Jesus
Page 49
89. John 5:39.
90. John 13:16; Matt. 10:25.
91. Mark 11.
92. See Sweet and Viola, Jesus Manifesto, chap. 3.
93. In addition, the Roman emperor was expected to bring justice, peace, prosperity, and blessings to the world. He was also called “Pontifex Maximus,” which means “chief priest.” The Romans also believed that when an emperor ascended into heaven, he was enthroned as being divine. Thus the emperor (at his death) was also called “son of God.”
94. See Acts 17:7, as an example.
95. Isa. 52:7.
96. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, rev. ed., 221 (see chap. 1, n. 2).
97. The gospel is also bound up with the eternal purpose of God in Christ—which is not separate from Jesus—or as Paul called it, “the mystery. Romans 16:25; Ephesians 6:19; and Ephesians 3:7–11 also associate the preaching of “the mystery” and “the unsearchable riches of Christ” with the gospel. This point is often missed among those who teach about the gospel today, for the eternal purpose (“the mystery”) gets very little airplay in evangelical circles today—even though it’s at the heart of Second Testament revelation.
98. T. S. Eliot, “The Dry Salvages,” pt. 5, lines 215–17, in Four Quartets (n. p.: Mariner Books, 1968), 44.
99. While many modern Christians reduce the gospel to two verses in 1 Corinthians 15 (vv. 3–4), Paul’s “definition” of the gospel in that passage actually extends to verse 28, when God becomes “all in all.” See McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel, 53ff.; 81ff (see intro., n. 39).
100. Matt. 23:1–35.
101. Heb. 13:8.
102. Heb. 1:1–3.
103. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 281 (see chap. 15, n. 52).
104. 2 Cor. 4:6.
Appendix: Post-Apostolic Witnesses
1. Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr with Trypbo, a Jew, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, eds. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and Arthur Cleveland Coxe (New York: Cosimo Classics, 2007), 1: 262.
2. Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem, ed. and trans. Ernest Evans (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1972), 159 (2.26), http://www.tertullian.org/articles/evans_marc/evans_marc_06book2_eng.htm.
3. The first quote is from Augustine, Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans (Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1972), 652. The second quote is from “Ten Homilies on the First Epistle General of St. John: Second Homily,” in Augustine: Later Works, ed. John Burnaby, Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1955), 270.
4. Irenaeus, Five Books of S. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Against Heresies (James Parker, 1872). Translated from Latin—“The Treasure Hid in the Scriptures Is Christ,” http://www.bible-researcher.com/irenaeus.xhtml.
5. John Chrysostom, “Homily on 1 Corinthians 10.1ff.,” trans. Ben Witherington from the original Greek text, http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/08/relationship-of-ot-to-nt-according-to.xhtml.
6. Robinson Thornton, St. Ambrose: His Life, Times and Teaching (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1898), 145.
7. John Cassian, Conferences, trans. Colm Luibheld, Classics of Western Spirituality (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), 161.
8. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, in Basic Writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, ed. Anton C. Pegis (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1997), 2: 858 (Q. 101, art. 4) and 2: 961 (Q.107, art. 2).
9. The first two quotes are from John Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), 1:218. The third quote is from John Calvin, Calvin: Commentaries, trans. and ed. Joseph Haroutunian (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), 70.
10. The first quote is from Ewald M. Plass, comp., What Luther Says: An Anthology (St. Louis: Concordia), 70. The remaining quotes are quoted in Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, 120 (see intro., n. 44).
11. The first quote is from George Whitefield, “Neglect of Christ, the Killing Sin,” in his Sermons on Important Subjects (London: Thomas Tegg, 1841), 1: 739. The second quote is from Whitefield, “The Gospel Supper,” ibid., 1: 384. Also available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/whitefield/sermons.xxxv.xhtml?highlight=christ,old%20testament#highlight.
12. John Wesley, “Notes on the Second Book of Moses, called Exodus,” in his Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (Salem, OR: Schmul Publishers, 1975; facsim. ed. Bristol, UK: printed by William Fine, 1765), 195.
