ray choi

Christian husband, father of 3 and bi-vocational pastor

Quotes from Jack Deere’s “Surprised by the Power of the Spirit: Discovering How God Speaks and Heals Today”

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Jack Deere, formerly an associate professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, is a writer and lecturer who speaks throughout the world on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The real reason Christians do not believe in the miraculous gifts is simply because they have Inot seen miracles in their present experience. Yet no one openly admits that this is the cause of their unbelief. [p. 57]

Three incidents in the life of Jesus demonstrate that he was not free to heal at will under any conditions. At the beginning of the story of the healing of the paralytic at Capernaum, Lukes writes, “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick” (Luke 5:17).

Why would Luke say that “the power of the Lord was present for him to heal” if Jesus could heal at any time, under any condition, and solely at his own discretion? This statement only makes sense if we view healing as the sovereign prerogative of God the Father, who sometimes dispenses his power to heal and at other times withholds it.

A second incident is just as instructive… Jesus asked the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda a question that has been difficult for some to understand, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). …I had assumed that all sick people want to get well, especially those who have chronic ailments like paralysis or blindness. But now, after praying for thousands of sick people all around the world over the last seven years, I have found that a number of sick people do not wish to get well at all. In fact, their whole identity is bound up in being sick, and they are literally afraid of the changes that would take place in their life if they were made whole. If you suspect that is true of someone you want to see healed, it is important to counsel with them and identify that problem before you ever attempt to pray for them. In any case, the man in this story never says that he wants to get well, but Jesus does heal him instantly and completely.

Why did Jesus ignore all the other sick people at the pool of Bethesda? …John 5:19 says, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus only healed one person at the pool that day because his Father was only healing one person. If his Father was not healing, then Jesus could not heal. Jesus was completely obedient to the sovereign will of his heavenly Father for all of his ministry. Jesus could not heal at his own will because he was committed not to do or will anything independent of his Father’s will. This is not an isolated teaching in the book of John; it is a major theme in John’s Gospel. Numerous times Jesus says he only does what his Father does, he only speaks the words his Father gave him to speak, and that his teaching is not his but that of the One who sent him (John 3:34; 5:30; 7:17; 8:28; 12:49-50; 14:10, 24, 31).

A third incident in the life of Jesus conclusively demonstrates that he could not heal at will under any and all conditions. It happened when he returned to his home in Nazareth. The people of his home town were offended at him with the result that “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:5-6). …God allowed the healing ministry of his Son to be limited, at least on some occasions, by the unbelief of the people.

Jesus himself could not heal independently of the Father, at his own will, and under any conditions. If this was true of the Son of God, how much more do you think it was true of the apostles? …Paul couldn’t heal Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-27); he had to leave Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Tim 4:20); and he even had to exhort his dear son in the faith, TImothy, to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake and his frequent illnesses (1 Tim 5:23). …After Jesus healed the demonized boy who was both suicidal and suffering from epilepsy (Matt 17:16), the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast the demon out. Jesus said to them, “Because you have so little faith.” [pp. 59-64]

There is a distinction between signs and wonders and the gift of healing. Signs and wonders are an outpouring of miracles specifically connected with revival and the proclamation of the gospel. The gift of healing is given to the church for its edification (1 Cor 12:7) and is not necessarily connected with revival or an abundance of miracles.

It is simply not reasonable to insist that all miraculous spiritual gifts equal those of the apostles in their intensity or strength in order to be perceived as legitimate gifts of the Holy Spirit. No one would insist on this for the non-miraculous gifts like teaching or evangelism. For example, what person in the history of the church since Paul has been as gifted a teacher to the body of Christ? Luther? Calvin? Who today would claim to be Paul’s equal as a teacher? …Therefore, since no one has arisen with the gift of teaching that is equal to the apostle Paul’s, should we conclude that the gift of teaching was withdrawn from the church? Likewise, should we assume that everyone who has a gift of evangelism is going to evangelize like the apostle Paul? …We can admit to varying degrees of intensity and quality in gifts of evangelism, in gifts of teaching, and in other gifts. Why can’t we do that with the gift of healing? Or the gift of miracles? Or the gift of prophecy?

