with giving a promise. So the focus is not on what Abraham has to do for God, but what God will do for Abraham. Then, in response to this, faith that changes the inner and outer life is cultivated. This is central to understanding the absolute sovereignty of God in accomplishing the things He has promised.

It is with this foundation of a ‘promise giving God’ that we understand why, in obedience to God, Abram left his home in Haran and traveled to Canaan with his nephew Lot and their families plus households. Abram learns to live by faith in the promises of God against the background of events that seem to threaten the fulfillment of those very promises. But God appears to Abram and establishes a covenant with him. It is at this crucial point that:

“God changes the name of the patriarch from Abram[6] to Abraham[7], thus signifying a prominent aspect of the covenant: Abraham will be the father of many nations. At the same time[8] God indicates that the covenant is signed with the sign of circumcision.[9] This mark in the flesh of every Hebrew child is to signify the special relationship that the covenant established between God and His people.”[10]

This is a significant shift in the narrative drama of the Bible story. It is interesting to note that “God’s desire to bless Abraham, and through him bless others stands in sharp contrast to the events described in Genesis 3. Whereas these earlier chapters are dominated by the effects of divine punishment as a result of human disobedience, the Abraham narrative emphasizes the theme of divine blessing.”[11]

Notice that directly after the account of Babel the author places the genealogy of Shem’s Descendants[12] before the narrative of Abraham. Remember that Shem was the son that Noah blessed and declared that Canaan (the land God promised to Abraham) would be his servant. Shem’s[13] lineage is traced to Abraham, whom God promises to ‘make his name great’[14] through a covenant promise. The author of Genesis places the genealogy in-between these accounts so that the reader would consider the importance of this promise to Abraham compared to the narrative of Babel. God promised to ‘make Abraham’s name great’, this stands in direct contrast to the people of Babel, who desired ‘to make a great name for themselves’ apart from God.

In establishing His covenant with Abraham God promises to make his name great. Goldsworthy[15] presents the covenant as fourfold, showing that the objective action of God’s blessing was interlinked with the following promises:

1. God will give Abraham many descendants, who will become a great nation.[16]
2. Abraham’s descendants will possess the promised land of Canaan.[17]
3. God will be their God.[18]
4. Through Abraham’s descendants all Nations of the World will be blessed.[19]

What is striking and points to the absolute sovereignty of God is that the fulfillment of these promises is not within the control of man, nor is it simply a matter of natural events. As you follow the narrative it becomes apparent that fulfillment can only be achieved by the supernatural work of God. Circumstances exist or develop which threaten the fulfillment of these promises.

1. God calls Abraham to leave the security of his home in Haran and become a nomad towards a foreign land, not knowing where he was going.
2. The land God promised was under the possession of the Canaanites.
3. Sarah is barren, which is a major source of doubt that Abraham’s family line will actually be continued.
4. Sarah is almost taken as a wife by Pharaoh. If she had remained there, Abraham could have never has the child of promise.
5. When Abraham and Lot settle in Canaan they are forced to split because their flocks and herds are too large.
6. When Abraham and Sarah was very old, and beyond their childbearing years they were still childless.

It was “at critical times [like these] during that period God reminds[20] Abraham of his promises to sustain him in the face of seemingly impossible odds against their coming true.”[21] This is seen most fully when God makes an oath with Abraham in the ceremony of walking through the divided parts of an animal sacrifice. In essence God is declaring “if I do not keep the oath that I swear, may I be divided as this animal has been.”[22][23] God swears to Abraham by His own life that He will do what He has promised.

Themes in the Life of Abraham

1. Grace

There was nothing special about Abraham that made him deserving of God calling him into these blessings. We know nothing of Abraham’s faith before God calls him. So it is not as if God is responding to Abrahams obedience, more properly Abraham is responding to God’s grace.

Remember, Abraham is not perfect. On many occasions we see him either lie to preserve his life,[24] or take hard situations into his own hands in doubt of God’s promise.

1. He lied and said that Sarah was his sister so that Pharaoh would not murder him in order to have Sarah as a harem.[25] In doing this Abraham puts his wife Sarah at risk and shows a lack of faith in God’s promises. He does the same thing later to Abimelech, the Canaanite King.[26]
2. Abraham also attempted to have a son by Hagar, his wife’s chief servant.[27] This was an act contrary to God’s promise that he would bear a child with Sarah.[28]

The author of Genesis wants us to know “in recounting these sins…that Abraham was a fallible person.”[29] In other words, grace shows us that “whenever God acts for the good of the people, he is acting against what they deserve as rebellious sinners.”[30] God’s grace shown to Abraham[31] is important because it was the basis for all the other blessings God promised and gave to him.

2. Election

Election means that God chooses to show His grace to certain people. “It is no use in asking why we find a godly line and a godless line in the early chapters of Genesis, or why Noah and not someone else finds grace, or why Abraham and not some other person is chosen to be the father of a blessed race.”[32] What we can say is that these actions are in accordance with His plan, demonstrate His sovereignty, and are done for His glory.[33] Vos writes about Abraham and his descendants, “here one family is taken out of the number of existing families, and with it, within it, the redemptive, revelatory work of God is carried forward.”[34]

3. Faith

“Abrahams faith is certainly not perfect, not always strong, and sometimes boarders on disbelief. Yet at the crucial times he takes God at His word and believes in his promises.”[35] In fact, “from beginning to end, faith expressed in obedience is the hallmark of Abraham’s relationship with the Lord.”[36]

Abraham learns that God is absolutely faithful to His word, and is thus reliable to follow through. Since Abraham deserves nothing that is promised to him, it is all seen as unmerited gift. This is why Abraham is counted as righteous before God by simply believing His word.[37] The focus is not on the reliability and strength of Abraham’s faith, but on the reliability and strength of God’s word.