13. Jonathan Edwards, A History of the Work of Redemption in The Works of President Edwards (New York: S. Converse, 1829), 3:278–79.
14. The first quote is from J. C. Ryle, Holiness (Abridged): Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 2010), 253. The second quote is from Ryle, How Readest Thou? in Jay P. Green, Why Read the Bible Through & How Readest Thou? (Lexington, KY: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2002), 56.
15. The first quote is from C. H. Spurgeon, “The Dew of Christ’s Youth,” in Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon of London, 6th series (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1863), 255. The second quote, from the same book, is from Spurgeon’s sermon “Christ Precious to Believers,” 357.
16. John Newton, “On Searching the Scriptures,” in The Works of the Rev. John Newton . . . to Which Are Prefixed Memoirs of His Life, &c., by Richard Cecil (New York: Robert Carter, 1847), 1: 405.
17. A. B. Simpson, Christ in the Tabernacle (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, n.d.), 5–6.
18. Sinclair B. Ferguson, “Preaching Christ from the Old Testament” (see intro., n. 35).
19. The first quote is from Arthur Washington Pink, “The Typical Significance of the Scriptures Declare Their Divine Authorship,” in his Divine Inspiration of the Bible (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1917), 65–66. Available also as “The Typical Significance of the Scriptures Declare Their Divine Authorship,” http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pink/inspiration.ch6.xhtml?highlight=christ,old%20testament#highlight. The second quote is from “The Ordained Lamp,” in A. W. Pink’s Studies in the Scriptures, 1932–1933: Volume 6 of 17 (repr. Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2001), 21.
20. The first quote is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1–3, eds. John W. de Gruchy, Martin Rüter, and Ilse Tödt; trans. Douglas Stephen Bax (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997), 22. The second and third quotes are quoted in Martin Kuske, The Old Testament as the Book of Christ: An Appraisal of Bonhoeffer’s Interpretation, trans. S. T. Kimbrough (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976), 45, 49. “For Bonhoeffer, the Old Testament was certainly the Hebrew Bible, but it was also part of the Christian canon. Therefore it had to be read in the light of God’s self-disclosure in Jesus Christ. . . . Bonhoeffer understood the Old Testament as the book of Christ at all times.” John DeGruchy, “Editor’s Introduction to the English Edition,” and Martin Rüter and Ilse Tödt, “Editor’s Afterword to the German Edition,” in Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall, 9 and 173.
21. The first quote is from Karl Barth, Homiletics (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1991), 80–81. The second quote is from Barth, Church Dogmatics, vol. 1, pt. 2, trans. G. W. Bromiley and G. T. Thomson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark International, 2004), 489.
22. The first quote is from F. F. Bruce, “The Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Christianity” in A Mind for What Matters, 54. The second quote is from Bruce, The Books and the Parchments: Some Chapters on the Transmission of the Bible, rev. ed. (Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1963), 77. The third quote is from Bruce, The Christian Approach to the Old Testament (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1955), 5.
23. Erich Sauer, From Eternity to Eternity: An Outline of Divine Purpose, trans. G. H. Lang (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 41.
24. E. E. Ellis, “How Jesus Interpreted His Bible,” 345–46 (see intro., n. 33).
25. Stanley Grenz, A Theology for the Community of God (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 392–93.
26. Wilhelm Vischer, The Witness of the Old Testament to Christ, trans. A. B. Crabtree (Londo
n: Lutterworth, 1949), 28, n. 1, 7, 27.
27. Brevard Childs, “Jesus Christ the Lord and the Scriptures of the Church” in The Rule of Faith: Scripture, Canon, and Creed in a Critical Age, eds. Ephraim Radner and George Sumner (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1998), 6, 11.
28. Richard Longnecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 206.
29. R. T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament, 40, 75 (see intro., n. 19).
30. John Goldingay, “The Old Testament and Christian Faith,” Part I, Themelios, 8:1 (Sept. 1984): 4–10, http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_ot1_goldingay.xhtml.
31. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 237 (see chap. 15, n. 52); second quote is from Tom [i.e., N. T.] Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: SPCK, 2001), 294–95; third quote is Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004), 2: 51.
