The New Testament in Seven Sentences - (Introductions in Seven Sentences) by Gary M Burge (Paperback)

About the Book

Using seven key sentences from the New Testament, Gary M. Burge demonstrates how the themes of fulfillment, kingdom, cross, grace, covenant, spirit, and completion set a theological rhythm for our faith.

Book Synopsis

To understand the breadth of the gospel's message, we need to perceive the full tapestry of Scripture. Using seven key sentences from the New Testament, Gary M. Burge demonstrates how the themes of fulfillment, kingdom, cross, grace, covenant, spirit, and completion set a theological rhythm for our faith, outlining the broader pattern of Scripture that illustrates what God has done-and is bringing to fulfillment-in Christ.

Review Quotes

"Burge gives us a panoramic vision of some of the major themes in the Scriptures in this wonderfully accessible book. Sometimes we plunge into reading the Scriptures without an understanding of its larger story line, and we all know that it is difficult to understand the parts of a story without having a grasp of the whole picture. Burge unpacks the meaning of the Messiah, cross, Spirit, and new creation, along with other central themes. This book is a great tool for personal reading, for group studies, and for preachers and students."

"Burge wakes up his readers to the provocation that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That which many modern readers assume as commonplace (i.e. Jesus came to die on a cross for my sins), shocked the beliefs and lives of the first Christians. With rootedness in history and careful attention to the beauty of the text, Burge invites readers to do the hard-and very good-work of understanding the overarching message of the Christian faith."

"Gary Burge is the best of communicators. He lays out the central message of the New Testament with such clarity and insight that those who read this work will close the cover and wonder why they had not heard the gospel this way before. Burge makes the best of New Testament studies accessible while never talking down as he brings each reader up to understand the depths of God's wonder-filled work in Christ. Read, reflect, and rejoice!"

"Gary Burge's aptly chosen seven sentences and words show clearly that the New Testament is not just a book full of doctrines, promises, or ethics, but has to be understood within the overarching grand narrative of the Bible as a whole, from creation to new creation. Within that framework he helps us understand the cultural and religious context into which God entered in Jesus of Nazareth, the starkly surprising and challenging nature of 'the good news' that Jesus and his apostles preached, and the glorious future that God's mission will accomplish for the whole creation. However well you think you know your New Testament, this will help you see it through fresh eyes and gain many new insights in the process."

"To sum up the New Testament in seven sentences seems a daunting task. Gary Burge succeeds in doing so by engaging its story. He draws on seven central New Testament statements to retell the story of God's work in Christ. In the process, he widens the lens to show how the entire biblical story culminates in Jesus' person and work. It is an accessible and inviting book!"

About the Author

Gary M. Burge (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament and academic dean at Calvin Theological Seminary. He previously taught for twenty-five years at Wheaton College and is the author of many books such as Theology Questions Everyone Asks (with coeditor David Lauber), A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion, Mapping Your Academic Career, and The New Testament in Antiquity (second edition coauthored with Gene Green).