Product Description
The massive diversity and complexity of the Bible can make it a daunting project for anyone to tackle. Getting a grasp on the unity of the Bible, its central message from Genesis to Revelation, helps immensely in understanding the meaning of any one book or passage. That is the goal of this book by Graeme Goldsworthy.

How do the Old and New Testaments fit together?
What is the point of biblical theology?
What is the overall story of the Bible?
What difference does it make?

Goldsworthy answers these questions with an integrated theology of both Old and New Testaments that avoids unnecessary technicalities. Concise, pithy chapters featuring dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make According to Plan an enormously useful book for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God's plan for salvation.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 7 reviews)

And They Remembered His Words

'Jesus not only saves us, He also informs our minds of the nature of the truth.
We cannot separate the saving and revealing work of Christ.' pg 48

Strongly akin to BB Warfield's apologetic in seeking grounds for the Christian faith in 'right reason', Graeme Goldsworthy develops hermeneutical pre-suppositions beneficial to Biblical Theology as a discipline. Yet the influence of the indomitable Geerhardus Vos is the distinctive design of this book, which as an independent work is of similar character. 'Because biblical history is inseparable from revelation it stretches beyond the limits of secular history in both directions.' pg 75 This work is altogether helpful to all those interested in Biblical Theology as it marks well the watershed era of biblical truth prevalent in the distinctive battles of Old Princeton, which may help us re-consider and re-evaluate the manifold errors advocated in altered doctrines of Scripture.

Bolstering the ideas that revelation and redemption have a divine origin, Goldsworthy retains his fidelity to Scripture by appropriating the history of God's associations with His creation in terms of progressive disclosure according to the secret counsel of His will, and yet, according to plan. 'God in fact reserves His greatest revelation until the point of fulfillment. Jesus does not simply fulfill the promises; rather, He is the final and fullest revelation of what the promises are really about. This means that the form and the content of the fulfillment exceeds by far the form and the content of the promises themselves. The very act of fulfilling the Old Testament promises is itself the most important revelation of all.' pg 65

This focus by Goldsworthy on how, why, where and what Biblical Theology is, comes to its fullest expression in the historical life of Christ, as the Holy Spirit solemnly attests to: 'Every word of the New Testament comes from the Holy Spirit's testimony to Jesus.' pg 50 And, again, 'Our only knowledge of Christ comes from the Scriptures, and they give a united testimony to Him. Christ is proclaimed as the one who reveals God to us; He is the Word of God. God has ensured that the Bible gives an infallible testimony to Christ.' pg 47

Through his appeal to pre-suppositions that have been historically identified with believing Christian scholarship, Goldsworthy precludes critical scholarship which has sought to divest the Bible of its divine investitures and heavenly disclosures, brilliantly anticipating modern anti-soterical thought evident in the church. 'Thus, when the biblical theologian sets out to describe the theology that is in the Bible, he must understand the pre-suppositions that he accepts as the basis of his method.' pg 44

In showing his allegiance to a thoroughly biblical method of investigation, Graeme Goldsworthy has sounded a courageous call for the authority of the Scripture. 'Textual criticism is a necessary task whereby the oldest known texts of the biblical documents are compared along with various ancient translations into other languages (called versions), and the history of these texts inquired into in an attempt to uncover the most reliable text of the Old and New Testaments. Notwithstanding the negative and unacceptable aspects of such scholarship, many of the questions being asked are valid and relevant. It is also concerned with whether the biblical form is the original form or whether it involved the use of earlier traditions either oral or written.' pg 33

Goldsworthy recaptures the unity of the Old and New Testaments by reminding us that Jesus Himself said that Old Testament Scripture was to be fulfilled by His coming. 'Those who looked for a literal fulfillment of the Old Testament promises failed to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment. They should have understood the Scriptures better than they did, but even that would not have been enough. It needed Jesus' own word about Himself (Luke 24:8) and the Holy Spirit's testimony through the apostles.' pg 66

His congenial affirmation of the exclusivity of the gospel is re-assuring, stating that it remains the power of God unto salvation:

'Jesus Christ is the one mediator between man and God (1 Tim 2:5). God's word in the Bible is mediated to us through Jesus Christ. There is no direct word from the Father to you and me.' pg 72

October 29, 2008

The Best Introduction to Biblical Theology Available

I just finished reading According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy. This is the book I've been waiting for since my graduation from seminary. One of the more revolutionary topics which I was taught in seminary is called Biblical Theology also known as the study of Redemptive History. I still have fond memories of wading through Vos's classic on the subject, Biblical Theology. A study of Biblical Theology opened my eyes to the consistent covenantal work of redemption accomplished by God through history. It was like reading the Bible for the first time as I saw type and antitype, promise and fulfillment, redemption accomplished and applied.

The only difficulty is that Vos's Biblical Theology is thick reading. It is certainly not something you just toss at someone and say, "Enjoy!" There should be a warning on the inside cover that reads, "Read only under the supervision of someone trained in Theology." Thus my dilemma, I wanted those under my pastoral care to understand Biblical theology but I did not have a helpful, lay-level teaching tool.

That is why I am so grateful for Goldsworthy's work. I have heard for a few years now that Goldsworthy had taken up Vos's mantle, publishing a number of very helpful books written around the theme of the Kingdom of God, found together under the title Goldswothy Trilogy: (Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, Gospel and Revelation). I just had yet to read any of them. This book, According to Plan, by Goldsworthy's own admission, is intended to be a primer for his other works.

Goldsworthy accomplishes two goals in this book. First, he presents an overview of the study of Biblical Theology with special emphasis on Scripture's central theme: the person and work of Jesus Christ. Second, he takes a tour de force through Scripture tracing the movement of God's covenant founded Kingdom from Creation through Abraham and David, culminating in Jesus Christ and the New Testament church.