32. James D. G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977), 94, 101–2.
33. Donald Bloesch, “A Christological Hermeneutic,” 84–85 (see intro., n. 41). Also available as “A Christological Hermeneutic,” http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=0.
34. Joseph Ratzinger, foreword to his Jesus of Nazareth, xix (see chap. 7, n. 18).
35. Norman Geisler, To Understand the Bible, Look for Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968), 83.
36. John Stott, The Incomparable Christ (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001), 15.
37. J. Todd Billings in “Theological Interpretation in Action,” Christianity Today, October 29, 2011.
38. J. I. Packer, foreword to Edmund Clowney’s The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1988), 8.
39. Christopher J. H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, 29, 44, 56, 108 (see intro., n. 55).
40. Edmund Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery, 9, 116 (see n. 38 above).
41. Michelle A. Vu, “Mohler: Without Old Testament, Jesus Story Incomplete,” http://www.christianpost.com/news/mohler-without-old-testament-jesus-story-incomplete-49812.
42. Jon Zens, “How Does the New Testament Use the Old Testament?” Searching Together 14:2 (Summer 1985): 18–19.
43. D. A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), 49.
44. Timothy Dalrymple, “Eugene Peterson: Would Jesus Condemn Rob Bell?” ChurchLeaders.com, http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/149653-eugene-peterson-would-jesus-condemn-rob-bell.xhtml.
45. John Piper, “How Christ Fulfilled and Ended the Old Testament Regime,” February 23, 2005, http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-christ-fulfilled-and-ended-the-old-testament-regime.
46. Tim Keller, “There Are Two Ways to Read the Bible,” [posted] July 13, 2010, Reformed University Fellowship at Louisiana State University, http://www.lsu.ruf.org/posts/6001.
47. Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermenutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 62, 63.
48. Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel, 50–51 (see intro., n. 39).
49. Richard Hays, The Conversion of the Imagination, 11, 24, 84 (see chap. 14, n. 51).
50. G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, 26, 379–80 (see intro., n. 78).
51. Christian Smith, The Bible Made Impossible, 97–98 (see intro., n. 68).
52. C. S. Lewis, To “Mrs. Ashton”: from Magdalen College, November 8, 1952, in Letters of C. S. Lewis, rev. and enl. ed., ed. Walter Hooper (San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1993), 248.
53. Robert D. Brinsmead, “A Freedom from Biblicism” in The Christian Verdict: Justification by Faith Reexamined (Fallbrook, CA: Verdict, 1984), 12.
54. Article I of “The Dallas Seminary Doctrinal Statement,” http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement.
About the Authors
LEONARD SWEET IS THE E. STANLEY JONES PROFESSOR OF Evangelism at Drew University (NJ), a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Fox University (OR), and a weekly contributor to sermons.com and the podcast Napkin Scribbles. With some of the highest “influence” rankings of any religious figure in the worlds of social media (Twitter, Facebook), and a pioneer in online learning, he has authored numerous articles, sermons, and more than fifty books.
leonardsweet.com
FRANK VIOLA IS A POPULAR CONFERENCE SPEAKER AND THE BEST-selling author of numerous books on the deeper Christian life, including Epic Jesus, Revise Us Again, From Eternity to Here, and Jesus Manifesto (coauthored with Leonard Sweet). His blog Beyond Evangelical is rated as one of the most popular in Christian circles today.
frankviola.org
“A classic devotional volume that will inspire generations of Jesus-followers.”
—Reggie McNeal, missional leadership specialist, Leadership Network
“Rediscover or experience for the first time the power, prestige, and primacy of Jesus Christ.”
—Ed Young, pastor, Fellowship Church
“I am grateful that Frank and Leonard did the work and are putting this in the lap of so many.”
—Matt Chandler, lead pastor, The Village Church
ISBN 978-0-8499-4601-1
www.theJesusManifesto.com
Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, methods, techniques, and formulas have all tried to eclipse the beauty, glory, and reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. On the whole, Christians today know about Jesus but don’t know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus but very little about living by His indwelling life. Jesus Manifesto is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him.
Wherever books are sold or at ThomasNelson.com