Whenever a gospel-centered book is published I’m pleased, but when one is published specifically for children I’m especially pleased. I want my children to be reading books that help them understand the gospel more deeply, books that point them to Jesus. So, when I heard about the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, I was thrilled. Our family’s copy arrived just over a week ago. My children are thoroughly enjoying it (and so am I). It is very well written and does a fantastic job capturing Scripture’s big picture. Sally has served Christian families very well with this book. If you are looking for another resource that will help your children better understand the significance of Jesus’ person and work, this is a book you’ll want to pick up.

Sally graciously agreed to be interviewed about the book. My hope is that this interview will help make more people, particularly parents, aware of this excellent storybook Bible.

1. Let me begin by asking the question that I’m fairly sure is on most everyone’s mind. Given that you are British and a Christian, it’s a question I know you’ve answered more times than you can probably count. Are you related to the Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

I love being asked this because I am a huge fan of Dr Lloyd-Jones, and it usually means I’ve found someone else who is, too. But even though I am from the same passionate celtic corner of the world (Wales), no, I’m not related to him. It’s all a bit of a let down, I’m afraid, and it’s all I can do not to apologize (which I’ve written more about and had some fun with in my blog)

2. When I first heard about The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every story whispers his name, I was thrilled that there was now a children’s Bible story book that put Jesus at the center. What I especially appreciate about it is that you do this with 21 stories from the Old Testament. Why did you set out to write a children’s book like this? Why did you feel the need to write a Bible story book that presents Jesus as each story’s hero?

When I first saw that everything in the Old Testament, is pointing to a child—the one who is coming—it blew me away. Suddenly, here was a way to read the Bible without it leaving you condemned (I’ll never keep all the rules all the time) or in despair (how can I ever be as brave as Daniel? or David?).

I found it so moving when I started to discover how the Old Testament is basically one long record of failure—the failure of God’s people time and time again to live rightly, to rescue themselves—and that the stories in the Old Testament are all getting us ready for the One who is coming. They are all signposts to the True Hero, the True King, the True Prince, the True Servant, the greater David, the greater Daniel. The Rescuer.

As a child, I thought the Bible was packed with rules you had to keep (or God wouldn’t love you) and heroes setting examples you had to follow (or God wouldn’t love you). I thought, in short, that the Bible was all about me and what I should (or shouldn’t) be doing. Until I read a Story.

It’s the Story running like a golden stream underneath all the other stories in the Bible: the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. Suddenly, I realized the Bible wasn’t about me and what I should be doing at all. It was about God and what he had done. And it changed everything.

So, throughout the mapping out of the book and writing the stories, I was resolute in my determination to avoid even a whiff of moralizing in terms of applying the stories. The absolute last thing I ever wanted to ask a child was: “And what can we learn from David about how God wants us to behave?” The story isn’t there to be an example for us to follow. If that were the point, Jesus would never needed to have come. We could have saved ourselves.

The story is there because it’s true and because it’s telling the bigger story—of the greater David who is coming. To do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, to fight the battle we could never fight. To be the Hero we all need. To be our Rescuer.

I wanted children to know this Story—and to meet this wonderful Hero in the pages of this book. Because rules don’t change you. But a story can.

3. I know that you are a long time member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church where Tim Keller is pastor. What kind of influence has Tim Keller had on you as a Christian in general and as a writer in particular?

Dr Keller’s influence on me is profound. But Grace would be the first word that comes to my mind. Grace, grace and more grace! And his teaching is always all about Jesus. He opened my eyes to seeing Jesus in all the scriptures. And that’s what melts your heart. And changes your life.

For me, as a writer, Dr Keller gives a rallying cry to the imagination every time he preaches! And I find myself more equipped and fired up to write. He has also helped me to understand that I honor God most when I use the gifts he has given me and freed me to pursue excellence in my writing and to see my writing as my ministry—my way to serve and bless others. I don’t need to get out of my job to serve God. God has put me in my job to serve him here. And my job just happens to be to tell the best story I can. Whatever story that may be.