You might think after considering the depth and breadth of these two goals that this book would read like a masters level dissertation. But therein lies the genius of this book: deep, solid theology packaged to be understood and digested easily by those without a seminary education. Each chapter is short enough to read in short stints. Not only are there summaries at the end of each chapter but there are also short summary sentences after each subpoint in each chapter. Goldsworthy adds numerous diagrams to help illustrate his points and spends the last two chapters giving examples of how one might do Biblical theology. Someone went to a great deal of trouble to make this book incredibly easy to read. That work does not go unrewarded given that Biblical Theology is such an important but often confusing topic.

Someone with previous theological education will find this book to be a great refresher course on the basics of redemptive history. But it does not just rehash Vos's Biblical Theology. Goldsworthy has done some excellent scholarly work in the area of Biblical Theology. Much of this new work comes into the book with a greater emphasis on covenant, kingdom, and especially Christ.

I especially appreciated Goldsworthy's overt focus on Jesus Christ as the culmination of history, the centerpiece of the Bible. The complexities of Biblical Theology can often lead the unsuspecting student away from the cross and into interesting but periphery rabbit trails. Goldsworthy masterfully calls the reader back to Christ again and again. I cannot recommend this book enough to pastors and laymen alike. It will serve the church and seminaries for years to come as the definitive primer for Biblical Theology.
August 13, 2008

Great Treatment

Biblical Theology and the treatment of the narrative of scripture as a whole are sadly lost to most modern American Christians. Goldsworthy gives these a great treatment in "According to Plan." He discusses different ways of studying theology and then uses a "Biblical" approach to go through scripture and tie it together. (The only problem with Biblical Theology is the name. It makes it sound as though other forms of theology aren't biblical.) He ties the Old Testament to the New in such a way that the gospel is the lens through which to view the OT; but when you look at the OT through that lens, it serves to clarify and comment on the NT. The book is readable and easy to follow.

This book may not be the best for the "heavyweights" out there who have been through this stuff before. They may seek a book that delves a little deeper and is a little more exegetical. But it is one of the best introductions to the subject of Biblical Theology that there is and I highly recommend it.
August 07, 2008

Great book

In According to Plan, Goldsworthy endeavors to show the New and Old Testaments fit together. He does that, by responding to fundamental biblical questions: What is the overall story of the Bible? What is the aim of biblical theology? And what is the relationship between both testaments?

The book is the sequel of the author's two former published works. "In Gospel Kingdom," his first volume; Goldsworthy's aim was to help Christians understanding the OT Scripture through the use of biblical theology method. His subsequent works entitled "THe Gospel in Revelation and Gospel and Wisdom give a full treatment to the topic. Both books supplement his former work by showing the relationship of the OT wisdom literature and the book of Revelation. "According to Plan" completes the author's work as he demonstrates the integration of both New and Old Testament Scriptures.

To answer the first question, what is biblical theology?
It is, in effect, the study of the message of the Bible, said the author (20). Biblical theology aims the reader solves problematic passages in the Bible "by relating them to the one message of the Bible (21). Moreover, Goldsworthy believes that every part of the Bible ultimately points to the person and saving work of Christ. The overall grasp of the biblical message is essential to comprehend each text individually. He writes, "Behind this endeavor is the conviction that learning to grasp the unity of the Bible, of its one overall message from Genesis to Revelation, is necessary for a right understanding of the meaning of any individual text" (7).

Goldsworthy is correct when he writes, "Every Christian is a theologian" (30).Hence, Christians are theologians because they know God and think about Him and make statements that relate to Him in direct and intimate ways. More importantly, Christians are theologians because of their relationships with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

How can we know anything? Or how can we know anything about God? According to the author, the question of epistemology is one of the most contentious issues in philosophy and theology. For the Christian theist, knowledge is dependent on God. Christian scholars often contend that God is the source of all knowledge and all understanding. What is knowable is, therefore disclosed by God. Man is dependent on God for his continuous existence and for anything that he comes to know and identify as "knowledge and truth." Goldsworthy notes that, in secular humanism; knowledge is independent from God. Humanists tenaciously argue that we can only know certain things through our senses. In other words, we use our entire faculty to come to the understanding of the world, ourselves, and everything around us. This position promotes human's strengths and rests solely on human's ability. This view, in particular, denies anything supernatural or transcendent. It is also the belief that rejects anything that cannot be comprehended by the human's reason and our natural mind.

"According to Plan" is both an introduction to integrated biblical theology and an attempt to present the whole message of God's revelation

January 15, 2006

Mr. Goldsworthy's Best Book!

If you enjoy Mr. Goldsworthy's book Gospel and the Kingdom, you will love this book. It is much more organized and thorough. It is probably my third favorite book on the subject of the Kingdom behind Announcing the Kingdom and God's Big Picture. The biggest disappointment of this book is Mr. Goldsworthy's assertions (assertions because if Scripture might imply a truth we have not right then to assert it) concerning Christ being the New Isreal and, thus, reading a "spiritual" reality into every promise of God following Christ. Up to that point it was an excellent book, but Mr. Goldsworthy's presuppositions force him to interpret scripture without foundation. A good book and a must read if one is very interested in other viewpoints on the Kingdom.
December 29, 2005

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Exploring the Unity & Diversity of Scripture
by Brian S. Rosner, T. Desmond Alexander, Graeme Goldsworthy, D. A. Carson

God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible
by Vaughan Roberts

Goldswothy Trilogy: (Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, Gospel and Revelation)
by Graeme Goldsworthy

Preaching the Whole Bible As Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching
by Graeme Goldsworthy

Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible, A: Playing by the Rules
by Robert H. Stein