This book is a beast. My first thought upon opening the box was, “Wow, this is large!” This book is now one of the biggest books on my shelves… and I have some big books! It contains 981 pages, so it is not for the faint at heart. If it is some consolation, the conclusion section does end on page 763, with the rest of the book containing a bibliography and indexes. So for its sheer volume and academic feel, this book is not for everyone. That being said, I really like it, and will be a resource for me (on my sagging bookshelf!) for many years.

This will be a resource for me in the future because the middle section of this book walks through each of the 66 books of the Bible and explains the main themes, ethics, and role of the book in the storyline of Scripture. This information will be very useful to me as I read through the Bible, study for sermons, and do personal Bible study. I find the section on the role of each book of the Bible in the storyline of Scripture particularly interesting and valuable.

For example, the authors list the main themes of Ruth as the kindness of God, his providence, and the hope of Israel that centers on the house of David. And in the storyline section on Ruth, the authors say, “Within the total panorama of the biblical story, the book of Ruth prepares not only for David, but for David’s greater son, Jesus, and the royal house of David reaches its zenith with the birth of Jesus who is the Christ (Matt. 1:1, 5, 8)” (p. 298). These are very helpful connections to Christ and to the rest of the Bible.

I also found the introductory material very helpful. The authors define biblical theology as “historical, inductive, and descriptive” (p. 10, 25-27). Biblical theology, 1) embraces the diversity of Scripture while affirming its unity, 2) bridges exegesis and systematic theology, 3) studies the biblical authors on their own terms, and 4) moves from exegesis to synthesis, identifying themes and motifs and locating them in the storyline of Scripture.

The authors explain four main approaches to biblical theology, 1) the classical approach, investigating the main themes in Scripture book by book, 2) the central theme approach, tracing a major theme through Scripture, 3) the single center approach, identifying one single theme of the Bible – such as God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment (Hamilton), and 4) the metanarrative approach, focusing on discerning the Bible’s major storyline – such as creation, fall, redemption, and consummation (pp. 27-32).

Kostenberger and Goswell argue for a balanced procedure in their approach – start with each book of Scripture, then aim to identify major topics, and finally attempt to understand how all these fit together in the storyline of Scripture (p. 32). The authors do work through the main themes of biblical theology in the conclusion section such as love, Christ/Messiah, the king and his kingdom, new covenant/exodus/creation, etc. I found this section extremely insightful as the authors traced each theme through the Bible (pp. 703-729).

To end, I will share what Kostenberger and Goswell say about the purpose of biblical theology. “Biblical theology is much more than a mere academic exercise; it is of considerable practical relevance for the church. Biblical theology has great promise for preachers and teachers and serious students of God’s word; it matters and is worthy of our utmost attention, careful definition, and execution” (p. 24). The supreme end of biblical theology is the glory of God.

I received a copy of this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.