It blows me away to think… God is just as pleased with me for writing a little pink book shaped like a handbag that makes children laugh (HANDBAG FRIENDS) as he is with me for writing THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE. But it shouldn’t surprise us should it? After all he is the same God who thought up the ostrich—and designed exactly how she would look when she ran!

C S Lewis said, “A book cannot be what a writer is not” and I’ve come to see that if grace and joy and redemption have transformed your heart and your life—it will also transform your writing. You won’t be able to help it. Grace and joy and redemption will leak out into everything. The Story ultimately will be in everything you write—whether you meant it to or not.

4. What Old Testament story in your book is your favorite and why?

That’s a great question and hard to answer. I think I’d have to say what children say when asked a question like this, “They’re ALL my favorites!”

When selecting which stories to include (unfortunately I had to pick and choose!) and deciding which angle to take in each story, I chose the angle or the stories that moved me the most. So, I love them for different reasons.

But if I had to choose one, funnily enough I think that one of the hardest to write is probably one of my favorites: Leah and Rachel. I love it because it combats what I see my nieces already having to battle even at 4 and 5 years old—the message that beauty is what the world tells you it is—instead of what God says it is. God loved Leah and thought she was special and gave her the ultimate fairytale come true story: he made her a princess—one of her children’s children’s children would be a prince. The Prince of Heaven and Earth. The fairy tale really does come true. The Hero comes back for his lost treasure; the Prince comes back for the one he loves. And “the ending of our Story is Joy!”

5. What did the process of writing this book do for you spiritually?

It was like having a personal mini revival at my desk every day and at the same time, a personal major all out battle at my desk every day.

This was not an easy book for me to write or produce (as any of my faithful praying friends and family will attest!) and yet those things that demand most of you, cost you the most, push you the furthest, often end up being your most precious treasure of all. I am so grateful that the Lord didn’t let me quit the many times I wanted to and that he protected the book and brought it out the way he wanted it.

From the outset, the Lord gave me a vision for this book that he also gave me the strength to keep hold of no matter what, even when it seemed impossible. I grew through it not just as a writer, but also as a Christian. I learned that despite all the internal resistance that comes up for me whenever I set out to do something new (all those reasons why you can’t do this, shouldn’t be doing that, should give up, are wasting your time, etc.) my job is to just get out of the way and let the Story through. I can’t afford the luxury of self-doubt. Someone said that and I aspire to that.

Certainly by the time I’d finished writing the book, I had a whole new level of awe for the incredible Story I am part of. And I had definitely fallen more in love with its Hero!

6. What kinds of reactions to the book have you received from parents and children so far?

It sounds strange, but the consistent reaction from many adults is that it makes them weep. (I think that’s good? Hope so!) Parents are reading it to one another as their devotional before bed. Pastors are using it to help them with their preaching. I heard someone call it, “the storybook for preachers”.

And of course families are reading it together. Teenagers and college students have told me they are enjoying it. I heard from one dad that his young boys listen to each of the stories and as they near the end of each story, they whisper just one word: “Jesus.” I couldn’t ask for a better response. May all of us to be whispering his name in all the stories of our lives!

So the book seems to be breaking out of the traditional audience for a children’s storybook bible, which I didn’t foresee and am thrilled by. I like books that break out of the mold.

With a children’s book you must distill everything down to its simplest form. Arthur Schopenhauer’s said, “use ordinary language to say extraordinary things”. The Story is extraordinary; using simple language lets it through more powerfully. I think adults are responding because they are hearing the complete plot line of the Bible told in its distilled form, and they are being reminded of the magnificent story that we are all a part of.

7. I was recently telling a parent of young children about your new book and its objective. After quickly writing the title of your book down, she asked how she might learn to do what you do in the book with other Old Testament stories. I’m sure many parents will wonder the same thing. How might parents learn to discern how each biblical story whispers Jesus’ name?

That’s a great question. I will just share what helped me, for what it’s worth.

Without a doubt, I could not have written this book if I had not had the benefit of Dr Tim Keller’s teaching. And he is the first one I credit in my acknowledgments. There’s always a point in every sermon he preaches, where everything looks to Jesus. It’s the turning point of the sermon. It’s the point where Grace comes in. So I’d recommend listening to as many of Keller’s sermons as you can—or other great sermons doing the same thing.

