Summary of Biblical Theology

I became interested in this book because of the influence the author had on my pastor. I found his redemptive-historical preaching style to be powerful and engaging and I wanted to know what "redemptive-historical" meant.

Biblical Theology is Special Revelation told as epic history. It's somewhere between exegesis and systematic theology. It tracks the growth or development of the gospel in the Scriptures over time. Importantly, it relieves, to some extent, the unfortunate tendency to rely upon proof texts when defining fundamental doctrines. Instead, it traces these truths throughout the whole of the Bible.

Starting with pre-redemptive special revelation (e.g. creation), everything disclosed here is largely symbolical. Don't misconstrue this to mean that the events weren't actually real. It's real symbolism embodied in actual things. The symbols are not expressed in words so much as in tokens. These tokens prefigure and convey assurance concerning the future realization of the things symbolized.

In early redemptive relevation (the Fall to pre-Flood), it's important to note that here, as in all of the Old Testament, the concept of a personal Messiah is approached very gradually. It sufficed for fallen man to know that through His divine power and grace God would bring victory over the serpent. In that faith could rest. The object of their faith was much less defined than ours. But none the less, the essence of this faith was the same, trust in God's grace and power to bring deliverance from sin.

In Noachian revelation, note the rapid development of sin's power. In the first generation after Adam you already have murder. Sin proves powerful enough to prostitute the gifts of God's common grace. Soon there is no trace of the sense of sin in Cain's line. In Seth's line, the continuity of redemption is stressed. But even the good kept alive is not enabled to force back evil. While the power of redemption remained stationary, the power of sin waxed strong. Once the Sethites and Canites intermarry, the continuity of God's work appeared in danger, and the lesson of the destructive power of sin had been fully taught, the time had come to teach the finishing lesson of the judgment.

During the Patriarchal period, God checks the power of sin (e.g. division of tongues) and the actual beginning of the people of God, the first embodiment of objective religion, the nucleus of the Church is found with the call of Abram. The idea of faith suddenly springs into prominence. The patriarchs learned that God reserved to Himself the fulfillment of the promises (e.g. great nation, land, blessing to all people). They had learned to look upward to a form of possession of the promises identified closely with God Himself, instead of just a temporal fulfillment by possessing Canaan, etc.

Revelation in the time of Moses, consisting of the theocracy, typifies the perfected kingdom of God. When apostasy on a general scale took place, they could no longer remain in the promised land. The history of Israel was shaped by God intentionally so as to mirror all important situations befalling the people of God in all subsequent ages.

Prophetic revelation guarded the unfolded theocracy in order to keep it a true representation of the kingdom of Jehovah.

New Testament revelation, contained the speech of the Son, and so no higher speech was possible. It includes the Apostles, who are witnesses and interpreters of the Christ. Jesus regarded the whole Old Testament movement as a divinely directed and inspired movement, as having arrived at its goal in Himself. In His numerous appeals to Scripture, Jesus shows the Scriptures are a book for the people and that they cannot be broken (Jn 10:35).

This may be my longest post ever, so if you read this far, I hope you have a refreshed sense of the majesty and the oneness of the Scriptures.

Geerhardus Vos (1870-1949) is the author of Biblical Theology.