“You should take that footnote out. You can’t reference the New Testament in an Old Testament essay.” This is what one of my supervisors told me when reading through an essay I wrote for an Old Testament module at my secular university.
As an evangelical Christian undergraduate, I knew the whole Bible fitted together as one cohesive story, but my supervisor made it clear that the Old Testament belonged to the ancient Israelites, and the New Testament was written in an entirely different context dealing with vastly different theological and social matters. The dominant view in theology departments throughout the West is exactly what my Old Testament professor taught: the two Testaments are incompatible for anyone taking Biblical Studies seriously. Not only that, but each book of the Bible is understood as isolated from all the other books and heavily redacted by a later fanatical group more interested in propagating their ideology than preserving divine truth.
Biblical Theology is largely shunned in the secular academy. But it shouldn’t be.
What is Biblical Theology? It’s not just a clever term for ‘studying the Bible’. It’s a way of reading Scripture that sees it as a unified, cohesive, Christ-centred narrative from Genesis to Revelation. So doing Biblical Theology means analysing texts in light of this unravelling story, paying careful attention to the different styles and contexts, as we see the narrative pointing to Jesus the Messiah. This narrative is like a golden thread that runs through every book, tying them all together. Biblical Theology is like a roadmap for navigating the Scriptures, while liberal approaches to Scripture threaten to turn that clear path into a maze.
Biblical Theology: More than Just a Method
In Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, Michael Lawrence notes why Biblical Theology is important for the Christian life: Biblical Theology is practical theology. Every time we apply the Bible into any circumstance, we are assuming that the text is relevant for that moment (p. 13-19). We therefore need a good grasp on Biblical Theology to use any part of the Bible well and correctly today. Studying a doctrine or topic using Biblical Theology is not merely a look into the past for the purpose of intellectual curiosity, but a task for the present moment (p. 143).
For example, conducting a biblical survey of God’s love does not simply cause me to rejoice at all the times God showed love in Scripture, but to recognise, in news ways, what God’s love looks like and what it does not look like (p. 148). This, then, allows me to love others better according to how God loves, and not how others desire to be loved. In Biblical Theology, a single doctrine or topic’s layers of depth and beauty can be perceived from different scriptural angles.
Connecting the Old Testament to Christ: Walking, Not Jumping
One of the great challenges in Biblical Theology is figuring out how to connect the Old Testament to Jesus without making awkward leaps. You’ve probably heard sermons where the preacher jumps to Jesus without warning, leaving you wondering, ‘Wait, how did we get here?’
Lawrence offers a much better approach. He explains that we do indeed have a legitimate biblical warrant to connect the Old Testament to Jesus (p. 33). But – and this is key – we must walk carefully, tracing the story step-by-step, and not merely jump to Jesus.
Biblical Theology is like a hike. You don’t suddenly teleport from the base of the mountain to the summit; you climb, following the path that leads you there, and following this path makes you more greatly appreciate the view from the top. Lawrence shows us how to walk through the Old Testament, tracing how each part of the story anticipates Christ. This makes our study of Scripture more rigorous and meaningful, and our understanding of Scripture more profound.
In conducting Biblical Theology, we must balance continuity and change. Christological ‘types’ – those hints and patterns that foreshadow Jesus – are like this. We need to understand the original context of a passage and carefully explain how it points to Christ, but only if that connection is warranted by Scripture itself. As Lawrence puts it, we need confidence in the “various fulfilments”, repeating patterns, and upward trajectories and spirals that develop throughout the biblical narrative (p. 73). Biblical Theology done well, therefore, gives us the tools to trace these fulfilments without making unwarranted jumps to Jesus.
Biblical Theology in the Academy
So why should you, an evangelical university student studying theology, care about Biblical Theology? Biblical Theology is a key tool to have in your toolkit regardless of where and why you are a theology student. Perhaps you are studying in a ‘confessional’ (outwardly and proudly Christian) institution. Perhaps you are studying in a ‘secular’ (non-Christian) institution. Perhaps you are preparing for full-time, paid Christian ministry. Perhaps not. Though, even if you are not preparing for full-time ministry, you should still study with a desire to learn God’s Word and use your knowledge and skills to be a blessing to your church in different contexts.