I also got hold of a tape series from a theological seminary to help me follow the plot line of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation. That will give you all the connections and fill in any gaps you may have and prime you to be ready to read the OT stories with Jesus in mind.

Then I prayed before reading each story in the OT to ask God to show me the angle to use. And then mostly, I let myself be guided by what moved me, knowing that what moved me I would write with passion and tears. As Frost said, “no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.”

For each story I identified what character trait/truth of Jesus to draw out from that story (always many more than one). I thought about each story as building a portrait of Jesus. And told the story with that trait central in my mind so that the entire story turns on it.

Hans Hoffman said: “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” I keep that taped in front of my desk.

8. Are there any other children’s Bible story books that you would recommend to parents?

I love the Beginners Bible because it broke the mold.

9. Any plans to write a sequel?

Not right now… but never say never!

I do have another Bible coming from Zondervan in the Fall (TINY BEAR’S BIBLE, September) but it’s quite different—it’s much shorter for a start, it rhymes, and…wait for it… it’s entirely covered in fur! So…a slight change of pace.

Sally, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. I know many people are excited about your new book. It’s my prayer that God will do much with this book for His Kingdom.

Thank you so much for your interest Dan. It was my pleasure. It’s God’s Story and my honor to have been able to tell it. And as to God using this book for His Kingdom … AMEN!

Justin Buzzard has interviewed Graeme Goldsworthy over at his blog. If you are not familiar with Goldsworthy (or even if you are) or are new to gospel-centeredness discussion, particularly as it relates to interpretation, you’ll want to check this interview out. Thanks, Justin, for making this Goldsworthy interview available.

I can’t think of another book that I have looked forward to more than I am looking forward to this one. Graeme Goldsworthy has written another book about gospel-centered interpretation that is scheduled to come out this next March: Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation (320 pages).

“The focus of Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics is not word studies but ‘Word study’: a sustained reflection on the priority and centrality of the good news concerning Jesus Christ as the distinct way that Scripture interprets Scripture and, indeed, all of reality. Goldsworthy’s attention to the role of biblical theology in biblical interpretation is particularly welcome, providing a refreshing contrast to what often gets produced by the contemporary hermeneutics industry. And by highlighting the gospel of Jesus Christ, he puts the evangel back into evangelical hermeneutics.” —Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

While there are many books on hermeneutics, Graeme Goldsworthy’s perception is that evangelical contributions often do not give sufficient attention to the vital relationship between hermeneutics and theology, both systematic and biblical.

In Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, Goldsworthy moves beyond a reiteration of the usual arguments to concentrate on the theological questions of presuppositions, and the implications of the Christian gospel for hermeneutics. In doing so, he brings fresh perspectives on some well-worn pathways.

Part I examines the foundations and presuppositions of evangelical belief, particularly with regard to biblical interpretation.

Part II offers a selective overview of important hermeneutical developments from the sub-apostolic age to the present, as a means of identifying some significant influences that have been alien to the gospel.

Part III evaluates ways and means of reconstructing truly gospel-centered hermeneutics.

Goldsworthy’s aim throughout is to commend the much-neglected role of biblical theology in hermeneutical practice, with pastoral concern for the people of God as they read, interpret and seek to live by his written Word.

This one will be more than just on my shelf.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

One of the main objectives of this blog is to encourage preaching that is gospel-centered. Because of this emphasis I am occassionally asked, “What does a gospel-centered sermon look like?” Those who have asked me this question are often already convinced of the necessity of preaching from a gospel-centered perspective, but how this kind of sermon should actually look in practice is still not clear to them. So, below you’ll find a link to a sermon I recently preached that is an attempt to preach a gospel-centered sermon on the baptism and temptation of Christ (Matthew 3:13-4:11). My emphasis is not on the illustrative value of this section of narrative. Rather, it’s on how this baptism and temptation narrative fits within the unfolding of salvific history.

To download: right click on link below and select “save as”

Vicarious Humanity

P.S. the first couple minutes of the sermon were not recorded. A written version of the missing introduction is below.