We should, of course, expect the healing ministry of the apostles to be greater than that of others in the body of Christ. They were specially chosen by the Lord to be his handpicked representatives, and they were given authority and power over all demons and over all disease (Matt 10:1; Mark 3:13-15; Luke 9:1). They received a special promise to be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). They possessed an authority that no one else in the body of Christ possessed. Paul, for example, actually had the authority to turn someone over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh (1 Cor 5:1-5).

If we are going to say that the apostolic ministry sets the standard by which we should judge the gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Cor 12, we might be forced to conclude that no gifts, miraculous or non-miraculous, have been given since the days of the apostles! [pp. 66-67]

We should not draw the conclusion that signs and wonders must have ceased with the deaths of the apostles. Stephen and Philip were not apostles, but they were given a ministry of signs and wonders similar to that of the apostles. [p. 68]

The church at Corinth was so rich in spiritual gifts that Paul was able to say that they did not lack any spiritual gift (1 Cor 1:7). Yet they exhibited such a sectarian spirit that Paul called them “worldly” (1 Cor 3:1). In addition, they had sexual immorality among them that was worse than the practices of the pagans–and they tolerated that sexual immorality (1 Cor 5:1-2). They were even guilty of getting drunk during the Lord’s Supper! Some of the Corinthians embraced one of the worst doctrinal errors mentioned in the New Testament. They claimed that there was no resurrection from the dead (1 Cor 15:12). Here was a church with significant moral abuses and doctrinal error, and yet it is one of the most richly gifted churches in the New Testament.

The Galatian churches were on the verge of deserting the very gospel that had saved them, and yet at the very time Paul was writing his letter to the Galatians, God was performing miracles among them: “Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” (Gal 3:5). In the phrase, “work miracles among you,” the verb work is in the present tense. This means that Paul claimed that miracles were happening among the Galatians at the same time he was writing his letter to them.

…First, the presence of abuses and even impurity in Christian groups where miracles occur does not prove that their miracles are not from God, any more than they did at Corinth. Second, the presence of doctrinal error in Christian groups where miracles occur does not prove that their miracles are invalid, any more than they did in the Galatian churches. Third, miracles neither confirm nor support the distinctive doctrines or practices of individual churches or Christian groups. The miracles at Galatia did not support the heretical teaching there any more than the gift of miracles at Corinth supported their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. According to Scripture, there is only one message that New Testament miracles support or confirm, and that is the gospel message concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Much of the cessationist literature throughout this century has failed to grasp these three conclusions. Every time miraculous appear in history, the cessationists look for abuses or doctrinal errors within the group where these gifts appear. When they find doctrinal errors or abuses, they immediately conclude that these gifts could not have been real. They might as well conclude that the gifts at Corinth and in Galatia were not real either! [p. 79-80]

All churches have their own distinctive abuses. Some churches are more prone to emotionalism, while others are more prone to a cold legalistic self-righteous pharisaism. Both are seriously wrong. We are often blind to our own abuses because most abuses stem from a wrong emphasis or wrong application of a good thing. We do not abuse our weaknesses; we abuse our strengths. That is why our own abuses are so hard to see–they are a misuse of a strength. That is why our own abuses are so hard to see–they are a misuse of a strength, something that has blessed us and others. [p. 84]

Good summary of the cessationist position – pp. 101-102

One clear purpose of miracles was to authenticate the character of Jesus and his relationship with his heavenly Father. In this regard, miracles demonstrate the following: God is with Jesus (John 3:2); Jesus is from God (John 3:2; 9:32-33); God has sent Jesus (John 5:36); Jesus has authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10-11; Matt 9:6-7; Luke 5:24-25); Jesus is approved by God (Acts 2:22); the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father (John 10:37-38; 14:11); in Jesus the kingdom of God has come (Matt 12:28; Luke 11:20); and Jesus is the Messiah (Matt 11:1-6; Luke 7:18-23) and the Son of God (Matt 14:25-33).