Regardless of your motivations and aspirations as a theology student, remember that Biblical Theology is for you and for your church.
Whether you will preach, counsel someone, lead a Bible study, or even just have a helpful conversation with a suffering or sinning saint after a worship service, you will be relying on Biblical Theology to make sense of Scripture and apply it to real life – whether you know it or not. Lawrence argues that we can’t just assume the relevance of a passage; we must demonstrate it.
When you explain the connection between a passage and Christ – or between a passage and today’s world – you’re not just doing mental gymnastics. You’re practicing faithful Biblical Theology, showing that Scripture speaks powerfully to every moment of life. This approach won’t just make your teaching or advice more theologically rich, but more practical.
If you’re in the secular academy, like in my experience, then you will have to be wise and careful in navigating liberal approaches to Scripture in your essays. Here are some practical tips on how to negotiate this difficulty in your essays, particularly when addressing Biblical Studies:
- Remember that your professor knows the Christian claims regarding Scripture, the Old Testament, and Jesus. You are unlikely to teach them new things, and so your essays are not sermons or evangelistic pieces. There are lots of opportunities for persuading your liberal professors, but your essays are for you to engage with scholars and texts to demonstrate academic and intellectual skills.
- Remember that the Bible has always existed among a receiving community – ancient Israelites, post-exilic residents of Jerusalem, the early church, and so on. Rather than telling your professor your interpretation, tell them how the text was received originally and throughout history, and why. For example, instead of writing, ‘Isaiah 53 points to Jesus’, you could write, ‘Early Christians saw Jesus as the fulfilment of Isaiah 53, which demonstrates X, Y, Z…’. Your answer would still communicate Christ or the gospel while also presenting a multi-layered analysis of the text as it has been received by faith communities through the ages.
- Use the golden words, ‘may’ and ‘however’. Rather than being forced to conform to liberalism by writing what you think your professors want to hear, articulately push back: ‘Jesus may not have claimed to be God (as X says), however it could be argued that…’, or ‘The Exodus narrative may have been written as an allegory (as Y says), however this view ignores…’. In this way, you notice liberal views and communicate them, but argue against them. In doing so, you will really be digging deeper into the discussion than your non-Christian friends who may be happy to agree with any consensus.
- Remember that Biblical Theology is a legitimate academic discipline, not something reserved for the ‘quacks’ who actually believe the Bible. Use evangelical scholars in your essays as you address scholarly debates. They have real, textually based reasons to make their conclusions, and their research is worth engaging with. There is a reason why Christianity has always been an intellectual, as well as a spiritual and deeply personal, movement: Christians’ claims on the Bible and the climax of its story in Jesus has persuaded millions, including many of the greatest minds of the last two millennia.
Keep the Story Intact
While the secular academy often fragments Scripture into isolated texts, Biblical Theology allows us to step back and see the bigger picture: a unified, Christ-centred story that speaks to all of life. We are participants in a vibrant, ongoing conversation about God’s revelation, and though the academy may sometimes demand that we compartmentalise the Testaments, the wisdom and brilliance of Biblical Theology allows us to push back, showing how these ancient texts speak with cohesiveness as a single, intentional, and designed narrative.
So, whether you are writing essays or engaging in ministry, remember that the insights of Biblical Theology can provide you with a roadmap to deeper theological understanding and practical wisdom for life and ministry. Take time to study it, get good at it, and be proud of it.
References and Further Reading
- Dempster, S.G. (2003). Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- Goldsworthy, G. (2000). The Goldsworthy Trilogy. Exeter: Paternoster Press.
- Lawrence, M. (2010). Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
- Roberts, V. (2002). God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Leicester: InterVarsity Press.
- Vanhoozer, K. J. (2016). Liberalism and the Challenge of Theological Interpretation. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