P.P.S. If you want to expose yourself to sermons that are consistently and beautifully gospel-centered, listen to Tim Keller. I agree with Mark Lauterbach when he says, “No one, and I mean no one, preaches Gospel saturated messages better than Tim Keller. Buy his sermons and see how the Gospel is everywhere in the Bible.”

Sermon Introduction:

I have the privilege of teaching 18-19 year old young people an introductory course on Bible study. Teaching freshman in this particular area is one of the most exciting things that I do. One of the areas where I have to work extremely hard to correct their thinking is in how they approach biblical narrative. Every freshman who has entered my classroom the past year and half has treated all biblical narrative texts as if there primary purpose is to be illustrative. There seems to be this underlying conviction that biblical narrative is primarily for exemplary value. In other words, they all seem to assume that the primary intention of the biblical writers is to give us examples to follow or not to follow to aide us in navigating life. So what I spend a considerable amount of class time doing is demonstrating that biblical narrative is primarily historical rather than illustrative.

What do I mean by historical narrative? By that I mean that biblical narrative is primarily about what God has done within space and time to accomplish redemption. It is not primarily about illustrating how we should live within space and time. Biblical narrative is primarily about God’s entrance into history to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The reason is spend so much time arguing that biblical narrative is historical rather than illustrative is because when our dominant focus is on the illustrative value of the text, the gospel of Jesus Christ begins to lose its central place in our thinking and living. And when preachers primarily preach narrative as illustrative material, the gospel subtly loses its centrality functionally in the life and practice of the church.

As long as we live on this side of glorification, we will always be tempted to interpret biblical narrative as illustrative rather than historical. So what I would like to do this morning is look at a text, half of which is too often thought of as illustrative rather than an historical account of God’s activity within history to accomplish redemption.

Matthew 3:13-4:1 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” [4:1] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

This post is the manuscript of a seminar that was originally written for a men’s retreat. But even though I wrote it specifically for men, it has application for all who desire to be gospel-driven. If you want to save the document in WORD format, click on the link below. Blessings!

Real Men are Gospel-Driven lecture notes

Real Men (and women) are Gospel-Driven
Dan Cruver

Introduction: The title of my session is “Real Men are Gospel-Driven.” I could have entitled it “Real Men are Gospel-Centered” just as easily. But in either case, the topic as it stands has broad application. I could talk about men being gospel-driven as husbands, as fathers, as congregants, as servants, as leaders, as employees or employers, etc., but my emphasis here is not so broad. What I’m primarily concerned with here is men being gospel-driven as students of Scripture. Why? Because it seems to me that if men are gospel-driven in this way, if men are gospel-driven in their study and application of Scripture, then they will increasingly become more gospel-driven in all these other areas of life. A husband and father who is a gospel-driven student of Scripture will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven as a husband and father. A single man who interprets and applies Scripture from a gospel-driven or gospel-centered perspective will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven in all of his relationships. So even though my primary concern here is with the study of Scripture, I’m not losing sight of the big picture.

At this point someone might say, “What does it even mean to be gospel-driven? I’m not sure I know what it means in general let alone what it means to be gospel-driven as a student of Scripture.” For now let me merely introduce an answer to that question by quoting Jerry Bridges from his article entitled “Gospel-Driven Sanctification.” Hopefully, by the time we conclude this session today you will have a fuller understanding of what it means to be gospel-driven particularly as it relates to Bible study. Regarding progressive-sanctification Bridges writes:

“We must always keep focused on the gospel because it is in the nature of sanctification that as we grow, we see more and more of our sinfulness. Instead of driving us to discouragement, though, this should drive us to the gospel. It is the gospel believed every day that is the only enduring motivation to pursue progressive sanctification even in those times when we don’t seem to see progress. That is why I use the expression ‘gospel-driven sanctification’ and that is why we need to ‘preach the gospel to ourselves every day’” (from “Gospel-Driven Sanctification” by Jerry Bridges).