A second purpose of miracles was to authenticate the message about Jesus. This was the major function of the miracles as far as the ministry of the apostles was concerned. In Mark 16:20 and Acts 14:3 – notice that in both of these texts the Lord does not confirm the apostles themselves but rather “his word” or “the message” that the apostles were preaching. Signs and wonders do not testify to the apostles but to the message of salvation preached by the apostles. So the two principal things that are authenticated by miracles are the Lord Jesus and the message about the Lord Jesus. …miracles do not authenticate the apostles! And if we think about the theology of the New Testament, this makes perfect sense. With the coming of Jesus Christ, God wants all attention directly to his Son. The primary task of the Holy Spirit is to exalt Jesus Christ. God is not interested in bearing witness to his servants but rather to his Son and the message about his Son. [pp. 103-104]

The book of Acts is the best source that we have to demonstrate what normal church life is supposed to look like when the Holy Spirit is present and working in the church. Here we find a church that has passion for God, is willing to sacrifice–even to the point of martyrdom–and is a miracle-working church. Why would we think that God wants the church to be something different today? Would anyone seriously rather have the church in Calvin’s day or the church in twentieth-century America as the model of normal church life? [p. 114]

People who want more of God and more of the gifts of the Spirit almost always feel that things are moving too slowly. They almost always fear that they are going to miss out. But if you really desire more of God and more of his gifts, it is a sign that the mercy of God is resting upon you. These desires were put into your heart by your heavenly Father, and he has not drawn you this far to abandon you or leave you unfulfilled. The holy frustration you feel right now is meant to drive you on. He wants you to be thankful for what you have, but he never wants you to be content with your present level of divine intimacy. Like the apostle Paul, he wants you to press on “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10). [p. 169]

I have already confessed that there was a gulf between my experience of God and the psalmists’ experience of God. If I were totally honest, I would have to admit that my experience was not only different from that of the psalmists but also different from that of every great hero in the Bible. They all seemed to exhibit a continuing passion for God that I had lost.

I had to do one of two things. I had to somehow get that passion back, or I had to find a good excuse for not having passion any more. I adopted a theological system that gave me an excuse for not having passion for God.

Here’s the system in a nutshell. Feelings are deceptive and are not to be trusted. In fact, all things subjective are to be distrusted. The Bible is objective, and therefore it alone can be trusted. The Bible tells us that he greatest commandment is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. This love is not primarily a feeling. Instead, love is actually obedience to the commands of God.

…I had embraced a form of Christianity that radically separated obedience and feelings. Obedience without emotion is nothing more than discipline or willpower. It is not love. You cannot take the passion out of love and still have love. True love manifests itself not only in acts but also in feelings. Affection and passion are indispensable aspects of love for God.
[p. 183-185]

Don’t be passive about acquiring passion for the Son of God. Make it the focus of your life. Put your eyes on the Son of God and leave them there (Heb 12:2), and you fill find yourself becoming like him. You will find yourself falling in love with him as you ask God day after day to consume you with passion for his glorious Son. And that passion, as it begins to occupy your heart, will conquer a thousand sins in your life. You will begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates. [p. 201]

Quotes from “The Spirit-filled Church” by Terry Virgo

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Terry Virgo is founder of Newfrontiers, a global Christian movement spanning over 60 countries and 800 churches. This book has given me much food for thought…

There seemed to be a number of different schools of thought regarding receiving the Spirit. Some simply taught that if you were a Christian you had already received the Holy Spirit, and that was that! They might add that during your Christian life you will hopefully gradually be increasingly filled with the Holy Spirit as you grow in grace and maturity.