Obedience is motivated by faith in the promises of God. We see this in the life of Abraham who lives in obedience that comes from faith, which is “obedience motivated by Abraham’s confidence that what God had promised, he would do. And in such obedience God receives all the glory.”[38]

Abraham’s Son Isaac

Abraham had tried to get around being childless by taking matters into his own hands and producing children[39] through the servant Hagar, and others, but Isaac is God’s chosen. Isaac is the promised child of God, born when Abraham is one hundred years old and fully incapable of conceiving by natural means. “Isaac is a gift of grace, and his birth to extremely aged parents signifies the supernatural element in the birth of the covenant people. Against all odds God is shown to be absolutely faithful to his promises.”[40]

“The most significant challenge to Abrahams trust in the God of the covenant comes with the demand that he offer the boy as a sacrifice.[41] Clowney makes an important observation here:

“We must remember that God did not ask him to murder his son, but to offer him as a sacrifice. The difference is important. In the Old Testament, it is evident that the lives of all sinful men are forfeit before God; God can require the death of any sinner. Further, the demand of God’s judgment is directed against the firstborn as the representative[42] of all [in the family].”[43]

See, God can and must require of Abraham not only the dedication of all that he has and is, but also the full satisfaction due to God’s holy justice. For Abraham, “to trust in God means to look to Him alone, to find in Him all our hope, to hold nothing back, no reserve.”[44] If Isaac dies, how can the promises of God be fulfilled through him?”[45]

We learn in the narrative that Isaac does not die. While the cost of redemption was total, what God required He also provided. We see that God provides a substitute in the form of a ram caught in a bush. This was to show Abraham by symbol that God would pay the price of redemption. This becomes clear as the Bible story unfolds. We see that God did what Abraham did not have to do: He made His Son an offering for sin.

The promise to Abraham now rests on Isaac. So, Isaac is shown to be the descendant of Abraham through whom the promises of God will be fulfilled. His birth, and life illustrates the faithfulness of God to those promises.

Abraham’s Grandson Jacob

Isaac’s wife Rebekah is infertile, but God grants them the ability to have children when Isaac is sixty years old.[46] Again, the conception and birth of their twins Jacob and Esau is supernatural just as their father Isaacs was.

“Before their birth the two struggle in the womb, and God tells Rebekah that they will be fathers of two nations, and the older shall serve the younger. Esau is the first to be born, but it is soon clear that the other, Jacob, is the one chosen by God.”[47]

Now, Esau “despised” his birthright. While Jacob may be criticized for exploiting his brother’s dismissive attitude towards being the first born, it is true that Esau was indifferent and did not care about the importance of his birthright. So, Jacob deceives his feeble and nearly blind father Isaac, tricking him into giving him the blessing that belonged to Esau. “If there is any doubt that God will confirm this arrangement it is soon dispelled.”[48] On Jacobs way out of the Promised Land to find a wife God speaks to Jacob in a dream affirming that all the promises of Abraham belong to him.

Once Jacob enters into Mesopotamia he meets his cousin Rachel and wises to marry her. Rachel’s father Laben employs Jacob for seven years to earn the hand of his daughter. Once the seven years is up Laben gives Jacob Rachel’s older sister Leah instead. Therefore Jacob must work seven more years to earn the hand of Rachel. This trial is nothing more than another challenge to the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises, but God is with Jacob, and eventually Jacob leaves the employment of Laben and returns to Canaan. If anything, it becomes “quite clear that Jacob’s election is grace and not what he deserves.”[49]

Upon returning to Canaan Jacob prepares for a confrontation with his brother Esau. “He is armed only with the promises of God[50].”[51] Yet it is not Esau who confronts Jacob but an ‘unnamed man’ who is a messenger of God.[52] Jacob wrestles with this man who appears to be hindering his return to the Promise Land.

“The last thing Jacob expects, as this point in his life, is to find that God is his [opponent.] He is deeply afraid of his brother Esau, because of his theft of Isaac’s blessing years before, and is doing his best to show Esau his deep repentance[53]…Why does God suddenly…wrestle him into submission?…God has been wrestling with him throughout the story[54], ever since he obtained the blessing by trickery. Now, at last he is seeking it the right way, as a gift from God with desperate determination[55]…He recognizes that his [opponent] has something he wants, something that he can receive only as a gift.”[56]

What we see is that God’s fourteen year strategy with Jacob climaxes in this wrestling match. The point was to develop Jacob the self sufficient schemer into the man who is totally dependant on God.[57] See, Jacob was consumed with a desire for blessing, for which he was willing to sacrifice his fathers respect, lose his place in the family, and incur his brother’s hatred. It is not until this wrestling match that Jacob abandons his own resources, and clings with desperation to his God.