What is gospel-driven sanctification? According to Jerry Bridges, it is sanctification that is motivated and empowered by the gospel. At the heart of gospel-driven sanctification is the conviction that the gospel is the very power of God for growing in Christ-likeness (cf. Romans 1:16-17). So, what is a gospel-driven man as it relates to life in general? To state it succinctly, a gospel-driven man is a man who lives and breathes the gospel. He is a man (1) who believes that the gospel is not just the power of God to give him entrance into the Christian life, but also the power of God to live the entirety of his Christian life; and (2) who lives accordingly.

What is a gospel-driven man as it relates to the study of Scripture in particular? He is a man (1) who believes that the center and ultimate reference point of Holy Scripture is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and (2) who interprets and applies Scripture accordingly. That being said, let’s consider the following two points as it relates to being gospel-driven men in our study of Scripture: (1) The Essential Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Perspective; and (2) The Functional Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Paradigm. Read the rest of this entry »

2 Timothy 3:16-17 is often used, and rightly so, when discussing the value of personal Bible study. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable…that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” The value of Bible study for the believer is that it is the means by which God equips him/her for Christian living. Given that Paul is primarily referring to the OT Scriptures in this context (verse 15, “sacred writings”), we can say that God in part equips believers to live the Christian life through the study of Genesis, Exodus, 1 & 2 Samuel, Esther, Ruth, Haggai, and every other OT book (side note: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 will not permit us to neglect the study of OT books like Haggai!).

Paul’s words to Timothy in these verses must be discussed when considering the necessity and benefit of studying Scripture. But there is a question that is not oftened asked when considering 2 Timothy 3:16-17, namely, how is it God equips believers for Christian living through an OT book like 1 Samuel? There are two common answers to this question.

(1) The stories of the OT were written down for our instruction. “Now these things [i.e. the things in Israel’s history spoken of in verses 1-5] took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did…Now these things happened to [Israel] as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11). So God equips us for every good work through a book like 1 Samuel by giving us examples to follow or not to follow. Samuel Driver puts it like this: “The importance and real significance of the narrative lies in the types of character which they exhibit, and in the moral and spiritual lessons which…may be deduced from them. The patriarchs are tupoi hemoon; and in their biographies examples of faith and goodness–and also, sometimes, of unworthiness and moral failure–are set vividly and expressively before us” (The Book of Genesis 247). Therefore, for example, God equips His people in biblical friendship through accounts like that of David and Jonathan’s friendship in 1 Samuel 20.

(2) The OT Scriptures reveal the character of God to us. We learn that He is holy, righteous, compassionate, faithful, etc. It is as we see by faith the character of God as it is revealed in the OT that we are equipped to live the Christian life. The OT does set forth examples to be followed or not followed, but, to play off the Samuel Driver quotation, “the importance and real significance of the narrative lies in the character of God as it is shown in the text.” So we are equipped to be faithful as we by faith see the faithfulness of God in His dealings with Israel in the OT. We are equipped to be loving as we…etc.

As far as I am concerned, there is really nothing inherently wrong with these two answers (though I do have serious problems with Samuel Driver’s statement). The only real problem that I have with them is that they do not go far enough. Does God equip us through the instruction of OT stories? Yes. Does God equip us through the OT Scriptures as they reveal the character of God? Yes. But we still have not really answered our question, namely, how does God equip believers for Christian living through an OT book like 1 Samuel?

Consider the context of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. While exhorting Timothy to continue in what he had taught him, Paul makes a significant statement concerning the OT Scriptures which must influence our understanding of verses 16-17. Paul tells Timothy that “the sacred writings” (i.e. the OT Scriptures) “…are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (verse 15). So according to Paul, 1 Samuel is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. As Donald Guthrie comments, “The mere reading of [the OT] Scriptures is ineffective in securing salvation unless faith is in operation, faith centered entirely in Christ” (The Pastoral Epistles 163). Concerning 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Graeme Goldsworthy states:

Paul here expresses the important hermeneutical principle that the Old Testament instructs us for salvation, but only in relation to Jesus Christ. The function of the gospel as the means of interpreting aright the Old Testament is inescapable…To understand the Bible correctly requires faith in Christ along with the Spirit’s enlightenment. Christ is revealed as the meaning of the Scriptures so that no part can be rightly understood without reference to him (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture 85).

