Transcription
nt):A relationship between parties characterizedby faithfulness and loyalty in loveIn this abridgement of the groundbreaking book Kingdom through Covenant, a biblical scholarand a theologian offer readers an accessible overview of the overarching structure of theBible. Tracing the significance of the concept of “covenant” through both the Old and NewTestaments, this book charts a middle way between covenant theology and dispensationalism—exploring the covenantal framework undergirding the history of redemption.“Here we find incisive exegesis and biblical theology at its best. This book is a must-readand will be part of the conversation for many years to come.”Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, TheSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary“Hermeneutically sensitive, exegetically rigorous, and theologically rich—a first-rate biblicaltheology that addresses both the message and the structure of the whole Bible from theground up.”Miles V. Van Pelt, Alan Belcher Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, ReformedTheological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi“This is not the first volume that has attempted to mediate the dispensational/covenanttheology divide, but it may be the culminating presentation of that discussion.”GOD’S KINGDOM through GOD’S COVENANTSGod’s saving rule and reignA CONCISE BIBLICAL THEOLOGYGOD’S KINGDOMthroughJonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9MarksGENTRY & WELLUMPE TE R J. GENTRY(PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of Old Testamentinterpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the HexaplaInstitute. He is the coauthor (with Stephen J. Wellum) of Kingdom through Covenant: ABiblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants.GOD’S COVENANTSSTE PH EN J. WELLUM(PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor ofChristian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of the SouthernBaptist Journal of Theology.9 781433 54191951999U.S. 19.99THEOLOGYISBN-13: 978-1-4335-4191-9ISBN-10: 1-4335-4191-2PETER J. GENTRY & STEPHEN J. WELLUM
“Gentry and Wellum offer a third way, a via media, between covenant theology anddispensationalism, arguing that both of these theological systems are not informed sufficiently by biblical theology. Certainly we cannot understand the Scriptures withoutcomprehending ‘the whole counsel of God,’ and here we find incisive exegesis and biblical theology at its best. This book is a must-read and will be part of the conversation formany years to come.”Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New TestamentInterpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary“God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants is hermeneutically sensitive, exegetically rigorous, and theologically rich—a first-rate biblical theology that addresses both the message and the structure of the whole Bible from the ground up. Gentry and Wellum haveproduced what will become one of the standard texts in the field. For anyone who wishesto tread the path of biblical revelation, this text is a faithful guide.”Miles V. Van Pelt, Alan Belcher Professor of Old Testament and BiblicalLanguages and Director, Summer Institute for Biblical Languages, ReformedTheological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi“This is not the first volume that has attempted to mediate the dispensational/covenanttheology divide, but it may be the culminating presentation of that discussion—just asBach was not the first Baroque composer but its highest moment. God’s Kingdom throughGod’s Covenants should be read by all parties, but I won’t be surprised to learn in twentyyears that this volume provided the foundation for how a generation of anyone who advocates regenerate church membership puts their Bible together.”Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks; author, Church and the SurprisingOffense of God’s Love“Gentry and Wellum have provided a welcome addition to the current number of bookson biblical theology. What makes their contribution unique is the marriage of historicalexegesis, biblical theology, and systematic theology. God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants brims with exegetical insights, biblical theological drama, and sound systematictheological conclusions. Particularly important is the viable alternative they offer to thecovenantal and dispensational hermeneutical frameworks. I enthusiastically recommendthis book!”Stephen G. Dempster, Professor of Religious Studies, Crandall UniversityGod's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 16/11/15 10:27 AM
“The relationship between the covenants of Scripture is rightly considered to be centralto the interpretation of the Bible. That there is some degree of continuity is obvious, forit is the same God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as the Father of ourLord Jesus Christ—who has revealed himself and his will in the covenants. That thereis, however, also significant discontinuity also seems patent since Scripture itself talksabout a new covenant, with the old one passing away. What has changed and what hasnot? Utterly vital questions to which this new book by Gentry and Wellum give satisfyingand sound answers. Because of the importance of this subject and the exegetical and theological skill of the authors, their answers deserve a wide hearing. Highly recommended!”Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality,The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary“God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants is directly applicable to a pastor faithfullyseeking understanding of God’s Word as it reveals the structure that supports the narrativeof God’s message. The study of the covenants provides a framework for understandingand applying the message of the Bible to life in the new covenant community. I havefound this study enriching for pastoral ministry.”Joseph Lumbrix, Pastor, Mount Olivet Baptist Church, Willisburg, KentuckyGod's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 26/11/15 10:27 AM
GOD’S KINGDOMthroughGOD’S COVENANTSGod's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 36/11/15 10:27 AM