The blessing is granted and Jacobs name is changed to Israel, signifying that he ‘has struggled with God.’[58] From that point on Jacob was a different man, a godly patriarch. God’s hand is on Jacob, “as to confirm this, he is received by Esau” and “his name is linked to the covenant promises. Thus God is known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob[59].”[60]

This is the paradox, while God is the enemy of His people, opposing them in sin, He is also their savior, granting blessing to them. Ultimately we see this culminate in the cross where Christ defeats sin and judges wickedness, while also extending blessing to all who are dependant on Him for salvation through faith.

Abraham’s Great Grandson Joseph

The covenant established with Abraham is reaffirmed and developed with each of the succeeding generations. God continues this process with Joseph the eleventh son born to Jacob and Rachel.[61] Because of envy his brothers sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelite traders, who in turn deliver him to an official in Egypt. “He is jailed on false charges but released some time later as he interprets the Pharaoh’s dreams.”[62] Joseph rises in power and is later reconciled with his brothers. The significance of this episode is heard in Joseph’s words to his brothers: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”[63] Josephs dependence on God is notable:

“He regards the action of God within the destructive, sinful behavior of the brothers as decisive. It is surly this liberating perspective that saves Joseph from [surrendering] to temptations such as anger, resentment, and bitterness.”[64]

In the same way that Joseph trusted in God’s saving presence, and redemptive purposes in the midst of trial so did Christ in the shadow of the cross. Jesus, the true and greater Joseph, chose the path of reconciliation rather than retribution. Joseph serves as a great reminder to look beyond the present circumstances in trust that God is providentially in control of redemptive history.

The Death of Jacob

After the reunion of Joseph with his family it becomes time for Jacob’s death. Before he dies two significant events take place. Goldsworthy describes them as follows:

1. Jacob accepts two sons of Joseph as his own, Ephraim and Manasseh.[65] He makes them heads of ‘half-tribes’ which numbers them with the tribes of Israel. Jacob makes it clear that this adoption is integral to the fulfillment of the covenant promises.[66] Jacob also places his blessing on the head of Ephraim the younger.[67]
2. Jacob then gathers his twelve sons and makes a prophetic blessing on each one of them. Above all Jacob declares a special blessing on Judah by declaring: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.”[68] “Out of Judah (the Jews) would come David and his royal line leading eventually to Jesus of Nazareth[69]

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

We know that the divine promises made to Abraham ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. There are certain things we can reflect on about the narrative of Abraham’s family that would encourage our trust in God.

1. Forgiveness

The calling of Abraham is foundational to the remainder of redemption history since the covenant established with him “provides the baseline along which God brings to pass the crucial steps in completing His plan for the world.”[70]

“God credited [Abraham] as righteous while he was sinful so that God could proceed with the work of imparting the great blessings he had promised to Abraham and his seed.”[71] So Abraham was forgiven, despite his continual falling short of sinlessness.[72]

The object of the Christian’s faith is the same as Abrahams. Both believe in the promise of forgiveness and redemption through the promised seed, Jesus Christ.

2. Faith

Paul[73] describes the faith of Abraham in these terms: “In hope he believed against hope… He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Abrahams faith is an example of “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”[74]

Fuller is right when he argues: “we need to emulate this man who, against the darkness of visible circumstances, nevertheless rejoiced in the way God would (has) glorify himself” in the promise of the Christ.[75] We have a much greater encouragement to trust God’s promises than did Abraham, who had no idea how God would fulfill His promises.[76] So, the Divine promises of Abraham anticipate the coming of a royal descendant who will impart God’s blessing to all the nations of the earth.

Abraham was justified by faith and his obedient actions were visible expressions of this inner faith. This is faith’s power to motivate obedience. Abraham obeyed because he believed God. See, “genuine faith carries with it the power to do righteous works.”[77][78]

3. Fulfillment

In Genesis 17:5 we read that Abraham would become the “the father of a multitude of nations.” So, the seed of Abraham extends beyond the boundaries of physical descendants. Essentially, the account of Abraham in Genesis clears the way for him to become the father of those from “every tribe and language and people and nation.”[79] Just as it was with Abraham, “what is decisive in making men and woman the true seed of Abraham is God’s work.”[80] There was nothing in Abraham himself that qualified Him to receive God’s call and blessing, so it is with us. Fuller rightly highlights the fact that:

“The attainment of this great blessing comes not through the flesh but through God’s purpose; not through works but through God’s purpose and calling.”[81] Since no one possesses any distinctive[82] that brings about God’s calling, the riches of His grace are available to anyone[83] who calls upon Him for mercy.

This is why Paul argues in Galatians 3:28-29 that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” So, God Himself would be the inheritance and portion of Abram and his seed.

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 5: God’s Covenant with Abraham” →

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

In the first chapters of Genesis we see the beginnings of human history through the theological lens of God’s plan. When God created the world and declared it good and He was committed to the well being of His creation according to His purpose.

God’s care for creation becomes evident as redemptive history moves forward. “Without exception, the whole human race is involved in wickedness, outwardly and inwardly; equally without exception the whole race has excited divine grief and pain; and, once more…are under the judgment of death.”[1] Since man is head of creation, then all of creation would share in God’s judgment also.