This was the line that my own church took and I had yet to be exposed to the thunderings of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (in “Quenching the Holy Spirit”) when he challenged his hearers, “Got it all? Well, if you have got it all, I simply ask in the name of God why are you as you are? If you have got it all, why are you so unlike New Testament Christians? Got it all! Got it at your conversion! Well where is it, I ask?” [Virgo, p.32]

Regarding Acts 8:15-16, Martin Lloyd-Jones had this to say in “Joy Unspeakable”–

These people were already true believers on the Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified as their Savior. They had been baptized into his name because they had become believers, but still they were not baptized with the Holy Spirit. [Virgo, p.34]

In “Joy Unspeakable,” Martin Lloyd Jones writes–

If your doctrine of the Holy Spirit does not include this idea of the Holy Spirit falling upon people, it is seriously, grievously defective. This, it seems to me, has been the trouble especially during the present century, indeed almost for a hundred years. The whole notion of the Holy Spirit falling upon people has been discountenanced and discouraged… surely one of the prime explanations of the present state of the Christian Church. [Virgo, p.36]

Immediately new believers were baptized, the apostles laid hands on them and expected them to receive the Spirit–which they did! The youngest believer, once he was saved, was fully qualified to receive the Holy Spirit. [Virgo, p.37]

…the record of Scripture shows that after the Day of Pentecost no one was ever told to “wait for the Holy Spirit.” The youngest of believers simply received the laying on of hands. After Paul had baptized the men in Ephesus, he laid hands on them and they were instantly filled with the Spirit. [Virgo, p.37-38]

God is seeking those who will worship Him “in spirit and in truth,” not “in temperament and preference.” In God’s glorious kingdom extroverts will learn to be hushed in awe before Him and those formerly inhibited will be drunk with new wine. Peter did not argue on the Day of Pentecost, “These are not all drunk as you suppose but are a group of extroverts who prefer this kind of worship.” Certainly there will be great diversity in times of worship, but the variety should not be a reflection of our human failings and limitations but an outshining of the glorious multi-colored grace of God. [Virgo, p.71]

In “Westminster Record,” Martin Lloyd-Jones writes–

There were excesses in the church at Corinth, but what does Paul say to them? Does he say, “Never speak in tongues again, never prophesy again, never give vent to these feelings that you have within you.” He does not say anything of the sort. The whole atmosphere in the early church was charged with the Spirit and they expressed that in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

The really important question of us to face is, are we like the early church, are we like the early Christians, rejoicing and praising God, filled with gladness and joy so that we amaze the world and make them think at times that we are filled with new wine? Let us avoid all excesses, let everything be done decently and in order, but above all quench not the Spirit. Rather be filled with the Spirit and give evidence of the fact that you are. [Virgo, p.72]

Visions and prophecies often lead us in the conflict of prayer and give us a sense of direction. [Virgo, p.108]

Modern churches are built on all sorts of foundations. Some are built on tradition, some on institution, and some on democracy or sentimentality… The unwieldy “majority church vote” can successfully keep such a church rooted in a bygone century…

Churches are sometimes built on a predominantly pastoral gift. When this is the case, they run the risk of concentrating on the needs of the flock rather than on the purpose of God. The flock can come to see pastoral care as the key factor of church life. The church can be constantly evaluated on the basis of whether their personal needs are being met rather than whether God’s purpose is being fulfilled. For instance, pragmatic changes that should be made in the church program can be withstood because of undue consideration being given to any discomfort the congregation might face. Thus necessary small-group subdivisions or multiple services might be resisted by a church simply because people express their personal preferences instead of embracing God’s guidance for incorporating growth. [Virgo, p.115]

If a church is built essentially and exclusively on a teaching gift, it will tend to produce a preaching center that gathers a crowd but does not build a body. If the major leadership role is in the hands of an evangelist, the local church will reflect the immediacy of his burden for the lost, but again it will not build all that God wants for the local church.

The New Testament teaches that a church will succeed when the vital ministries of pastor, teacher and evangelist are built on an apostolic/prophetic foundation. Without exposure to a prophet, a whole congregation may be Spirit-filled and speaking int tongues, but not know why. Even good churches, if they are not caught up with God’s ultimate intention, will find themselves becoming parochial and stagnating instead of reaching the world. The prophet insists on reminding us of our true identity and our calling to make disciples of all the nations. He will not allow us to settle as an inward-looking group. [Virgo, p.115-116]

Appointments without gifting will soon turn the church into a cold institution. If a man is not called or gifted but holds office, he is simply an appointment, and we begin to drift away from biblical norms to religious externality.

