The Law

The Prophets

The Writings

Biblical Theology

h

Systematic Theology

j

Bible Study

Books

Articles

Blog Posts

Prayers & Poems

Audio Resources

Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament

by | Oct 31, 2022 | Announcements, Books, Christ, Covenant, DeRouchie, Prophets & Prophecy, The Glory of God

King, Andrew M., and Brian J. Tabb, eds. Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022.
Jesus says that what we call the Old Testament Scriptures “bear witness about me” (John 5:39) and that to “understand the Scriptures” means that we will see them declaring “that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:45–47). Jesus also claims that “[Abraham] saw [my day] and was glad” (John 8:56), that “[Moses] wrote of me” (5:46), and that “many prophets and kings desired to see what you see” (Luke 10:24). Such texts testify that Christ is indeed in the Old Testament. Yet not all agree on what this means or implies for the church today.

In this new five views book, I join with an international cast of scholars to debate how best to understand that, “what God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18), and that the Old Testament prophets who foretold the saving grace that is ours in Christ “searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” (1 Pet 1:10–11). The five scholars and views are as follows:
  1. The First Testament Approach––John Goldingay
  2. The Christotelic Approach––Tremper Longman III
  3. The Reception-Centered, Intertextual Approach––Havilah Dharamraj
  4. The Redemptive-Historical, Christocentric Approach––Jason S. DeRouchie
  5. The Premodern Approach––Craig A. Carter

I was committed to this project because “the knowledge of God’s glory in Christ” is a treasure (2 Cor 4:6–7; cf. Matt 13:44) and because it is in “beholding the glory of the Lord” that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18). I long for God’s people to see and savor Christ faithfully in the whole of Scripture wherever he is found.

The For the Church blog team interviewed Dr. Andrew King (book editor) and myself regarding the project, and I encourage you to check out our responses to their questions. Our exchange sets the book in context and also helps Christians have discernment when reading the differing perspectives: https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/five-views-of-christ-in-the-old-testament/.

Also, Dr. King and I participated in a Midwestern Seminary BookTalk, which serves to introduce the volume, clarify its importance, and guide readers in using the whole with benefit: https://vimeo.com/765749154?fbclid=IwAR0d48lVmyW5UB5uRYiINuFd4gZ7QlMdQPTsGLIF6xpjW4GOgECBsRyppV4.

For a brief excerpt from my chapter, see: https://ftc.co/resource-library/book-reviews/principles-for-seeing-and-celebrating-christ-in-his-scriptures/.