God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 46/11/15 10:27 AM
GOD’S KINGDOMthroughGOD’S COVENANTSA CONCISE BIBLICAL THEOLOGYPETER J. GENTRY ANDSTEPHEN J. WELLUMW H E AT O N , I L L I N O I SGod's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 56/11/15 10:27 AM
God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical TheologyCopyright 2015 by Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. WellumPublished by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without theprior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.Cover design: Studio GearboxCover image: The Tower of Babel, 1563, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna,Austria/The Bridgeman Art Library.First printing 2015Printed in the United States of AmericaUnless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are the authors’ translations.Scripture references marked niv are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV .Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.Scripture quotations marked esv are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ),copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.The Scripture quotation marked nasb is from The New American Standard Bible . Copyright TheLockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.The Scripture reference marked rsv is from The Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1946, 1952,1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ inthe U.S.A.The Scripture reference marked nrsv is from The New Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1989by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission of the National Council of the Churches of Christin the U.S.A.Scripture quotations marked kjv are from the King James Version of the Bible.All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-4191-9ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4194-0PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4192-6Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4193-3Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataGentry, Peter John.Kingdom through covenant : a biblical-theologicalunderstanding of the covenants / Peter J. Gentry andStephen J. Wellum.pages cmIncludes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-4335-1464-7 (tp)1. Covenants—Biblical teaching. 2. Covenants—Religious aspects—Christianity. 3. Theology, Doctrinal.I. Wellum, Stephen J., 1964– joint author. II. Title.BS680.C67G46 2015231.7'6—dc23 2014046493Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.VP1514251324122311221021 20 199 8 7 6God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 618517 16 154 3 2 16/11/15 10:27 AM
CONTENTSIllustrations 9Preface 11PART ONEINTRODUCTION1. The Importance of Covenants in Grasping the Bible’s Story 17PART TWOEXPOSITION OF THE BIBLICAL COVENANTS2. Covenants in the Bible and the Ancient Near East 473. The Covenant with Noah 574. The Covenant with Creation in Genesis 1–3 695. The Covenant with Abraham (I) 936. The Covenant with Abraham (II) 1077. The Mosaic Covenant—Exodus/Sinai 1338. The Mosaic Covenant—Deuteronomy/Moab 1699. The Davidic Covenant 18710. The New Covenant 207PART THREETHEOLOGICAL INTEGRATION11. “Kingdom through Covenant”: A Biblical-Theological Summary 243General Index 273Scripture Index 287God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 76/11/15 10:27 AM
God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 86/11/15 10:27 AM
I L L U S T R AT ION STable 2.1.The Major Covenants 50Table 2.2. Comparison and Contrast between Covenant and Contract 52Table 3.1. Comparison of Covenant with Noah and Covenant withCreation 64Fig. 6.1.Travel Routes of the Ancient Near East 114Table 7.1. The First Two of the Ten Words as an Exposition of theCovenant Formula 160Table 7.2. Literary Context of the Law in the Pentateuch andAncient Near East 165Table 8.1. Deuteronomy as Suzerain-Vassal Treaty 170Table 8.2. Covenant Relationship Formula (CRF) in the LiterarySections of Deuteronomy 176Fig. 8.1.Comparison of Ancient Near Eastern Treaty Forms 184Fig. 8.2.Comparison of Ancient Near Eastern Laws/Treatiesand Deuteronomy 185Fig. 11.1.Old Testament 249Fig. 11.2.New Testament 250Fig. 11.3.Time versus Scope of Covenant Membership 259Fig. 11.4.Time versus Covenant Partners/Roles 260God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 96/11/15 10:27 AM
God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 106/11/15 10:27 AM
P R EFAC EOne of the dangers of writing a long and detailed book on the biblical covenants is that it becomes potentially inaccessible to those who are lookingfor a more succinct treatment of the subject. When we coauthored Kingdom through Covenant (Crossway, 2012), it was our intent to write an indepth treatment of the interrelationship of the biblical covenants. Givenour conviction that the progressive unfolding of the biblical covenants isthe backbone to the metanarrative of Scripture and, more importantly, thatone cannot properly understand God’s glorious redemptive plan apart fromthinking through the biblical covenants, it was necessary to discuss the biblical covenants in detail.In addition, it was our goal to demonstrate that our understanding ofkingdom through covenant was slightly different from other ways of thinking through the Bible’s storyline current in evangelical theology. In evangelicalism, the dominant biblical-theological systems of covenant theologyand dispensationalism (and their varieties) are the way that most Christiansconceive of the Bible’s larger story. It was our conviction that both of theseviews—as much as we agree with them on most matters related to the gospel—were not quite right in their specific way of rendering the Bible’s plotline. Hence, it was nec
A CONCISE BIBLICAL THEOLOGY “Gentry and Wellum offer a third way, a via media, between covenant theology and . dispensationalism, arguing that both of these theological systems are not informed suf- ficiently by biblical theology. Certainly we cannot understand the Scriptures without comprehending ‘the whole counsel of God,’ and here we find incisive exegesis and bibli-cal theology at .
