A history of the work of redemption

The first Bible overview?

A HISTORY OF THE WORK OF REDEMPTION
By Jonathan Edwards
Banner of Truth. 440 pages. £14.50
ISBN 0 85151 844 3

Recent years have seen a growing interest in biblical theology. Biblical theology traces the unfolding promises of God to show how the Bible presents one unified story of salvation.

The republication of this book on the 300th anniversary of Jonathan Edwards's birth is a welcome reminder that biblical theology did not begin with its other modern champions. Edwards was a leader during the Great Awakening and one of American's greatest theologians.

Part one shows how God's dealing with humanity and Israel prepared for, and pointed to, redemption in Christ. Christ, argues Edwards, must always be central to our understanding of the Bible. The second part on the incarnation is shaped by the concerns of systematic, rather than biblical, theology. Edwards shows how Christ's obedience and humiliation meant he was able to make satisfaction for our sins.

In part three Edwards gives a postmillennial reading of history. Our postmodern world is sceptical about finding meaning in history and within the church open theism encourages us to doubt the scope of divine providence. So Edwards provides a welcome reminder of the need for a Christian reading of history. Edwards's identification of the Antichrist with Catholicism may seem anachronistic. But, just as John reapplied Old Testament imagery in the book of Revelation to the Roman Empire, so Edwards is applying John's imagery to his context. Edwards's approach may be instructive for us even if his application is less relevant.

Perhaps more questionable is Edwards's assessment that God's kingdom was advanced when Christianity became the official state religion under Emperor Constantine. We need to revisit this issue as Christendom gives way to secularism. Edwards's claim that 'the spirit of the true church of Christ is a suffering spirit' may be more appropriate to us than his positive reading of Christendom.

Tim Chester,
The Crowded House, Sheffield

© Evangelicals Now - May 2004
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