Those appointed by God into positions of leadership in the church have a high calling. They not only teach the word and lead the people, they also set the tone of the church. They create its atmosphere and style and establish its philosophy of ministry. Their own sense of calling and destiny provides security, motivation and direction to the church…

We should not be surprised to note a great contrast between churches led by genuine, anointed leaders who are loved, valued, respected and given freedom to lead, and churches where democracy rules. Boards and committees, elections and voting are unknown in Scripture. There must come a rediscovery of biblical norms where the Holy Spirit calls and equips leadership and where that leadership is given room to operate. [Virgo, p.128]

Where tradition is the entrenched norm, and democratic power is held by a majority who treasure the past, we should not be surprised to note little freedom of movement or spiritual progress. When the Holy Spirit says, “Behold, I do a new things,” sadly the democratic vote will often reply, “Not here, you won’t.” [Virgo, p.129]

Spiritual authority must leave room to breathe and must never dominate people’s lives. Once leaders have offered their counsel, they must give people space–the chance to find out for themselves what God is saying. [Virgo, p.134]

Modern churches have often resorted to electing their leaders, but those elected into office can similarly be voted out of office, so the temptation to be a man-pleaser is considerable. Appointed by the congregation, such leaders are accountable to the congregation. When there is no anointing, democracy is probably the safest form of church government. But when God begins to give anointed leadership, democracy must make room for Him to have His way.

In the New Testament the whole matter was far more charismatic in the word’s truest sense. The Spirit-led appointment of elders was an important part of the apostles’ foundation-laying ministry. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we resort to man-made structures with varying degrees of success, even leading to manifest disaster. [Virgo, p.150]

Book Review and Quotes from “The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts” (Sam Storms)

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Luke 11 (HCSB)
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Dr. Sam Storms (bio) is a former professor of theology at Wheaton College and is pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Storms is what I would call a Conservative Charismatic, meaning he is Reformed in this theology while still being open to the charismatic activity of the Holy Spirit. If you are a cessationist (you believe the spiritual gifts have ceased) and you wondered about the continuationist position (the spiritual gifts have continued and are still in use today), then please read this book “The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts” with an open mind.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in an introduction into the spiritual gifts that is biblically grounded.

In this review (mostly quotes from the book), I did not get into the specifics of each spiritual gift listed in 1 Cor 12. For the specifics, you will have to read the book for yourself.

Table of Contents

  • When Power Comes to Church
  • Right? Wrong!
  • Words of Wisdom and Knowledge
  • Faith and Healing
  • It’s a Miracle!
  • Prophecy and Distinguishing of Spirits
  • Who Said God Said?
  • What is the Gift of Tongues
  • Tongues and Interpretation in the Church
  • Letting Your Gift Find You

Spiritual gifts must never be viewed deistically, as if a God “out there” has sent some “thing” to us “down here.” Spiritual gifts are God present in, with and through human thoughts, human deeds, human words, human love. (p12)

Spiritual gifts are the presence of the Spirit Himself coming to relatively clear, even dramatic, expression in the way we do ministry. Gifts are God going public among His people. To reject spiritual gifts, to turn from this immediate and gracious divine enabling, is, in a sense, to turn from God. It’s no small issue whether one affirms or denies these manifestations of the divine presence. In affirming them, we welcome Him. In denying them, we deny Him. (p13)

…the Church is woefully short of the life-changing, Christ-honoring power of the supernatural activity of the Spirit. (p16)

I find it nothing short of remarkable that to a church obsessed and glutted with spiritual gifts; to a church awash in spiritual gifts (1 Cor 1:5-7); indeed, to a church that had abused spiritual gifts, Paul wrote, “Earnestly desire spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 14:1)! …The solution to the abuse of spiritual gifts is not prohibition, but correction. Paul simply told them, “Do it right!” In other words, “Don’t do it less; just do it better!” …the problem was not spiritual gifts. The problem was immature and unspiritual people. The point is that supression of spiritual zeal is never the answer. The solution to abuse is not disuse, but proper use. (p29-31)

