The Euangelion in the New Testament

When we come to the New Testament, we find three distinct ways in which the term gospel is used. First, we have four books in the New Testament that we call Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books are biographical portraits of Jesus. Gospel in this sense describes a particular form of literature. Second, during the earthly ministry of Jesus, the term gospel was linked not particularly with the person of Jesus but with the kingdom of God. John the Baptist is introduced as one who comes preaching the gospel, and his message is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). Jesus did the same in His parables, proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is like . . .” On the lips of Jesus, the gospel was about the dramatic moment in history when, through the long-awaited Messiah, the kingdom of God had broken through in time and space. The good news was the good news of the kingdom. Third, by the time the Epistles were written, particularly the Pauline epistles, the term gospel had taken on a new shade of understanding. It had become the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel had a clear content to it. At the heart of this gospel was the announcement of who Jesus was and what He had accomplished in His lifetime. 

In addition to the person and work of Jesus, there is also in the New Testament use of the term gospel the question of how the benefits accomplished by the objective work of Jesus are subjectively appropriated to the believer. First, there is the question of who Jesus was and what He did. Second is the question of how that benefits you and me. That is why Paul conjoins the objective account of the person and work of Jesus (particularly to the Galatians) with the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which is essential to the gospel. 

In preaching the gospel we preach about Jesus, and we preach about how we are brought into a saving relationship with Him. The gospel is under attack in the church today. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get the gospel right and to understand both the objective aspect of the person and work of Jesus and the subjective dimension of how we benefit from that by faith alone. 

Application 

In what ways have you seen the gospel attacked in the church or in society? Is the objective or subjective dimension of the gospel attacked more frequently? Now consider your role in the kingdom to defend the gospel and take some time to reflect on these two dimensions. Rehearse a succinct gospel presentation that incorporates both aspects and anticipates the common attacks that you have heard.

Adapted from The Power of the Gospel: A Year in Romans with R.C. Sproul

Dr. Mark Ward: How We Got Our New Testament

Book Review: The Second Testament by Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight teaches New Testament at Northern Seminary and has written many books including a few commentaries in the New Testament. His latest project is his translation of the New Testament simply titled, The Second Testament.

Before I go any further, I want to take time to address the different schools of thought in Bible translation. The first is the literal approach where the translators of the Bible attempt to translate the Bible from one language to another as word-for-word as they can. Translations that are considered literal are the New American Standard Bible, English Standard Bible, Legacy Standard Bible, King James Bible, and New King James Bible.

Next, we have the dynamic equivalence which looks more into what is the meaning of the text rather than the literal translation of that passage. Granted, some of these translations do take into account of the original language but they are guided by what they believe is the intent of the author. Some of those translations include the New International Version, Christian Standard Bible, and New Living Translation.

Finally, we have paraphrase. A Bible paraphrase is when one person translates the Bible. The most famous paraphrase is the Living Bible where Dr. Kenneth Taylor took the King James Version and translate it so his daughter can read the Bible without all of the complex words associated with the King James. What the translators of paraphrases attempt to do is make the Bible readable using words that are not associated with the original languages of the Bible. Other paraphrases include The Message and the problematic Passion Translation. 

Where does The Second Translation fit into these categories. After going through and knowing what the author was intending to do with this "translation," it is a paraphrase. This is a not a translation. Knowing that McKnight leans to a more liberal theology, I should not have been surprised. Plus, as mentioned earlier, a paraphrase is when one person translates the Bible and uses words not associated with the original languages of scripture. Therefore, I cannot call The Second Testament a translation.

I received this book from InterVarsity Press in exchange for a honest review.

Book Review: Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ by Thomas R Schreiner

One of the most studied men in the Bible outside of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Apostle Paul. I can understand why. His story is well known in the Bible. He was a persecutor of the church that was responsible for the death of Christians including Stephen as told in the book of Acts. He because an Apostle commissioned by Christ to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He planted churches and appointed elders in everyone of them. He wrote majority of the letters we have in our Bibles that make up the New Testament today.

