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God's Kingdom God's Covenants king·dom (kĭng′dəm): God’s saving rule and reign GOD’S KINGDOM cov·e·nant (kŭv′ə-nənt): A relationship between parties characterized by faithfulness and loyalty in love In this abridgement of the groundbreaking book Kingdom through Covenant, a biblical scholar and a theologian offer readers an accessible overview of the overarching structure of the through Bible. Tracing the significance of the concept of “covenant” through both the Old and New Testaments, this book charts a middle way between covenant theology and dispensationalism— exploring the covenantal framework undergirding the history of redemption. GOD’S COVENANTS A CONCISE BIBLICAL THEOLOGY “Here we find incisive exegesis and biblical theology at its best. This book is a must-read and will be part of the conversation for many years to come.” Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “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.” Miles V. Van Pelt, Alan Belcher Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi GOD’S KINGDOM “This is not the first volume that has attempted to mediate the dispensational/covenant theology divide, but it may be the culminating presentation of that discussion.” Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks through GENTRY & WELLUM GENTRY GOD’S COVENANTS PETER J. GENTRY (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of Old Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the Hexapla Institute. He is the coauthor (with Stephen J. Wellum) of Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants. STEPHEN J. WELLUM (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. THEOLOGY ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-4191-9 ISBN-10: 1-4335-4191-2 5 1 9 9 9 PETER J. GENTRY & STEPHEN J. WELLUM 9 7 8 1 4 3 3 5 4 1 9 1 9 $19.99 U.S. “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 its best. This book is a must-read and will be part of the conversation for many years to come.” Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants is hermeneutically sensitive, exegetically rig- orous, and theologically rich—a first-rate biblical theology that addresses both the mes- sage and the structure of the whole Bible from the ground up. Gentry and Wellum have produced what will become one of the standard texts in the field. For anyone who wishes to tread the path of biblical revelation, this text is a faithful guide.” Miles V. Van Pelt, Alan Belcher Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages and Director, Summer Institute for Biblical Languages, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi “This is not the first volume that has attempted to mediate the dispensational/covenant theology divide, but it may be the culminating presentation of that discussion—just as Bach was not the first Baroque composer but its highest moment.God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants should be read by all parties, but I won’t be surprised to learn in twenty years that this volume provided the foundation for how a generation of anyone who ad- vocates regenerate church membership puts their Bible together.” Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks; author, Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love “Gentry and Wellum have provided a welcome addition to the current number of books on biblical theology. What makes their contribution unique is the marriage of historical exegesis, biblical theology, and systematic theology. God’s Kingdom through God’s Cov- enants brims with exegetical insights, biblical theological drama, and sound systematic theological conclusions. Particularly important is the viable alternative they offer to the covenantal and dispensational hermeneutical frameworks. I enthusiastically recommend this book!” Stephen G. Dempster, Professor of Religious Studies, Crandall University God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 1 6/11/15 10:27 AM “The relationship between the covenants of Scripture is rightly considered to be central to the interpretation of the Bible. That there is some degree of continuity is obvious, for it is the same God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—who has revealed himself and his will in the covenants. That there is, however, also significant discontinuity also seems patent since Scripture itself talks about a new covenant, with the old one passing away. What has changed and what has not? Utterly vital questions to which this new book by Gentry and Wellum give satisfying and sound answers. Because of the importance of this subject and the exegetical and theo- logical 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 faithfully seeking understanding of God’s Word as it reveals the structure that supports the narrative of God’s message. The study of the covenants provides a framework for understanding and applying the message of the Bible to life in the new covenant community. I have found this study enriching for pastoral ministry.” Joseph Lumbrix, Pastor, Mount Olivet Baptist Church, Willisburg, Kentucky God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 2 6/11/15 10:27 AM GOD’S KINGDOM through GOD’S COVENANTS God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 3 6/11/15 10:27 AM God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 4 6/11/15 10:27 AM GOD’S KINGDOM through GOD’S COVENANTS A CONCISE BIBLICAL THEOLOGY PETER J. GENTRY AND STEPHEN J. WELLUM WHEATON, ILLINOIS God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 5 6/11/15 10:27 AM God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology Copyright © 2015 by Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- mitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Cover design: Studio Gearbox Cover image: The Tower of Babel, 1563, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria/The Bridgeman Art Library. First printing 2015 Printed in the United States of America Unless 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 © The Lockman 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 in the U.S.A. The Scripture reference marked NRSV is from The New Revised Standard Version. Copyright © 1989 by 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 Christ in 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: 978-1-4335-4191-9 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4194-0 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4192-6 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4193-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gentry, Peter John. Kingdom through covenant : a biblical-theological understanding of the covenants / Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum. pages cm Includes 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 2015 231.7'6—dc23 2014046493 Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. VP 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 God's Kingdom through God's Covenants.541919.i03.indd 6 6/11/15 10:27 AM CONTENTS Illustrations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Preface ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 PART ONE INTRODUCTION 1 The Importance of Covenants in Grasping the Bible’s Story �������������������17 PART TWO EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLICAL COVENANTS 2 Covenants in the Bible and the Ancient Near East �����������������������������������47 3 The Covenant with Noah . .57 4 The Covenant with Creation in Genesis 1–3 . .69 5 The Covenant with Abraham (I) ���������������������������������������������������������������93 6 The Covenant with Abraham (II) . .107 7 The Mosaic Covenant—Exodus/Sinai . .133 8 The Mosaic Covenant—Deuteronomy/Moab �����������������������������������������169 9 The Davidic Covenant .
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