It seems to me that we need to carry this thought over into verses 16-17. If the Scriptures are only able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ, must we also say that they are only able to equip us through faith in Christ? I believe the context indicates that God equips us by means of the Scriptures in the same He saves us by means of them, namely, through faith in His Son. To borrow from the language of Galatians 3:5-6, we are sanctified by faith in Christ just as we are justified by faith in Christ. It seems to me that 2 Timothy 3:15-17 ultimately requires us to understand and interpret every text in its necessary relationship to the Person and Work of Christ. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable…that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work through faith in Christ Jesus.”

I was reading Paul David Tripp’s Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands in preparation for a NT Survey lecture. I was once again reminded of two things: (1) how quickly I turn to finding my identity outside of Christ; and (2) how great is my identity as defined by the story of redemption. Here is the quotation:

“The Bible is a narrative, a story of redemption, and its chief character is Jesus Christ. He is the main theme of the narrative, and he is revealed in every passage in the book. This story reveals how God harnessed nature and controlled history to send his Son to rescue rebellious, foolish, and self-focused men and women. He freed them from bondage to themselves, enabled them to live for his glory, and gifted them with an eternity in his presence, far from the harsh realities of the Fall.

“This overarching story reflects the fact that our problem as human beings is deeper than the individual sins we commit eaach day, creating the specific problems that complicate our lives. Our deepest problem is that we seek to find our identity outside the story of redemption…We need a message big enough to overcome our natural human instinct to live for our own glory, pursue our own happiness, and forget that our lives are much, much bigger than this little moment of life…It is because our sin problem is so pervasive and so deeply ingrained that we need more from Scripture than insight, principles, understanding, or direction. An encyclopedic, problem-solving approach to Scripture is totally inadequate for the true depth of our need. We need something that will change us from the inside out–we need Christ! Only his person and work can free us from our slavery to self and our tendency to deify the creation. Only as we see our story enfolded in the larger story of redemption will we begin to live God-honoring lives. Lasting change begins when our identity, purpose, and sense of direction are defined by God’s story (Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, pp. 27-28).

Psalm 36 is one of my all time favorite texts. It is a spring of spritually refreshing water that I find myself going to over and over again. Click the link below for my sermon notes on Psalm 36.

The Gospel of the River of Delights - Psalm 36

Psalm 36:1-12
[1] Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes. Read the rest of this entry »

“Preaching predestination, or creation, or the new birth, or the baptism of the Spirit is not preaching the gospel. All these things are related to the gospel and are necessary for the working of the gospel, but they are not the essential message to be believed for salvation. Furthermore, unlike the gospel message, they do not directly address the matter of our justification and assurance of salvation. Only the message that another true and obedient human being has come on our behalf, that he has lived for us the kind of life we should live but can’t, that he has paid fully the penalty we deserve for the life we do live but shouldn’t—only this message can give assurance that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, pp. 83-84).

“By referring to the gospel as the hermeneutical key I mean that proper interpretation of any part of the Bible requires us to relate it to the person and work of Jesus. This was recognized in Article III of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics, which says, ‘We affirm that the Person and work of Jesus Christ are the central focus of the entire Bible.’ We have already considered some of the ramifications of Jesus’ post-resurrection claims that all the Scriptures are about him. This is another way of saying that Jesus is the sole mediator of the truth of God. This mediatorial role has great significance for how we understand the Bible.

For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human who gave himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

The Jesus who mediates the word of God to us is the Jesus who is defined in terms of his historic saving act. The meaning of the Bible, in that case, is tied to the saving work of Jesus (Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, p. 84).

One of the classes that I teach each semester is Principles of Bible Study. My first lecture in this class each semester is entitled, “Jesus as a Bible Student.” The lecture is an exposition of Luke 24. It is the one text that I repeatedly take my students to throughout the semester. Verse 27 is the key verse: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” There is hardly a class hour that goes by when I do not stress that the Bible student has not really understood any particular text unless we have discerned how it testifies to or finds its ultimate reference point in the Person and Work of Christ. When my students walk out of my class at the end of the semester I want them to be convinced of the fact that the overall structure of biblical revelation finds its cohesiveness only in Christ’s Person and Work. Read the rest of this entry »