But hope is not completely lost. We must remember that God has a plan, which includes commitment to His creation for the purposes of His will. Goldsworthy illustrates God’s commitment to creation by noting: “Mankind’s rebellion brings judgment but not instant destruction. God preserves order in the universe and in human society, and at the same time begins to reveal His purposes to overcome the effects of human sin.”[2]

As we have already seen, through Adam and Eve God maintains the seed of the woman in Seth. The Sethites are shown to worship God by calling on His name.[3] What is the significance of this? According to Goldsworthy: “To call on God’s name means to express trust and confidence in the God who has revealed his character…[4] it means to believe God for salvation.”[5]

While the line of Seth was in one sense godly, they were also sinful by virtue of the fall.[6] Yet God maintained the seed of woman through Seth. The writer of the Pentateuch arranges the material in Genesis 5 in order for the reader to see the direct link ‘from Adam to Seth to Noah.’[7]

“Descended from Adam through Seth, Noah belongs to the special line which later includes the Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This family line is characterized by individuals who play an important role in the outworking of God’s purposes to bring about the restoration of creation following the punishment of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.”[8]

Yet, Noah has a specific function in this family line. The very name Noah means ‘to comfort.’ In many ways Noah’s name reflects the purpose of his life[9], “to bring comfort to humanity after the cursing of the ground and the difficulties of obtaining a living from the land.”[10]

Introducing the Themes of Grace and Covenant

In Genesis 6-9 we are introduced to two themes that will be central in the whole story of redemption found in the Bible. Those themes/words are ‘grace’ and ‘covenant.’

a. Grace (Genesis 6:8-9)

God was provoked to anger and had enough of the wicked human race. But Noah finds grace in the eyes of God.[11] The Hebrew phrase ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of God’ means nothing more than ‘God favored him.’ “The emphasis on the ‘righteousness’ of Noah is set against the contrast to the wickedness”[12] of his descendants. In comparison to the wickedness of those around him, we must see that Noah’s ‘righteousness’[13] as the consequence of God’s grace. The Hebrew rendering of Genesis 6:8-9 (taken together) show that God’s grace ‘brought forth’ Noah’s righteousness.

Here the significance of the phrase lies in what God does for Noah, “He rescues him.”[14] Therefore, grace is shown as God being good towards those who do not deserve it. So ‘grace’ is not grounded in perceived obligation or contract, nor can it be coerced. Therefore, ‘Grace’ as a “characteristic of God grounds divine-human relations in God’s generous initiative…in the restorative activity of God on behalf of humanity.”[15]

Because God chose to exhibit His grace to Noah, he lives by faith in God’s word. The most obvious example of this is the enormous boat Noah built on faith that God would flood the entire earth.[16] This is also evident in the fact that after the flood “Noah is patient in leaving the ark, not on the basis of the evidence of his eyes[17], but only when the divine word[18] was given.”[19]

“Noah’s righteousness is simply stated alongside God’s grace without any comment about whether it is the cause or effect of God’s attitude toward him.”[20] We must continually remind ourselves that God’s graciousness is thus neither rooted in nor dependant on people. God is sovereign in his giving of grace.[21]

b. Covenant (6:18)

A covenant underpins God’s relationship with Noah. God shows Noah how to escape the flood by proclaiming, “I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark.” This is the first time a covenant is mentioned in the Biblical text. We know that from this point on ‘covenants’ will play a major role in the history of redemption. In fact, the covenant concept is one of the most important motifs in biblical theology.

As the Biblical drama unfolds we will later see that the word covenant is used to describe God’s loving relationship with His undeserving chosen people. In the ordinary sense of the word a covenant is “the coming into existence of a stated[22] and continuing relationship between two parties who were previously apart from each other.”[23] For now, our focus will remain on God’s covenant with Noah.

Noah and the Covenant

Remember, in order to protect the ‘seed of woman’ God made a covenant to save Noah and his family from the destruction of the flood. Though Noah and his family are not saved in an eternal sense[24], this covenant at the very least points to, or provides a pattern for, the future covenant of salvation through it has not at that point been revealed.

Again, Noah and his family show their faith by trusting God’s word. They are protected as they live in their ‘little floating world’ while God executes judgment on the rest of creation. Goldsworthy writes: “when they disembark into a new world God promises that even though mankind, including Noah, is still inclined to evil[25], God will never again destroy the world in a flood.

So, “God makes the first move and establishes a relationship that works for the good of creation. He calls it ‘my covenant’…God is refusing to allow human rebellion to divert Him from His purpose to create a people to be His people.”[26]

The sign of the covenant made with Noah was God’s ‘bow in the clouds.’[27] “While this visible symbol in the sky would undoubtedly reassure humankind, its express intent was to remind God Himself to keep His covenantal promise, although the reminder may be just an anthropomorphic[28] way of expressing the reassurance.”[29] The bow is the “bearer of eternal truth”[30] to man. Man can be certain of its changeless meaning and rest in faith that God will keep His word. Simply put, “covenant signs express covenant promises to covenant people.”[31]

God then calls Noah[32] to fill the earth and exercise dominion just as He had commanded Adam.”[33] Once the flood waters subside, Noah and his family become the ‘new beginning’ of the human race.[34] Notice, the first thing Noah did upon leaving the Ark was to build an altar and worship God. This is the only proper response to the grace shown by God to Noah and his family in saving them from death by flood.

