From biblical theology to systematic soteriology - 31 August 2011 |
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Session 21 of the Emmanuel Guided Reading Course marks the beginning of a new area of study. Having completed our consideration of the doctrine of the incarnation, we’re beginning our next major subject: the doctrine of salvation, or soteriology.
We’ll begin with Peter J. Leithart, A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2000), pp. 13-128.
This part of the course is deliberately structured to help you see how a Reformed evangelical doctrine of salvation emerges from a systematic reading of the whole Bible, taking into account the progressive character of God’s revelation to humanity and the coherence and interconnectedness of the Scriptures. It may be helpful to give a brief overview of where we’re going in the next few sessions:
Biblical overview. An overview of the whole Bible, attempting to piece together a few of the countless themes that trace the story of God’s saving work through the Scriptures from beginning to end. We’ll also look in some detail at biblical imagery and biblical typology with the help of Peter J. Leithart’s A House for My Name.
Covenant theology. Historically, Reformed theologians have integrated the apparently diverse strands of the Bible’s story by tracing the theme of God’s covenants with man. We’ll be doing the same thing with the help of O. Palmer Roberson’s book The Christ of the Covenants, as we make the step from biblical theology to systematic soteriology via covenant theology.
Systematic soteriology. The Reformed didn’t stop with covenant theology, and neither shall we. Rather, we’ll see how a robust Reformed evangelical doctrine of salvation emerges naturally and organically from covenant theology as we return to John Calvin’s Institutes to consider such familiar topics as election, the offices of Christ, the atonement, repentance, faith and justification, all within the framework of the central doctrine of union with Christ.
We begin, then, with Peter Leithart’s superb little book A House for My Name. Before you begin reading, consider the following questions:
i. What do Genesis 3:19; Ezekiel 44:18 and Luke 22:44 have in common? Try to tell the story of human history with reference to only these three texts.
ii. What does Genesis 3:24 have to do with Genesis 22:6? What was Isaac thinking of when he looked at his Dad?
iii. What light does Genesis 3:18 shed upon Matthew 27:29?
iv. How would you respond to someone who thought that the texts cited in the previous questions were completely unrelated to one another?
Introduction (pp. 17-42)
The introduction to Leithart’s book is well worth reading, though we won’t spend much time on it during the tutorial. At times it feels a little technical, so here’s a rough outline to guide you on your way:
Leithart outlines two main mistakes in reading the Old Testament:
(1) Liberalism and Marcionism consign the Old Testament to irrelevance. Alarmingly, some contemporary evangelicals look little different in certain respects (pp. 17-21).
(2) Antisupercessionism, exemplified by Kenneth Soulen, claims that ethnic Israelites are still in covenant with God irrespective of their response to Jesus (pp. 21-26).
To read the Old Testament as Christians, we must get beyond the so-called “grammatical-historical” method of exegesis, which, though fine (indeed, necessary) as far as it goes, doesn’t go far enough. In particular, it fails to place sufficient weight upon the recurring types and images of Scripture, and upon the storyline of the whole (pp. 27-40).
The rest of the book is a whirlwind tour of the Bible, highlighting many of the themes, storylines, images and types that give coherence and meaning to the whole. The following questions are designed to encourage you to reflect upon some of the themes Leithart identifies, and to work out whether you agree with the direction in which Leithart takes them.
You probably won’t have time to reflect in detail on everything in these chapters, and I suggest you don’t try. Instead, try this: (1) read a chapter through; (2) Look at the questions for that chapter, and reflect on a few of them as your mood takes you; (3) Move on to the next chapter.
One more word of advice: You’ll benefit more from this book if you look at a few questions in detail than if you look at lots of questions superficially. So don’t worry if you don’t complete all the questions. You may also find it helpful to look at Leithart’s questions scattered throughout each chapter. Keep your Bible open as you read this book, and read them both with imagination and energy. You never know what you might discover.
Chapter 1: Book of Beginnings
1. How is the world like a three-storey house (pp. 43-45)? How does this help us to understand the ten plagues on Egypt (pp. 47-48)?
2. “Very often the land pictures Israel and the sea pictures the nations” (p. 48). Are you persuaded? Can you think of any other biblical texts upon which this claim might shed light?
3. Can you explain what Leithart means by the three-fold structure of the earth: “the Garden, the land of Eden, and the larger world” (p. 52)? How does this relate to the three “falls” described on p. 56?
4. “Throughout Genesis, the patriarchs … meet their wives by wells in oases” (p. 54). What light does this shed on John 4?
5. “Joseph is a picture of what Adam is supposed to become” (p. 64). How (see also p. 65)? Do you agree?
Chapter 2: Out of Egypt I Have Called My Son
6. Outline Leithart’s exposition of Genesis 31:33-35 (pp. 71-72). Are you persuaded by his reading? Why or why not? Could his reading be taken further? If so, what does this passage contribute to a critique of idolatry that could not easily have been contributed any other way?
7. Why does Exodus 1:7 use so many words to say so little (p. 74)? What about Exodus 1:13-14 (p. 74)?
8. How is Exodus 20-24 like a marriage feast (pp. 78-80)?
9. Is what ways does the three-part structure of the tabernacle reflect the structure of the universe and the structure of the earth (pp. 82-86)?
10. What do the terms qorban and “bread of God” tell us about the significance of Israel’s sacrifices (pp. 87-88)?
11. “Jesus is always eating fish” (p. 88). Why?
Chapter 3: From Sinai to Shiloh
12. “The big sin of Israel comes … when Israel arrives at Kadesh” (p. 103). What is this “big sin,” and how is it related to previous events recorded in Scripture?
13. Instead of organising the army, Joshua focuses on what the priests are going to do” (p. 110). Why is this significant (see also p. 111)? What implications might it have for the contemporary church?
14. What did Gideon do right? What did he do wrong (pp. 115-118)?
15. Why is Ruth 4:18-22 significant in the light of Genesis 38 and Deuteronomy 23:2?
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Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Guided Reading Course, Minister's Blog