Our Creator Redeemer: An Introduction to Biblical Covenant Theology
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Much is at stake in evangelical Christian theology when considering “the covenants”—Old Testament and New Testament. Theologically, how do we align the concerns of a popular conservative Christian culture that may rightly worry about the place of the Ten Commandments in the public square with a message that often seems to stress that those same commandments have all been nailed to the cross?
Is it all really so simple as “Old Testament = law” versus “New Testament = grace”? Between whom are these two covenants made? How are the two covenants the same? And ultimately, are they really different? These are not new questions in reformed theology and among evangelicals. But their answers are best found, not in the traditions of theological interpretation, but in a careful scriptural analysis of salvation history itself.
Thus, in this important new contribution to covenant theology, Seventh-day Adventist scholar Hans LaRondelle chronologically traces through salvation history the footsteps of the Creator-Redeemer in progressively revealing his covenant promises and his judgments. From a redemption-historical perspective, based on careful exegesis, the author outlines the unity and continuity of God’s covenants with his chosen people.
- Answers a variety of questions regarding covenants and how they work
- Examines different covenants and their connectedness through the Bible
- Presents a modern SDA look at covenant theology
- The Purpose of God’s Covenants
- God’s Covenants with Adam, Noah, and Abraham
- The Mosaic Covenant
- The Davidic Covenant
- The New Covenant Promise in the Old Testament
- The New Covenant in the New Testament
- Paul’s Christocentric Theology
- Paul and the New Covenant
- Paul’s Polemical Statements on the Old Covenant
- The Climax of Paul’s Covenant Theology
- The Consummated Covenant in the Book of Revelation
Top Highlights
“The giving of the Law was the supreme expression of His sanctifying love” (Page 36)
“and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves” (Page 6)
“This redemptive experience through faith in Jesus implies that the heavenly Christ writes God’s moral law effectively on our hearts and consciences, making us willing and able to obey wholeheartedly the will of God.” (Page 86)
“‘In this sense, the covenant of God with Noah may be seen as a renewal of His covenant with Adam, to which the Bible points implicitly in Genesis 3:15.’5 God’s covenant with Noah was to preserve the human race so that God’s promise of redemption could be realized.” (Page 19)
“The Sinaitic covenant both corresponds and contrasts with the legal customs of its time and culture.” (Page 1)
At a time when questions about the covenant again face us, this succinct volume is a source that makes an exceptionally authentic and thought-provoking contribution. This book effectively reaches beyond the tired, even exhausted, arguments on both sides of the struggle, challenging us all to look at this astounding subject in ways that truly shed light on our ongoing pilgrimage into truth.
—From the Foreword, Willmore D. Eva, editor, Ministry Magazine
This book makes a significant contribution by synthesizing and systematizing theology regarding the covenants from a perspective that is consistent with biblical teaching.
—Roy Gane, professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern languages, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University
Hans K. LaRondelle (1929–2011) was professor of theology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Born and educated in Holland, he attended Utrecht State University and then completed a ThD in systematic theology at the Reformed Free University in Amsterdam.