Paul's theology is often studied especially when one is about to study one of his epistles. There are many commentaries, study Bibles, and resources that help give us an idea what was the theology and context behind what Paul was writing. Thomas R Schreiner has added another resource to this collection in his book titled, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ.

In this book, Schreiner goes in great detail about the theology of the Apostle Paul as we see his inspired words in the pages of the Bible. Schreiner addresses Paul's God-centeredness and how he was always centered on God in communicating to his readers. Schreiner takes a look at Paul's mission, which was to preach the good news to the Gentiles because there was no Jew or Gentile under Christ.

Schreiner continues on with a look at Paul's teaching regarding sin, justification, and living the Christian life in a secular society. Schreiner does his best to give the reader an insight into the theology behind the Apostle who wrote inspired scripture. There was a lot of information in this book that it might take me a few more time to get all the information down.

I am delighted to recommend this book to all Bible teachers and pastors as great study tool to use in their research for sermons or Sunday School lessons.

Thanks InterVarsity Press for letting me review this book.

Book Review: The New Testament in Seven Sentences by Gary M. Burge

Earlier this year, I reviewed a book titled, The Old Testament in Seven Sentences written by Christopher J.H. Wright. That book was a simple introduction to the Old Testament using seven verses from it to give the readers the main idea on what the Old Testament was all about. Gary M. Burge has written a follow-up book to Wright's, but this one involves the New Testament. The book is titled, The New Testament in Seven Sentences.

Very much like Wright's book, Burge focuses on seven themes that summarizes the New Testament, which are:

1. Fulfillment: You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16)

2. Kingdom: The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15)

3. Cross: The Son of Man must...be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Luke 9:22)

4. Grace: By grace you have been saved, through faith...not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

5. Covenant: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession (1 Peter 2:9)

6. Spirit: If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9)

7. Completion: I saw "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1)


Burge does a good job going through each of these themes to give the readers the overall view of the New Testament. This book does serve its purpose for an introductory study in the New Testament.

Thanks InterVarsity Press for letting me review this book.

The Unities of the Old and New Testement

The books of the Old Testament and the New Testament were written by different human authors over a long span of time. But they share profound unities.

•Every book in the Bible has God as the divine author, who inspired each human author. All of Scripture is the very Word of God.

•All of the Bible is Trinitarian communication to us. God the Father speaks all of the words through the Son, the eternal Word (John 1:1), and God speaks in the power and means of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

•All of the Bible is Christ-centered. Christ is the central subject and focus of the Bible. This focus is obvious in the New Testament, but it is present in the Old Testament also (Luke 24:25–27, 44–47; John 5:39–40, 45–47; 1 Pet. 1:10–12).

•The Bible reveals how God redeems his people. Its focus is salvation as it applies to individuals and also to God’s people as a corporate unity.

•The Bible bears a unified message of salvation. The fall of Adam (Gen. 3:6–7) resulted in sinfulness coming to the whole human race, Christ excepted. There is only one way of rescue, namely, Christ himself: “Jesus said . . . , ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). People cannot make up for their sins by accumulating good works, because God is perfectly holy, and sins must receive judgment by the Father, who is just. Only Christ, who was also perfectly holy, can bear the burden of the penalty for sins (1 Pet. 2:24).

•This principle that salvation comes only in Christ is obvious in the New Testament but found in the Old Testament also. Before Christ came, sins were forgiven for the sake of Christ’s future work (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 10:4, 10). Saved people in the Old Testament believed in God’s promise of a Redeemer and enjoyed communion with God. He applied to them beforehand benefits based on what Christ would accomplish.