Furthermore, God makes other provisions for the protection of the ‘seed of woman.’ In Genesis 9:5-6 God deters the violent acts of men by establishing the “life for life” legal enactment. Thus, humans are forbidden to take human life.[35] The Lord gives life and only the Lord has the right to take life away. Remember, humans are created in the ‘image of God’ and are God’s agents in the world. Therefore, God will call to account anyone who kills His agent.[36] As implication Fuller makes two observations:

1. In establishing this primitive structure of government God assures that never again would the Cainite-minded people[37] be able to completely overwhelm God’s people.[38]
2. Also, no longer would Noah’s descendants, in order to have some hope of safety, have to resort to the desperate measure of making marriage alliances with serpent-types[39] at the cost of having offspring adopt their violent lifestyle.[40]

Along with the God ordained protection of humanity, the command to “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth”[41] is repeated to Noah and his family. From here we can conclude that God’s sovereign purposes for redemption history have remained unaltered.

Gods Purposes and the Division of the Human Race

The rapid development of sin is a central theme in the early narrative of Genesis. Sin proves powerful enough to distort the ‘good creation’ of God and can be rendered for the purposes of evil. “Because the evil is so deep-seated” the judgment of the flood, nor human government cannot cure it. Therefore other means are resorted to.”[42]

Not only did God protect the seed of woman and progress His purposes by establishing His covenant and human government, a further step was taken by fragmentizing humankind. “Genesis 10 gives a table of the nations[43] that stemmed from Noah’s[44] three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”[45] These descendants spread out over the earth after the flood, thus bringing to fulfillment God’s command to ‘fill the earth.’[46] But the people did not do this on their own accord, as we will see God brought it about by His providential hand.

a. Noah Declares Blessing and Curse

In Genesis 9 we see that Noah became a man of the soil and planted a vineyard. We are told that Noah becomes drunk off of his own wine and lies uncovered alone inside his tent. Ham unashamedly looks upon his father’s nakedness, then humiliates and dishonors him by attempting to make a spectacle of the situation by calling his brothers to join in. Because of the disrespect Noah pronounces a curse on Ham’s son, and thus on him.

Therefore, Noah creates a new division in the human race stemming from the blessing and curse he pronounced on his sons: Ham’s son Canaan is cursed, Shem is blessed, and Japheth shares in Shem’s blessing.[47]

This had direct implications on all the nations that descended from Noah and his family.[48] Therefore, the genealogies[49] in Genesis 10 stem from the prophetic word of Noah declaring blessing and cursing on his sons. The significance of the divisions will become clear as redemptive history moves forward. One example, Noah’s curse on Canaan looks forward to the promised rule of Israel over the land of Canaan.

b. The Tower of Babel

It’s important to note that the nations descended from Noah listed in Genesis 10 was after, and thus the result of the confusion of tongues from the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.[50] Then why is the account of Babel listed after the generations? The author of Genesis chose to break the chronology of the narrative “by first listing the many nations throughout the earth…and then recount the situation that made it necessary for God to bring this about.”[51] By locating the table of nations in between the flood and Babel the author emphasizes the importance of God’s command to ‘fill the earth’[52] even though Noah’s descendants decided to rebel against God’s command. They gathered and proclaimed:

Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

The narrative of Babel indicates that the human race had plans for unity and power based on self interest. While unity itself is not a bad thing, in fact it is the mark of the people of God when they conform to God’s purpose. But unity under God is one thing, and unity as proud independence is another.

In the building of the Tower of Babel we see a collective expression of the independence Adam and Eve reached for in the garden. It echoes “the proud aspirations of the serpent’s seed to exalt themselves by showing how much progress they could make on their own in overcoming finitude, needing no help from God…these descendants of Noah had rebelled against God’s command to fill the earth, choosing instead to remain congregated together in order to increase their security.”[53] Fuller makes a wise observation:

“Thus evil could still have triumphed over the woman’s seed. In a supersociety held together by the sanction of the power of the sword, people of various skills could organize themselves a standard of living that could delude them into thinking they could meet all their need and declare themselves independent of God. Thus people like Seth who called upon the name of the Lord would be completely out of step with such a demonic supersociety; they would be pressured from every side not to look to God for contentment but to contribute to the exaltation of humankind’s attainment of self-sufficiency.”[54]

The danger for those who refused to join the anti-God purpose becomes obvious. The ‘serpent-types’ could use their power in numbers and violence to eradicate them. In order to allow woman’s seed to multiply in a world filled with evil people God providentially steps in. God does not permit the people to rebel as a cohesive unit. So, “God confounds the unity that the people wish to maintain for their evil ends.”[55] The disruption of the people at the Tower of Babel is God’s judgment against their unified front of rebellion. This would inevitably allow each of the neighboring nations to hold each other in check, thus no one nation could create an empire that would last for very long. So while the serpent will continue to succeed in giving the people of God a wound, though harmful it will not be lethal.

The Gospel[56] of Jesus Christ

a. The Gospel and Noah:

Noah by his God given righteousness saved not only himself but also his family.[57] In Hebrews 11:7 we read:

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

This prefigures the new covenant[58] of Christ. Where are given Christ’s righteousness through faith and repentance, and made part of His spiritual family, through which we will be saved from the destruction of God’s wrath. Remember, the flood brought that primitive world to an end as we read in 2 Peter:

If he [God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.

