The premise of this book lies in its title. God makes himself known to us in a number of ways: through the created order, by way of human conscience, the unfolding of world events, the inherent religious need in man, through his written Word, and ultimately, of course, in the Person of Jesus Christ. Why he does so is a mystery, which we can only assign to sovereign choice. The basis upon which he does so, however, is covenant. This being the case, not only is the idea of covenant a valid hermeneutic by which to understand Scripture, but a vital one without which it would be impossible for us to fully appreciate the divine revelation that is available to us in and attainable to us by the Bible.
Many Christians will be familiar with the idea that Christ fulfills the Old Testament prophecies and promises concerning God’s people in the Old Testament. But when we begin to see this, too, in terms of covenant, then we begin to more fully understand precisely what it was that Christ fulfilled and what the implications of this are for those of us who are what the Bible calls 'in Christ.’ Not only did Jesus meet all the requirements of the overarching theme of the Old Testament in general terms, but he filled out to their fullest potential all the intricacies of detail of each of the separate divine covenants that we find there.
The benefits of this for us are beyond measure, the comprehension of them is mind-blowing, and the treasures they hold simply await our unlocking of them. Take the key and peer inside. You will not be disappointed.
O autorze
Chris Woodall is former associate professor of Christian dogmatics at North-West University, South Africa. This is his sixth book for Wipf & Stock. The first five, Covenant: the Basis of God’s Self-Disclosure (2011), Kingdom: The Expression of God’s Rule (2012), Atonement: God’s Means of Effecting Man’s Reconciliation (2015), Minor Prophets in a Major Key (2018), and Their Master’s Voice: The Major Prophets Speak Today (2020) are also available from this publisher and other outlets.