Testamental Continuity

[Steve Lortz]

I've just finished reading Toward an Old Testament Theology by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978).

Kaiser sets out to find a unifying theme that informed the writings of all the varied and various contributors to what we call the Old Testament. He did so in the concept of "promise": first, the promise to Eve of a Seed who would crush the head of the serpent, second, the promise to Abraham of an heir, a land and an heritage of blessing to all the nations, third, the promise to David the he would have a son, of whose kingdom there would be no end, and fourth, to Jeremiah that He would institute a new (renewed) covenant. In his last chapter, Kaiser shows how the New Testament writers appealed to exactly these same things to explain their experience of Jesus Christ.

In the process, Kaiser lays to rest some of misunderstandings that seem since the Reformation to make the two (?) testaments contradictory. Salvation has always been by faith in the promised Seed, never by works. The "weightier" matters of the law (the ten commandments) have always been in effect because they reflect the nature of God, though the ceremonial and civil laws were always considered to be temporary.

In reality, the Bible is an awesome WHOLE, which is what I think reputable scholars mean by the "integrity" of God's Word. It is, indeed, good news to EVERYBODY except those who willfully turn away from God, and Jesus Christ is the only person qualified to decide who those people are.

The dispensationalism that Wierwille bought into, and sold to us, was one of the worst hack-jobs available. It grieves me to see people like John Lynn and John Schoenheit promote such misunderstanding.

Love,

Steve

Edited July 29, 2012 by Steve Lortz