…some gifts, such as teaching, leadership, tongues, mercy and so on, are more likely permanent and can be exercised at will; whereas other gifts, such as prophecy, healing and miracles are always subject to the sovereign purpose and timing of the Spirit. (p32)

If miracles were essential in the physical presence of the Son of God, how much more so now in His absence! Are you prepared to suggest that the Bible is capable of doing now, in our century, what Jesus couldn’t do in His? Jesus Himself believed it essential to draw upon the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit throughout the course of His earthly ministry. If the glorious presence of the Son of God did not preclude the need for miraculous phenomena, how dare we suggest that our possession of the Bible does! (p33)

We mistakenly think that if the manifestation of the Spirit is more explicit, then the individual is more mature, or at least more favored of God, or surely, if nothing else, more useful to the Church. Or we think that because someone has more than one gift, that person has more of the Holy Spirit. The fact is that a person with 10 gifts may be less mature than a person with only 1. …We would all do well to heed Paul’s counsel (1 Cor 4:7). (p36-37)

This was the generation [first century] whose preaching (of Paul and Stephen and Philip and Paul) was more anointed than the preaching of any generation following. If any preaching was the power of God unto salvation and did not need accompanying signs and wonders, it was this preaching. Moreover, this was the generation with more immediate and compelling evidence of the truth of the Resurrection than any generation since. Hundreds of eyewitnesses to the risen Lord were alive in Jerusalem. If any generation in the history of the Church knew the power of preaching and the authentication of the gospel from firsthand evidence of the Resurrection, it was this one. Yet it was they who prayed passionately for God to stretch forth His hand in signs and wonders. (p94-95)

He [the Holy Spirit] will rarely, if ever, force Himself in a manifestation or display of a gift or any other supernatural or natural expression. The Spirit willingly subjects Himself to the will and timing of the believer (1 Cor 14:32). (p141)

Most believers long for maturity and theological integrity, and encouraging speech and growth. But few realize that these things are all tied to the proper exercise of spiritul gifts in the life of the Church (Eph 4:13-16). (p200)

God will more likely meet us with His gifts in the midst of trying to help His children than He ever would while we’re taking a spiritual gifts analysis test. …Look for what’s missing and supply it. When you do, the power of God–the energizing, enabling, charismatic activity of the Holy Spirit–will equip you, perhaps only once, but possibly forever, to minister hope and encouragement to those in need. So, if you’re still wondering what your gift(s) might be, act first and ask later. (p202-203)

The King in His Beauty: Tom Schreiner on His New Biblical Theology

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This article was posted on the Gospel Coalition website. Really good book if you are trying to get deeper in the Word.

In the closing chapter of the Bible, faith vanishes into sight and the “age of the ear” yields to the “age of the eye” as God’s people see his face (Rev. 22:4). Isaiah’s ancient promise—”Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty” (Isa. 33:17)—becomes concrete, glorious, endless reality.

Thomas Schreiner, who has already written a Pauline theology and a New Testament theology, has now gifted the church with a whole-Bible theology titled The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (Baker Academic). With scholarly care and pastoral clarity, Schreiner traces the storyline of Scripture through all 66 books, demonstrating that the goal of God’s kingdom is to see the king in his beauty and be enraptured in his glory.

I corresponded with Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary and pastor of preaching at Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, about the scriptural significance of “place,” how grasping the “already but not yet” can help you slay sin, and more.

*************

In terms of structure, why did you opt for a book-by-book rather than a thematic approach? What are the benefits and drawbacks of going book by book?