This prefigures the final judgment which ends the present heavens and earth and brings about a new world.[59] Christ will be the vessel by which His spiritual family is saved from the wrath of God’s judgment. Similarly, the ‘new world’ that emerges after the flood prefigures the ‘new heaven and new earth.’[60]

Note: Peter declares Noah a ‘herald of righteousness.’ This is extremely important for understanding the often misunderstood 1 Peter 3:18-20. See footnote [61]

Remember, God repeated the command given to man in Genesis 1:28. Noah becomes the new representative for humanity, prefiguring Christ who will be the final head of new humanity.[62] Under the covenant, all who descend from the representative are blessed.

b. The Gospel and the Tower of Babel

Humanity has been divided since the fall. But the tower of Babel shows how this division effects the relationships of whole people groups. We still see the implications of this division today. Goldsworthy notes:

“Despite the desire for world unity there is an inevitable breakdown in human society into smaller units all seeking their own advantage. Sin has a fragmenting effect on human life. This confusion of languages and division of nations will characterize sinful humanity until the redemptive power of God unites in Christ a people drawn from all nations, tribes, and languages.[63]”[64]

We see the first shift towards the unity of God’s people in Acts 2 where the nations who were scattered at Babel are represented in Jerusalem. The text records that “every nation under heaven”[65] was gathered and heard Peter proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.[66] Thus, we can look forward to the day when people from every nation cry out with a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”[67] One day Christ will gather all who are scattered together, and make all things new.

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 4: God’s Covenant with Noah” →

Well, it seems like many of us will be snowed in Sunday morning, January 31st. So, I thought I would direct you to a few audio sermons from a few men who I have grown to respect. Check them out while you are stuck inside, they will be well worth the time invested.

John Piper – Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church

• Don’t Waste Your Life
• Doing Missions When Dying Is Gain
• Boasting Only in the Cross
• Let Your Passion Be Single
• For More, Click Here

Tim Keller – Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church

• Who is this Jesus?
• Born of the Gospel
• Changed Lives
• Inside-out Living
• How to Change
• For More, Click Here

D.A. Carson– Research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

• Proclaiming the Gospel and Performing Deeds of Mercy
• Prayer Changes Things…Or Does it?
• The Center of the Whole Bible
• The Ironies of the Cross
• For More, Click Here

Alistair Begg– Pastor of Parkside Church

• God’s Purpose in History
• The Confused Culture and the Compromised Church
• I’m Not Ashamed of the Gospel
• Our Dependence on God
• For more, Click Here

Well you get the point, also check out Albert Mohler, Matt Chandler, Mark Dever, Bryan Chapell, Sinclair Ferguson, Wayne Grudem, David Wells, R.C. Sproul, Paul Tripp, Mark Driscoll

Have a good Sunday in the snow!

“It is possible to know Bible stories, yet miss the Bible story.”[2]

Edmund Clowney

An Introduction to Biblical Theology

Imagine that you are standing at the edge of a very large and very thick forest. You are adamant about reaching a specific destination on the other side. You have no map. Obviously, once you enter the forest it would be very hard to gather your bearings, to see exactly where you are in relation to the destination, and so forth.

In this situation it would be crucial to have a ‘birds-eye view,’ a map to direct you. See, a good map reduces any area that is too vast for us to understand from a limited perspective. Seeing the whole keeps us from ‘missing the forest for the trees’, which often happens when we read our Bibles. The point, the Bible as a whole is a ‘unity.’ It is one great story, with a story line that traces an unfolding drama.

J.I. Packer masterfully illustrates why this truth is so astonishing;

“The Bible consists of sixty six separate units, written over more than a thousand years against a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, by people who for the most part worked independently of each other and show no awareness that their books would become canonical Scripture…Books written centuries apart seem to have been designed for the express purpose of supplementing each other and illuminating each other.”[3]

In other words, Biblical theology explores the rich and multi-sided presentation of the Bibles unified message. What Biblical Theology allows us to do is “follow the line of the plot and offer a guide to the underlying story of all stories”[4], namely the story of Jesus Christ.

Biblical Theology will not only strengthen your understanding of the Bible, but will also strengthen your faith in the sovereignty of God. It quickly becomes apparent that only God’s sovereign hand in history could maintain a unified drama that stretches over thousands of years.

What is the Discipline of ‘Biblical Theology’?

The word ‘Theology’ can simply be defined as “teaching or discourse about God.”[5] God can only be known through God. He has chosen to reveal himself in His Word.[6] Although “Scripture is our theology”[7] it is not necessarily evident that Christian theology is presented in an organized way in the Bible. In one sense, all true Christian Theology must be Biblical Theology. But Biblical Theology as a discipline has a specific function. Traditionally “Theological Disciplines” are divided into three camps[8] that refer to a particular way of doing theology.

Systematic Theology: This is the most popular of organizational theological systems.[9] Systematic Theology is primarily concerned with “organizing and synthesizing theological doctrines”[10] under headings and topics. Systematic Theology asks the question ‘what should we believe about an aspect of Christianity?’ with the aim of formulating doctrine.

Historical Theology: This approach seeks to organize theology under its historical development. Simply put, Historical Theology is the “study of the changing face of theology across time.”[11] Historical Theology asks the question ‘what have Christians believed about their faith at any given time?’ with the aim of providing a record of the development of Christian doctrine.