Adapted from the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible

Around The Web-Feburary 1, 2019

Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore on the new abortion law in New York

PURITAN: All of Life to the Glory of God’—An Upcoming Documentary from Justin Taylor

The Lord’s Relentless Defense of His People by John MacArthur

The Key To Making the Most Out of Congregational Singing by Tim Challies

Psalm 119:13-16 — Declare and Delight! by Michael Coughlin

Can We Trust the New Testament? by Michael J Kruger

The Bible Belongs to Every Age by Stephen Nichols

The B.A.R. Podcast talks with Thomas R. Schreiner about his book on Spiritual Gifts

Book Review: The Historcial Reliability of the New Testament by Craig L Blomberg

For centuries, people have challenged the reliability of the New Testament especially the four gospels. Many have wondered why the gospels had a lot of similarities and some differences. These challenges come from men and women who cannot accept the message of the Bible.

Craig Blomberg has written a good resource that will equip Christians to defend the faith. The book is titled, The Historcial Reliability of the New Testament. Now when one picks up the book, they might want to put it down because it is very lengthy, but it is worth it. Blomberg begins with the formation of the synoptic gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The reason they are called the synoptic gospels is how close they are in reading material. Blomberg continues to discuss the differences and similarities of the synoptic gospels.

Next, Blomberg deals with the gospel of John, which has a lot difference than the synoptic gospels with the exception of feeding the 5,000 and the death, burial, & resurrection of Christ. He even dives into the evidence of the accuracy of John. Blomberg goes on to deal with the rest of the New Testament which he finishes off with Revelation which does make for an interesting discussion regarding the reliability of the New Testament.

The book concludes with looking at texts outside the New Testament canon such as the Apocrypha. Then Blomberg goes into textual criticism and how the New Testament was formed. Finally, Blomberg devotes an entire chapter on the miracles of the New Testament and if miracles still happen to this day.

There is so much information in this book that my review will not do it justice. I encourage you to pick up this book and read it carefully. Don't let the size intimate you.

Thanks B&H Publishing for letting me review this book.

Book Review: The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown

The Bible is a unique book. It is separated by two testaments, the Old and the New, which tell one story. That story is God sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our sins.

Out of the two testaments, the New Testament has been studied more than the Old Testament. There are various reasons why the New Testament is studied more often and many books have been written to help Christians understand it more. L. Scott Kellum, Andreas J. Kostenberger and Charles L. Quarles have written a book that can used in a classroom, seminary or Bible college, or for your own personal study that helps the reader grasp the message of the New Testament. The book is titled, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown.

The subtitle of the book, "An Introduction to the New Testament," gives the reader a basic idea of what this book is about, which is correct. This book introduces the reader to the theology of the New Testament as well as the historical background. The book begins with a simple overview of Scripture followed by the political and religious history during the New Testament period.

The book addresses Jesus's relationships to the four gospels followed by a comprehensive look at each gospel. After that, the book looks at the rest of the New Testament including a chapter on the Apostle Paul. The book concludes with how the New Testament is unified, telling the same story with the last chapter being on the entirety of Scripture.

This book is very lengthy and well worth having in your library including your pastor's library. This will be a great tool to use when studying the New Testament. I think this is will be worth the investment for seminaries and Bible colleges to get this in the hands of each student studying the New Testament.

Thanks B&H Publishing for letting me review this book.

Book Review: Going Deeper with New Testament Greek

Most ministers I know have taken a Greek class whether in college (if they attended a Christian college) or seminary. I remember friends of mine who were taking Greek working non-stop to memorize their Greek vocabulary words as if their lives depended on it.

Some ministers have only taken an introductory Greek class just to get either their foreign language credits or some credit that has to do with a religion degree. Going Deeper with New Testament Greek is a book designed to further one's education in the original language of the New Testament. This is book is written Andreas K Kostenberger, Benjamin L Merkle, and Robert L Plummer, who are all well known Bible scholars.

The purpose of this book is help its readers to study, read, and apply the New Testament as they study its original language. This book is filled with examples of how one can read the Greek New Testament and identify syntax, articles, and indicatives. All of these chapters are written with the notion that those reading have gone through some form of Greek class.

If you have studies Greek and want to go deeper in your study, this is the book for you. Grab your Greek New Testament along with this book and get ready to read God's Word in the original Greek language.

Thanks B&H Publishing for letting me review this book.