I opted for the latter because I wanted to focus, as much as possible, on the specific content of each of the books in the Bible. A thematic approach helps us see more clearly the overarching storyline and unity of the Scriptures. On the other hand, though, a thematic approach may squeeze out or domesticate themes or emphases that don’t accord with the chosen theme. I don’t believe there is “one right way” to write a biblical theology, for the Scriptures are investigated with profit and delight from a number of different angles. So thematic and book-by-book approaches are both useful. I pursued the latter approach in an effort to attend to the warp and woof of the Scriptures while remaining constrained by the content of each book.

In the book you emphasize three interrelated themes: (1) God as Lord; (2) human beings as God’s image bearers; and (3) the place in which God’s rule is exercised. Could you elaborate on the meaning and significance of this third idea of “place”?

God didn’t create us as ethereal beings to float in some kind of spiritual netherworld. He created us as flesh-and-blood creatures to live in the world he formed and to rule that world for him. Adam and Eve as God’s vice-regents, dependent on him, were to rule the garden for his glory. They failed, of course, and the story of God reclaiming the world began (Gen. 3:15).

The story begins with baby steps and progresses at an incredibly slow pace. When God calls Abraham, he promises him universal blessing but begins by pledging the land of Canaan. But Abraham and his immediate heirs never possess the land. They live as exiles and sojourners in it (Heb. 11:13). Hundreds of years pass before Joshua conquers Canaan and the promise of the land is realized. Finally, Israel is poised to extend God’s kingdom to the world. I don’t have time to tell the whole story here, but Israel fails miserably and ends up going into exile. The promise is going backward!

Hundreds of years pass before Jesus comes, proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom of God. Jesus now reigns at the right hand of God in heaven and ultimately the entire universe will be under his reign. We’ve seen in the last 2,000 years as well that God’s purposes ripen slowly. His timetable isn’t ours. We’re called to be patient and to trust him.

What contribution are you trying to make to biblical theology and hermeneutics with this work?

I’m not attempting to break any new ground in this book or to propound any new scholarly theory. My hope is that the book would help those who read and teach the Scriptures to gain a better understanding of the whole counsel of God.

Can you explain the basic hermeneutical approach used in this book?

I attend to the storyline of the Bible as it unfolds, trying to listen to the voice of each author. What contribution to the story is made by Leviticus, Lamentations, and Luke? But at the same time I read the story canonically. In other words, I consider the voice of the divine author as well.

Let me give a specific example. We read the Song of Solomon in its historical context, as it it unfolds the delights and joys of marital love between a man and a woman. At the same time, however, there’s canonical warrant to read the book in terms of Christ’s relationship to the church. I’m not advocating an allegorical reading of the Song of Solomon, but I am suggesting the historical context isn’t the only level at which we should read the book.

To give another example, we read what Ezekiel says about the temple (Ezek. 40-48) both in its historical context and also in light of what John tells us about the heavenly temple in Revelation (Rev. 21-22).

Why is understanding the tension of the “already but not yet” so crucial to rightly understanding the Bible? How might grasping this practically help a Christian struggling with sin?

If we don’t understand the already but not yet, then we simply won’t and can’t understand the Scriptures. For example, when the kingdom comes in Jesus’ ministry, the dead are raised, demons are cast out, and the sick are healed. Satan’s kingdom is overthrown! The Gospel writers clarify that victory over sin and Satan are due to Christ’s death and resurrection.

But what does this mean for us today if the kingdom has come? After all, sickness is rampant, death seems to reign over all, and Satan is alive and well. The answer is the already but not yet. The kingdom has arrived in Jesus and, among other things, the gift of the Spirit demonstrates that the kingdom has come. And yet there’s an eschatological proviso. Christ is risen, but we await the day of our resurrection—the final day when disease, demons, and death are no more.

How does this perspective relate to our continuing struggle with sin? The already/not yet teaches us that we won’t obtain complete and final victory over sin during this life. Perfection won’t be ours until the day of resurrection, and so we’re called during this present evil age to wage war against sin, realizing at the same time we won’t be entirely free from it. The “already” warns us against passivity: we have the gift of the Spirit and therefore must walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, march in step with the Spirit, sow to the Spirit, and be filled with the Spirit. The “not yet” reminds us we are not all that we want to or will be.