Biblical Theology: “This approach is principally concerned with the overall theological message of the Bible.”[12] Biblical Theology asks ‘by what process has God revealed himself to mankind?’ with an aim at properly relating the whole of the Bible to our Christian life now.

Biblical Theology occupies an important position in the study of theology. What makes Biblical Theology unique among other theological disciplines is that stands extremely close to the Biblical text by allowing the scripture to dictate its organization[13] by the guidelines of historic progression.

Biblical Theology provides a map to helps us understand the overall unity of the Bible and helps us see that there is a central message to the Bible rather than a number of ‘unrelated stories and themes.’ Biblical Theology operates under the premise that the Bible is a unified history of God’s progressive revelation to mankind.

How can Biblical Theology be Helpful?

1. Proper Interpretation

First, Biblical Theology helps us correctly interpret the text within the context of the whole Biblical cannon. We often hear people argue that ‘we must understand the text within its context.’ But this comment is often made in reference to the immediate context of the passage (i.e. – the book which we find the passage in). But the “context must include the whole Biblical revelation, as well as the book in which the text occurs.”[14]

“Biblical theology focuses on the storyline of scripture—the unfolding of God’s plan in redemptive history, so that in every passage we consider the place of that text in relationship to the whole storyline of the Bible.”[15]

One of the most important questions Biblical Theology helps us ask is “by what process has God revealed himself?” The answer to this question will help us properly apply the Scripture. Only Biblical Theology will guard us from misusing the Bible, as we read each text in the context of the progressive revelation of God’s redemptive work.[16]

God has chosen to reveal Himself in a “long series of successive acts,”[17] therefore we should seek to understand all things in the Bible within the ‘History of Redemption.’[18] So, Biblical Theology is concerned with how the revelation of God was understood in its time, and what the total picture is that what was built up over the whole historical process.”[19] What we begin to see is that “there is something growing before our eyes; there is a plan, purpose, and progress.”[20]

Second, Biblical Theology helps us understand and resolve many difficulties we might have in hard to understand passages. Some parts of the Bible are difficult to understand. Some parts of the Bible seem to lack a sense of consistency when compared to what the Bible teaches elsewhere. Some of them are just strange because we, as modern people, do not live in the world of the Biblical writers. For example;

1. Some passages use figures of speech or images that are hard to grasp without understanding their background.
2. Some passages are capable of having different ranges of meaning, and the context often helps us understand what it actually means.
3. Some passages seem to present moral difficulties and are simply hard to believe.

Christians with very similar convictions about the Bible can disagree over what the Bible teaches on certain subjects. I am not going to suggest that studying Biblical Theology will solve all of our interpretive problems. But, I agree with Graeme Goldsworthy when he argues that;

“Any Christian who wants to develop a sound method of approaching the text of the Bible in order to find out what it really says and means, needs an understanding of Biblical theology.”[21]

2. Proper Application

First, understanding and applying the Old and New Testament can be difficult and is often applied in inappropriate ways. Biblical Theology helps guard us from making this mistake. To illustrate this point lets consider a few ‘problems’ in interpretation that Biblical Theology will provide the proper framework to think through these issues;

1. The Old Testament is pre-Christian and never mentions the distinctives of the Christian faith. The people of Israel are not Christians and cannot be said to live “Christian” lives. How then do we properly view the relationship between Israel and us?
2. The Old Testament contains many distinctives that we do not observe. Consider that some Christians attempt to distinguish OT laws as either “ritual” or “moral.” By what means do we understand how these passages apply to us?
3. Every part of the Old Testament (prophecy, law, narrative, wisdom sayings, and psalms) needs to be understood as Christian scripture. If the Old Testament is a preparation of the New Testament, then why is the religion of one so different than the other?
4. Jesus is does not simply function as our moral example. How then do we understand the unique person and work of Jesus Christ in relation to us?
5. There are events in the New Testament that do not seem to be the normative pattern for us today. How then do we discern these events in light of our current context?

Biblical Theology examines the development of the Bible story from the Old Testament to the New, and seeks to understand the interrelationships between the two parts. Biblical Theology argues that there is coherence to the Bible as a whole.

Second, there is another difficulty which is more elusive and often becomes the most problematic in interpreting the Bible. This is the art of discerning ‘personal application.’

“Paying attention to Biblical Theology is an effective means of turning people away from the destructive postmodern question ‘what does this text mean to me?’ to the more fruitful question ‘what does this text mean?’”[22]

One of the hard truths that we are confronted with in Biblical Theology is that “the Bible is not about you and I.” Yet this is often how the Bible is read, understood, and applied. Biblical Theology equips us to properly approach the Old and New Testaments through the lens of Jesus Christ.

Only when the primary question of the text’s meaning is answered can the other, secondary question of the application of the text to our lives be addressed properly. This prevents our application of the text from becoming a “formality or springboard for…moralizing exhortations.”[23]

Jesus Christ Interprets the Whole Bible

If every part of the Bible needs to be understood as Christian scripture as a coherent unit, where do we start?

