Book Of The Week VI

“"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread.” I have started trying to re-read great books. I just finished re-reading Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy it is a great book. He argues in the whole Bible you are looking for who are God’s people, where are God’s people, and are God’s people enjoying His promises. This all culminates in Jesus who is the focal and centerpiece of all Scripture and all of Scripture has to be interpreted in light of Him.

• Look at what Jesus says about this "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39).
• "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; cf. v. 44).
• "What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled" (Acts 3:18; cf. vv. 21, 24).
• "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3f).

In all of these cases, the writer quoted is saying that the Old Testament teaches the gospel. There is grace and continuity between the two Testaments It is a very simple easy to follow and very short. He has a longer version that is on my “to buy and to read list.” If you are not familiar with the whole story Scripture this would be a good book for you. Another book in the same view is God’s Big Picture by Vaughn Roberts. I have re-read it and I love. I encourage you to seek to understand the Bible as beautiful tapestry as opposed to disjointed devotional fragments.

Pastor Phillip