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”[24]

Jesus – “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”[25]

One of the central problems we have in interpreting the Bible comes from a failure to interpret the texts by the definitive event of Jesus Christ’s gospel. In dealing with what happened before Christ and what happened after Christ, we need to interpret those events through Christ. Jesus Christ provides meaning for all the events in history before and after him.[26]

Jesus is God’s Final and Fullest Revelation

• Prophetic Word: Completed (Hebrews 1:1-2)
• All Prophecy: Fulfilled (Acts 13:32-33)
• David’s Line: Ended (Romans 1:3)
• Promise to David: Fulfilled (Acts 2:30-31)
• OT proclaims salvation: In Christ (2 Timothy 3:15)
• Whole OT: Concerns Christ (Luke 24:27)

If Jesus is the central subject of the Old Testament we cannot correctly understand it without Him. In fact, Goldsworthy writes;

“The Old Testament does not stand on its own, because it is incomplete without its conclusion and fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. No part can be rightly understood without him. In this sense it is about Christ. God’s revelation is progressive, moving in stages from the original promises given to Israel, until the fullest meaning of these promises is revealed in Christ…Thus Christ, interprets the New and Old Testaments.”[27]

Simply put, the gospel of Jesus Christ is needed to interpret all texts by showing us their goal and meaning.[28]

Therefore, the relationship of Jesus Christ to Scripture is that he sums it up, brings it to fulfillment, and interprets it. So the Bible is God’s inspired testimony to the living Word, Jesus Christ.[29] This is important for our understanding; “No one[30] is able to understand Christ without God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.”[31]

There is the Philosophical argument that ‘historical facts do not always interpret themselves’, I believe that this applies to correctly interpreting the whole of the Bible. The facts of the Bible make up the larger story of God’s progressive revelation of himself and his kingdom. God revealed himself in stages.

Goldsworthy (the ‘grandfather’ of Biblical Theology) rightly admits; “I know it will not always be a simple matter to show how every text in the Bible speaks of Christ.” But that does not alter the fact that it does. In fact Biblical Theology is based off the premise that ‘Jesus is the final and fullest revelation of what the Bible is actually about.’ Tim Keller provides some excellent examples of ‘how’ we can look at certain events in the Biblical narrative in relation to Christ;

Jesus is the true and greater Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is accredited to us.

Jesus is the true and greater Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and greater Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and greater Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and greater Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and greater Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and greater Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his ignorant friends.

Jesus is the true and greater David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and greater Jonah who was cast out into the storm of God’s wrath so that we could be brought in to safety.[32]

Jesus is the Link between every part of the Bible and Ourselves

Remember, “the Bible is not about you and I.” As believers we should be concerned with the proper interpretation of the Bible so we can understand what God is saying to us through His word. Without some understanding of the overall structure of the Bible it is very difficult to correctly apply the Bible to our own lives. When reading any Biblical passage it is critical that we ask two questions before attempting to apply the text to ourselves;

1. How does this text relate to Christ?
2. How do we relate to Christ?

The Bible is very clear that Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), therefore God’s word must be mediated to us through Jesus Christ. “Even the words of the Old Testament are mediated through Christ in that we only know what God is saying to us through them when we see them fulfilled in Jesus Christ.”[33] Jesus Christ is the link between every part of the Bible and us.

With this in mind we examine the Word of God for the content of Christ’s gospel and for clues to its relationship with all other parts of the Bible. The gospel is the word about Jesus Christ and what he did for us in order to restore us to a right relationship with God. The historic event of Jesus Christ is God’s fullest self-discloser to mankind. Christ brings to full clarity the promises and shadows of the Old Testament. Christ is the starting point and the goal towards which we will move.

Appendix to Session One

The Bible is the Divine-Human Word of God

All of Biblical history finds its goal and meaning in Jesus Christ. The Bible is God’s testimony to Christ. The Bible is a divine-human Word. It is a word given through human beings within their own history and culture. Goldsworthy writes;

“The Bible bears all the marks of its authors. Their language, thought forms, literary styles and forms. Their culture shapes the actual way the messages were given. So, God acted by his Sprit to inspire the biblical authors so that the humanity of the Bible would be exactly what was needed to convey the truth of God without error. When we speak of the Bibles infallibility we mean that it conveys exactly what God intended it to. God does not allow human sinfulness to interfere with his communication of the truth.”[34]

Jesus is the Divine-Human Word of God

Jesus was fully God and fully man. He is the Word incarnate, which means ‘Word in human flesh.’ In Christ we have God who has always been (John 1:1) taking upon himself complete human flesh (John 1:14). This has specific implications on the discipline of Biblical Theology.

a. Jesus is fully God

He comes from the Father with whom he is one. To have seen him is to have seen the Father. God who established every fact there is, and who can interpret all things, has become man. In Jesus we have the absolute truth of God. Everything revealed to us in Jesus is truth, and he is our ultimate source of truth.

b. Jesus is fully man

God communicates to us through his humanity. He lived in history. This means that he spoke, acted, and thought as a first century Jew of Palestine. Being fully human he experienced the full range of human emotions, suffering, and temptation. “The significant exception was that he was untouched by original sin, and committed no sin.”[35] Therefore he lived in perfect harmony with the Father.[36]

Our aim in Biblical Theology is to “see the Lord of the Word in the Word of the Lord”[37] so that we “take account of the full drama of redemption, and its realization in Christ”[38] as the final and definitive installment.

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 1: Introduction” →